Austin-based Camp Gladiator is offering a one-day $9 flash sale in honor of its 13th birthday on Aug. 31, 2021. New clients who take advantage of the deal receive a month of unlimited workouts—both outdoors and virtually—for $9 while existing clients can score prizes and incentives for referring a friend.

Ally Davidson, Camp Gladiator co-founder and co-CEO, said the birthday deal is a way to impact numerous lives across the country a discounted rate, as a typical unlimited month of classes costs $100. Founded in 2008, Camp Gladiator offers both outdoor and virtual 60-minute full-body functional workouts nationwide for all skill levels.

“A lot of lives have been changed because they tried Camp Gladiator,” she said. “We think it’s a cool offering to the community to do that and get to experience a personal trainer with so many different location offerings and awesome community and culture at Camp Gladiator for such an affordable price.”

Davidson is also returning to train virtually again in September following the birthday camp deal, offering different types of workouts for clients. This year’s birthday celebration is also unique in that it is the first time the business will be able to offer both outdoor and virtual offerings.

“As an example, I’ll be leading 30-minute workouts the whole month of September,” she said. “And then in October we’re working on adding in some VIP specialty workouts in addition to what we currently offer.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the business had to pivot to begin offering virtual classes in addition to its outdoor camps. More than a year later, the virtual offerings are here to stay, as clients love having access to both options, Davidson said.

“Just the convenience factor as we all know has changed everybody’s life,” Davidson said. “If you log onto our virtual offerings, we have a workout starting every five to 10 minutes throughout the whole day. You can do it from your garage, living room or your back patio.”

Camp Gladiator was founded in 2008 following Davidson’s win on the television show “American Gladiators.” Each workout features strength and cardio, and every week throughout the month includes a different focus, ranging from endurance to strength and agility.

“After winning I felt this calling on my heart that I was supposed to do something with this opportunity,” Davidson said. “I thought, ‘What if we opened up an adult, outdoor group fitness program?’ My background and passion had always been in sports and fitness and being on a team.”

At the time, military-style bootcamps were becoming more popular, which gave Davidson the idea to create a team-focused, fun and competitive workout for all fitness levels. In the 13 years since, the company has expanded to 4,000 locations across the US and has 1,000 trainers.

“We built this thing from scratch, just in a parking lot with a stack of cones is what we say,” Davidson said.

Over the years, Davidson and the staff at Camp Gladiator have come to pride themselves on seeing the life impact and change the workouts can have on clients.

“Our mission is to positively impact the physical fitness and ultimately the lives of as many people as possible,” Davidson said. “Giving people confidence or helping them become a better mom or spouse because of the results they’re seeing through Camp Gladiator and through the community they’re building—that’s what we pride ourselves on.”

Davidson said people always think they have to get in shape before coming to a class like Camp Gladiator, but she hopes they will not wait to start.

“Show up as you are; especially at Camp Gladiator we’re all fitness levels,” she said. “Just go for it.”