How WeGym Is Rethinking Strength Training Through a Human-Centered Lens

From product design to community-building, WeGym is reimagining strength training as a more accessible and human-centered experience.

Strength training spaces have long been built for a narrow user: serious lifters, mostly men. The equipment was often industrial, hyper-masculine and designed with little consideration for how it fit into everyday life outside the gym. Women especially were underserved, in both strength equipment design and training culture.That model is beginning to shift as fitness overlaps with hospitality and design.

Consumers are approaching strength training differently than they once did. Many now move fluidly between gyms, boutique studios, home workouts, pop-up fitness events,and digital platforms. Women, especially, are embracing strength training in new ways while seeking products and environments that feel approachable and reflective of how they actually live.

For WeGym, that evolution was an opportunity to build a more thoughtful culture around strength training.

“We began by creating high-quality equipment that people actually wanted in their home,” says Kameron Kicklighter, Co-Founder and Vice President of WeGym. “Most fitness equipment was designed to be hidden in a garage or tucked away out of sight. We created fitness essentials that are  beautifully designed and elevate the home’s interior rather than detracting from it.”

When Kicklighter met WeGym founder Cammi Yang, she had already spent years building innovative products through a design and engineering lens. Yang had developed smart resistance products backed by more than 50 patents. But as Kicklighter recalls, one of their earliest realizations was that innovation alone was not enough.

“We had an honest conversation about traditional strength products and the assumptions the industry makes,” he says. “We started stripping things back and asking what we actually wanted strength training to feel like.”

From the beginning, Yang was adamant that women would have the first seat at the table throughout the design process — a significant departure from an industry where many strength products have historically been designed around male users and training assumptions. 

This perspective shaped which products were prioritized and how each could be elevated to be unique and elevated.

Designing Strength Through a Different Lens

Product design begins with functionality, but WeGym spends significant time thinking about tactile experience, ergonomics and emotional interaction.

“Grip size, handle width, progression of weights, storage options, even the visual softness of the products are all considered when we are creating an inclusive, professional line of equipment,” Kicklighter says.

The company’s signature square dumbbells, for example, were designed not only for aesthetics but also for stability and usability. WeGym also developed more gradual and expanded weight progressions, particularly at lower ranges.

“Women doing Pilates or barre who wanted to incorporate strength training often couldn’t find the progression of dumbbells that included lower and heavier weights for different types of training,” he says. 

Kicklighter points to everything from bench dimensions to grip circumference as examples of details that historically received little consideration within commercial strength environments.

That approach extends beyond the equipment itself and into the broader environment and curated strength spaces.

“We wanted to create cohesive systems that felt inviting and approachable,” Kicklighter says. “The product’s aesthetic, the storage systems, even the language around training contribute to whether someone feels like that space was meant for them.”

WeGym also works closely with instructors and educators to shape its programming and messaging so they reflect how people actually train, not just one idealized version of it.

“We know that fitness looks different for different people,” he says. “Women’s training may shift through different life stages or cycles. Someone newer to strength training may need a completely different entry point than someone training competitively. We do our best to make space for both of them.”

Kicklighter believes the broader fitness industry is undergoing a much larger transformation than simply adding more wellness amenities or redesigning gym floors.

“Fitness looks very different now, even compared to the last five to ten years,” Kicklighter says. “There’s important research finally coming out around women’s health and the role strength training plays through menopause, aging and long-term health. That’s changing expectations around what fitness looks like and what people are looking for from equipment and education.”

He says those shifts are reshaping consumer expectations around strength training itself, particularly at home.

Kicklighter believes consumers are also holding brands to a much higher standard culturally than they once did.

“People want to see themselves reflected in the brands they support,” he says. “They’re paying attention to who brands cater to and whether their values actually show up in practice.”

Building Community Around Strength

For WeGym, accessibility goes past the products. For instructors who want to host an event, one of the biggest barriers is the cost of the equipment itself.

One initiative the company is currently expanding involves equipment lockers that allow instructors to borrow equipment for community events, workouts and activations without needing to purchase large amounts of inventory themselves.

“A huge barrier for instructors is access to equipment,” Kicklighter says. “Most people can’t afford to buy 50 or 100 sets of dumbbells or yoga mats to host a workout.”

WeGym now has full-time team members dedicated to helping instructors organize local events, secure venues, collaborate with businesses and market activations within their communities.

“A strong local community is one of the best ways to make fitness more accessible and supportive,” he says.

That philosophy also extends into philanthropy and advocacy work. WeGym is currently expanding initiatives tied to Pride Month with organizations such as Trans Lifeline, while also continuing broader efforts focused on women, children, and traditionally under-served groups.

“We believe you have to be more than just the business you operate,” Kicklighter says. “Fitness is extremely intimate. It touches every part of people’s lives. Because of that, we have an obligation to support our community members and advocate for their safety and access to a healthy life.”

Looking ahead, Kicklighter sees the future of strength training becoming less defined by traditional gym culture and more centered around connection and belonging.

“For a long time, strength training was treated like it belonged to a very specific group of people,” he says. “But everyone benefits from strength training — women, older adults, queer communities, teenagers, everyone.”

For WeGym, redesigning equipment was only the beginning. The real goal is making strength training fit wherever life happens: a pop-up event, a mobile app workout, a private training session.

“Fitness has the ability to create connection in ways very few industries can,” Kicklighter says. “It touches every walk of life, every background and every community. We have a real opportunity to build spaces and experiences that bring people together.”