Our Gym
About us
Resilience Weightlifting was founded in Bath in 2020 by head coach and owner Amy Kirby-Saunders. Our current membership includes youth, senior and masters athletes from novice to elite athletes, including those who compete on a national and international level. Our gym is a fully equipped weightlifting specific club with Eleiko equipment close to Bath city centre. There are good links to public transport as well as parking available.
Club values
Our club values are very important to us - members at Resilience Weightlifting strive to be:
Committed - engaged in their training and development, taking ownership of their own training, and keeping in regular contact
Supportive - fiercely supportive of their teammates throughout their journey, encouraging and cheering for each other both in training and competition
Patient - receptive to feedback in their training and patient in the pursuit of improvement
Driven - interested in pursuing competitions in weightlifting (at any level), as we compete multiple times a year as a club
Resilient - focused on the relentless pursuit of their personal goals whilst being adaptable to changing circumstances along their journey
British Weightlifting Eleiko Club of the Year 2022
We are proud to share that Resilience Weightlifting were successful in winning British Weightlifting Eleiko Club of the Year 2022. The nomination read as follows:
“Resilience Weightlifting is an exceptional weightlifting club that fosters a strong sense of community and inclusivity. The club’s supportive head coach, Amy, takes a holistic approach to coaching and adapts training to meet the individual needs of each athlete. Resilience Weightlifting offers a range of sessions and programs for lifters of all ages and abilities, from beginner to elite. Members are encouraged to compete, and the club provides excellent support for athletes competing in local and national competitions. Resilience Weightlifting is making a positive impact in the South West and is passionate about growing the sport. The club’s welcoming and supportive environment is helping to inspire new lifters and build a community of passionate weightlifters.”
Competitions
As a club we host tier 3 competitions in Bath, aimed at providing a fun competition with a good atmosphere to athletes of all levels in the local area. We enjoy setting up these events between 1-2 times per year, which have proven very popular with competitors. Dates for these competitions will be shared on our Instagram profile once confirmed, and will be available for entry on the British Weightlifting Sport80 platform. These competitions tend to sell out quickly so be sure to favourite our account on Instagram to make sure you don’t miss out on the next one!
Resilience Weightlifting Coaches
Amy Kirby-Saunders
Position:
Owner, Head Coach
Qualifications:
- First aid trained
- BWL Coach licence
- BWL Level 2 qualified
Amy has been involved in weightlifting for over twelve years, initially as a weightlifter training at Empire Sports Club competing at national level, and then transitioning to coaching full time. She is owner and head coach at Resilience Weightlifting, has participated in the BWL Performance Coach Development Programme, and also works with British Weightlifting as Pathway Assistant Coach and with the GB National youth squad. Recently she has travelled to Peru to coach at IWF Youth World Championships and to Greece to coach at European Youth Championships.
Amy currently coaches youth, junior and senior athletes who compete at English, Welsh, Scottish and British Championships, BUCS, and internationally at European, World and Commonwealth Championships, and Pacific Games. She prides herself on being a patient, approachable, open and supportive coach, and enjoys building an athlete’s confidence in themselves. As well as developing athletes, Amy is also proactive about developing her coaching team who you can read more about below.
Harriet Burgess
Position:
Safeguarding and Welfare Officer, Health and Safety Officer, Competition Coach, Athlete Representative
Qualifications:
- BWL Level 2 qualified
- BWL Coach Licence
- First aid trained
Harriet holds an important position looking after our athlete’s welfare, health and safety and is the safeguarding officer for the club. She has been lifting for 2 and a half years and actively competes as a 64kg weightlifter. Harriet is a key member of our competition coaching team and has coached for the team at British and English national senior and age group championships.
Ellie Jenkinson
Position:
Assistant Coach, Club Secretary, Competition Coach
Qualifications:
- BWL Level 2 qualified
- BWL Coach Licence
Ellie first discovered weightlifting through Crossfit, switching to solely weightlifting in 2017. She competes as a 76kg weightlifter and in 2023 won her weight class at the Scottish Senior Championships. Ellie has worked as a teacher in various forms since 2013 and loves both helping people discover weightlifting for the first time, and helping people to refine their skills. She coaches our weekly Beginner and Improvers weightlifting classes and supports the team as part of our competition coaching team.
Ava Saunders
Position:
Assistant Coach - Youth, Raise the Bar coach, Age-group Representative
Qualifications:
- BWL Level 2 qualified
- BWL Coach Licence
Ava has been weightlifting for 3 years and has regularly competed throughout her time lifting. She has participated in 5 National Championships and achieved first place in her class at the 2024 England Age Group Championships. Ava is one of our youth coaches and as part of this delivers Resilience X Hayesfield project sessions as well as the weekly Youth weightlifting classes.
Cerys Blain
Position:
Assistant Coach - Youth, Raise the Bar Coach
Qualifications:
- BWL Level 2 qualified
- BWL Coach Licence
Cerys has been coaching sports for almost 10 years, starting in gymnastics coaching before adding trampolining and finally weightlifting. Cerys is has been training in weightlifting for 3 years and has competed regularly throughout her training. Cerys is one of our assistant coaches and delivers our weekly Beginner weightlifting classes as well as being a key part of the youth coaching team. Cerys leads on organising Raise the Bar courses in schools, and also delivers the Resilience X Hayesfield project sessions.