AN increasing number of women are seeing the benefits of weightlifting, says gym owner Dave ‘Bulldog’ Beattie.

Dave, a former powerlifting world champion, says an intense 45-minute workout burns more calories than most other forms of exercise and puts less stress on the joints.

“I enjoy training women because they tend to dig that little bit deeper and don’t complain,” he said.

“You can see good results from three sessions a week if you are focused on what you are doing.

“The majority of people tend to drift around a gym. They don’t have a proper training programme and spend more time looking at their phone than getting on with it.

“It’s also a great way to keep yourself in good mental shape because you get rid of a lot of stress.”

Genesis Gym is on an industrial estate on the Ealing border and is as old school as its owner, who first took up weight-training after discovering some ‘iron’ gathering dust in a cupboard at school.

Dave subsequently joined a weightlifting club and, after serving in the Royal Marines for more than a decade, went on to win several world titles.