Hi, I’m Amy-Rose a photographer and powerlifter documenting the world of female strength sport from the inside. This project is a photo book exploring the journeys of women in powerlifting: the spaces they train in, the competitions they step onto, and the communities that shape them. Alongside their stories, I share elements of my own experience within this still relatively niche sport.

Featuring 32 lifters competing at local, national and international levels across the UK, the book focuses exclusively on women to highlight the female strength athlete as an equal within the sport. Many of these images were created during the COVID-19 pandemic, when training moved into garages, living rooms and back gardens with house bricks, resistance bands and whatever equipment could be improvised. At its core, this work asks what drives these women to begin, and what gives them the resilience to continue.

These are portraits of empowered athletes who challenge lingering assumptions about female physical capability simply by showing up and lifting heavy. More than a documentation of strength, this project is about self-belief, autonomy and redefining success on your own terms. My hope is that every woman who encounters this work feels a little more permission to take up space, pursue what excites her, and recognise that her power, in every sense, is limitless.