Freshman Will Stevens found himself in a flexing competition with his older sister—junior Caroline Stevens—to see who has the biggest muscles. 

Will and Caroline have been going to the gym together since the start of last summer, and it’s quickly become their favorite place to joke around as well as push each other. 

“When [Caroline and I] get home from the gym, we’ll joke around and flex right in front of our parents, laughing a lot, as a joke to show off,” Will said. “But it definitely shows how we have gotten closer because of how much time we spend together there, and it’s always an enjoyable time working out together.”

After seeing how much fun Will and Caroline have together at MVP, their parents sometimes join them to work out together on the weekends.

However, Will prefers to go to the gym after school. Stress relief is one of the major benefits of weight lifting that Will loves, so it’s no surprise that after a long day doing school work and tests, the gym is exactly where he wants to be. 

“When you’re lifting weights,” Will said, “you don’t think about how you have a test to study for when you get home, or how you might have this homework, or that chore, and so on. You are just there in the moment because you have to be in order to stay focused.”

That similar focus is something that Will has had to apply when it comes to his gym goals.

He explains that when he first started going to the gym, he didn’t always feel like going and that it was a really hard habit to get into.

However, with his older sister continuously pushing him to be better and motivating him to go, it’s now one of his favorite things to do.

“There have been times, especially at the beginning, when I didn’t really want to go, or just didn’t feel like it,” Will said. “But that’s why going with my sister is the best. You can always push each other and also goof around [and] have fun. The gym’s not supposed to be some super serious thing. Obviously, you have to take it a little bit seriously, but you can also have fun while you’re doing it.”

Other positive aspects of working out, aside from stress relief while weight lifting, have been more noticeable throughout the day when Will isn’t even at the gym.

He explains that in addition to feeling better and more like himself throughout the day, he has also noticed an increase in his attention span and dedication to schoolwork.

“Because I have more energy and feel better throughout the day, I am able to put more effort into my schoolwork,” Will said. “And just as a whole, my work ethic has changed and improved this year because I feel healthier when I go to the gym.”

Will talks about how there are so many different aspects of a person that makes someone feel healthy. He currently feels better both in terms of health and other mental-related side effects, but the gym is also a place he feels safe due to the environment.”

“When I first started going to the gym, I was nervous seeing other people lifting so much weight,” Will said. “But after going for a while, I realized the people at the gym don’t make fun of you because most of the people there were once in your spot when you started. We were all beginners at some point, so when I see someone new, I think, ‘Good job, you’re getting better.’”