September 2023 by Stephanie W.
I have nothing but spectacular things to say about this gym. I love coming here! The first thing to note is it is different from a regular commercial gym: it is a barbell club, meaning the movements are designed around the barbell, and this is primarily a training place for powerlifters and Olympic weightlifters who compete. It is an old school gym for the serious strength athlete, which also includes strongmen, body builders, and crossfitters. This is a USPA certified training and competition center as well and has held USPA competitions in the past. I believe one of the owners is a USPA director for California, but I could be wrong. Everything you want to train is available here, from combo racks for squats and bench press (ER Equipment), deadlift platforms and jacks, full and half power racks, and a monolift. There are eight total places to squat, nine places to bench, and six places to deadlift. There is a ton of equipment for accessories: reverse hyperextension GHD (glute-hamstring developer) glute drive vertical leg press bi-later and regular 45-degree leg presses hack squat power squat belt squat iso-lateral row iso-lateral pulldown iso-lateral high row iso-lateral shoulder press bi-lateral wide chess press multi-flex seated barbell shoulder press incline press rack free weight chin/dip machine supported T-bar two large cable-crossover machines with pulldown and row stations They also have all the isolation machines like, a prone and seated leg curls, standing and seated calf raises leg extension, hip adductor and abductor, sissy squat machine, French curl (triceps extension), standing and seated preacher curls, pec fly/rear deltoid, etc. There is too much to mention. And let's not forget the specialty bars and equipment: Ivanko competition discs, competition collars (power, squat, and deadlift bars: Rogue and Texas), wagon wheels, SSB bars, transformer bars, large Swiss bar, Kadillac bar, trap hex bars, axle bars, Slater log, cambered bench bars, chains, belts, knee wraps, fat grips, knee wrap roller, bumper plates, iron plates, chalk, tripods for phones, bands, kettlebells, belt buckle assister, etc. Lots of strongman equipment too like a yoke, tires, sledgehammers, sandbags, Atlas stones, a Husafell stone, the aforementioned axle bars and Slater log, etc. I am not a strongman, so I am probably omitting lots of stuff. You are free to use the parking area in back of the gym for this (parking lot is just for members and there is almost no traffic), as well a large field next to the gym in case you need a larger area. Finally, there dumbbells to 180 lb. (most gyms go to just 80 or 100 lb.), and some cardio, like Assault rowers, stair climber, ellipticals, and stationary bikes. Everything you could need is here. I can't list everything pr this review would go on for pages! :-) But the best thing about this place is the people here, both the owners and customers. No egos, friendly, polite, approachable, and dedicated to their sport. There is lots of encouragement and positive energy. I've had many a good conversation with people. One of the owners even comes each morning and does the cleaning himself. They take pride in this facility, and you can trust everyone. No stress. Many of the athletes here have also gone on to win titles in body building and powerlifting in various organizations. There is even a service dog of one of the members who is super kind and loves to be petted, which the owner let you do. The pricing is excellent too, both for monthly memberships and guest passes. Long-time trusted members can get a code which allows to train after hours, well into the early morning if they want. There is a credit card machine or a Venmo code in the front to pay, even when no staff is here. I come here every time I am in the Bay Area and purchase weekly passes. It is a little way from San Francisco, but it is worth the drive to me. They also have amenities like strong wifi, a unisex locker room, a medical scale, a microwave, a large refrigerator, water, paid drinks with pre-workouts and the like, couc
