The lifestyle of weightlifting creates the benefits of having a community

AVA NJORE

Staff Writer

While NCAA athletes train under structured programs, campus weightlifters unaffiliated with UMW athletics  create their own unique space that’s self-motivated, often overlooked and driven by personal goals rather than external rewards.

As for junior business administration major Natnael Ermias, who lifts five days a week, weightlifting is a way to keep himself disciplined as the semester ramps up. 

“Training is part of my daily routine, I don’t see it as another task I have to accomplish, so it comes easily,” he said.

A weightlifter’s lifestyle tends to structure their day around more activities that are beneficial to their weightlifting journey. This includes when to schedule workouts, between general times like a morning, noon or night session. When to eat, and what, so the protein goal can be achieved, and for weightlifters that are also athletes, when to go to practice, lifts or things like team meetings. An NCAA athlete would most likely schedule their day around these things, due to their different priorities.

For Ermias, weightlifting is about consistency and creating attainable goals outside of the classroom. 

“If I don’t train, I feel like I’ve lost control,” he said. “Like, I’m not worthy of the goals I set for myself. The gym is where I prove I deserve them.”

While Ermias has a strict routine and lifting regimen for himself, other weightlifters on campus are amateurs who prefer to keep it casual. Some students, like junior history and education double major Annie Dwell, value these different skill levels because it can be intimidating to get started in the gym.

“The only thing that stops me from picking it up would be not knowing where to start or the additional time in my day it would take up from my normal routine,” she said.

Dwell continued, “I think there’s always just going to be that fear/worry of being judged.” 

However, Ermias assures that weightlifters in the campus gym are so focused on their own workouts that they are not concerned with judging those around them. 

“The gym looks intimidating at first; it’s loud, it’s sweaty and everyone seems to know what they’re doing. But that fear? It’s just brain-fog,” he said. “Once you push through, it’s nothing.”

Liliana Hancock, a freshman, agrees that in order to get better, you have to get out of your comfort zone, even if it means going to the gym alone.

“On the positive side of not knowing anyone every time I go makes it way easier to form that physical community of plentiful people to be gym buddies for and or with,” she said.

Whether it is the structured grind of NCAA athletes, the hesitant first steps of amateur lifters, or the quiet discipline of everyday gym goers like Ermias, weightlifting is an increasingly popular workout on UMW’s campus. 

For an athlete like junior psychology major Danyela Rivarola, a player on the UMW field hockey team, weightlifting is a crucial part of her training. She has required team lifts twice a week. 

“We train multiple times a week with a clear plan that our weightlifting coach gives us,” Rivarola said. “These workout plans focus on strengthening, conditioning and injury prevention.” 

Rivarola said that during the season, practices are catered towards their specific sport, but during the offseason athletes are more focused on general muscle building through weightlifting. 

“During our lifts, we focus on what can make us better athletes by creating workouts that benefit our specific sport,” Rivarola said. “But out of season, we focused on strength, so I would say they are mildly hard. It depends on how committed the athlete is to getting stronger.” 

While campus weightlifters workout for a variety of reasons, they agree that the community is worth the time and dedication.

“I feel like it’s the best thing that has happened to me,” Ermias said. “Ever since I got into it, I started handling my emotions better. No matter what I am feeling after my workout, I just feel stress relieved and also in a better mood. After a while, it also boosts confidence because of what you have achieved.”