No More Ego Lifting: How One Catholic Gym Is Putting God at the Centre of Fitness

Denver, USA, September 11, 2026: For many people, going to the gym is about building strength, improving appearance or reaching personal fitness goals. But one Catholic gym in Colorado is asking a different question: What if your workout could also become an act of prayer?

At Grow the Kingdom, a gym in Greenwood Village in the Archdiocese of Denver, a large crucifix and Bible greet members as they enter. Nearby, a whiteboard carries the names of people for whom members are offering their workouts and prayers.

Opened in 2025 by friends Jayce Rastrelli and Hayden Dalton, the gym aims to bring faith, fitness and personal discipline together.

A Gym Built Around Faith

Rastrelli and Dalton, both of whom have backgrounds in personal training and sport, were inspired to establish the gym after becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the culture they encountered in secular gyms.

For Rastrelli, the environment could feel like a “battle ground” for his faith, with music, conversations and clothing that he considered inappropriate.

The pair began discerning whether they could create a different kind of fitness environment — one where people could train their bodies without losing sight of God.

Their answer became Grow the Kingdom.

The gym welcomes people of different ages, including young people, adults, older members and even local priests. Its central message is straightforward: God should remain at the centre of everything a person does.

From the Crucifix to the Prayer Board

The gym's physical surroundings are designed to reinforce that message.

The crucifix reminds members that Christ gave His body for humanity. Directly opposite it is the prayer intentions board, where people can write the names of those for whom they are offering their workouts.

For Rastrelli, this changes the purpose of exercise.

Instead of lifting weights simply to become stronger, bigger or more attractive, members are encouraged to offer their physical effort for someone else.

That is where the gym's unusual motto comes in: “No more ego lifting.”

The idea is not that wanting to become fit or look good is wrong. Rather, the problem comes when fitness becomes dominated by vanity and self-obsession.

Turning Exercise into Virtue

Rastrelli sees a strong connection between physical training and Catholic spiritual life.

Building strength takes consistency. Progress rarely happens overnight. A person has to keep turning up even on days when motivation disappears.

The same principle, he argues, applies to the spiritual life.

Catholics may wish for an immediate solution to their struggles with sin, but Christian growth often requires patience, perseverance and repeated effort.

Exercise can therefore become an opportunity to develop virtues such as discipline, temperance and self-mastery.

The body, in this understanding, is not simply something to display. It is a gift from God that should be cared for and used in His service.

Teaching Young People About Virtue

Grow the Kingdom is also expanding beyond traditional gym training.

The founders plan to introduce a mentorship programme for young people aged 11 to 21, combining physical training with lessons on virtue and faith.

The programme is expected to explore the four cardinal virtues, alongside Bible studies, discussions, saint studies, seminars and opportunities for young people to support one another.

The goal is to develop the whole person — body, mind and soul — rather than concentrating solely on physical appearance.

A Different Vision of Fitness

At a time when fitness culture can easily become centred on appearance, social media and comparison, Grow the Kingdom offers a distinctly Catholic alternative.

Its message is that strength has a purpose beyond the mirror.

The founders hope members will discover their worth not through their physique or achievements, but through their identity as beloved children of God.

Ultimately, the gym's philosophy can be summed up in a simple question: If Christ gave His body for us, how can we use our own bodies to serve Him and others?

For Grow the Kingdom, the answer begins with something as ordinary as picking up a weight — and turning that effort into prayer.

Courtesy : EWTN News

Photo Credit : Francesca Fenton/EWTN News