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When Syracuse University senior Lili Williams first started weightlifting in high school, she had no idea what the interest would grow into. After joining Orange Barbell, a club dedicated to the exploration of fitness, Williams became strong, which she said was the best thing to ever happen to her.

“I get so excited to go to the gym every day, not just because I love lifting, but because I’m like, ‘Oh, I get to go see my friends,’” Williams said. “In that sense, the gym has just become so important in my life.”

Orange Barbell is not just a lifting club. The group is divided into subsections — general, powerlifting, powerbuilding, hybrid and bodybuilding, to name a few. There are many different tracks available in the fitness industry, so Orange Barbell reflects that by offering diverse subsections, SU sophomore Brandon Lyubarsky said.

The club offers coaching, group lifts and roundtables, which are available on days the club meets. The general interest meeting will be Sunday at noon in Grant Auditorium. There are competition days as well where members can register to compete in popular challenges like 1000 lb. challenge or a powerlifting meet.

Williams said self-love is what has kept her coming back to the club. The gym has become a therapeutic place for her.

“It’s everybody trying to be their best self and being surrounded by other people that are also trying to do that helped me to continue to try to be myself, my best self,” Williams said.

As opposed to the traditional club sport or intramural, Orange Barbell is open to all. It offers greater levels of community and has become a lifeline for Lyubarsky, who said it’s been life-changing to meet people with similar goals and personalities.

“We’re just giving each other advice because lifting is always changing and the science behind it is always changing, so it’s good to have a group of people where we can relay information on each other,” Lyubarsky said.

Ella Chan | Asst. Photo Editor

Lili Williams and Brandon Lyubarsky pose next to each other after their workouts at the Barnes Center at The Arch. Orange Barbell accepts members of all fitness levels and hopes to welcome more students.

The club caters to those interested in personal growth in the gym and all aspects of life. Barbell offers bi-weekly roundtables with masterclasses and meetings, weekly group lifts and lifting challenges.

Julia Prestipino, a master’s student in exercise science at Syracuse University, was first drawn to the club due to academic interest. Since joining two years ago, however, she has found that being a part of the club goes hand in hand with her major and finding a close-knit community on campus.

Prestipino plans to take what she has learned from the club with her after graduate school. The passion and connections that come with being in the club are something she said she enjoys.

“(Cardio is) obviously important for physical health, but it also helps keep a lot of people’s mental health strong,” Prestipino said. “I really love that, the sense of community. It’s how I meet my gym friends with similar interests to me.”

Many people are intimidated or even afraid to get into the gym, Prestipino said. But Orange Barbell offers a safe fitness learning space where trained professionals and coaches can guide new or experienced gym members. The club offers a connection that promotes fitness positivity in mental and physical areas, Prestipino said.

“I feel like I’ve become a more confident person because of all of it,” Williams said. “I like being able to lift, but I also like how I look, which is something of an ongoing self-growth journey for me, and realizing the capabilities of women in that way was a really wonderful thing.”

Published on September 10, 2024 at 1:08 am