Founder Story

My name is Keith Benjamin and I am the founder of Uphold Standard. Uphold started as something that was meant to hold myself accountable and to seek and acknowledge truths I have about myself. 

Growing up, being an athlete was my identity and how I defined myself. Starting off playing football at 8 years old up to my freshman year of college, it was my everything, until it all seemingly started crashing down. 

I gave up playing football at the University of Cincinnati. This singular event was truly one of the worst days of my life. I let go of the thing that I loved the most and tied my identity to for so many years. My self confidence plummeted, I was lost, and was desperately grasping at the next thing to fill that void. That was the start of my next journey. 

Since then I have battled Stage II cancer, stopped my 9-5 and went into business for myself, and started a family with my wife Alex and our 1 month old daughter Isabela. 

From sadness, to sickness, to healing, to friends and family, UPHOLD was inspired by all the in between.

Uphold is more than a brand. It’s a community for those who lift, carry, and endure — not just in the gym, but in life.

We exist for the lifters and gym goers who have been through tough times yet still step forward. For the people who carry more than weight, who know that strength is built in silence, in struggle, and in persistence.

Uphold represents hope. Hope that no matter what you face, you are not alone. Hope that the act of showing up, of carrying your burdens and refusing to quit, matters.

Our gear is built to last, but our mission is built to inspire. Every bag, every token, every story is a reminder that what we endure becomes who we are.

This is your badge of honor.
This is your community.
This is UPHOLD.