Lifting each other up

UCSB’s Girl Gains club builds community among women in the weight room

by Lola Alvarez '27

In the traditionally male-dominated world of weightlifting, women at UC Santa Barbara are challenging stereotypes and reshaping gym culture — together.

“The gym is a place to learn more about yourself,” says Awni Broughton, co-president of UCSB’s chapter of Girl Gains, a student-led organization that encourages a strong female presence in the weight room. “It’s important to remember that everyone was a beginner at some point. Just because you don’t look a certain way or lift a certain amount, it doesn’t take away from your ability to be a weightlifter.

“You’re a weightlifter if you pick up a weight.”

With inclusion and empowerment at its core, Girl Gains
is tackling gym intimidation head-on, creating a welcoming community for women who share a common goal: to feel strong and healthy. The club helps beginners build confidence, offering support, workout tips and opportunities to explore new forms of movement — from weightlifting to Pilates, HIIT and cycling classes at local studios.

Founded at San Diego State University, Girl Gains began as a way to build community and camaraderie in the gym. National CEO Elisabeth Bradley as an SDSU undergraduate launched the organization to bring lifters together and foster a supportive environment where strength is celebrated over aesthetics.

The organization encourages lifting not as a competition or a numbers game but as a joyful, empowering activity.

“It is truly an arena built for women who want to lift each other up,” Broughton says.

One of the club’s signature programs, “Swolemates,” pairs members with gym partners who share similar fitness goals. “When I was matching people for Swolemates, I had two
girls I paired in the fall quarter, and by spring, they were still attending events and working out together,” co-president Andelina Miller says. “Having someone in your corner cheering you on while you lift — or hit a new personal record — is what makes this community so special.”

That kind of support is key for many members navigating the gym for the first time.

“When I started working out, I noticed a big disparity in the gym,” Miller says. “It’s important to have a club like Girl Gains because sometimes it’s hard being a woman in a male- dominated space, where you may receive unwanted attention or feel uncomfortable.”

At UCSB, Girl Gains thrives as a space where students
are empowered to take up space — literally and figuratively. Through strength training and solidarity, its members are building more than muscle. They’re building each other up.