About Us
Welcome to Gym Tees: Where the Gym Gets Its Sense of Humor Back
We Believe the Gym Should Be a Place of Joy, Not Judgment
Sarcasm is our love language. Lifting is our group hug. And taking yourself too seriously? That's the only thing we don't lift here.
Our Story: From Hiding to Leading the Tribe
It started in 2010 with a simple question: Why does everyone at the gym look so miserable?
I was that person - wearing the most boring shirt possible, hoping nobody would notice me, wondering if I'd ever feel like I belonged. I wasn't the strongest. I wasn't the leanest. I was just... there. Trying to figure out if "fitness people" were a club I'd ever get into.
Then one day, I ironed a half-baked lifting joke onto a bargain-bin tee and wore it to leg day. By set three, something happened that changed everything: people laughed. Strangers became spotters. Spotters became friends. The gym stopped feeling like a place I had to prove myself and started feeling like... well, home.
Turns out, I wasn't the only one who needed permission to enjoy the process.
People started asking where they could get their own. We traded shirts for coffees, maxed out Mom's credit card on a heat press (sorry, Mom), and accidentally built the first iteration of Gym Tees. Fourteen years later, we're still here - creating designs that make the gym a little less intimidating and a lot more fun.
Every shirt we make is a permission slip: You're allowed to be imperfect. You're allowed to laugh at the struggle. You're allowed to belong exactly as you are.
Why We Exist: The Lift Laugher Mission
Somewhere between juice cleanses and 5 AM grind culture, fitness lost its joy. The gym became a place of judgment, comparison, and punishment. A place where you needed abs to have an opinion. Where beginners felt like imposters. Where fun was somehow... unprofessional?
We're calling BS.
The people who stick with fitness long-term aren't the ones white-knuckling through misery. They're the ones who genuinely enjoy it. Who can laugh at a failed rep. Who make friends at the squat rack. Who know that taking your fitness seriously doesn't mean taking yourself seriously.
That's why Gym Tees exists.
We create bold, conversation-starting apparel that transforms the gym from an intimidating space into a community. A tribe of people who lift heavy, laugh hard, and never forget that the best workout is the one you'll actually show up for.
We call ourselves The Lift Laughers - and if you've ever felt like gym culture left you behind, you've found your people.
What We Stand For
🎯 Laugh-Powered Training
Inside jokes fuel outside gains. Fitness is supposed to be fun - if it's not, you're doing it wrong (or you need better gym buddies).
🤝 No Punching Down
We roast egos, not bodies. We celebrate the struggle, not perfect physiques. If you're showing up and trying, you're on the team. Day 1 or Day 1,000 - you belong here.
🌍 Rack Your Weights, Respect the Planet
We're building earth-friendly habits into everything we do. Quality apparel that lasts. Sustainable practices that matter. Because the planet deserves the same respect as your gym equipment.
💪 Everyone's Welcome at This Rack
Powerlifters. Runners. CrossFitters. Yoga enthusiasts. People just trying to move their bodies and feel good. The gym has room for all of us - and our shirts prove it.
The Lift Laugher Manifesto
We believe:
- The gym is for every body, not just the "after" photos
- The best lifters are the ones having the most fun
- Your journey is valid whether you're deadlifting 135 or 315
- Fitness culture is broken, but we're fixing it - one funny shirt at a time
- Community beats competition, every single time
We're building a tribe of people who:
- Show up consistently because they want to, not because they have to
- Make friends at the gym instead of avoiding eye contact
- Post their gym fails with the same pride as their PRs
- Know that "perfect form" is less important than showing up imperfectly
- Actively welcome beginners instead of gatekeeping
Everyone's got baggage; ours just happens to have dumbbells in it. We carry it together - with snark, sweat, and way too many gym memes in the group chat.
From Us to You
If you've ever felt like you don't belong at the gym... you do.
If gym culture has made you feel like you need to be stronger, leaner, or more committed before you're "legit"... you don't.
If you've been working out in boring clothes because you didn't want anyone to notice you... we see you, and we made something for you.
When you put on a Gym Tees shirt, you're not just wearing a funny design. You're claiming your identity as a Lift Laugher. You're telling the world: I'm here, I'm trying, and I refuse to be miserable about it.
You're joining a tribe of over 50,000 people who chose joy over judgment. Who know the secret: fitness is better when it's fun.
The gym is better with you in it.
Ready to Join the Tribe?
Pull up a bench and browse the lineup. Find the design that makes you laugh. Wear it to the gym. Start a conversation. Make a friend. Maybe even inspire someone else to stop hiding.
There's always room for one more at the Gym Tees rack.
Welcome home, Lift Laugher. 💪
P.S. — I've never been a great lifter, but I've always been able to create semi-funny gym tees that make people smile. And honestly? That's the PR I'm most proud of. Let's lift, laugh, and never take ourselves too seriously.