On Tuesday 14th May Head Coach Charlie Shotton-Gale appeared on BBC Radio Wiltshire’s ‘Lets Get Physical’ show to talk about body image with the 2 hosts of the show, Sue Kinnear and Kelly Morgan, as well as other guest Bex Harrison.

As we all know, Charlie is a top level Powerlifter, while Bex is a 53 year old vegan Physique competitor, two sports that require a very high level of physical fitness with very different aims. Physique competitions are, as the name suggests, a competition to have the very best in muscle definition and control while Powerlifting focuses on pushing your body to it’s absolute limits to move the most weight possible.

The focus of the show was Body Image, and Charlie and Bex had the opportunity to sit with the two show hosts and discuss how to promote a positive body image within the sports that they love and how to use a strength sport that you love to help you to become mentally stronger as well as physically.

The discussion ranged from how to keep a positive mindset in this sport and how to deal with negativity surrounding the way your body can look as a high level strength sport athlete to pushing yourself to do things that the world tells you that it shouldn’t be possible to do – like entering a Powerlifting competition at 6 months pregnant, or strength training on a vegan diet.

This was a really interesting show and a very important discussion at a time when society tells us that we should all look a certain way. If you want to listen and learn more you can listen here:https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0775rqq.


Charlie Marillier

I love Powerlifting