Durham University Lifting Club (DULC) is home to Durham University’s most talented weightlifters and powerlifters. To join us is to join a competitive club committed to encouraging success and breaking boundaries, all whilst ensuring a positive atmosphere with strong diversity and inclusion.

A major part of our mission is to increase accessibility to strength sports in Durham so no matter who you are, we’d love to have you on board. We are a community of increasingly competitive lifters and we want to see you join us and excel alongside our other athletes. We aim to achieve this by providing a place where you can train with high quality equipment and receive excellent coaching and guidance.

Powerlifting is a strength and power-based sport in which individuals compete in three major lifts; the squat, bench press and deadlift.

Training schedules can vary according to experience level and stage of competition preparation among many other things. Typically, you can expect to train 3-5 times a week with each session centring on one or more of the Big Three lifts followed by variations and accessories.

For those looking to compete, the main focus of the year is the University Championships in Easter, this will also involve qualifying at a regional event. In competition, the heaviest successful attempt for each lift is added to form a total, these are compared against other lifters form the same age and weight class.

Ability level does not matter, in fact, most of our members were completely new to the sport upon joining and many choose not to compete.

Olympic Weightlifting is a speed and power-based sport associated with two competition lifts: The Snatch and Clean & Jerk.

Despite the narrow focus of the competitions, training will encompass a broad range of activities designed to improve speed, strength, and flexibility. It may be an individual sport, but we strive to create a strong team environment within and outside of training which makes it more fun and productive.

We welcome athletes of all levels. In fact, the majority of our members had never performed a Snatch or Clean & Jerk before they joined us. There will also be a number of opportunities to compete for the more competitive minded. Furthermore, athletes compete in weight and age categories that make the sport accessible for all.

 

Our training takes place in Team Durham’s performance hubs. Found in the The Sport and Wellbeing Park at Maiden Castle, these are private-use gyms filled with all kinds of strength training equipment. Team Durham facilities include squat racks, deadlift platforms, bars, weights, machines, cardio equipment and various other pieces of gym kit such as farmer’s walk handles. DULC also owns an increasing collection of its own powerlifting equipment.

Each week we have sessions led by a Team Durham coach as well as sessions led by our own team of student coaches. Our student coaches all hold a Level 1 or Level 2 Coaching qualification from British Powerlifting or British Weightlifting, meaning they’re well qualified to answer technical questions and support lifters of any level. Sessions are 2 hours long and, restrictions permitting, allow our weightlifters and powerlifters to train side by side, swapping tips, tricks and experiences.

We look forward to welcoming you into the team and we’re sure you’ll love training with us!