| A True American Gladiator |
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When it comes to health and fitness, staying motivated is one of time’s oldest excuses. Even with all the right props and best of intentions, we still find ourselves dreading that early morning trip to the gym or after-work run around the neighborhood. The drive it takes to stay in shape and push our bodies beyond what we think is possible, can be an exhausting and at times exasperating endeavor. But before you let the idea of sweat and soreness stress you out, chew on this: exercise doesn’t have to be like work. Ally Davidson is certainly proof of that.
A native of Austin, and the recently crowned champ of the hit NBC show American Gladiator, Davidson is like a walking advertisement for how fun fitness can be. With her boundless optimism, “can-do” attitude and contagious spirit, she’s motivation personified.
At just 25, she’s unstoppable and unpredictable — from auditioning for American Gladiator on her wedding day and later winning the entire competition, to starting Camp Gladiator, one of the fastest growing boot camps in Texas. Willing to take chances and follow her gut, Davidson saw the opportunity to use her fame for good; by attempting to make changes to the way health and fitness was delivered to the masses.
“I quit my job after American Gladiator,” she says. “I thought, ‘I’ve just got to do something with this experience.’ I had been to other boot camps in the past and I knew I could do it. I quit my job a couple of days before the finale aired, and six weeks later we had our first location set up. It’s definitely been a blessing.” The truth is, motivation probably comes easier for Davidson than most. She’s always been a gifted athlete and lived an active lifestyle, playing multiple sports in grade school and receiving a basketball scholarship in college. In fact, she met her husband, Jeff, at a UT basketball camp the summer before college. Jeff was a coach, five years her senior, but as Davidson recently explained in an interview with the Austin-American Statesman, their infatuation defied any difference in age. They dated long-distance for a year before she returned to Texas State for school.
“Pretty much I married my coach,” she told the Statesman. In fact, the nuptials took place just hours after the audition that changed her life.
“I literally tried out for American Gladiator on the day of my wedding,” she explains. “My sister, who was also my maid of honor, asked me the night before the ceremony if I wanted to do one last crazy thing before I got married. She said American Gladiator was having an opening casting call. When we got to the tryout the next morning, there were about 2,000 people in line. All my bridesmaids, brothers and sisters were with me, with poster boards. They ran up to the front screaming, ‘You’ve got to let her cut! She’s got to get her wedding!’”
Needless to say, Davidson’s last-minute decision to battle Crush and brave the Travelator has more than paid off. With her win, she became an overnight sensation and her career was propelled into an entirely new direction. Winning American Gladiator not only made her a household name, it gave her the motivation and legitimacy to be a real fitness leader.
Starting your own business is a fearless enterprise; however, running a boot camp in multiple cities is an arguably more daunting task. But that’s exactly what Davidson and her husband are about to do, as they expand their growing fitness venture — Camp Gladiator — into Austin this month.
Applying the same attributes that make her such a natural athlete — intensity, speed, determination, perseverance and focus — Davidson is charging into the Austin market just like she did each week on the American Gladiator obstacle course. This time, the real challenge will be learning to balance her role as a successful businesswoman with the demands of being an inspirational coach.
“I’m going to be here in Austin running all the camps,” she says. “My full-time job is promoting, doing workouts and talking to people. The next step is to get Camp Gladiator Austin off the ground. My husband likes to say, ‘We either have to get bigger or we have to get smaller.’ We’re so busy we can’t stay where we are because we’ll drive ourselves crazy.”
The goal of Camp Gladiator is to put a twist on the standard “boot camp” moniker; to give group fitness an unmatched level of excitement and competitive spirit. In fact, much like the show that got her started, Davidson’s camps will focus on high-intensity training in short spurts of time. Camp Gladiator contenders will push themselves harder and faster than they’re used to, but hopefully not notice the pain because they’re having so much fun.
"I think that in order to be successful, every boot camp has to have a theme,” Davidson explains. “I try to set up a competitive atmosphere where people can also have fun.”
Not to mention no two Gladiator workouts are ever the same.
One day participants will do jumping jacks and run an obstacle course, the next day they might end with a tug-of-war.
“We do a lot of team competitions — relay races, obstacle courses, cat-and-mouse and five-ball soccer,” Davidson says. “It keeps things fun, but it also makes people stronger and faster.”
And Camp Gladiator is open to anyone who wants to compete — whether it’s a triathlete looking to improve his race times or an elderly woman just trying to stay in shape.
Case in point: 71-year-old Dallas member Barbara Coffey, who was searching for an outdoor fitness program when she saw Davidson’s Camp Gladiator ad in The Dallas Morning News.
“I was 71 when I started in October — now I’m 68,” Coffey says.
After seeing Davidson and her husband compete on the show, Coffey decided to give the camp a shot. She now attends five days a week, and believes there’s no problem that can’t be solved with exercise.
“I did military fitness,” Coffey says. “Boring.” I tried a personal trainer. Boring. I worked out by myself. Boring. Camp Gladiator is never boring.” Coffey admits that she doesn’t keep up with younger contenders, yet she continues to exceed her fitness goals.
“What I don’t understand is why there aren’t more older people out here,” she says. “It doesn’t matter how long you live, but how healthy you are.” Another Dallas contender, 45-year-old Steve Martinez, was initially attracted to Davidson’s energy and the massive spectacle of the camp. Requiring soccer field-sized workout areas and trainers equipped with megaphones, Davidson started training 55 people on her own before bringing on a second trainer.
“Ally livens up and entertains everyone,” Martinez explains. “Camp Gladiator has grown because people can see results. A setting like this brings out the competitiveness.”
Since Martinez started, he’s lost 45 pounds, feels faster, more agile and has twice as much energy as he used to.
“I’m getting my money’s worth because I’m actually going,” he says.
Whatever the formula, Davidson has something special on her hands. Her upbeat attitude, tireless dedication and special brand of star power will no doubt come in handy as she and Jeff open six Austin locations this summer.
“It’s a four-week program and you can go to any location as many times as you want during the month,” Davidson explains. “Monday through Friday, we have a 5:30 a.m. class, a mid-morning class and an evening class.”
Staggeringly large class sizes and a famous coach might intimidate some, but Davidson dares you to come out and compete. Not surprisingly, Davidson thinks Camp Gladiator has something for everyone.
“I’m obviously not very intimidating. People who’ve seen the show look at me and they’re like, “Wait, you were the one on American Gladiator?” |
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