Backyard Barbell

Most Recent Comments

• September 2023 by Frank Piva
  I have worked with Coach Diego for 9 months now, and it has been one of the best training experiences of my life.I came to Backyard Barbell with virtually no weight lifting knowledge. I had lifted weights in the past, but never had any formal coaching. From day one, Diego was deliberate in correcting my technique before progressing to heavier weight. When I couldn't figure out how to drive my legs on bench, we kept drilling the basic movement until I was able to perform it correctly.I was also impressed by the level of attention Diego gave to each client in the group. I had done small group training before and felt neglected by previous coaches. Diego always asked me at the end of each session if I had any questions for him. He would often stay later than our scheduled time to show me a new exercise or refresh my memory on something we already covered.In addition to coaching movement mechanics, Diego covered nutrition and equipment. Whenever I was approaching a max-out session, he would remind me to eat properly and be well rested. Diego showed me how to properly size and wear protective gear such as knee sleeves, wrist wraps, and a powerlifting belt. He recommended brands and even provided links to purchase the products.If you want a coach who gives you all the ingredients for success, then look no further. If you show up, and follow his program, Diego is going to make you the strongest person you have ever been.
• July 2023 by Tiffany Browning
  I've been working with Diego for 8 months now at Backyard Barbell. I can't express enough how fantastic my experience has been! From the moment I walked through the doors of BB, I knew I was in great hands with Diego.First and foremost, let me start by saying that Diego's sense of humor is absolutely contagious. I genuinely look forward to every session, not just for the physical gains but also for the uplifting atmosphere.Diego has respect for every individual who steps foot into the gym. As a newbie to powerlifting, I initially felt a bit apprehensive and intimidated. However, Diego immediately created an environment where I felt comfortable and supported. He never made me feel judged or inadequate, instead offering encouragement and celebrating even the smallest victories. This level of respect and inclusivity makes the gym a welcoming space for everyone, regardless of their fitness level or background.Additionally, Diego's responsiveness is second to none. He's always attentive and genuinely interested in my progress, which created a strong sense of accountability. Whenever I had a question or needed guidance, he was readily available, providing valuable insights and personalized advice. It's clear that he genuinely cares about his clients' success and goes above and beyond to ensure we have all the support we need on our powerlifting journey. His programs are updated weekly and he sends a message out to everyone letting them know when they're updated.Thanks to Diego's expertise and guidance, I've experienced tremendous growth in my lifts. From learning the correct form to gradually increasing weights, his comprehensive training program has been instrumental in my success.If you're considering a trainer for powerlifting, I wholeheartedly recommend Diego. His programs will help with your gains, his respect keeps you in the gym, and his positivity and humor makes you actually want to come to the gym on hard days. Truly cannot recommend Diego enough!As for the general vibe of Backyard Barbell, it's also immaculate.In my 8 months of lifting here, I've had nothing but positive experiences. Everyone at BB is supportive and encouraging. Unlike commercial gyms, the vibe at BB is purely focused on making progress in your lifts - no matter where you started. If you lifted 50 pounds last week and you get 55 this week, people will celebrate your progress with you, even if they're in a rack repping 400 pounds on squats.
• May 2023 by Premkumar Masilamani
  Backyard Barbell is an old-school powerlifting gym. The first thing I noticed is that, there are no mirrors. No one is showing off, but minds their own business with the weights. Everyone I met so far in the gym are helpful and also showed respect and support for the beginners like me. I never felt out of place, even when I joined the gym.I took group training sessions with my coach Diego Rivera. He started from the very basic movements, what to do, what not to do etc. He stressed the importance of diet, hydration, sleep and stretching again and again over many sessions. Please listen to him :)As I progress further with heavier weights, I started getting pains in different parts of the body. Diego is knowledgeable and suggested different exercises, additional stretching movements to get rid off those pains. I am super happy and thankful to have Diego as my powerlifting coach.I started from no experience in powerlifting and able to do squats @ 360 lbs, bench @ 215 lbs, deadlift @ 365 lbs, in just 8 months. See the videos in this review.I highly recommend Backyard Barbell and Diego for your powerlifting needs.
• April 2023 by Robert DeLuca
  Backyard Barbell is a fantastic old-school style powerlifting gym. At first glance it is not a very big gym, but you definitely have enough space to lift without feeling cramped. All the equipment is very good quality as well.I've been lifting here for close to 3 years. I've worked with coach Chandler about half that time, and currently with coach Diego.Both are excellent coaches and awesome people overall. They are very knowledgeable, and able to answer any technical questions with thorough explanation.The programming is very well designed. You will be taught proper form and corrected constantly. Your weaknesses will be worked on in the programming, and you will see excellent results.Backyard Barbell is one of, if not the best, powerlifting gym in the Bay Area.
• April 2023 by Brooks Kinch
  I've been lifting here for nearly a year with Diego as my coach, and I have gotten substantially stronger, bigger, and overall healthier during that time. The gym itself has everything you could possibly need as a powerlifter, with some strongman equipment too, and there's enough weights, racks, and platforms that you're never waiting around for something even at peak times. The overall vibes are really great too---always someone willing to spot you if you need it, for example.Diego has been great as a coach. I actually want to learn the sport of powerlifting---not just have someone tell me to do this lift or that lift---and Diego has been extremely accommodating. He teaches me the *why*, not just the *how*, so I feel like I understand the mechanics of the lifts, how to use supplementals and accessories to improve performance on the competition lifts, how certain stretches and exercises improve mobility, how to set up a training schedule and a nutrition plan, and so on. He's never given me a "just because" answer when I ask about why we're doing what we're doing. He's also great at helping me push my limits in the gym, while still staying safe. Finally, I travel a lot for work and my schedule can get kind of crazy sometimes, and Diego's always been great about working around my schedule so I can get my gym time in. If you actually want to learn how to become a powerlifter, I cannot recommend Diego enough.
• March 2023 by Lynn McFadden
  I have been going here for almost 2 years. Diego is a great coach and really pushes me without the sugar coating or BS. I’m not a fan of the new fad of constant videotaping (for influencing vs review of form) and hyping over every lift as I’ve experienced at a few other gyms. I’m more about form, seeing results and finishing the workout so I love the feel of this gym, very no nonsense. It’s a great powerlifting gym. I do see a hand full of strong man equipment but it’s mainly powerlifting focused. As a lesbian, I feel very comfortable and welcomed as the other members are very diverse.
• November 2022 by Prateek Parekh
  First things First. Backyard barbell is a Powerlifting gym. It is specifically designed for those who are interested in not only learning to power lift but also potentially compete at competitions in the future. So, if you are interested in other aspects of fitness like endurance, cardio, flexibility or mobility, this may not be what you are looking for. Additionally, just like other gyms, they have multiple coaches with different styles. So, your experience may differ depending on who you train with.I joined Backyard barbell in November 2021 and did personal training with Diego for around 9 month with my spouse. We had 2 primary goals. 1) Increase strength with the 3 major compound lifts (Squats, Deadlifts, and Bench press). 2) Do them with correct form and avoid injury.I was certainly able to lift more especially with deadlifts and squats as the program starts at a comfortable point where emphasis is on technique and correct form and gradually more weight is added every week allowing you enough time to recover.I, did, however, start having issues with heavier weight while doing military press, and squats - something I have struggled with in the past and was hoping that a personal trainer will be able to help with. When bringing it up, Diego would question if I was sure it was not just soreness and that I needed to keep exercising. I have been working out for well over a decade and so have a good understanding of how muscle soreness feels compared to a pain resulting from working out. Only when the pain got worse, was I told to stop the related lift entirely and take some days off. This was frustrating as it was one of the reasons I decided to work with a personal trainer.Although, our coach Diego was very flexible with scheduling sessions, he did ask for 24 hours notice when canceling. This was fine except there was no accountability when he had to cancel on us. On one occasion, he did not show up at all and called us after half an hour stating that his phone got discharged. Mistakes happen and we were accommodating. However, after a few weeks, when I was out of town, the same thing happened again where my wife had to drive all the way to they gym and wait 30 mins only to drive back.Our sessions were not even scheduled that early (8 am). So, it was confusing when the reasoning given was that he set the alarm at 9 am instead of 8 am. Why would you set your alarm at the time when you are supposed to meet your clients?Diego apologized profusely for missing the session and wanted to "in good faith" offer us an additional free session. When I asked him how many sessions were remaining (you pay for 5 sessions at a time), he suddenly added the condition of only offering the additional session if we renewed with him. We found this behavior as absolving responsibility and lacking integrity and did not even finish our remaining session.So, while we did derive some benefit and the owner (Chandler) was also extremely responsive whenever we reached out to him, we decided to not continue because of the absence of professionalism and lack of confidence in being able to workout without any serious injuries. It's been more than 3 months, and I am still experiencing issues in my knee caused from performing the squats that were part of the program.Based on all of the above (and a few other things not included here), I will not recommend personal training with Diego at Backyard barbell.
• October 2022 by Alexander Brown
  This is THE place to go if you want to improve your lifts and improve as a powerlifter. I started my journey with the owner, Chandler, and he is extremely knowledgeable and fantastic to work with. He will call you out when he needs to and hold you to high standards all in the name of making sure you improve as a lifter. Later I shifted to working with Diego who was equally fantastic to work with. My lifts improved immensely and he worked with me both while I was lifting well and while I had some injuries. Truly knowledgeable and will make sure you are lifting properly and safely. You can't go wrong going here for both general lifting, powerlifting, and personal training.
• September 2022 by Alexander B.
  This is THE place to go if you want to improve your lifts and improve as a powerlifter. I started my journey with the owner, Chandler, and he is extremely knowledgeable and fantastic to work with. He will call you out when he needs to and hold you to high standards all in the name of making sure you improve as a lifter. Later I shifted to working with Diego who was equally fantastic to work with. My lifts improved immensely and he worked with me both while I was lifting well and while I had some injuries. Truly knowledgeable and will make sure you are lifting properly and safely. You can't go wrong going here for both general lifting, powerlifting, and personal training.
• May 2022 by lynn r.
  Just as others have stated, it's a no BS, straight to the point lifting and coaching. If you're serious in getting your technique/form improved while gaining in your lifts, I highly recommend this place. Diego has been my coach and has been flexible with my work schedule and my program.
• February 2021 by Bronson Stevens
  I walked in today to get some information. The guy behind the desk seemed a little annoyed/ surprised that I would even walk in but they asked what they can help. I started to say that I needed a place to train but I was quickly told that I needed to apply in order to work out there. I attempted to let them know that I was only in town for a few days but before I could even finish my sentence, I was cut off mid sentence and told that they absolutely don’t take walk ins.I don’t mind the fact that you are unable to take walk-ins but it was one of the rudest 30 second exchanges that I have been a part of in quite some time.
• October 2020 by Michal Palczewski
  I've been to quite a few gyms in the bay area and across the country and this has been my favorite gym. They have platforms where you can deadlift, and no one is going to give you any trouble, because you put the weights down too hard. You can lift barefoot. You can use chalk, and it's provided. The weights are calibrated. You know how sometimes the weights feel heavier than other days, well at other gyms they are, here they are competition weights. They have chains bands and boxes. They have plenty of squat and bench press areas. The weights are always put away neatly. You won't have to hunt for that 1.25 lb plate because you are just trying to squeeze out a few more gains. There is a leader board and the guys at this gym are strong, because the equipment that is there is designed to get you strong. Before going here I had always been one of the stronger guys at a gym. Well, I'm not even close(though I had injuries before staring here). This is the place to go if you want to train, not be distracted and get some results.
• July 2020 by Keith D.
  Best weight training I've ever had. Started 11/19, and with some help from Diego and the training crew, I'm well on my way to learning more than I ever knew before!!! Top notch coaching as far as I can tell...even with Covid-19, I'm working out at home now, and still progressing with my coaches help online!!! Thanks to everyone at Backyard Barbell!!!!
• February 2020 by Josh L.
  I started weight training the beginning of last year and while I was progressing well I wanted to get some PT to help with my form and decided to visit Backyard Barbell. After meeting Chandler and Diego I was very interested in seeing what I can learn here. I signed up for training with Diego and am very pleased with the results. He definitely helped me with my form, very supportive, and helped me hit some new PRs. If you're serious about lifting and training, this is definitely the place to consider going to.
• January 2020 by Emily P.
  I've always been interested in Powerlifting, and Backyard Barbell taught me so much. After a quick meet up and tour of the gym, Chandler was very helpful in getting me set up with the right coach. I started working with Diego 1-2x/week and quickly became more comfortable with the equipment, proper techniques, and my personalized program. He took the time to listen to my goals, concerns, where I was at with my fitness level, and where I wanted to be. Not only did my numbers go up (higher than I expected), but he was always encouraging and flexible with my work schedule. At Backyard Barbell, everyone was so welcoming, and the gym definitely has a family vibe to it. Even working out on my own, I knew I could ask the coaches (Chandler, Diego, Brian) or other gym members questions, advice, etc without feeling any judgement or intimidation from seasoned lifters. Definitely a great gym with awesome coaches and real results.