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May 2023 by Malik A.
Great gym, Dan was super welcoming and friendly. Wide variety of equipment for basically any kind of lifting. Quality of equipment is also high, including some amazing Eleiko Power Bars. Cannot emphasize enough how awesome Dan was. Let me grab a whole ass carpet from another room to help with my bench setup. Friendly gym goers in general as well.
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February 2023 by George C.
A little pricey, but great, no-nonsense powerlifting gym.Pros:- Almost never have to wait for a machine/station- there are so many.- huuuge selection of (shiny new) dumbbells at 2.5lb increments.- no shortage of stations or plates.- competition-rated plates from Rogue/Ivanko(?) at a few stations.- no shortage of bumpers, including some Rogue ones! - plenty of different style barbells.- at least 2 chalk stations.- Great hours, wish they were open a bit later on weekends (:- last I checked, there's free pre-workout when it's stocked up. - plenty of bands, foam rollers, stools, and other misc equipment. - the vibe is great once you get settled. Folks have been nothing but courteous and polite. You'll see a lot of regulars very often- get to know them and say hi! - Almost immaculate bathrooms. This is such a big deal for me. - Dan the owner is very chill and approachable, and offers training sessions at varying price points per amount of pre-booked sessions.Cons:- $103/month is a weeeee bit pricey, but you rarely have to wait for a machine. I consider it paying for convenience. Plus, it's a family owned business in the Silicon Valley, not in Bakersfield. Folks gotta make a living out here.- honestly my biggest gripe is very mild: there are several different brands of regular plates (2.5lb - 45lb), and they are spread across the machines super helter-skelter. A few are cracked or have chunks missing, and across different brands and styles there's some variance between listed weights. I work around this by 1.) finding matching-brand weights or 2.) hitting the competition plates when I can. Not a huge deal. I hope they are one day able to standardize this. - It can be a little hard to reach management- I'd call ahead or email a few days in advance. My onboarding was a little rocky due to how long it took to get ahold of anyone but at the end of the day it was no biggie.- can get a lil smelly, but I mean it's a gym? Important notes: As far as I can tell, Boss Barbell doesn't really have staff besides Dan and Sparkle, the owners. I'm not saying it's not beginner friendly, but there's no hand holding I guess. You should already know basic gym etiquette, and be able to figure out your own stuff/take care of business- I didn't, but had a friend who was a member and he showed me the ropes. If you need equipment or items, just go look for them. Everyone minds their own business, but again they're all polite and will be helpful if you just ask.When it gets busy it gets really busy- but again, I've rarely had to wait for a machine. They'll often blast music which I don't mind- if this isn't your jam, bring some headphones and do your thing. Finally- A lot of people on Google reviews have a stick up their a** about Sparkle. Sparkle has been nothing short of professional, courteous, and helpful since I got here. Some of y'all need to take a chill pill and learn how to handle very direct customer service. Business owners shouldn't have to kiss a** or accommodate really stupid requests.In conclusion:At its "worst", Boss is like a big, fun, garage gym geared toward powerlifting. At its best it is a rockin place with a great vibe and everything you need to achieve your fitness goals. If you're serious about lifting, or are still exploring it (like me!), this is the place for you.
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January 2023 by Mike Dean
Came as a drop-in (I’m not local) and wish I had a gym just like this where I live: the crowd is the absolute best — super-supportive, friendly, and highly experienced.(And there’s plenty of parking ?)
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December 2022 by Calvin
This is the best gym in the bay area.A family run gym by the multiple world record powerlifter Dan Green and his wife Sparkle, this place is your cure to corporate fitness. Eleiko barbells, Ivanko plates, Rogue bumpers, EliteFTS machines, racks, and monolifts, SBD wraps-- this gym has the highest quality of equipment you can get and all of it is available for everyone.Close to Stanford and Palo Alto and the general Silicon Valley area this gym is not oversubscribed like way too many businesses in the area. Going in the mornings or early afternoons I have never once waited for any equipment. Evenings are more busy; the Google "how busy is it" estimator has a good representation of daily variation in my experience. This is not only a place for elite powerlifters either; you will find every type of lifter across every skill level and personal background, from olympic lifters, to older people seeking general fitness, to athletes looking for accommodation for their own sport's specialties.You have access to everything from piles of resistance bands, grip chalk, olympic weightlifting bars, gymnastics rings, scores of weightlifting belts, wrist wraps, lifting straps, chains, climbing ropes, wheels, rollers, knee wrap tighteners, piles of supplements, cardio machines, plate loaded bodybuilding machines, dozens upon dozens of top of the line barbells and barbell variants, squat yoke bars, kabuki bench bars, trap bars, piles of dumbbells going up to weights that are almost puzzlingly high, heaps of bench bar variations, and hundreds upon hundreds of other things I have absolutely no idea how to use but that Dan will happily explain to you with a sly smile on his face if he is around. Oh, and he will be around. Dan who has a lifetime of high performance lifting experience and many other accomplished lifters are regulars and you will see them and you will learn from seeing how they work on themselves. I have learned more about keeping myself fit in my months at Boss Barbell than maybe all of my time before I started.All of that is to say: Boss Barbell quite literally has everything you need to become the strongest person in the world. That isn't just true for men either. Many of the strongest lifters and current record holders at Boss are women. This is a place that isn't just the best in the area, it's a place I feel lucky exists and that I am fortunate to belong to. Before I signed up to Boss I spent a little more than a month driving around to all sorts of different gyms in the peninsula and I can say there just isn't one that even comes as close to being as good as this. Sparkle keeps the entire facility from the weight room to the kitchen and lounge in excellent running condition and it's simply a quite nice pleasant place to spend your time. My workouts have started taking longer and longer because I just like spending time here.
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December 2022 by Jason Rosenfeld
Dan Green is one of the best lifters in the world. Everyone who follows lifting even a little bit knows that. However, what people might not know is that he and his wife also run an amazing gym, which caters to anyone from novice lifters to the most advanced lifters in the world.First off, the equipment is amazing. The amount of high quality barbells and specialty bars and machines they have is unlike anything I've ever seen before. So in addition to having lots to choose from, you also never need to wait to use a rack, since there are plenty of those, too.Second, the people are great. Yes, many of the people at the gym are incredibly strong. But it doesn't mean they aren't nice and willing to spot, etc. They are also all just friendly and nice people to be around.Finally, the gym is just simply a great place to be. When I first joined, I was admittedly a little self conscious lifting there, given the caliber of the other lifters, not to mention, being around Dan himself. It is not every day you are around someone who is arguably the greatest in the world at what you are trying to get better at. But I quickly felt welcomed, part of the community, and just love going there.There are guest passes, monthly passes, 24/7 VIP passes...If you are looking for a place to train in the South Bay, I could not recommend BBBC more highly.
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September 2022 by Lauren Salas
I got to stop in for a workout while we were in town, the owner was so nice and the members were welcoming and great! They had every piece of equipment I needed and then some, I will definitely make it a regular stop every time we’re here visiting family.
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July 2022 by Van Tran
Excellent gym for powerlifting and other strength sports. Dropped in for 2 days since they were open on July 4th! Everyone was super nice and welcoming, even got some bench tips from Dan Green himself!
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June 2022 by Y Wang
Wow. Seasoned champion lifter Dan Green runs a huge, downright luxurious (with big, single user showers, large kitchen w/fridge and lounge w/TV) iron temple for those who love weight training. I’m a fan of the garage-y vibe. Good for short term visits, 24 hr access available, and you get your money’s worth for sure.
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May 2022 by Marcello Garofalo
Kind people. Great gym. Awesome place.
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April 2022 by LeviLeads
Great powerlifting meet and gym, great atmosphere and energyLack of backrooms however, they only had 1 m and f and had to change the f to unisex
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April 2022 by Nick P.
Looking for gym for my few months in the MV area, stopped by and was quoted about $130 a month for a membership here. After looking through the gym area, this place was not worth anywhere near $130 a month. Crazy for asking those prices.
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October 2021 by Masaru Natsu
The best there is, Dan is an outstanding guy, really nice and patient. He explains everything very clear. Can't find better gym in NorCal
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July 2021 by Strokeharvest
They need a face-lift. They charge twice as much as the chain gyms like 24-HourFitness. This is a place for people competing
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May 2021 by Ben Etimita
MR GEORGE KELVIN HAS REALLY HELPED ME IN TRADING AND MAKING ALOT OF MONEY FOR THE SUPPORT OF MY BUSINESS, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND HIM TO EVERYONE IN THIS PAGE TO ALSO GET ADVISE FROM HIM ON HOW TO MAKE MONEY ON FOREX TRADING.
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October 2020 by Matthew Hair
This studio is a wonderful place for a focused, intense workout. The instructors thoughtfully lead each person through their own workout, assisting with form adjustments.
