About Us
- Located in East Atlanta Village
- We have a gym cat
- Queer gender-affirming environment
- Anti-diet trauma-sensitive space
- All training is by appointment; no walk-ins
Team Lis Smash
Our story
Established in 2016, Team Lis Smash was formed with the values of strength, love and community. The goal was to hold space for folks feeling anxious, unwelcome or unsafe in traditional gyms by creating a training environment free of ageism, sexism, racism, ableism, body-shaming and homophobia.
Our work is ongoing to create and maintain an inclusive, empowering gym where people of all backgrounds can focus on building strength—both physically and mentally. Members are expected to follow our Community Agreements, which outline standards of respect for other members and for our space.
In the early days, we trained in a home garage (three different ones, to be exact). Then in 2021 we moved to our first commercial space. Finally, in late 2023 we moved to our 2,500 sf gym. It’s outfitted with all the equipment necessary for everyone from beginners to competitive athletes to get stronger and smash goals together.
Whether you choose to train on your own or work with a coach, we hope this becomes a safe haven for you to explore your relationship with movement, be it practicing self-defense, learning to lift or honing your skills.
Our Team
Lis Saunders (she/they)
Training Specialties – technique for new and returning lifters, hypertrophy and strength, powerlifting meet prep, lifters of all ages (particularly teens and 40+), anyone experiencing peri/post/menopause stages of life. Her classes include Semi-Private Strength and Beginner Technique.
Schedule: Lis trains clients on Monday through Thursday and Saturdays.
Rates: $85-100 per hour for private sessions, $45-$55 per hour for semi-privates
About Lis: I live in East Point with my partner, our dog Tina and cat Porch. My other cat Cheez lives at the gym and thinks he owns the place. I love powerlifting, animals, and smashing the patriarchy.
Coaching + Education
Movement Experience
Why I became a coach
Coaching + Education
15 years of coaching, 12 years (off and on) competitive powerlifting
Masters Degree in Education and Sports Management, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Formerly USAPL and USPA certified powerlifting coach, several specialty courses including Cognitively-Based Compassion Training, Trauma Informed Movement, Hypertrophy and Program Design.
Movement Experience
I grew up playing sports, but suffered from (sometimes debilitating) performance anxiety. In college and through my 20s I played softball and flag football before transitioning to endurance sports (triathlons and road running). I did that for a bit before re-aggravating an old high school knee injury and by the grace of Beyonce was told to quit running. So I switched to cross-training and lifting weights. I began competing at powerlifting in late 2012 and have held over 30 state records in 3 federations and 4 weight classes. I’ve competed four times at Nationals, once at the Arnold Sports Festival, set one World and two National records, and won two National Championships.
Why I became a coach
I’m neurodivergent and never felt like my coaches understood how to work with me. I strive to communicate in a variety of ways to get through to my clients, whether by re-phrasing and saying cues differently, demonstrating or showing video, and problem-solving to determine the best way to communicate with each client. I realized more people would discover a love of strength training if there was a safe and accepting space to have fun doing it. I hope to help others discover the meditative side of lifting, create a ritual around and enjoy the process of training, and feel more resilient and confident in and out of the gym.
Sarah Al-Khayyal (she/they)
Training Specialties – barbell training, powerlifting, strongman, programming for gender affirming muscle development, healing from/managing chronic pain (esp back pain) through strength training. Her seasonal offerings include Learn to Lift and Strong(hu)man workshops.
Schedule: Sarah trains clients on weekday mornings and early afternoons.
Rates: $50-$80 for private sessions, $45+ for classes
About Sarah: I’m an Atlanta unicorn, aka born and raised in the heart of Atlanta. I currently live in North Grant Park with my two partners, our dog and our seven cats. I’m also an artist!
Coaching + Education
Movement Experience
Why I became a coach
Coaching + Education
3 years coaching, 8 years lifting/competing
Movement Experience
I played softball and basketball from ages 7 through 18. As a young adult I trained and competed across strength sports including crossfit, powerlifting, strongman, and Highland Games. My highest athletic accomplishment was qualifying for USAPL Nationals, NAS Nationals, and USS Nationals all in 2016, but did not compete at any national level competition due to back injury.
Why I became a coach
I started coaching for two primary reasons, 1) to help fill a gap in the market for queer BIPOC strength coaches, and 2) to help people heal from and manage chronic pain through strength training.
My primary objectives as a coach are to help my clients achieve improved quality of life outside of the gym and to foster a stronger sense of body confidence and self reliance when it comes to navigating pain experiences.
Alizah Berg (she/her)
Training specialties – Strength training, HIIT/agility
Schedule: Alizah has open availability (it’s slightly different week to week but some mornings, afternoons, and evenings are available each week).
Rates: $55-$65 for private sessions
About Alizah: I live in Decatur and grew up in Ohio. I have 3 cats, Poppy, Jellyfish, and Patio. They are my precious babies. I like to do crafts of all kinds and create hyper-specific mood playlists.
Coaching + Education
Movement Experience
Why I became a coach
Coaching + Education
3 years as a trainer, 10 years lifting, NASM certified
Movement Experience
I played roller derby for 8 years and became interested in strength training and HIIT while researching cross training for the sport. I made a brief foray into rugby which is now on hold but I’ll be back baby!
Why I became a coach
I want to challenge the pervasive narratives around fitness and body image. As a queer woman I’ve experienced firsthand the insecurity and discomfort that traditional fitness culture often perpetuates. Fitness should not be about conforming to a narrowly defined convention but rather about feeling strong and confident. I want to help women and gender-nonconforming people build a positive relationship with their bodies and with exercise.
Kira Knight (they/she)
Training specialties – Gender-affirming exercise and self-defense for Trans and nonbinary people.
Schedule: Kira trains clients Monday to Thursday from 6 am to 4 pm, Fridays 6 am to 10 pm, and Sundays 6 am to 10 pm. They teach Self-Defense classes on Sundays at 6pm.
Rates: $30-$50 for private sessions. $10, $20 or $30 sliding scale for classes
About Kira: I live in northeast Atlanta but I recently moved from Asheville NC. Aside from coaching, I also enjoy competition fencing, costuming/cosplay, gaming, drawing, doing tattoos, and playing Dungeons and Dragons.
Coaching + Education
Movement Experience
Why I became a coach
Coaching + Education
1.5 years of personal training and 17 years of martial arts coaching. Certifications from ISSA, IWTA, BMMA
Movement Experience
17 years of martial arts training including sports combat
Why I became a coach
I really enjoy working with others to reach their goals. I coach because I want other underrepresented people like myself to have opportunities to get involved in martial arts and fitness in a safe environment for us, by us!
Amy (she/they)
Training specialties: adaptive training, barbell training, metabolic conditioning
Schedule: Thursdays 1 to 8 pm
Rates: $55 per hour
About Amy: I’m originally from Dahlonega and I live in East ATL these days. I have a part-time golden retriever (family dog who lives back home) named Lucy. Her namesake is Lucille Ball because she’s always up to no good, but we still love her. I’m a BIG fan of going to live shows, whether it be concerts or comedy. I love getting out in nature, cooking plant-based meals & reading (graphic novels, horror, nonfiction & memoirs). I’ve also enjoyed messing around on mandolin & fiddle lately.
Coaching + Education
Movement Experience
Why I became a coach
Coaching + Education
Certifications – ACE Personal Trainer, CrossFit Level 1 trainer, AIT (Adaptive & Inclusive Trainer, 2018)
Movement Experience
I’ve thrown down in adaptive sporty things for about 7 years now. I competed twice at Wodapalooza & twice at WheelWOD (the adaptive version of the Crossfit Games.) I made it onto the podium at the Games in 2021!
Why I became a coach
Rolling into my first gym workout experience all those years ago completely changed my life. Probably the best decision I’ve ever made — WHO KNOWS what I was doing before someone threw a barbell into my hands. I want to be a part of giving that feeling to other folks. Plus, throwing around heavy stuff & becoming stronger is so much fun.
Cheez (he/purr)
Training specialties: rest, stretching, massage
Schedule: all day, every day (so long as he’s awake)
Rates: priceless
Sliding scale, scholarships and work-trade
In an effort to make strength training more accessible for our community, we offer scholarships, work-trade opportunities, and sliding-scale pricing when possible.
We offer three tiers of Open Gym memberships.
Our Sustain, or regularly-priced, membership is $65 per month. For those who need it, we also offer a lower-priced Sliding-Scale membership at $50 per month. And if you’re able to afford a membership and also support our sliding-scale program, the Supporter membership is $80 per month.
We also have tiered pricing for our Self-Defense and Stretching classes. Additionally, two of our trainers, Kira and Amy, have availability for sliding-scale clients.
We offer scholarships for Open Gym and for our remote coaching program, All the Rage Lifting Club. Scholarships are prioritized for POC, trans and gender-expansive members, but others experiencing financial hardship are welcome to apply. Scholarships are available on a rolling basis as space allows. Apply here.
And we have work-trade partnerships, where you can trade a skill like cleaning or handy work for an Open Gym membership or Semi-Private training.