Often on social media, I see a “Gym Bro” who, while lifting weights at three in the morning, posts a picture of himself flexing in the mirror with a caption saying something to the effect of “I’m in here working while y’all are sleeping.” The origin of these posts, or at least of their obscure timing, was to glorify work ethic. It used to be that you only did Bulgarian split squats at 3 in the morning if you were too busy to work out in the day.  

For a long time, late-night lifts indicated dedication. With social media, however, guys with plenty of free time realized they could recreate the heroism of a midnight lift by simply lounging through the day. They could play some video games and watch football, saving their one-hour workout for when everyone else is asleep. Though a strange practice, it seems to work for them. 

But the Gym Bros here at Tulane University have taken it too far: They want the Reily Center to accommodate their midnight lifts. 

I uncovered their conspiracy by chance. During a meeting for The Tulane Hullabaloo, someone mentioned the issue of extending the hours of the Reily Center. This confused me — I had never seen it closed, and assumed it was effectively open all the time. Turns out, it is.   

The rec center keeps its 156,000 square feet facility open for 111 hours a week — 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, and for 13 hours per day on weekends. Who could possibly need to work out in the middle of the night or at the brink of dawn? What could be so important as to require the massive cost of electrical bills, custodial services and security guards?  

Closing my eyes, I thought about who might be behind this movement, and something began to materialize in my conscience, first in disorienting symbols — homemade protein shakes with the sides caked in Whey Powder, gallon jugs of water being slammed onto the desks in my classes, Stringers and Pump Covers — then in concrete memories. Having to wait in the lunch line for grilled chicken because someone at the front keeps holding his plate out and asking for more. Washing my hands in the boy’s locker room as some aspiring bodybuilder, soaked from his workout and stripped to his underwear, saunters up next to me and experiments with different poses in the mirror, of tucking my nose into my shirt to muffle the lingering stench of teenage sweat dried into gym bags. 

As I grasped the motives driving this movement to increase the hours of the Reily Center, it seems a matter of principle to stand firmly against it, to defend the current hours against the Gym Bros’ protestations.  

I have supported the efforts to increase the hours of facilities on campus, particularly with the dining halls and the library. Those movements argued that a college student should always be able to find a bite to eat and a quiet place to study. Students have different sleep schedules, based on classes, clubs and sports, and when they are awake, whenever that is, they need to eat and study.  

But Gym Bros are trying to apply that reasoning to lifting weights, which is a convenience, not a need. I understand that they simply want the ability to post their motivational selfies, but to change a campus policy requires more than that specific interest.  

Just because Gym Bros would prefer the gym to stay open later does not mean Tulane should spare the resources to do it. It would be one thing if a sizable and diverse group of students were banging on the door of the Reily Center every night at 2 in the morning. But those leading this movement are a very obscure bunch, demanding the right to a practice that, while sacred to them, is hardly essential.