Finishing each other’s sentences as they share the story of how they met, HCI members Jenna Thom and Olivia Cabrera endorse the expression ‘best friends who work out together, stay together.’ Tackling weight racks and the various machines on the gym floor can be intimidating for anyone and often the reason for skipped workouts. Thom and Cabrera prove that grabbing a partner to face the challenges and intimidation can lead to a consistent regimen, greater fitness through friendly competition and boost overall confidence in the gym.

“We hold each other accountable. During Covid, I would send her my times and she would always beat me,” Cabrera says.

“Yeah, I had to! I had something to beat since you would send me your times first,” Thom says.

Starting out as acquaintances with their oldest daughters attending the same preschool, the BFF’s ran
into each other years later at Hill Country Indoor. By accident, they ended up in many of the same Studio classes and eventually started taking them together. A year and a half ago, Thom asked Cabrera to come with her to weight train on the gym floor.

“I feel like that’s how we got close, because you [Cabrera] said ‘I would love to do weights, I just don’t want to do them on my own.’ And I was like me neither, so come on,” Thom recalls.

The two laugh as they mention the three F’s that brought them together—family, fitness and food. Not only do they train together regularly, their friendship has extended beyond the gym. Their oldest daughters have also become best friends, their husbands get along and they share a love of margaritas and all things food. Working out as a pair almost daily, their weekly workout routine involves a good dose of cardio including at-home hill sprints, regular weight training sessions, Spin and other group fitness classes like kickboxing and Pilates. Inspired by their commitment to fitness, we asked them to share one of their gym floor weight training workouts. The two began planning and programming their own workouts after learning from regular personal training sessions and YouTube and social media fitness gurus. Be prepared for a challenge guaranteed to get your heart rate up and make you sweat.

This challenging weight training workout is better with a supportive friend or partner who can spot you and work through the same physical challenges! Thom and Cabrera rotate through the exercises starting at different points in the block to keep within a reasonable time frame.