About Us
Collective Strength is Philadelphia’s ONLY barbell gym owned and operated by its members.
Our Mission
Our mission at Collective Strength is to create an accessible strength training space for people who have not traditionally been encouraged to pursue strength training and strength sports. We work towards this goal through our affordable memberships, accessible range of equipment, and community support. Our core values of inclusivity, respect for bodily autonomy, cultivation of joyful movement, and radical self-acceptance are at the center of everything we do.
Our Values
We value the lives, bodies, dignity, joy, and agency of all people. This
means that we uplift those who are not often represented in
strength training and strength sports, including:
Black, Brown, Indigenous, and People of Color
Fat people
Disabled people and people living with mental illness
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, agender, trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people
Women and people assigned female at birth
People who use drugs and who are in recovery
Sex workers
People who have experienced incarceration or homelessness
We value joyful movement, feeling safe in our bodies and the spaces we enter, and radical self-acceptance.
We value boundaries and saying no. We value that these allow people the space to a joyful yes.
We value being accountable to ourselves, our members, and our communities. We value acknowledging harm, active listening, vulnerability, and repair.
We value paying everyone fairly who provides services and labor to us, our members, and our communities.
We value that all people have the right to experience strength and joy in a space that is accessible and inclusive.