By Owyn Dawyot, Health and Wellness Reporter
Caleb Grider, better known as “Tarzan Lifts”, is a bodybuilding YouTuber known for throwing around monstrous weights and making fun, educational videos for those interested in fitness. However, something most don’t know about Grider is that he is also a junior at Virginia Tech, studying Marketing, something he hopes will aid the development of his social media presence while promoting his own personal brand.
Grider’s journey of becoming an influencer began as a young teen. “I started going to the gym at 13 and would watch all these YouTube videos of different influencers, getting all the information I could,” Grider stated, referring to what first piqued his interest in creating content.
Years later, during his senior year of high school, Grider’s physique had grown considerably, similar to his dark, jet-black hair, catching the attention of many friends and family members. “It was all these external forces that were pushing me to do it (start posting), and I finally bought a camera my freshman year of college,” Grider said when describing what eventually pushed him to start posting.
What struggles or “roadblocks” have you hit along the way since first starting to post on YouTube?
Grider talked about a big struggle he’s faced since first posting on YouTube: how his peers perceive him. “People do perceive you differently if you post online,” Grider stated.
Grider followed by saying he tries focusing on only valuing the opinions of his “inner circle”, which are the people closest to him who originally told him to start posting in the first place and who know his true, genuine character.
“Is it out of the ordinary, yes”, Grider acknowledged, “but at the end of the day, it’s something that I want to do, so it doesn’t really matter,” Grider said regarding posting videos online. This is a very positive mindset that’s kept him equally motivated and confident, and helps him combat the fear of judgment, something he admittedly is still in the process of perfecting.
Do you feel like your time at Virginia Tech as a Marketing Major has contributed to the success you’ve had posting videos on YouTube and social media? If so, how?
“I’m more aware of algorithms and statistical click-through rates, and it’s opened my eyes to different analytics; it’s just taught in a different way,” Grider said. “Then I take it and apply it to the business that I have (Tarzan Lifts).”
Grider went on to reference a Digital Marketing class that he is currently enrolled in at Virginia Tech and really enjoys.
What life lessons have posting fitness content online helped you learn?
Grider described the biggest life lesson he’s taken away from posting fitness content is delayed gratitude, stating that many online creators expect instant results when they first start posting and get discouraged when their content doesn’t perform well immediately.
Admittedly, Grider said that his videos when he first started making online content weren’t the best quality, and it wasn’t until recently that he felt the content he was making was genuinely good. Grider further elaborated, stating that he has failed many times while attempting to create content viewers will find engaging, but when he fails, he fails forward.
“I use my YouTube videos like compound interest,” Grider stated. “Every single good video that I produce could just get 100 views, but once one pops, I’ll have 20 or 30 good videos for people to watch.”
Do you ever struggle finding the right balance between schoolwork and posting on social media?
Grider stated that this has been a constant struggle every semester throughout his college career. “Whether it is school or YouTube, trying to always find the time to get everything done is definitely difficult,” Grider stated, claiming that sometimes school will have to take a back seat to YouTube, and vice versa.
Grider expanded on this by saying that time management is something he is actively working on, and sometimes he will take what he calls a “personal day”, away from school and YouTube, because both require a lot of creativity, which can be immensely draining at times.
What are some things, or people, that motivate you to keep improving and growing your platform each day?
Grider described his older brother Tim, a 25-year-old airline captain, as the person who has most motivated him to continue growing and improving each day by modeling the values of discipline and consistency, which Grider has adopted in his own life.
“If you want your dream, go out and get it,” Grider said. “It’s not a dream if it’s not crazy, and if people don’t literally say, ‘What are you doing?’”
Grider attested that Tim has been someone whom he has looked up to because he followed his dream of becoming an airline captain and has been fully supportive of Grider while pursuing his dream of becoming a full-time influencer.
What is the most rewarding thing for you personally that has come from posting on YouTube?
“The personal interactions I’ve had when people have told me that I’ve made a positive impact on their lives,” Grider said.
“I want to have an impact on this world in a positive way, and if I can impact one person from one video, then I’ve won,” Grider said, referencing that the interactions he’s had with supporters have been the most rewarding thing to come from posting.
Grider followed, stating that his “why” behind posting content was having an impact on this world in a positive way, either through education from his videos or entertainment.
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