Some Christian men in the US are reportedly turning to “lust-free” gyms where they can work out without the “temptations” of the female body.
On social media, these men-only spaces are drawing mockery and being compared to misogynistic manosphere groups.
At the center of these initiatives is the belief that, to reach their full potential, Christian men need to be in top physical and spiritual shape, which means excluding women and surrounding themselves with other religious men.
Image credits: jhambrecht07/proverbs2717_fitness
Among these gyms are Proverbs 27:17 Fitness in Oklahoma City, founded by Jeff Hambrecht, and the Youth Group for Men and Remnant Men in Denver, founded by Mitch Parsons, with the latter set to open next year.
“In a nutshell, one of the No. 1 places affairs and infidelity occur, cheating, is the gym. Byproduct is someone who had an affair in my previous marriage. Doesn’t work out well for you fellas,” Hambrecht said, per Baptist News.
The Proverbs 27:17 Fitness founder admitted there was a period in his life “marked by homelessness, add*ct*on, and spiritual emptiness.”
Image credits: jhambrecht07/proverbs2717_fitness
He also explained that he struggled to control his desires and had a “p*rn*graphy add*ct*on” for almost 20 years.
Meanwhile, Parsons said he had quit four gyms before starting the Remnant Gym.
On the gym’s website, he states, “I realized the problem wasn’t the gym. It was that no one had built what I actually needed, or what I wanted.”
Remnant Gym founder Mitch Parsons said he wanted a gym that would allow him to “honor the Lord and my wife”
Image credits: theremnantgym/mitchellparsons80
Parsons believes many men are “breaking” under pressure from different sources, including women at the gym but also unemployment and debt.
“I was tired of having n*kedness shoved in my face every time I walked into a gym to train,” he said. “I had to choose between honoring the Lord, honoring my wife, and guarding my eyes, or training my body. So I quit four gyms.”
The idea that women should be excluded for men to reach their full physical and spiritual potential has attracted widespread criticism.
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In his article about these “lust-free” gyms, Baptist News writer Rick Pidcock said of Parsons, “It’s notable he doesn’t mention honoring the women at the gym. In his mindset, God and his wife deserve to be honored. But women working the kettlebells don’t seem to cross his mind as worthy of honor.”
The internet had plenty to say after learning what members pay to join
Image credits: jhambrecht07/proverbs2717_fitness
On X, many reacted to the news by ridiculing the men who founded and attended these gyms.
“Ah come on it’s just a place where you can get yourself clean, you can have a good meal, you can do whatever you feel, “ one user joked.
“You could cut the homoer*tic undertones with a knife. Also, $150 a month is wild,” someone else said.
“How about a training program for parents to teach their boys not to gawk at women?” one Redditor asked.
Some users supported the projects, with one arguing, “If the men who are the problem realize that they are a problem, why get mad when they remove themselves from the context that will cause the most problems?”
Joining the Remnant Gym means agreeing to more than a workout routine
Parsons’ gym reportedly requires members to sign a covenant called the “Rule of Life,” which defines marriage as the union between “one man and one woman”and recognizes “two genders given by God at creation.”
It also requires members to adhere to “the behavioral and moral standards of the Remnant Gym membership agreement.”
The website states that “Christian authority is enforced through ownership, contracts and the courage to hold the line.”
Parsons, who offers monthly memberships for $150 and $250, hopes to open more gyms in cities such as Houston, Nashville, Dallas, and Atlanta, eventually expanding the company to every city in the United States.
“Every one of them needs a base camp. We’re building the first one. Then we’re building the next,” he said.
The Proverbs 27:17 Fitness founder invited Christian men to join, saying, “There’s no temptation of women walking around”
Image credits: brookss.g/proverbs2717_fitness
Hambrecht’s gym is named after Proverbs 27:17, which says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
Like Parsons, he believes that strength lies in brotherhood and that he has answered God’s call to become a “leader” for Christian men who struggle with temptation.
“What did God do?” the gym founder asked. “He took what the devil meant for evil, turned it into good, put it on my heart to start this men’s fitness and ministry center where there are no distractions. There’s no temptations of women walking around fellas.”
Hambrecht defined the goal of his gym as turning men into “warrior-king spiritual leaders in their homes and communities.”
On his Instagram page, the 38-year-old father said young people are looking for leaders in the wrong places, including social media and the music industry.
He warned about the risks of letting children be raised by “the Internet or TV” and encouraged fathers to “step up” to protect them from these influences.
“Strong men are built by other strong men. God is our center,” Hambrecht wrote.
“And what if they come across a woman outside of their safe space?” one netizen asked, questioning the men-only gyms
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