Four friends went from mentoring students together to hitting the gym everyday to support each other.
Karissa Marks, psychology and anthropology senior, Prisila De Leon, graduate student and their group of friends are Texas State students who work out together at Camp Gladiator in San Marcos.
A year-long friendship that begun from working on campus as Peer Mentors in the freshman PACE program evolved into a workout group. The girls started training at Camp Gladiator this summer and have been consistent since.
Collectively, they do not have a past of working out regularly and have had a hard time being able to maintain a fitness lifestyle on top of a job and school work.
They find that the recreation center at Texas State is full of more experienced athletes and are intimidated by the other students who utilize the facility.
However, choosing to attend Camp Gladiator has benefited their lives and has kept all four of them motivated.
Camp Gladiator has a unique program for their customers that makes it different from the recreation center and other gyms in the area.
Each week the trainers focus on building their customers in all areas; the first week is focused on building endurance, the second on strength and agility, the third on interval, the fourth is the peak of all the training and lastly the fifth week is exclusive workouts to Bold Campers to recover from four weeks of work.
With a set plan from the trainers, it avoids the uncertainty of not knowing how to use equipment or feeling shy next to the frequent gym goers.
De Leon, enjoys working out with her friends, rather than on her own because on her own there is no accountability to actually do it. In a group, she is able to feel motivated and encouraged to attend Camp Gladiator every day.
“We will text each other the night before things like ‘CG WUT WUT 5 a.m. tomorrow,’” De Leon said.
While Camp Gladiator is not free after student fees like the recreation center on campus, it is what this friend group said works for them. They each paid a year contract of approximately $70 to attend.
Each person has their own personal fitness goals and hopes to keep growing in the body and health they envision. Marks has a family history of deterring health issues and is proud to be working out with Camp Gladiator to ensure a healthy future for herself.
“It’s going to sound really, really silly and small, but at this point, I want to be able to do a proper push-up,” Marks said.
Being able to incorporate Camp Gladiator into their daily routines has made fitness a priority. They tend to go together at 5 a.m., but sometimes they will attend on their own at different times. They still check in on each other to make sure one does not fall out.
These peer mentors are fighting for their health and confidence by uniting and enjoying the act of breaking a sweat.