Many strong and brave women gather together everyday for the purpose of fitness and strengthening themselves at the all-female gym and health club: Female Fight Club, located at 5900 Riverdale Ave in the Bronx.
The club offers more than just fitness classes, but a space for women to collectively come together for health, encouragement and community.
Founded by Johanna Edmondson, Female Fight Club began as a small outdoor workout group in 2020 and has since grown into a women-centered fitness community serving hundreds of members in the Bronx.
Over the past few years, Edmondson and Female Fight Club have built a space where women can train together through classes such as kickboxing, Zumba, Pilates and strength training. However, the club’s purpose has expanded beyond exercise, giving women a place to support one another through personal challenges and health goals.
The club has also become more active in the community by promoting women’s empowerment and raising awareness around issues such as domestic violence. Through its programs and events, Female Fight Club has worked to show that fitness can be connected to healing, confidence and standing up for oneself.
It all started with Edmondson training her students at Van Cortlandt Park in 2020.
“I wanted to create a space for women where they can connect and support each other after my own experience with struggling health,” Edmondson said.
Edmondson felt very joyful when she first opened the location and welcomed so many women seeking a space to invest in their health. What started as a small class, grew overnight to 450 members at Female Fight Club.
Strength training is the most popular class according to Edmondson. Their signature class is boxing and kickboxing.
“Choosing the name ‘Female Fight Club’ was due to us women always fighting for our rights. This gave women an easy opportunity to be given another fighting chance to live another day,” Edmondson said.
Their slogan, “what are you fighting for,” adds to Edmondson’s mission to empower and educate women.
“FFC is not only a club where we focus on fitness. We also focus on women’s mental and emotional health. We support women against domestic violence and breast cancer awareness. We have menopause workshops and self-defense classes,” Edmondson said.
The Female Fight Club has celebrated Domestic Violence Awareness Month by hosting workshops and awareness events around domestic violence. Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson visited the gym in 2024 by encouraging bystanders to speak up about abuse even if they’re hesitant about coming forward.
“We’re giving women the tools to empower themselves and to protect themselves against domestic violence situations. We know that here in the Bronx, women struggle, which leads to them seeking self-defense classes and knowledge,” Edmondson said.
A mission beyond fitness
According to recent data from the NYPD, the Bronx leads domestic violence complaints by a large margin. Between July 2024 and December 2025, the Bronx had 1,530 domestic violence complaints. Hundreds more than other boroughs in New York City.
“We created a well-rounded program where women feel comfortable to come here and cultivate relationships, safety and support each other for the community,” Edmondson said.
The Female Fight Club partners with other organizations such as My Sister’s Place in Yonkers to educate women about domestic violence and connect them with additional support.
“Besides breast cancer, domestic violence is the leading cause for women to seek help and support. Either they’ve been affected by someone or they’re here seeking to strengthen themselves after undergoing treatment for cancer,” Edmondson said.
Edmondson said one of the biggest challenges of running a women-centered gym in the Bronx is securing enough funding while keeping classes and memberships affordable. She said the health and wellness industry is competitive, and women-only gyms still make up a small part of the larger fitness market.
According to Edmondson, women-only gyms represent a small percentage of gyms overall, while gyms marketed toward men or general fitness audiences are more common. Due to this, she said Female Fight Club has to compete in the fitness industry while also staying true to its mission of serving women in the community.
“We always try to give women the opportunity where they can afford to come here. We have programs for scholarships for women so they can have more affordable opportunities to join the gym,” Edmondson said.
Lissette Torres, a longtime member of the Female Fight Club, said she first joined after seeing how Edmondson’s work was helping women build confidence and community. For Torres, the gym became more than a place to exercise. It became a space that helped her reconnect with people after a difficult period in her life.
“It started right after the pandemic. I was really depressed. I didn’t know what to do and I couldn’t come out. As soon as I saw Johanna giving flyers out outside, it gave me that push to join the gym,” Torres said.
After joining, Torres said she quickly felt welcomed by the women at the gym and began to see Female Fight Club as a second home.
“Not only did I get fit but I found a great community to stay here with. The people here are just great. It’s amazing. I hate missing one class because everyone here just becomes your family,”she said.
The women at the Female Fight Club have built a close bond that extends beyond workouts. Many members spend time together before and after classes, check in on one another and have embraced a loving sense of community that makes the gym feel like a supportive family.
Shanit Halperin, another longtime member of the club for the last few years, said the gym gave her a consistent routine, helped her stay active and allowed her to form relationships with other women who encouraged her to keep going.
“I had never really worked out in any formal way before I came here. I started very soon after she opened and I haven’t stopped. I’ve come here three to five days a week for almost four years now,” Halperin said.
For Halperin, Female Fight Club has become a place where women of different fitness levels can feel comfortable, supported and motivated. She said the encouragement from Edmondson and the other members has kept her connected to the gym over the years.
“Johanna is just so amazing and such an incredible community member. Even as I get more training here, I still feel supported. As I do more rigorous stuff, they’re still able to meet my needs. It’s very nice,” Halperin said.
The Female Fight Club is open seven days a week, Monday through Friday with evening classes and on the weekends, morning classes. There are over 150 classes per month. Edmondson is hoping to open more locations, especially in Manhattan and Yonkers.
LaMont Jackson is an intern at the Bronx Times. He studies journalism at Hunter College. He can be reached at Ljackson@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
