Commit To Be Fit: Camp Gladiator

DENTON - Back in the 90s, amateur athletes competed against one another in tests of strength, agility and strategy on the hit TV show “American Gladiators.” In 2008, Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali hosted a revival season of the show, with the winner guaranteed a grand prize of $100,000.

Newly-wed, Dallas-based couple Jeff and Ally Davidson competed that season, and Ally finished as the top female contestant.

The couple used the prize money to form Camp Gladiator.

What began as a few dozen people exercising in a parking lot in Dallas is now one of America’s fastest growing companies. Currently operating in over 350 cities across eight states, Camp Gladiator is making a difference in people’s lives nationwide.

“I was looking for something for myself, outside of being a mom, a wife, and an employee,” six-year member Erin Glowney said. “I tried Camp Gladiator and fell in love with it.”

Camp Gladiator utilizes a four-week long, bootcamp-style training program that gets progressively harder each week. Groups meet in parking lots, parks and other large, empty spaces to participate in hour-long, full-body workouts. All fitness levels are welcome, and no previous workout experience is needed.

“I don't think you’re going to find a better community,” Glowney said. “I didn't find one in the gym or doing videos in my living room, it was being out here in a parking lot with all these great people that did it for me.”

Each workout is led by a licensed and certified personal trainer employed directly by Camp Gladiator. The instructor has complete control over where the group will meet, what time the group will start and what specific exercises they will do.

Members have access to every workout hosted by every trainer across the country, and with some workouts beginning before the sun comes up and others after the sun goes down, there’s a time and place for everyone.

“We offer these camps with so many options, so many different locations and times, because we really try to limit any reason not to exercise,” trainer Jerad Garcia said. “We pop up and we’re in and out in an hour; we’re kind of like ninjas.”

In addition to in-person bootcamps, members have access to both live and on-demand virtual workouts. Trainers are able to connect and communicate with participants one-on-one or in group sessions to ensure every person can reach their fitness goals from the comfort of their own home.

“The group setting really gives people more accountability,” Garcia said. “They know their friends are going to be there, they get in this team building mindset and you really see people stick with it and enjoy it.”

Anyone interested in joining Camp Gladiator can find information regarding membership plans and camps near you on the official website.