At 7:00 a.m. before sunrise, the clank of weights echoes from the Athletics Building. Students gather in the School’s weight room around racks and benches with different goals, schedules and routines, yet they share the same drive to get stronger. Over time this steady group of early risers and after-school regulars formed a weightlifting community that continues to grow.
Several students participate in the Gorilla’s 30-day lifting challenge, a student-driven tradition built on accountability and consistency. Other students lift on their own or come in during free periods or after practices. Despite the different paths, the weight room has become a shared space where students support each other and build confidence.
For many, the presence of female lifters reshaped the environment. Although the name Gorillas itself has masculine roots, girls now lift alongside them with the same intensity. Some who participate in the challenge call themselves Girlillas, while others simply train when they can. No matter the label, all contribute to a space that feels increasingly inclusive.
Sophomore Emily Xie is one of those independent lifters. Although not part of the 30-day challenge, she trains after school three times a week. Drawn to the structure and sense of control, the weight room gives her a place of familiar faces. She approached Virgil Campbell, Director of Strength and Conditioning, during the first week of school, asking if she could lift on her own.
“I like lifting. I did it at my old school, so I wanted to keep going here,” Xie said. “He told me I could come in anytime.”
For Xie, lifting serves as both routine and release.
“It is empowering,” she said. “It keeps my physical health and my mental health in a good place.”
The atmosphere varies depending on who is training, but she still finds value in every version of it.
“Sometimes I am the only one there, and sometimes there are teams. I like when there are others because it pushes you,” she said.
She often sees the same regulars and appreciates the small acts of support that have become routine. “People help each other out. It feels inviting.”
One moment stands out to her. “A girl came up to me and said I inspired her,” Xie said. “I do not see myself as someone extremely strong, but showing other girls they belong in the gym means a lot.”
Her message for anyone starting out is simple. “Everyone begins in the same place,” she said. “The difference comes from the people who keep coming back.”
For others, that same commitment takes shape through the Gorillas and Girlillas training plan. Senior Natalia Frost is one of the students who follows the Girilla training plan. She first joined during her sophomore year after hearing about the morning workouts from senior Lily Dunlap.
“I decided to come one day with her, and then we just kept going together,” Frost said.
The weight room runs year-round, with schedules shifting by season, but the commitment remains optional. Students who attend consistently for 30 days earn recognition at the end.
“Last year I went almost every day, even on practice and game days,” Frost said. “It definitely got tough, but in the offseason it is such a solid way to stay in shape and wake yourself up in the morning.”
Often the only girl in the room, Frost said the environment remains welcoming.
“Sometimes it can feel awkward at first, but it is honestly really supportive,” she said. “I never feel isolated.”
Campbell furthered his efforts to make Frost comfortable by adjusting the program shirt so that everyone wore the same one.
Physically, she has seen steady progress.
“I have gotten so much stronger, and my muscle mass has increased,” she said. “The group atmosphere makes the difference. We have max days where everyone comes around and claps for you,” Frost said. “It is such an encouraging environment.”
Her advice to students considering the program is straightforward.
“It is so much less intimidating than you think,” Frost said. “Everyone is supportive, and it is a great way to get started.”
For students who participate in the 30-day Gorilla challenge, that same discipline drives the experience. Junior Hanley Sayers found his way into the Gorillas shortly after his sophomore football campaign ended. He had been looking for a way to keep his gains on an upward trajectory before the next football and lacrosse seasons.
“After football season, I talked to some of the upperclassmen football players who lifted in the mornings, and they took me in,” he said.
For him, the 30-day challenge is a test of consistency.
“It is a way to hold myself accountable,” Sayers said. “If I miss a day, that is one less step toward the end.”
Inside the weight room, the atmosphere pushes everyone forward. “I love that the music is way too loud, and everyone is hyping each other up with each lift,” he said.
In his time in the weight room, Sayers found that the hardest part comes before the first rep.
“Waking up is 100 percent the hardest part,” Sayers said. “But all of us striving toward a common goal is what keeps us coming back.”
One moment defines the experience for him: his first PR day.
“It was a special place,” Sayers said. “Not just because of the weight, but because of the environment in the gym.”
Across the early mornings and long afternoons, the weight room has grown into a space defined less by the challenge itself and more by the students who fill it. Whether someone is chasing thirty straight morning workouts or finding time in the afternoon, each contributes to a community shaped by discipline, encouragement and the shared desire to keep improving.
