Girl Gains is a national organization that promotes female weightlifting, aims to get more girls in the gym, and empowers women!
It was originally founded at San Diego State University by Elisabeth Bradley in 2020. She wanted to create a safe space for young women to start their fitness journeys in a male-dominated industry.
After joining an all-female gym, Bradley wanted other girls on campus to support and learn from each other – without any judgment!
“After joining my gym, I gained so much more confidence from all these girls supporting me,” Bradley said. “I wanted to recreate that at SDSU.”
Girl Gains helps build a supportive community for young women who are looking to better themselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Anyone can join, regardless of where they are in their fitness journey.
Girl Gains quickly gained hundreds of members and followers on social media, and several TikTok videos that Bradley posted went viral. The posts promoted Girl Gains’ mission and helped teach young women how to feel confident in the gym! Many girls started leaving comments about how they wished they had a chapter at their school too.
In January 2022, Bradley and her team took Girl Gains national. SDSU alums that were part of the original executive board at SDSU took on executive roles for the national chapter. They created an official website where girls could apply for a chapter on their campus and promoted it on social media.
Now, there are over 60 chapters and thousands of members nationwide! Girl Gains is continuing to grow every day. They’re now sponsored by Gymshark, have their own merch, and attended an exclusive VIP sample sale event in LA!
The national executive board members are very much involved in supporting their chapters and allowing each one to grow. They often highlight and promote different campuses on Instagram!
Fellow members and guest speakers teach the girls about health, nutrition, fitness, and general wellness. Girl Gains at SDSU holds group workouts every week at the ARC and often plans weekend fitness or social events for its members. It allows the girls to get to know each other and build long-lasting friendships, in addition to the benefits of working out!
“Girl Gains attracts girls who want genuine friendships. It’s crazy how we not only help other girls find a community, but we’re also doing it for ourselves,” Jocelyn Martinez, Girl Gains COO, said.
To find out more information about Girl Gains at SDSU, follow @sdsugirlgains on Instagram or check out the national account @girlgains.co to see their upcoming events and merch!!