Your August Body May be an App Away Thanks to Trainer Sam Leicht

For some of us, the challenge of fitness isn't working up to an "August body" – fitness is a year-round mystery. That doesn't mean we don't think about how nice it would be to get away from the computer and work the kinks and fatigue out of our backs, regain some core strength, and maybe put a little lean meat back on our bones.

The answer might just be an app away. Trainer Sam Leicht (like "lightning") has spent a couple of years creating a resource you can call up on your phone or tablet: Pridefit contains almost a hundred individual workout videos ("On Demand Workouts"), along with many different eight-week workout programs to help you maximize your exercise efficiency (and your time). A personalized calendar helps you schedule, build healthy habits, and keep tabs on your progress.

More than that, Pridefit offers community support so even if you're using the workouts at home or using the app at the gym, you're not all on your own. Leicht and his team are there to help address questions, and there's a whole community of fellow app users to help build a sense of shared commitment and accomplishment. Leicht has spared no effort to create an app that's all-inclusive of everything you need to start, maintain, and get to love your fitness journey.

EDGE caught up with Sam Leicht to hear about how and why he created the app and learn a little about his philosophy about life and fitness.

EDGE: What got you interested in fitness, and specifically for the LGBTQ+ community?

Sam Leicht: Growing up, I did a lot of sports. I had a fine experience until I got to middle school, and then I had some bullying for being gay. That got a little bit worse in high school, and that's when I stopped doing sports; it didn't feel safe or welcoming enough for me to continue.

I ended up going to school for theater and felt that in order to have roles and do the kind of acting that I wanted to do, I needed to look a certain way. That got me into fitness, but not in a way that was healthy or sustainable. Then, when I moved to New York City, I found an incredible community of queer people who were moving their body for a different reason – and that was just to be healthy, and to find longevity and functionality. I reclaimed my love of fitness, and that's when I started coaching and personal training. I was still doing acting stuff, but then when the pandemic happened it, was a natural transition. I thought to myself, "I've been creating all these workouts over the years; let's put it online and see if people enjoy it." I honestly didn't think that it was going to be exclusively queer, but that's what it naturally shifted into, and it was such an organic, beautiful transition.

EDGE: What got you interested in fitness, and specifically for the LGBTQ+ community?

Sam Leicht: Growing up, I did a lot of sports. I had a fine experience until I got to middle school, and then I had some bullying for being gay. That got a little bit worse in high school, and that's when I stopped doing sports; it didn't feel safe or welcoming enough for me to continue.

I ended up going to school for theater and felt that in order to have roles and do the kind of acting that I wanted to do, I needed to look a certain way. That got me into fitness, but not in a way that was healthy or sustainable. Then, when I moved to New York City, I found an incredible community of queer people who were moving their body for a different reason – and that was just to be healthy, and to find longevity and functionality. I reclaimed my love of fitness, and that's when I started coaching and personal training. I was still doing acting stuff, but then when the pandemic happened it, was a natural transition. I thought to myself, "I've been creating all these workouts over the years; let's put it online and see if people enjoy it." I honestly didn't think that it was going to be exclusively queer, but that's what it naturally shifted into, and it was such an organic, beautiful transition.

EDGE: What went into developing these exercises?

Sam Leicht: One of the perks of creating a fitness program during the pandemic was that we could take a step back. People were interested in finding fitness that was going to help their mental health and that was going to allow them to get these physical results, but they didn't feel quite as much of a time crunch.

It was interesting [how] this community we created was so willing to hop on board with more of a holistic approach to fitness. What holistic means to me is making sure that the movements that we've programmed are functional – they're going to be things that mirror everyday life so that you are able to move for as long as possible. The second part is, I wanted to make sure that all our programs were enjoyable, because if you don't like doing the workouts, you're not going to be able to stick to it. We want to help you find movement that you enjoy and that you can consistently do; that consistency is what will eventually get us the results that we want to see.

EDGE: How do you encourage people who want to get fit but who don't know to make it into a part of their daily routine?

Sam Leicht: My biggest suggestion is to schedule your movement time into your day. It can be as short as 15 minutes that you schedule in your Google calendar before you take lunch, where you pick an on-demand workout from the app and move your body. We always say that "a little is better than none," and adding structure to your day by scheduling your workout, even if it's only 15 minutes, is so much better than not moving your body at all.

EDGE: How do you recommend best using the app?

Sam Leicht: My suggestion is to follow our programs. To start, we've got a home program that only requires one set of dumbbells, but can still get you incredible results. And we've got a gym program that is a little bit more advanced that does require gym access, and that's just gonna be a wider array of exercises and equipment that we use. And finally, we've got a build program that is specifically targeted toward building muscles – so, we're going to do a little bit less HIIT (high intensity interval training) and cardio, and more strength training.

Each of these programs have eight-week sessions, and they build off each other. My suggestion for people who are just starting Pridefit is to start one of those sessions, because it gives you that built-in motivation and accountability, and we find that people's compliance with finishing the workout is so much better when they do one of those sessions. However, we also have hundreds of on-demand videos in the app, where you can pick a la carte: "Oh, I finished my workout for today, but I would still like to do a quick ab workout. Let me find a six-minute ab workout that I can do." Or, "I actually don't have time for my 30 minute full workout today, and I need something that's 15 minutes. Let me find a 15-minute full body video that I can just do really quick."

EDGE: People sometimes have concerns about fitness and going to the gym when there's a sense of hyper-masculine hostility that comes with the gym environment. It's a great idea to have an app people can use work out, and not feel that.

Sam Leicht: The gym is one of the most judgmental places in the world. People are judged for coming to the gym; people are judged for not coming to the gym. It is absolutely an enigma, and it's the worst.

I don't think that we can ever fully get rid of that self-consciousness of walking into a gym; it does have that toxicity attached to it. But I do find that one of the best ways to combat that is through education, making sure that people know, "I have quality squat technique. I have nothing to be ashamed of, and I deserve to be here."

EDGE: If people have questions and concerns, do they find it easy to get in touch with you and get some one-on-one coaching?

Sam Leicht: Yeah, absolutely. I knew right away when we launched Pridefit that community was going to be a huge part of it, and part of that community is being able to chat with me anytime that you need to get coaching. All of our members have direct access to me through the app. In our community feature you're able to not only see all the resources that we have – which would be, like, "How to Back Squat," where you'll find videos on back squat technique and proper warm up for a back squat and that kind of thing – but you can also always send me, and our team, videos for coaching.

EDGE: Let's discuss the nutrition section of the app and all the tasty recipes you've included. Are these recipes your inventions?

Sam Leicht: For the recipes, to launch the app we collaborated with a nutritionist to make simple and healthy recipes for our members to dip their toes into cooking. Now that the app is officially launched, we're uploading new recipes each month from a variety of sources. Some of them will be member submissions, some of them will just be favorites of mine that are staples in my cookbook!

Click here for more on PrideFit.

Check out pics from Sam Leicht's Instagram.