Exclusive Interview: Sam Leicht is Powering Up Pridefit’s Queer Fitness Revolution

October 28, 2023
AJ SLOAN

Get ready to pump some PRIDE into your fitness routine as we dive into the electrifying tale behind Pridefit with its visionary founder, Sam Leicht. Sam's journey has been nothing short of a sweaty revolution, starting from the gym floor and culminating in a vibrant digital fitness oasis for our queer community. With the perfect mix of mind and muscle (and just a dash of man musk), he's redefining what it means to flex both biceps and bravery. So swap your your cum rags for gym towels and let's sweat out some stereotypes with the foxy fitness sensation Sam Leicht!

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Can you share the inspiration and story behind founding Pridefit and creating a fitness app specifically for our queer fam?

I've always been frustrated by how intimidating the gym is. I grew up feeling like I didn't fit in there because I was gay, and I never want people to feel like they can't be healthy because they don't have a space where they can confidently and safely exercise. I created Pridefit to help athletes learn proper technique so that that they could walk proudly into the gym, but I wanted to take it a step further. It was super important to build a global community of peers who would lift each other up throughout the process. Everyone deserves to exercise and be healthy, and we've created the perfect place for it through Pridefit.

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What are some of the key features of the Pridefit app that elevate the fitness app game to the next level? How they cater to the diverse fitness needs of your members?

We offer a huge number of workout videos and programs to cater to every skill level. We've got limited equipment workouts, advanced workouts, exercise how-to's, warm ups - everything you need to safely and effectively reach your fitness goals.

We're so proud of our workouts, but Pridefit is about so much more than just exercise. We've supercharged the app with recipes, a habit tracker, community, and our huge library of resources that our members have requested over the years. We've got shopping lists, protein guides, recovery tips, and so much more to help you reach your goals.

Achieving fitness goals more often than not involves overcoming obstacles. Do you have any significant milestones or challenges you've faced that you’d like to share with our readers?

The biggest roadblock I faced when starting my fitness journey, and the roadblock I see most often with our members, is the idea of working out exclusively for aesthetic. When you're in your 20's, it's incredibly difficult to shift your mindset and think about how exercise improves our mental health, and promotes longevity, and reduces our risk of chronic disease, and increases likelihood of being mobile even into old age - because none of those factors feel immediate. For me, working out purely for aesthetic was fleeting. It felt like the most motivating fuel in the world until I got bored after three weeks and stopped going to the gym. Aesthetic goals are fine, but I find that when I shifted my mindset to a holistic approach, and thought about exercise more sustainably, the aesthetic goals were the perfect cherry on top. When I stopped fixating on how I looked and just focused on the foundation that I wanted exercise to have in my life, that's when I started looking how I wanted to look and being proud of the body I saw in the mirror.

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Pridefit promotes not just physical fitness but also mental and emotional well-being. In what ways do you see these aspects interconnected?

I believe that physical health is mental health, and mental health is physical health. When one suffers, so does the other, and finding the balance between the two is a primary factor in life satisfaction. It feels good knowing that when I'm feeling mentally or emotionally low, I have a tool at my disposal for helping myself. And vice versa, it's good to know that when I'm feeling not feeling motivated physically, I have some mindset tools like meditation and gratitude practice that can help me get back on track.

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We'd love to hear more about your personal fitness routine. What types of workouts or exercises do you enjoy the most? How do they contribute to your overall wellness?

I love training for events! Right now I'm training for something called a Hyrox and a Half Ironman next summer. That means my workouts really run the gamut from recording Pridefit workouts, to taking workout classes with friends, to going for long runs or swims!

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Pridefit is known for its commitment to diversity and inclusivity. How do you ensure that everyone feels welcome and represented within the community? What is your vision for Pridefit's future?

Our biggest goal for Pridefit over the next year is to build a badass, diverse team of coaches so that everyone feels included in the community. Adding more coaches increases the efficacy of the coaching dramatically because each of us should have different trainers to learn and grow with!

I think if you're someone who has really struggled to find the motivation to start your fitness journey, this is what I'd say:

We all need movement. We don't all need to go to the gym or lift weights or take up jogging, but we all need to move our bodies in some way. You get to decide what type of movement you enjoy the most and go from there. Motivation to do something that you know you're going to hate? Very hard. Motivation to do something that you actually enjoy like walking or yoga? Much easier. We have to stop thinking that traditional gym workouts are the only option. Some movement is always better than none.