From Pride to Power: Building Strength Through Community & Fitness

For many LGBTQ+ people, the gym has never been just about breaking a sweat. It’s about finding strength in who you are, feeling safe in your own skin, and connecting with others who share your values. Fitness and Pride might seem like two separate worlds, but in reality, they’re deeply connected: both are about empowerment, resilience, and celebrating authenticity.

Conor Wagar, a personal trainer and nutrition coach in New York City celebrates Pride by motivating and assisting the LGBT community to reach their fitness goals.

Pride & Strength: A Shared Energy

Pride is more than parades, flags, or festivals. It’s the ongoing act of showing up as yourself in a world that doesn’t always make it easy. Fitness mirrors that energy. When you push through a tough set, learn a new skill, or commit to showing up consistently, you’re building more than muscles — you’re building resilience, discipline, and confidence.

That’s why many people in the LGBTQ+ community see fitness as more than just exercise. Every workout becomes a statement: I am here, I am strong, and I am proud of who I am.

Why Community Matters in Fitness

Fitness can be intimidating if you try to go at it alone, especially in environments that don’t always feel welcoming. But in a supportive community, the entire experience shifts.

When you sweat alongside people who celebrate you, accountability feels natural, progress feels exciting, and the gym transforms from a place of judgment into a space of belonging. Group classes, LGBTQ+ sports leagues, queer-friendly studios, and inclusive events have shown again and again how powerful this sense of connection can be.

Community doesn’t just make workouts more fun — it makes them more sustainable. Studies have shown that people who train with support systems stick with their goals longer. For LGBTQ+ folks, that layer of social connection often carries even deeper meaning.

Community and strength building come together at a CRWFitness group workout class, designed to support and unite LGBT individuals in NYC.

Events That Celebrate Strength & Pride

Across cities like New York, Los Angeles, and beyond, fitness and Pride intersect in amazing ways: workout-a-thons that raise money for LGBTQ+ organizations, queer-focused yoga collectives, inclusive sports leagues, and dance parties that double as workouts.

These events do more than raise funds or awareness. They send a powerful message: strength isn’t just physical — it’s collective. When a room full of people moves together in celebration of Pride, you can feel the energy of empowerment, joy, and solidarity pulsing through every beat.

We are CRWFitness, held a Strength in Pride workout-a-thon in June 2025. All proceeds went to the Stonewall Community Foundation. Over $5,000 was raised for this amazing LGBTQ+ charity!

Fitness as Empowerment

For too long, the fitness industry has been tied to unrealistic beauty standards and exclusionary environments. But more and more, people are redefining what it means to be fit. It’s not about fitting into a certain mold — it’s about creating a lifestyle that helps you feel confident, capable, and proud.

Fitness as empowerment looks like:

• Progress over perfection – focusing on the small wins instead of impossible ideals.

• Habit building – making small, sustainable changes that last.

• Body positivity & inclusivity – embracing diversity in all its forms, inside and outside the gym.

When fitness is approached through this lens, it becomes not just a tool for physical health but a foundation for emotional strength and self-acceptance.

Building Your Own Pride & Power

You don’t need a big event or community gym to start embracing this mindset. Here are three simple ways to weave Pride into your fitness journey:

1. Find Inclusive Spaces – Look for gyms, studios, or online communities that celebrate diversity and create safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people.

2. Set Pride-Driven Goals – Instead of chasing numbers on a scale, focus on goals that help you feel more authentic and powerful — like lifting a new weight, running a distance you once thought impossible, or just showing up consistently.

3. Celebrate Every Win – Pride is about joy. Acknowledge your progress, no matter how small, and allow yourself to be proud of each step forward.

Personal trainer, Conor Wagar, assisting his partner with a squat during a workout session at Arrive Wellness located in New York City.

Pride All Year Long

While June is the month where Pride is most visible, the need for empowerment, connection, and inclusivity exists year-round. Fitness is one of the most powerful tools to embody those values every single day.

Every time someone in the LGBTQ+ community walks into a gym, joins a class, or commits to their wellness, they are creating a ripple of empowerment. Fitness isn’t just about the body — it’s about strengthening a community, amplifying Pride, and turning that energy into something unstoppable.

Final Thought

From Pride to power, from the gym to the dance floor, from individual wins to collective progress — fitness and community remind us that strength is so much more than physical. It’s emotional, social, and deeply personal. And when we celebrate that strength together, we build a world where everyone has the chance to thrive.