Sydney started running track at a very early age. By high school, she was "Sydney the Track Star," running the 200m, 400m, and 4x400 relay fast enough to land a Division 1 scholarship at UC Riverside.

She picked up a barbell at 13 to get faster on the track. Olympic lifts, cleans, snatches, jerks. It was supposed to be cross-training. Somewhere along the way, the weights won.

In Hunter’s third year at UCR, she left the track team to go all-in on personal training and powerlifting. She still finished her degree in four years (B.S. in Sociology, concentration in Social Determinants of Health), launched Body By Syd in May 2018, and built the business from there.

Since then, Sydney has grown into a respected coach, competitive powerlifter, and leader in the fitness community. Competing in the 63kg (138lbs) class at 5’5”, she’s pulled a 501.5 lb deadlift—an undeniable reflection of her strength, discipline, and standard. But her impact goes far beyond numbers.

She holds ISSA and NASM certifications and has trained clients as young as 7 and as old as 85. Youth agility camps, fat loss programs and competition prep. She also built a program called Built By Success that brings fitness training into charter schools around LA.

In 2026, she stepped onto a global stage as “Huntress” on the reboot of American Gladiators (Prime Video), becoming one of the first Black women featured in the modern cast. Sydney has a passion for hosting / leading community events that foster positivity, uplifting energy around healthy & wellness.

She's based in Glendale, California. Off the platform, she is usually hiking, eating somewhere new, or shopping. The coaching philosophy is simple, and she says it often: have fun and keep your head held high.