Aviemore High Life Highland doing power of good for two charities
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High Life Highland’s staff in Aviemore are raising the bar when it comes to helping two charities.
They have just launched their first ever fun competition ‘Lifting for Good’ – a power-lifting event which will take place at the village’s community centre on February 6, next year.
Competitors will test their strength in the three disciplines – the deadlift, bench press and squat – but taking the strain will be worthwhile as Prostate Cancer UK and the Samaritans will benefit.
Entrants pay a £5 fee but as part of that they will get expert tuition from High Life Highland personal trainer Josh Brannan who will be laying on workshops on a weekly basis from the end of this month right up to the event.
He will be highlighting good technique for the lifts and he will be starting with the basics meaning that the event is open to everyone, and not just muscle-men and ripped women.
Josh said: “The idea for the competition originated from one of our previous members at the Craig MacLean Sports Centre in Grantown having prostate cancer.
“Since that diagnosis he has been battling with numerous surgeries. He used to be in the gym single every day and was well-known at the sports centre.
“Then he went missing and we did not know what had happened and then found out that he had this condition.
“So he’s been battling prostate cancer for about a year now. We decided we wanted to host our first event but we did not know what to do it for so this was a great reason to get a charity involved.
“Then because of the time of the year the event is being staged we thought that it would be great to help the Samaritans for all the hard work that they carry out over the festive period and into the New Year.
“Sadly there is a large rise in the the suicide rate at this time of the year and we wanted to show our support and help keep their workers doing what they do best.”
Josh stressed ‘Lifting for Good’ it is not a competition in the true sense of the word. The aim is to equip the participants with correct power-lifting techniques and help them achieve their own PBs.
“It’s about entrants challenging themselves and seeing what they are capable of and if there want to then take it further then that is magnificent,” said Josh.
Nor do competitors have to be High Life Highland members. There will be fundraising including raffles leading up to the big Sunday.
Friends and families are invited along to cheer on their loved ones as they take to the lifting platform under the watchful gaze of Josh and two other High Life Highland judges
“People do not need to have lifted before – I will be covering all the techniques at the workshops,” he said. “And we are encouraging members from other gyms to come along and join in.”
The first workshops have been organised for this coming week on Tuesday and Friday from 6.15pm with a one-hour session on squats.
• For more information email aviemore.leisure@highlifehighland.com or contact Aviemore Community Centre through Facebook.
