New twist on gym franchise opened in the US
NewsReda Wigle
First published 25 August 2026, 5:30am
Rep and repent. Jeff Hambrecht owns Proverbs 27:17, a “lust-free” gym for Christian men in the US that he calls “a sanctuary of strength” that helps members make righteous gains while getting closer to God
“Lust and temptation ruin relationships,” Hambrecht said
In an April Instagram post, he shared the very personal reason he founded Proverbs in Oklahoma City
“One of the number one places affairs and infidelity occur is the gym,” he said, admitting that he was unfaithful in his previous marriage with a woman he met at the gym
“What did God do? He took what the devil meant for evil and turned it into good,” he said, adding that God “put it on his heart” to start his men’s fitness and ministry centre
“He called me to create a different kind of space … where men can grow stronger physically and spiritually, without the distractions of lust and temptation,” he explained in the caption, encouraging men to join him in seeking their peak, both physically and spiritually
The name of the gym is a reference to the bible passage: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”
Per Hambrecht’s website, “Proverbs 27:17 exists to help men step out of isolation, out of addiction, out of passivity … Not perfect men. Sharpened men. Men forged by fire. Ruled by Christ.”
Jeff Hambrecht started his own gym. Picture: Instagram
Those same Christ-ruled men can buy a Jesus Is King hoodie on Hambrecht’s website for $40
While Hambrecht’s intentions are biblically based, his separatist approach is, perhaps surprisingly, on trend: a recent study found that more than half of Gen Z consumers are on board with gender segregation in the gym
Hambrecht, whose gym clientele includes a large swath of men in recovery, told The Post that an all-male space removes triggers for those in the thick of the struggle
“If you’re an alcoholic, you’re probably not going to bars. If you’re a drug addict trying to get sober, you’re probably not hanging around other drug addicts,” Hambrecht, a self-identified recovering sex addict, said
“For men battling sexual addiction, we’re removing them from a similar situation.”
Hambrecht, who opened the gym last November and is also a corporate health and wellness director, believes co-ed gyms have increasingly become “hook-up spots.”
“People come in there that are battling things, and you’re combining that with endorphins and dopamine and scenery, and all of a sudden, we’ve got a recipe for disaster when it comes to affairs and infidelity and cheating in general.”
Hambrecht, who admits he previously found his masculine identity “through how many women I could be with,” wants Proverbs members to develop a healthier attitude toward women and eventually integrate back into co-ed facilities
“We’re helping them to heal and helping them see women not as objects, but as beautiful creatures that God created that need to be treated with respect.”
Hambrecht told The Post that mitigating lust is just “a fraction” of what his gym does, noting that he and his members are not “a bunch of guys who can’t control ourselves.”
To that end, he counts spiritual accountability and physical training as the bedrock of resistance
The gym has a strong Christina connection. Picture: Instagram
“If you don’t know what it is to be a godly man, to be in spiritual and physical shape; you’re not gonna be able to get past the temptation.”
Though women are not allowed to participate in the iron-sharpening-iron action at Proverbs, Hambrecht said he welcomes men of all creeds and sexual orientations
“God doesn’t discriminate and neither do we,” he told The Post
Though the female-free ethos of the gym may be only a fraction of Hambrecht’s mission, it has sparked considerable discourse among critics and supporters alike, with one commenter on a recent Fox News article mic-dropping, “So glad incels are finally getting safe spaces, too.”
Conversely, Kim Abt, the owner of PWRGRLS, a women-only gym in Sherman Oaks, California, told Fox News that men wanting gender-specific gyms is “fair.”
Abt started her business to help women find safety and community, as research shows 70% of women have had an interaction or experience at the gym that made them feel uncomfortable
“[I] never thought about it, but I do hear it all the time. Guys complaining about, you know, being distracted by [women in particular workout clothes]. So I respect it,” she added
As per usual, the comments section of the article was rife with divisive opinions
“Effffing losers need a safe space to protect them from their evil thoughts. Yikes…,” said one commenter
“Men aren’t looking for lust-free gyms. They’re looking for a safe space to work out, so they don’t end up on the internet as the creepy old man staring,” said a presumably creepy old man
There was also a deluge of comments blaming women and their gym attire for “distracting” red-blooded, God-fearing men just looking to break a sweat without breaking a commandment
“Women have been causing problems for men and their relationship with God since Adam and Eve,” said one such commenter
They gym is men-only. Picture: Instagram
“How does lust get anyone in trouble? I believe lack of self-control is what gets one in trouble,” reasoned another
“I go to an upscale co-ed gym … People are more concerned about their own physical wellbeing than they are about others’ appearances,” said another
Over on the modern symposium that is Reddit, many took issue with the motive of Hambrecht’s holy dude den
“Women’s spaces are so we don’t fear sexual harassment/assault, which these men claim happens to them by women wearing revealing outfits to the gym,” said one commenter
“Not even women talking to them or trying to grab at them, just women being there triggers them. I’m all for these dudes having their own space to do their s – t away from me,” she added
In response to the criticism, Hambrecht is turning the other cheek and turning to a new business
“God gives us free will to do what we want to do. You might not agree with it, and it might not be for you, but it doesn’t mean that there aren’t a lot of men and women struggling,” he told the Post, revealing plans to open an all-female gym in the near future
“It’s the same blueprint with some different principles, but that’s not something I’ll teach because women need to pour into other women.”
