Gym Pods, because some things should be done in private.
Gym Pods - Because Some Things Should Be Done in Private
When I first set out to change my body, my goal was clear: enhance my glutes and hamstrings. I quickly learned that the only real way to see transformation was through heavy lifting and a consistent, bodybuilding-style routine. I was determined to build strength and reshape my body— but the path wasn’t as straightforward as I’d hoped.
It all started in 2013 at Washburn University’s rec center. I vividly remember walking into the weight room, feeling excited and ready to train. But I was the only woman in a sea of bro-leaning guys, loudly grunting and dominating all the machines. Despite enjoying the actual lifting part, I felt incredibly awkward. The environment was intimidating — the kind where you felt you didn’t belong, like an outsider trying to find her place amid a mountain of testosterone.
Over the next decade, I kept trying different gyms in different cities, hoping that maybe, just maybe, I’d find an environment where I could focus and grow without feeling uncomfortable. But each time, I faced the same reality: long waits for equipment, crowded spaces, and the feeling that I was constantly in someone else’s way.
I’d show up motivated, eager to crush my workout. Then, I’d be confronted with the inevitable — waiting for nearly an hour just to use the leg press, as multiple guys hogged the same machine. Or I’d be in a crowded room, trying to get my dumbbell work in, feeling self-conscious about where I was in the space and whether I looked silly trying something new. And trying to learn a new move? That felt even more vulnerable. I was terrified of messing up in front of strangers and going viral for doing a machine wrong.
This experience wasn’t unique to one gym or one city — it was a recurring theme, year after year, that deeply affected my motivation. My hatred for public gyms grew larger than my passion for training. It became the biggest obstacle standing between me and my goals.
The frustration peaked around the time the hip thrust was identified as the best move for building glutes. I wanted to do it, but the thought of doing hip thrusts in a crowded gym, surrounded by strangers, made me cringe. I believed some things should be done in privacy — and that environment was a barrier I couldn’t overcome. The awkwardness, the waiting, the noise, the judgment — it all added up to a relentless mental drain that killed my motivation before I even picked up a dumbbell.
I knew I needed a different approach. I needed a space where I could focus, feel confident, and truly push myself without the fear of judgment or the constraints of crowds. That’s when I realized: the problem wasn’t my willpower — it was the environment I was in. And that insight became the driving force behind everything I wanted to create.
I considered building a home gym, but that came with its own issues. I moved frequently, didn’t want to lug around thousands of pounds of equipment, and definitely didn’t want to dedicate valuable living space to racks and barbells.
One day, I thought: Why isn’t there a private gym I can just book like an Airbnb—fully equipped, clean, and focused on strength training? And when I couldn’t find one… I built it.
That’s how Gym Pods was born.
A clean, bookable, private gym space with everything you need for a serious workout—no lines, no onlookers, no awkward moments.
Heavy weight training is the most effective way to reshape your body—but for many people, public gyms are more of a psychological barrier than a resource. I created Gym Pods for anyone who wants to train hard without the pressure, the crowds, or the awkward energy of a traditional gym.
This started as a solution for me. Now, it’s for all of us who just want to lift in peace.
