More than lifting: uniting community through weightlifting at Classic City Bodybuilding
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 210 million people worldwide were members of gyms or fitness clubs. During the first year of the global shutdown, gym memberships decreased by 15%-20%. Thereafter 22% of gyms shut down as memberships were canceled and patrons stayed home. During the summer of 2021, gym participation returned to 83% of pre-COVID participation, reaching their prior membership rates by the start of 2022.
Classic City Bodybuilding owner Phillip Stone started this passion as a home gym for him and his wife to work out in. He ended up buying more equipment than he had space, so Stone rented a building and started a business in April of 2023. His main goal for his business was to create a space for anyone who wanted to start their bodybuilding journey. He believes that weightlifting is more than just working out; it’s also a way to impact lives.
“It could really be a positive influence and change your life because you’re gonna spend your free time doing something, so you can pick up bad habits that lead you downhill or you can come in here so you’re doing something productive. It is like a snowball effect. You’re working out, so you want to go home and then you want to eat clean. Years of that add up,” Stone said.
Weightlifting can also benefit mental health. Regular working out releases endorphins, mostly beta-endorphins, which act as a natural painkiller and induce euphoria. Senior Christvian Maldonado believes that going to Classic City Bodybuilding helps him manage everyday stress.
“Whatever habits you create in your life as a teenager, unless you make a really dramatic change, those habits are going to stick with you the rest of your life. So you want to make those really good habits. So if you start weight training and exercising as a habit now, then that’ll be something you do your entire life. So if they can do it as a teenager and develop those habits it will stay in place. They’ll gain the knowledge that they need to be able to continue to do it their entire lifetime and be healthy,”
“Even if working out does hurt, it makes me feel better after, I feel more relieved. The gym has helped me mentally in different ways like being able to push myself, being more disciplined and also made me more confident,” Maldonado said.
Stone enjoys having students come into Classic City Bodybuilding and giving them advice while trying to serve as a role model.
“Some of my favorite people here are students, and they are really good people. When you talk to them sometimes you don’t know it might have a positive impact on their life. When you lead by example you give them something positive to look up to. They haven’t graduated, they haven’t begun to get a job, or start college, so I can talk to them to be a positive influence and help them do their next chapter of life right,” Stone said.
With that wisdom in mind, Stone knows that not everyone lifts for the same reasons.
“Everyone in here is not the same. Some people are lifting for physical reasons. Some people do it for a mental challenge. Everybody doesn’t want to be built the same. Some people even come in here on purpose, consciously trying to be around good people and meet good friends,” Stone said.
Going to the gym provides new connections with those who are focused on similar goals and can help challenge each other. Junior Roman Granados points out that there are a variety of people, older and younger, to learn from.
“You’ll meet people there that are new and you’ll meet people there that are very experienced. You will also meet elderly people and young people who are just getting into the gym. And all of them are focused on continuing their fitness journey. But if you ever need help, somebody in there is going to be willing to help you,” Granados said.
GYM GALLERY: A gallery shows owner Philip Stone, junior Roman Granados and senior Christvian Maldonado using different machines at the Classic City Bodybuilding gym. Not only is the gym a place that people can work out in, it is a place that people can meet other like-minded people. “Everybody in here is like a family and it just really brings everybody together, just giving people a place they can come, kind of get out of their comfort zone, and then once they do get in here it just becomes their comfort zone. It’s really just a community and we’re keeping the old school part of the business alive,” Stone said. Photos in gallery by Katie Kulik.
Maldonado also says that the community inside the gym pushes him to work out harder.
“Everyone is supportive, especially the workers and owners. The energy in there makes me want to work out more and push myself especially when there is a chance to have a group workout,” Maldonado said.
Going to the gym isn’t the only place where you can find community in weightlifting, school programs can also help. Stone attributes his love for weightlifting to signing up for a weight training class in high school.
“I signed up for weight training in high school and that’s where this all started for me. I didn’t really know it at the time, but it changed my future because I could have been taking another class, or sneaking out or skipping school. But I took several years of weight training in high school and then I fell in love with that. For me it was almost as good as going and taking a college class because here I am running a business off of what I learned in high school and fell in love with,” Stone said.
Weight training at school is an option for people who want to be able to get a trainer telling them how to improve their technique. Cedar Shoals has a class for weight training taught by football defensive coach Brandon Stoudemire for anyone who wants to explore that option.
“The biggest pro of doing weight training at Cedar would be not having to pay for a trainer somewhere. So being able to do it here at school saves you a lot of money, not only that, but the idea is that if you take weightlifting the entire time that you’re in high school by the time you graduate I should have you where you will never need a personal trainer. You’ll know exactly how to work out and what to do for the rest of your life where you can stay healthy,” Stoudemire said.
Not only does weight training at school give you the option to not have to pay for a trainer, but it also helps start good habits earlier.
“Whatever habits you create in your life as a teenager, unless you make a really dramatic change, those habits are going to stick with you the rest of your life. So you want to make those really good habits. So if you start weight training and exercising as a habit now, then that’ll be something you do your entire life. So if they can do it as a teenager and develop those habits it will stay in place. They’ll gain the knowledge that they need to be able to continue to do it their entire lifetime and be healthy,” Stoudemire said.
***Website package by Sophie Meile.
