SHE'S had the strength of mind and body to become Scotland's Strongest Woman and now Lisa Gippert is aiming to lift a British title.

The 39-year-old, from Blairhall, admitted to feeling "pretty proud" after flexing her muscles and powering her way to a second Scotland's Strongest Woman crown in three years earlier this month.

Lisa, who only took up the sport in 2016 after visiting the Kirkcaldy gym – Apex Strength and Conditioning – where she trains with husband Mark, competed in the 'open weight' category, one of three weight classes in which titles were up for grabs, the others being -63kg and -82kg.

Each competitor battled it out in six separate disciplines and, after winning five of them, Lisa was declared the champion and secured a place at Britain's Strongest Woman, which will take place in August.

"It feels a bit surreal," she told Press Sport.

"It was really good fun but it was a hard day. I trained hard for it, and I knew I wanted to win it, so I'm really pleased. I won five out of six events and was up against some really great girls, so I feel pretty proud about it.

"The sport is gaining momentum and that's the important thing; it's about how we can drive it further forward. I see more and more girls are now getting more confidence to do it, and it comes down to how much you want it and the compromises you make.

"There are some girls who are naturally super strong but I have to work hard at it. There are some who didn't get a podium but who smashed PBs, and that's the beauty of the sport, to see that progression."

On her journey into the sport, Lisa continued: "My husband was always in doing strength training and I wanted to come along one day.

"I turned up to this big warehouse unit in Kirkcaldy and did a training session. They said to me, 'There's a competition in six weeks, fancy doing it?', and I said absolutely not – I've no idea what I'm doing!

"But they put my name down and, six weeks later, I came second. It's a strong community and they really helped and encouraged me.

"I was hooked from there; it was really different, they were a cool bunch of people and I found I could do it.

"There's definitely something quite addictive about seeing your progression. I've won in 2017 and 2019, so I'm really chuffed.

"I'm 39 now – and I don't think I'm particularly old – but a lot of the girls are around 20. I threw myself in and tried to do my best, no pressure, so it was pretty cool."

The countdown to the British event on August 10 is now on, and Lisa added: "There will be really strong and talented girls who are just as committed but I'd love to aim for the podium.

"Whether I can do it is another question, but as long as I am true to myself, I'll be happy.

"I might never get the chance again so I want to leave nothing out there."