The Shape Fitness Center, located on the upper floor of the Glenbrook Gym Complex, sees a wide variety of people working out each and every day, ranging from young student athletes to more elderly people who just want to stay in shape.

Although the gym complex sees countless people who run on the treadmills or use the fitness mats for basic bodyweight exercises, a group of hardcore weightlifters stand out.

These lifters come in many varieties. There are the recreational ones, who aren't lifting for any particular sport, but have just developed a routine to keep or want to stay in shape. There are the hardcore lifters looking to improve their sports performances and those who are just getting started lifting or who began as a New Year's resolution and are continuing a little over halfway into March.

Ben Greenstein is a recreationa lifter.

“Long term, I just want to keep up with it. I've gotten into a point where I'm just in a pattern and I want to keep in that pattern. I'm starting to see results, a little bit, already. I'm just trying to keep ahead at this point,” Greenstein said.

Frank King IV is one of the athletes working his body to better compete o the football field.

“I started lifting my junior year of high school, when I blew out my knee playing football. I was about 145 pounds and was not big enough for the sport I was in,” Kind said. “I put on about 55 pounds and played linebacker my senior year and loved it, so I continued to lift, and lift heavy and got my spot here at Castleton.”

The environment in the weights area is characterized by a sort of a mentoring spirit exhibited among the lifters. They assist each other when they're on a machine or just deadlifting, often times through friendly advice. 

“I see people starting off in the gym and they have a little experience, and I love giving them tips, helping them out, trying to improve their lift, because I know when I was a young kid trying to lift for the first time, I had no experience and it was really intimidating to go to the gym,” said Chris Yopp, who has been training for three years.

This mentoring also entails outright training of friends, or even strangers, who quickly become friends through this shared passion for fitness. 

“Currently, I'm training my friend here, Keegan.” King said, pointing to Keegan Cummings, who in turn waved back with a smirking nod. “Then I have a couple more friends who I'm training on the side. And back home I'm going to start training a few more friends, and trying to help them get a better understanding of their physical well-being and get them stronger.”

Yet another aspect for any potential lifter is goal setting and management, the various lifter said.

“I don't care what it is, pick a goal. And do not stop until you reach it. So at the time, I had my eighth grade jersey right above the weight bench, and every day I was right in my room,” said Cody “Bubba” Collins, who got started lifting in his eighth grade school year. “And my goal was, I wanted to be a starter my freshman year on varsity for football, and I got to achieve that accomplishment.”