Abbye “Pudgy” Stockton was known as The “First Lady of Iron.” In the 1940s, she organized the first women’s weight lifting contest and operated the first all-women’s gym in the United States. She lifted, performed acrobatics on Muscle Beach and wrote extensively encouraging women to include weight training as part of a fitness regime.

Abbye “Pudgy” Stockton was known as The “First Lady of Iron.” In the 1940s, she organized the first women’s weight lifting contest and operated the first all-women’s gym in the United States. She lifted, performed acrobatics on Muscle Beach and wrote extensively encouraging women to include weight training as part of a fitness regime.

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