Laura Evans, a self-described unsporty adult, never imagined she would become someone who could deadlift 100kg. Growing up in the 1990s, she avoided exercise and saw sport as something other people did. In PE, she was the child hiding behind bins, pretending to be injured. As an adult, she occasionally attempted fitness programs like Couch to 5K, but often abandoned them or finished with resentment, convinced that exercise was pointless and endorphins a myth.
From Back Pain to Strength Training
After having two children, including a large-headed baby delivered via C-section two weeks late, Evans experienced persistent back pain. Physiotherapy, osteopathy, and chiropractic treatment offered little relief. Eventually, a healthcare professional suggested strength training to strengthen her core. Desperate and increasingly frustrated by internalised misogyny about how women should look, Evans decided to try. She wanted to be strong, not slim.
To her surprise, putting in actual effort worked. Within weeks, her backache disappeared, and she could lift her children without pain. For the first time, she understood her body's potential in terms of what it could do, not how it looked.
The 100kg Goal
Despite initial progress, Evans still lacked enthusiasm for exercise and often made excuses to her personal trainer. That changed when she saw author Fiona Cummins tweet about achieving her goal of deadlifting 100kg. The number's solid, round chutzpah inspired Evans to tell her trainer: "I want to do that."
She began a programme of deadlifts, squats, bench presses, and complementary exercises, working towards heavy weights that initially seemed impossible. With only one hour-long session per week, she progressed steadily: 80kg, 85kg, then 90kg. At first, she could manage a single rep, but within a month, she could do five, then ten. Her body changed not as a byproduct of pregnancy or diet, but as a direct result of her training. It was, she says, a strange and exhilarating feeling.
Measurable Progress and Newfound Confidence
The measurable, incremental progress engaged Evans's competitive side like no other exercise. When she finally hit 100kg, it felt like winning a trophy. But the rewards extended beyond the gym: she could swing her toddler over her shoulder into a back sling, carry her own Ikea order from the car and up the stairs, and build it singlehandedly. She no longer needed a man to move heavy objects; often, she could move them for others.
Now, Evans views fitness as an end in itself. She enjoys the gym and paddleboarding, a second form of exercise she genuinely likes. Sport is no longer a place where she feels she doesn't belong. She has gone from feeling like a passenger in her body to feeling in control, C-section scars and all.
Laura Evans's debut novel, Little Wild, is published on 25 June.
