Anthony Montalvo couldn’t wait to start his workout routine at the makeshift gym in his backyard.
Montalvo, a redshirt freshman on Oklahoma State’s wrestling team, doesn’t have access to Gallagher-Iba Arena during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, he and his roommates are doing everything they can to bring the high-energy atmosphere of their campus weight room to their house.
Various pieces of fitness equipment, including a squat rack and a weight bench, are lined up on the porch. Music, usually rock or rap, pumps through the speakers as the five wrestlers encourage one another to keep lifting. During a time when team practices are prohibited, these grueling workouts provide Montalvo with joy, even when his muscles are aching.