For students looking to build strength, improve their fitness routines, and find a community on campus, Mercy University’s Powerlifting Club hopes to offer more than just a place to lift weights.
Led by its executive board, the club aims to introduce a stronger lifting culture at Mercy while creating an environment where students of all experience levels can feel welcome. Whether someone is new to weightlifting or has years of gym experience, the organization hopes to bring students together through fitness, friendship, and friendly competition.
Kevin German, a sophomore serving as the club’s president, said his love for the gym inspired him to help establish the organization. Beyond sharing his passion for lifting, German wanted to create a space where students could connect with others who share similar interests.
“I wanted to share my love for the gym and have a group of us lift together and bring a lifting culture to Mercy,” German said.
He added that the gym’s welcoming atmosphere helped him meet many people, something he hopes to recreate through the club.
Creating an inclusive environment is one of the executive board’s main priorities. German emphasized that members should feel comfortable regardless of their lifting experience, explaining that everyone is working toward the same goal of improving themselves.
Vice President Marion Devis, a sophomore majoring in psychology, also hopes to strengthen member engagement by encouraging students to support one another throughout their fitness journeys.
“I will promote the club to the best of my ability, being active and attempting to bring more members, and talk with whoever to make the club events possible,” Devis said.
One strategy the club hopes to introduce is a milestone-based recognition system to keep members motivated. For example, members could work toward a combined squat-and-deadlift milestone of 1,000 pounds. The executive board also hopes to organize group workouts that pair less experienced lifters with more experienced members.
Devis said the club wants to make sure members have opportunities to learn from one another while staying motivated.
“We plan to give out rewards like a milestone system,” Devis said. “For example, the 1,000 when your squats and deadlifts equal 1,000, and obviously our group workouts where we pair someone with an experienced person.”
In addition to group workouts, the club is exploring opportunities to introduce structured workout programs and collaborate with campus resources, including Mercy’s dietitian, to guide students on nutrition and fitness development.
The executive board also hopes to bring friendly competition to campus through a proposed event tentatively called “Mercy Strongest.” The event would give students a chance to compete in strength-based challenges and see who earns the title of the strongest at Mercy.
Although the event has not yet been finalized, Devis hopes the club can organize it during the semester to encourage participation across campus, including students who are not currently members.
“I’m excited about events,” Devis said, particularly the possibility of organizing Mercy Strongest. The proposed competition would combine friendly competition with an opportunity for students throughout the university to get involved.
German also expressed interest in organizing powerlifting meets, group lifting sessions, and challenges open to the wider Mercy community. One of the club’s first planned activities would be a strength challenge designed to introduce students to the organization and encourage them to get involved.
Beyond physical fitness, the executive board hopes the organization will help students develop friendships and maintain healthy habits that extend beyond their time at Mercy.
Xavier Cortez, an 18-year-old sophomore majoring in psychology and serving as the club’s treasurer, helps manage the financial resources needed to support those goals.
Cortez said he initially took on the position after German and Devis, who helped establish the organization, offered him an opportunity to become involved.
As treasurer, Cortez hopes to help the club develop a budget that can support meetings, events, and the equipment needed for different types of lifts.
“We like to have club budgets for our meetings as well as for snacks,” Cortez said. “Now, for club days, we would like to create an actual budget for certain supplies, such as barbells for different types of lifts that we don’t yet have at the gym.”
The club is also considering collaborations with other student organizations to support its growth. Cortez mentioned the possibility of working with the Track Club to explore joint activities and fundraising opportunities.
Accessibility is another important consideration for the executive board. When developing the organization, the founders used Google Forms to gather feedback about students’ schedules and individual circumstances.
Cortez explained that the responses helped the executive board consider the different responsibilities and circumstances students may have outside the classroom.
“When we first started the club, we made a lot of Google Forms, which had responses to help accommodate the different circumstances, such as mothers wanting to be involved in this club, or those who commute, those who dorm,” Cortez said.
By gathering feedback directly from students, the club hopes to make participation more accessible and ensure its activities aren’t limited to one particular group.
As the Powerlifting Club continues to develop its plans, its executive board remains focused on establishing a community that combines fitness with meaningful campus connections.
For German, the goal isn’t simply to help members get stronger in the gym, but to build relationships that encourage students to keep pursuing their fitness goals.
“I hope everybody gains a new friend or just meets new possible gym bros,” German said. “And continues to keep going on their fitness journey even past lifting.”
With plans for group workouts, strength challenges, potential competitions, and campus collaborations, the Powerlifting Club hopes to make fitness a shared experience at Mercy, proving that building strength can also mean building community.
