GIRL POWER with Jenna Fisher: Train & Nourish
I have more girl power coming at you and this one is all girl and all power! Jenna Fisher is the female founder behind the largest all women gym in the city (and now Ardmore). Train & Nourish is for women, by women. All of the trainers are women. And all of the members of this strength focused gym are women. It’s a place where women can go to get stronger, while feeling completely comfortable in a gym setting. In fact, that is why Jenna created Train & Nourish when she opened the first of her four gyms.
Jenna was a personal trainer and far too often, she heard a common complaint among her female clients— they didn't feel comfortable lifting weights in the gym. Girls who felt fine stepping onto the treadmill were less than ok when it came to picking up weights on the gym floor. So Jenna took to solving this problem for her clients, while providing a specialized female focused strength training environment.
From the simple concept of an all female gym, Train & Nourish was born in 2019, first in South Philly (where Jenna lives). Jenna wanted her gym to be a personal training gym with private and semi (2-3 people) private sessions focusing on strength training using weights and equipment. From there, the clients drove the additional offerings at Train & Nourish, which now include stretching, balance and nutrition. The “nourish” program is a 12-session virtual, individualized nutrition program designed to help women build sustainable, healthy habits around food. Jenna and her team also added group fitness classes to the schedule as a more cost effective way to get stronger while building a community of like-minded women.
At Train & Nourish, the team of female trainers are well versed when it comes to being a girl who lifts. This includes strength training while pregnant or postpartum, as well as perimenopausal, menopausal or post menopausal. All T&N trainers are informed about injuries and how women’s bodies work, especially when it comes to building muscle.
Jenna told me more than once that her gym prioritizes the mental piece of exercise even more than the physical aspect. Sure, her clients get stronger, but the fact that they feel empowered and confident is the biggest win! Jenna wanted to create a place where all women could feel good about going to the gym. But Jenna also wanted to equip her members with knowledge about strength training so they felt like they belonged in the weight room. And in 2019, I’d say Jenna was ahead of the curve. Today, this trend of women lifting weights has certainly caught up. Thus, the need for more Train & Nourish gyms. And that’s why Jenna has opened a gym a year since she created T&N. After the East Passyunk location, Jenna opened in the Art Museum neighborhood, Fishtown and most recently, Ardmore (yay!).
I can tell you first hand that the Ardmore location is beautiful. All of the equipment is shiny and brand spanking new. Because let’s face it, to a woman, these things do matter. And in my own opinion, a gym where guys aren’t sweating all over the equipment is a huge plus! We girls finally get our own space at the gym— that’s not just the group fitness room. And we have Jenna to thank for that!
Get to know the woman behind the brand, Jenna Fisher:
Roots: Bucks County, PA
Education: Jenna graduated from Temple University with a degree in marketing.
Certifications: Personal Training Certification and Nutrition Coaching Certification.
Go-to workout: (when she isn’t lifting weights) Pilates, running.
Family: Jenna lives with her boyfriend, Corey, and her black lab, Sunny, who came to the gym when I met with Jenna (yes, T&N is pet friendly).
Music: Country
Food: “everything”. Thai, sushi, Italian are her favorites.
Hobbies outside of work: Travel and golf. And this summer, Jenna will travel to Ireland to play golf.
Before Train & Nourish: Jenna worked in a corporate marketing job for eight years before T&N. She started training clients on the side because that was her passion.
I have done both a group fitness class (at the Art Museum location) and a semi-private training session (in Ardmore) at Train & Nourish. And I can tell you that there is something really refreshing about working out among only women.
You all know that I feel totally fine walking into any gym and any class because I do it all of the time. But I am aware that simply stepping foot inside a gym is a hurdle for many. If that’s you, I highly recommend you visit Train & Nourish. And then tell me how you feel about picking up those weights! I promise you it will be different. Train & Nourish is offering my readers a special discount— mention this article and get 10% off any package of personal training and group classes now through the end of April.
