Big ambitions this year for a strongwoman living in Teesside
Shauna Moar says her training is ramping up for this year
Last updated 1st May 2025
We are meeting a strongwoman in Teesside who's hoping to inspire others to not give up on their dreams.
Shauna Moar was told she would be in a wheelchair as an adult due to a disability where she has low muscle tone.
But now the Middlesbrough gym owner says she has big ambitions this year: "I'm now in competition preparations so training's ramped up quite a lot. I train four to five times a week now. My sessions can last for up to three hours. It's quite intense.
"Most training sessions for me I do a lot of mobility, stretching and movement stuff to start and that could take up to 20 minutes. I'll then do some warm up lifts, my heavy lifting and then I'll do some accessory lifts to help the heavier lifts so it's a long session.
"I currently hold the record in the trap bar deadlift for Scotland. I lifted 255kg last year, so I have the record in the under 85kg women's weight class. March this year I'm going for the standard deadlift record and straight after that, I've got Scotland's strongest woman. I'd be looking to qualify for Britain's again and I also have ultimate's possibly.
"I think getting injured is quite hard. It comes with the sport as you're pushing your body to the max lifting 2-4x your body weight, so sometimes getting injured maybe a week before a competition when you've trained for it for months and months can be quite hard and not being able to train for a while.
"Not a lot of people know this but I was born with a disability. I have a muscle condition where I have low muscle tone, so I was told I would be in a wheelchair as an adult but I think being quite a stubborn individual, I was like 'no, that's not happening.' So I threw myself into everything; sports, horse riding, rugby and then I moved onto strongwoman. Basically for me it's showing other people that you can do this."
Shauna is from the Shetland Islands but lives in Ingleby Barwick and owns an LGBT+ gym in Middlesbrough. She is looking for sponsors to help her prepare for her competitions, to find out more, keep up-to-date or to get in touch, visit Shauna'swebsiteor visit herInstagramorFacebook page.