I still remember the first time I stood in front of a barbell, the long, loaded bar you see in gyms, and had no idea which way was up. Literally. Which direction to face? Which hand where?
Years ago, I was trying everything. YouTube workouts. Cardio classes I couldn’t quite keep up with. Few-week fitness challenges with friends, locking in together. Dumbbells I bought but never knew how to use correctly. A rough idea that lifting mattered, but no way to make it safe, consistent, or mine.
I’ve done over 250 Pilates classes. Pilates taught me how to move well: mobility, core strength, breath, balance, postural awareness, and a deep mind-body connection that nothing else quite builds. I loved it. And I still needed strength training. Building muscle and bone, and progressing week over week, is its own kind of work. A well-rounded routine needs both.
I spent a long stretch figuring it out in public. Long enough to learn what actually matters. Not intensity, not perfection, but consistency, compassion, and a program that can bend without breaking.
Eventually I studied the science properly, and built Guma for the women who are still figuring it out.
Guma means to be strong in my culture. A word about resilience. About being held through something hard. It’s what someone tells you when you’re in the middle of it and they mean every word: you’ve got this.
That’s what Guma is built to be. Strength training that respects your cycle, your life stage, your calendar, and your real goals. Built from lived experience, built to last.
Gloria.