Liberation Barbell is the answer to a huge problem with the fitness industry. The industry motivates fitness through body-hate. It tells us that our bodies are never enough-- or more commonly-- that we are too much.

We want to change that. Liberation Barbell will be a barbell-focused fitness center that emphasizes body positivity, empowerment, and strength over looks. It is founded on the idea that physical fitness should be accessible to any body regardless of age, ability, gender identity, sexuality, or size.

Most gyms focus on weight loss as the clearest sign of health and wellness. We call bullshit on that! Liberation Barbell will focus on concrete strength gains and community building. Together, we’ll create a positive community of fitness in an explicitly feminist environment. We will use barbells, kettlebells, and free weights as our tools to strengthen the mind and connection to self. Let’s work out together-- not out of self-hate, but as a way to love and appreciate the current bodies we have.

Join me in creating a brand new body positive gym in Portland, Oregon.

I know firsthand the need for this kind of space. I’m a personal trainer. I’m a health coach. Every day, I work with clients of all body types who are new to fitness because it has never felt like a place for them. Clients who need a place like Liberation Barbell. Who demand it. Today, my waitlist is too full to accommodate everyone without a physical space to make it happen. Through my personal journey, I understand this need.

Growing up, I was an indoor-kid. I wasn’t into physical activity at all and was much more comfortable reading books in my room than breaking a sweat on the playing field. I felt awkward in my body and school gym classes were a complete nightmare that I made up every excuse possible to not have to participate in. When I eventually turned to fitness, I did so with a compulsive need to shrink myself. Coupled with an eating disorder, this was brutal. My journey to health has been about rebuilding my picture of wellness piece by piece.

Community became one of my biggest tools to get there. I founded my businesses Super Strength Health and the Rise and Resist Podcast on the belief that there is no wrong way to have a body. The friends I have made through this journey have helped me as much as I have sweat, lifted, and ate vegan snacks with them.

This community is important. It exists way beyond me and my clients. And it needs a home. Liberation Barbell would be the headquarters for bodies of all types and other body positive trainers like myself. It will be a home for the new and emerging narrative against the status quo of fitness.

This dream can be ours. But only if we start today.

Liberation Barbell will exist because of the growing demand for a body positive fitness space in Portland, OR. But building a gym is a big deal. This will only work if we summon the badass, grassroots support of our powerful bodies and dollars combined.

Your support will help cover these basic needs:

• Equipment
• Ability to secure a lease
• Business insurance
• Modest employee startup salaries
• Startup marketing costs

Our Indiegogo goal is $25,000. To meet the total funding need-- about $100,000-- we’re turning to medium and large investors in our community.

This spacious facility will open in Inner East Portland. Expect lots of windows for that small smidge of sun Portland gives us nine months a year. Expect best-in-its-class Rogue equipment. It will be simple (no machines, only free weights) but will have everything you need to get super buff with all the nicest stuff.

In addition to open gym hours and classes, we will host olympic and powerlifting seminars and a multi-gendered, body positive powerlifting team. There will be clean, organized, equipment-and plenty of it.

When fundraising is complete, we’ll get to work with securing the space, starting the buildout, ordering the equipment, creating a marketing presence, and continuing getting the word out as fast as possible!

When you donate, you are directly supporting a space, equipment that helps us to put in the work and to make modifications easy for beginners, insurance, and for the hiring of body positive coaches and trainers.

In exchange for your donation, you will get perks the Liberation Barbell way. Get stoked for nutrition plans, lifting plans, the SuperTasty Anti Inflammatory cookbook, a drop-in class, snack boxes, a pre-paid membership, an AMAZING RIP Patriarchy T-shirt by artist Sarah Gottesdiener,  a lifetime membership, and major high fives. You will gain the satisfaction of knowing that you’re helping not just to build a space, but also to change the world.

Every day, I spend amazing time with clients of all body types helping them reach their fitness goals. Many people come to me because they’ve had negative experiences with other trainers. Because they feel unwelcome in every other space they’ve been to.

When we begin work together, they feel great. They are empowered. And they want more.

Liberation Barbell would have a threefold impact:

• Meet the growing demand of a body positive fitness community. This community is growing. A physical space is crucial because there are so many people who want in. I currently have more people on my waiting list than I could possibly hope to see on a one-on-one basis. I want to help meet this demand by creating a home for body positive fitness in Portland.
• Create the first space of its kind, size, and quality for all bodies. For many, the gym is not a safe or empowering space. Liberation Barbell would meet this need, bringing body positive trainers, classes, and gender neutral changing rooms and shower spaces to this city. Its equipment will be as high quality as its functional fitness philosophy. And it’s the first space run by me and my team; I have a proven track record of making body positive fitness thrive as a business.
• Set a national example for a new kind of fitness. This movement stretches far beyond Portland. Through my community networks, I have met dozens of people who crave this kind of space in their town. The generous media coverage I have already received about my businesses tells me there is an international hunger for this kind of project. Liberation Barbell won’t just be a flash in a Pacific Northwestern city. It will ignite new possibilities for body positive fitness across the world.

Liberation Barbell will be a place to get buff! It’s also a jumping off point for a new kind of fitness. Fitness that is about building you up, not tearing you down. We demand a work-out space that celebrates our strengths and our weaknesses. We don't have to be perfect to deserve fitness.

If you live in Portland, get ready for a new space where you’ll feel safe and strong in a different kind of fitness community. If you don’t live in Portland, get ready to support a gym that will ignite a ripple effect across the world. (And come visit sometime!) Together, we can create a new fitness movement for all bodies regardless of size, ability, age or gender.

There are many hurdles to opening a physical space, but we know we are buff enough to jump ‘em.

The most pressing challenge is securing the real estate for this dream. Once we have successfully raised the funds to lease a space, the rest is easy.

Why so sure? We’ve got a great team. Together, we combine lifting experience, business savvy, and a deep love for our mission.

Let’s start with me: In addition to successfully running two businesses (Super Strength Health and Rise and Resist podcast), I have hustled for years and am damn good at it. I have successfully met crowdfunding goals before with our campaign for the Rise and Resist Podcast Patreon, built an overwhelming demand for health and wellness clientele, and created international community through speaking, blogging and leading workshops around my story.

And I’m not doing this alone. My business partner Christina Cabrales, is an expert in program and project management. She has worked in start-up environments, created and delivered multiple technical trainings, and has led teams to successfully crush their professional goals. Christina’s incredible organization and people skills are perfect to keep the Liberation Barbell client experience 150% awesome.

When building our business team, we knew we wanted to live the Liberation Barbell mission through who we recruited. We have carefully built an incredible team of entirely women and queer small business advisors, attorneys, designers, contractors, and accountants.

We acknowledge risk and challenge, and firmly believe we are the people for this job.

If you’ve ever been body shamed, felt insecure trying to start your fitness routine, or dealt with self-hating internal dialogue, I encourage you to donate. Every single dollar towards this gym supports body positive fitness internationally.

Liberation Barbell will light a fire in many hearts across the world. That goes beyond the physical space. It’s also about building a movement. Here are some ways you can help build the movement:

• Share with your networks. Signal boost this campaign on your social media page with friends, family, and other superheroes like yourself.
• Lend a hand. We’re on the hunt for real estate space in Inner East Portland, OR. If you know of a space or want to volunteer your time in the search, let us know.
• Invest. If you're interested in greater support opportunities, contact us at lacyisripped@gmail.com.