Belmont Cameli is no stranger to the gym, but preparing for his leading role in Off Campus required a level of athletic training unlike anything he had experienced before. Cast as Garrett Graham, the captain of Briar University’s hockey team in Amazon Prime Video’s adaptation of the popular romance series, the actor had to transform both his physique and his skill set to convincingly portray a competitive college athlete.
Although Cameli has been weightlifting for more than a decade, dating back to his high school football years, stepping into the world of hockey meant adjusting his fitness goals. Rather than pursuing an ultra-lean physique, he focused on building additional muscle mass and overall strength to match the demands of one of the sport’s most physical positions.
According to Cameli, hockey players come in a variety of builds because the sport requires a unique balance of speed, endurance, power, and resilience. That reality shaped his preparation. Instead of aiming for extremely low body fat, he concentrated on adding size that would allow him to look authentic on screen while also protecting himself during filming.
The actor explained that the physical transformation served a practical purpose as well. Since many scenes involve skating at high speed and making contact with the boards, carrying extra muscle helps absorb impact. As he continues improving his skating technique, he admits that stopping isn’t always perfect, making the additional strength and body weight especially valuable during action sequences.
Learning to skate proved to be just as challenging as building muscle. Because Garrett Graham is portrayed as an experienced team captain, Cameli needed to look comfortable and confident on the ice rather than simply wearing hockey equipment. That meant spending considerable time practicing skating fundamentals alongside his regular strength training.
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His workout routine emphasizes functional upper-body strength, focusing on movements that develop the back, chest, shoulders, and arms while supporting overall athletic performance. Exercises such as pull-ups, cable flyes, single-arm cable pressdowns, triceps kickbacks, and rope curls form the core of his upper-body sessions. Instead of training solely for aesthetics, the program is designed to improve the strength and durability required for a physically demanding role.
Production also made it easier for the cast to stay in shape throughout filming. A new gym was installed on the Off Campus set, allowing Cameli and his fellow actors to continue training between scenes and maintain the conditioning needed for the series’ demanding schedule.
The preparation reflects the growing expectation that actors portraying athletes should demonstrate believable physical ability rather than simply adopting the appearance of a sports star. While camera angles and editing can enhance action scenes, convincing movement on the ice still depends on the performer’s own athletic development.
Off Campus is based on the bestselling college romance novels by Elle Kennedy, with Garrett Graham serving as one of the central characters. As captain of Briar University’s hockey team, Garrett is known for his leadership, confidence, and competitive drive, making the physical authenticity of the role particularly important.
For Cameli, months of strength training and skating practice represent more than a visual transformation. His goal has been to capture the movement, confidence, and physical presence of a collegiate hockey player, helping bring one of the series’ most recognizable characters to life for longtime readers and new viewers alike.
As anticipation builds around the series, Cameli’s dedication behind the scenes has become part of the conversation, highlighting the amount of preparation required before the cameras ever begin rolling.
Source: Compiled from various sources
