Redding trainer finds mission to create a gym designed for women through FemFit

Former Enterprise girls basketball and volleyball player Mikilah Speer remembered going through the high school athletics circuit in the mid-2000s.

She recalled how difficult it was to find a viable option to lift and the narratives that existed about women who lifted weights.

"I always tell the girls that when I was in high school, I was told the weight room was made for the football team and for boys," Speer said.

These negative attitudes towards muscular-toned women inspired Speer to build FemFit Redding. The gym is designed specifically for young athletes and women looking to improve their fitness through weight training.

Speer built FemFit Redding in 2020 during the outset of the coronavirus after she noticed female fitness members in Redding were struggling to find times to lift.

Now, she is helping local female high school athletes reach their potential.

Speer led over 20 U-Prep girls volleyball players on how to perform squats and how to use powerlifting to improve their upper body strength and arms.

The pink barbells found throughout the gym are designed specifically to match the frames of the women she trains on a day-to-day basis.

"I built FemFit for girls and women to feel empowered and feel strong," Speer said.

FemFit Redding has worked with the U-Prep and Enterprise girls volleyball team and will work with the Shasta girls basketball team this year before the season starts in November.

Speer is credited with helping U-Prep girls volleyball continue its run of dominance in Redding. She began working with the program in 2022.

U-Prep won its third consecutive CIF Northern Section title since 2019 while advancing to the CIF State Division III second round of playoffs after winning the CIF State Division IV title in 2021.

U-Prep girls volleyball coach Tawni Kramer said her program doesn't have access to the school gym in July and relies heavily on FemFit to help her team get in shape during the offseason.

"FemFit is an empowering place for girls in a space that's literally built for them," Kramer said.

Speer brings a light-hearted but firm demeanor to the gym. She coaches technique but is also nurturing if she sees an athlete struggle with a particular drill.

"It is important that my girls learn to show vulnerability, learn to learn to look silly and start slow so that they can learn something new," Kramer said.

Speer also said she incorporates a women's menstrual cycle before training. Studies conducted by Boston Children's Hospital show that women are at greater risk for injury — specifically stress fractures — when there are irregularities within an individual's menstrual cycle.

"We teach women and young girls about hormone health and teaching them to train within different phases of their menstrual cycle," Speer said. "A lot of girls especially in their younger years, when they develop a hormonal cycle, they are overtraining so they can't establish a normal menstrual cycle."

FemFit Redding through Speer is hoping to improve the knowledge of women's athletics, specifically in relation to hormonal cycles and the dangers of overtraining. For example, women are six times more likely to suffer an ACL tear than men, according to a Harvard Medical School blog written in 2020.

U-Prep captain and incoming senior outside hitter Amiah Cornejo, who adorned a knee brace, credited Speer for creating an empowering environment — one that creates inspiration without overexertion.

"This (gym) shows us that we are way stronger than we think we are and that we are able to overcome even if we are exhausted," Cornejo said. "(Speer) helps us with our grit."

Returning junior libero and defensive specialist Maddy Rossman said working with Speer has helped her improve her vertical jump on serves.

"It's been great seeing the growth from everyone and seeing what we can accomplish," Rossman said.

Speer ended the hour-long training session with U-Prep volleyball by incorporating a weight walking exercise.

She was quick to coach the athletes who finished the exercise first about leadership and the importance of encouraging young teammates who might be slower to complete the session.

Speer trains athletes with discipline and commands respect at all times. But she also believes new methods and philosophies need to be adopted so female sports stars are spending more time on the court and less time in the training room.

"Coaches who train young girls need to understand that there will be days when they are not feeling it," Speer said. "If they are not performing well, it's probably because of where they are at in their hormonal cycle."

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: FemFit Redding inspires young athletes to build muscle and strength