In honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, we wanted to take a moment and highlight some of the standout female athletes that represent Gym Jones and have trained here at HQ in Salt Lake City, Utah. As we’ve said before, really every day is #NGWSD at our gym.  Our members, regardless of gender, train together, set goals together, and strive to achieve them together. Our female athletes are a total force and inspire all of us to push through physical duress, even when it seems impossible, even when our legs and our brains are screaming at us to stop. Gold medalist and USA Soccer player Sydney Leroux Dwyer probably summed it up best: “I worked on my weaknesses and made them my strengths.” That’s what the women we spoke to below do on February 5th, and every other day on the calendar. 

If you’re interested in training with the women in our community, visit us at Gym Jones HQ in Salt Lake City, contact one of our certified instructors, or head to one of the gyms mentioned below!

What do you wish more women understood about health and fitness? 

I wish more women understood that health and fitness are more about harnessing and focusing your power and developing your mental strength than they are about numbers on a barbell or a scale. 

What is your biggest goal outside of the gym and how does the gym help you accomplish it?

One of my biggest goals outside of the gym is to always be able to answer “yes” to the question: “is this going to make me better?” A better photographer, a better partner, a better coach, a better member of this community. The gym is absolutely vital in creating the mindset that allows me to remain focused under stress and to disregard the noise. I know what is important to me and I know what I am capable of because I am willingly and repeatedly testing my limits. Having that clarity and presence of mind allows me to make focused, productive decisions in my personal life. 

What’s unique about the women who train and coach at The Gym on 5th?

Our women are fierce beyond measure. There is a fire in them that, once discovered, never ever dies. 

What do you love most about training with other women?

We don’t connect to each other by being perfect. We connect by showing up as ourselves. By going through the hard stuff and being vulnerable.

What is your biggest goal outside of the gym and how does the gym help you accomplish it?

Authenticity. Being my authentic self at the gym has allowed me to go into workouts with an open mind and push myself past my comfort zone.

What do you wish more women understood about health and fitness? 

Health and fitness doesn’t have to be making yourself smaller to fit into superficial ideals. Your body is capable of so much more than you know.

What do you wish more women understood about health and fitness? 

You don’t become an instant she-hulk by lifting weights and you’re not losing your “gains” by doing conditioning/cardio. Just like you won’t get fat by eating one pizza or getting ripped by eating one salad. Find a balance and be consistent, those two will get you much further than being extremely stressed about what is “optimal.”

What is your biggest goal outside of the gym and how does the gym help you accomplish it?

Besides various sport related goals, my biggest goal is to be better in all aspects of life. To be a better coach, a better (girl)friend, and to do my best wherever and however I can. That may sound simple but it’s not, because life will throw some hard situations in front of you, just like the gym. If there’s one thing that the gym taught me, it’s that there is always an end to every grueling workout. But you have two options, are you giving up or fighting your way through it? The gym teaches me that every day and makes me more resilient and persistent in life.

What’s especially unique about the women who train at your gym?

There is absolutely no negative competition between the women in my gym and that makes me proud. They’re very supportive of each other and some of them have become very close friends. Training can be a very vulnerable thing, that’s why it can create a strong connection.

What is your biggest goal outside of the gym and how does the gym help you accomplish it?

My biggest goal is to be a good role model for my daughter. I just want to show her that she is capable of whatever she puts her mind to. The things we do in the gym help me be confident in myself, and I am glad I can show her what that looks like. 

What do you love about strength training?

I like the community that strength training builds. I love how we spot each other and are there for each other. I love knowing how to keep someone else safe when we are lifting heavy weight and I love that feeling of completely depending on someone else when you’re underneath the barbell. That creates a neat bond and a strong community that I haven’t experienced anywhere else. 

What do you like about training with other women at Gym Jones? 

There are a lot of badass women who train here; I love seeing what they can do. We build each other up instead of competing. I know every woman in here wants to see me succeed.

What do you wish more women understood about health and fitness? 

I feel strength training, for women especially, is completely  empowering and ends up translating to all these other parts of your life. 

What is the most important thing you have learned about yourself through training?

Perseverance. Like actually sticking to a plan even when it’s not going how you would like it to. Eventually you get results. 

How has training impacted your relationships with other women? 

The camaraderie that’s built with women in a gym to me is the most significant interaction I’ve had with women as an adult. I think it’s because the gym is a  domain that’s not traditionally a place for women, so you’re already breaking barriers by being there. You automatically welcome and support other women who have broken those same barriers, and it leads to an instant connection. 

What do you wish more women understood about health and fitness? 

Striving for the skinny, airbrushed, no cellulite, magazine standard view of what fit is, is not healthy. Having been one of those women, I can say it’s not healthy and you never know what’s going on behind the scenes. 

What is the most important thing you have learned about yourself through training?

That I am capable of way more than I believe I am capable of.

How has training changed/impacted your relationships with other women? 

Being in an environment that is about empowerment rather than competition is really special. It’s not about looking like someone else or competing with someone else, it’s about bringing each other up with you. It’s cool to be around other women training and actually see the hard work they put in every day; it takes away the aspect of jealousy and competition knowing we’re all in here putting in the work. 

Why should women prioritize fitness in their lives?

When you feel good on the inside, it transfers to everything else in your life. When you do things in the gym to make yourself feel better physically, it affects you mentally and emotionally. You do things inside the confines of these walls that you didn’t think you could do and you take that out of the gym with you.

What unique strengths do you see women offering at Element 26? 

The women at Element26 don’t want to be perceived as strong, they want to be strong. They don’t settle for half-assed effort. They care about performance over aesthetics.

What is the most important thing you have learned about yourself through training?

The most important thing I’ve learned about myself through training plays into my daily life outside of the gym. The habit of physical perseverance in the gym transfers to emotional, mental, and spiritual perseverance. The constant deepening you have to do to get stronger and faster makes you think deeper, love deeper and live deeper.

What do you wish more women understood about health and fitness? 

I wish women understood that fitness has more to do with what’s on the inside than the number on the scale or your dress size. I’m chasing the best version of me. I’m choosing health and wellness over fitting into the box society wants me in. I want to live a long, full, healthy life for myself and my children.  Fitness is a tool for longevity and happiness for me.

What is your biggest goal outside of your sport, and how does the gym/your sport help you accomplish it?

My biggest goal is to be my most authentic self… to be happy and proud to be in my own skin. To inspire, support and motivate other women to take the masks off, rip the expectations up and claw our way towards the sun.  Jiu jitsu and Gym Jones provide the space, tools and people to hold up honest mirrors for me. So that I may see what’s possible. There’s no hiding on the mats or in the gym. You put your money where your mouth is and keep working and learning constantly.