Shield Maiden Breaks Down Fitness Hurdles For LGBTQ Community

It all started as a concept - what if there was an exercise community for women and the LGBTQ community where they felt safe and comfortable so that they could focus on their goals and their health? Sydney and Amber of Shield Maiden Training Company wondered the same thing after joining a local gym. While the gym itself was certainly welcoming and had a great culture, there were folks missing. 

When they realized this was a trend at other gyms that they also evaluated, they decided to start the research process. Working out is already something that makes a lot of people shy from the get go, so what needed to happen? 

“This led to long hours of conversation and a lot of research and we could see that a group of people were being underserved and underrepresented,” said Sydney. “Health and fitness are for everyone and we started to formulate a plan on how to bring those folks into a space that served them and targeted their specific issues.”

Sydney and Amber met through working together in various roles, as a director and assistant director at a youth outdoor camp, and then later for a non-profit. Starting a training company felt like a great fit considering they both have backgrounds in education and genuinely enjoy teaching. 

Shield Maiden hosts outdoor fitness and mobility classes, and have a low barrier entry in order to encourage as folks to join as much as they can and are able to. Currently Shield Maiden has a five classes for $5 system, and all that is needed is yourself, a friend if you’d like, a water bottle, and a towel. The focus for these classes will be on body weight, mobility, and moving your body. 

“In the future, we plan to expand to include yoga classes and nutrition guidance as well” said Sydney. “We also have plans to eventually grow into our very own space, where we can offer even more fitness classes, diversify our offerings, and reach more of the people we’d like to serve!”

Joining a gym or a training program is already a scary thing in and of itself, and makes many nervous even when they want to be apart of it. Shield Maiden understands that hurdle, and wanted to help bring down that fence for women and members of the LGBTQ community so that they can allow themselves to better their health, meet their health and fitness goals successfully, and feel safe in a space free of judgement or harassment, where they are also well represented.

Shield Maiden tries to focus on helping the individual as just that as opposed to what works for a blanket group. Whether it is working solo or with a group in a class, Shield Maiden aims to help those in the community successful in their health and fitness goals by identifying them, and helping them stay with it.  

“For groups such as women, people of color, and LGBTQ+, who tend to be less well-respected and represented, they live in a more vigilant state of mind which directly impacts their bodies,” said Sydney. “Shield Maiden is setting out to design a place were folks can feel confident that they will not be exposed to discrimination, harassment, or harm. This will provide the ability to commit and stay consistent in their fitness journey.”

For more information about Shield Maiden Training Company, visit their website or Facebook.