Kind of stuck deciding between gyms, check this thread out..where do you train?

[boostnmuscle]

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=orlando+barbell


check this gym out, heres a few vids i found on youtube from a pretty hardcore PL'ing gym called Orlando Barbell, its about 10 minutes from my house @ college...looks fuggin hardcore, probably everything i would need..on the other hand right now I go 2 a freakin LA FITNESS...while it is a pansay gym, its got alot of great shit, its hardly EVER busy (yes, its in a remote location but its still closer than the PL'ing gym) but it hardly ever gets busy, and its got all the "pretty" shit...while i dont train like a pretty guy, i like having the option of hammer strength or some alternate machine for certain things..

Im just stuck on what I should do, if I keep my La Fitness membership (which my dad pays for now) i would have to cough up the monthly fees for the PLing gym...plus i need a good gym 2 train at while im home on breaks (summer, winter ect)...

the main point of this thread is I know a TON of guys who would die to train in a good known powerlifting gym, and here i have the chance...I really just want some feedback on what type of gyms you guys train at and preferably those that train at a powerlifting gym, what do you love about it? what do u not like? Im sure there are a few absolutely huge mother fuckers throwin around some serious iron, which is the shit i wanna be around, i would just like some feedback on those that have trained at those type of places...

[K1M]

i'd train at the hardcore gym, because there would be stronger guys there, and they'd help you become a better lifter

[DougoeFre5h]

Disclaimer: I may be the minority here but IMO there is no better gym for guys like us, than a semi-pansy ass gym that allows for pl style workouts. (deads, floor slamming, squats, maybe even chalk). A good lifting partner is a must though. Having the option of hammer strength equipment is great, and even though there is a lot of internet-mystique surrounding established "hardcore gyms" I for don't see how 20 of the same smelly dudes in a cloud of chalk beats a clean floor full of nice machinery and the occasional hot chick doing reverse hypers.

[Hoops]

WTF are you talking about Doug? The gym I lift at from all I can tell is one in a million meaning it has the real powerlifting stuff for the most part (fat bar, trap bar, shrug bar, cambered bars, chains, bands, chalk, a real power rack, and bench rack (or what ever it's called) set up for bands ect, buffalo bar, dumbbells over 100 pounds, reverse hyper, glute ham raise, sleds outside, a prowler outside, a freaking tire, ect. But at the same time it is also about half 50+ people who are just there for the pool and cardio crap. If your gym doesn't have this stuff you're limiting yourself in the long run and you're not lifting around the kind of people that will challenge you.

Every time I go to the gym and I see some of the trainers there or some of the big mofos like XX lifting it's motivation even if they aren't training with me or hell even if they are workign with some soccer mom who wants a few less dimples on her ass. Sure I enjoy seeing a girl with a nice ass as much as the next guy, but fuck I live on campus. I can go outside for an hour and see all the ass I need. When I'm at the gym I want to have the best equiment, and as far as I'm concerened that is NOT a bunch of hammer strength machines, smith machines, or some cable crap.

The only real issue you brough up was having a gym when you go home assuming you don't live year round at school. I have a gym through college that is as good or better than the vast majority of commerical gyms I've seen. I pay 40 bucks a month to lift 15-30 minutes away because I have a much better option and for the most part I really don't take too much advantage of the better equitment. Sure I've dragged the sled at this gym (before construction turned that all the hell). I LOVE the better rack they have. I use the pins in the bench cage every time I lift and that way I don't need a spotter, but I'm not using all the differnt bars and what not. I played with them of course :)

Oh and doug, most gyms from what I've seen do NOT even have a reverse hyper for the hot ladies to use. And chalk is a must imo.

Isn't the goal when looking for a gym to be the smallest person there if at all possible?

[boostnmuscle]

Hoops...great response bro, thank you

[DougoeFre5h]

Woah Hoops dont get me wrong I hate 95% of the commecial gyms out there. Shit Ill have to find a similar place your talking about, you know the one in a million....there must be some around here!!

I was asumming boost had a 5% gym, a franchise fitness place that allows for the styles of lifting we do. (Yes, those gyms contain big guys too ;) )

If you dont find value in hammer strength stuff, cables and whatnot thats fine. I just dont enjoy lifting in a PL gym. Some people love the atmosphere and comrodery but I suppose Im out of the loop. And besides you just completely generalized all fitness places to be for pencil necks and and the elderly...come swing by my pansy place for a workout bud. Depends on the location, owner, competing gyms etc. Open your eyes bro.

Boost, honestly try the hardcore gym out I know a lot of guys who really prefer the atmosphere over something like a franchise fitness place regardless of its (disclaimer, Im about to say something good about a non-pl gym) perks.

[DougoeFre5h]

Heres a guy who trains right next to me at my pansy franchise gym. He actually left Albany Strength (local pl hardcore gym) to train for the nationals.

http://www.repetrope.com/men/competitors/detail.asp?CompetitorID=4876

[Hoops]

Do you have real powerlifting equitment doug? Are you setting up stair steppers for box squats or do you have boxes next to the racks? Cables are fine, but honestly bands are better and easy to use in the racks if need be. Do some cable cross overs with some heavy bands and see if you ever want to use the cables again :)

I don't have anything against the hammer strength stuff, but it's a distant second to power racks with pins for bands and at least one inch spacing between pins.

Of course there are big guys in the standard commerical gyms. After all most people don't really have the option of a better place, but if you've got a choice between working 90% people who really lift or maybe 10% I don't see why you wouldn't choose the first option. I've never worked out or seen a gym that didn't allow chalk and real lifting, but most certainly are set up to discourage it. Crappy racks that force you to always have poor pin placement for most lifts, bolting down benches, plates that don't stack, or what ever else they can find that just doesn't work.

When I worked out at golds there were some pretty decent lifters there when I first started lifting. After a while there were less and less of them and the biggest guys there never seemed to lift anything heavy. I mean I'd see competition body builders in there squating 225. I mean good for them, what ever works for you is what you should do but that doesn't motivate me any.

When I'm lifting and I see Jim a trainer at my gym who apperntly has hit 1000 pound squat in a competition in there it just makes me want to work harder. Guys like THAT aren't just big, they're monsters and very few gyms have anyone like that in there.

If you're happy where you are then that's fine doug, but I think saying that commerical gyms that let people do real lifting are the BEST places for guys like us is a bit short sighted. Having real weight lifting equitment like I mentioned above imo is what you want in a gym. Go watch some of short mick's videos and tell me that stuff isn't more useful than hammer strength equitment :)

Oh and for some reason I get the impression that if boost isn't already, he soon will be one of the biggest/strongest guys in his gym. That's reason enough to look to lift elsewhere if you're there.

[DougoeFre5h]

Hoops I do agree with pretty much 100% of what your saying man trust me. I suppose I'm bias because I train at a commercial gym close to a pretty well known hardcore gym. The place I train at gets a lot of spill over from the HC gym and as such, its got the same motivating feel, good equiptment, real racks, boxes, bands for public use, I mean literally you name it, we got it. I see someone bench 405+ everytime Im there.

I just assumed that was somewhat close to boosts situation. Its like a hybred situation. I suppose I too have a one-in-a-million gym. I call it pansy because of the girl and frat boy clientele as well. I just like that over the PL gym here. 5 racks, chalky air, 5 benches and basically all shitty old iron. In my experience there are more dungeons than full service BB/PL friendly hardcore gyms. Hoops if you found one you are truly blessed lol.

And besides this is such a silly fuckin thing to debate. My "best place" statement is just a reflection of my experience. I wish there were more places around like I train at.

Can we agree to hate planet fitness and bally's together?

[Hoops]

See, you didn't state that your gym actually had powerlifting equitment ( you just said they'd let you lift and use chalk). Very very very few gyms have that stuff. You're lucky to find a trap bar or a cambered bar in most gyms (I've been to probally a dozen commerical gyms over the years from vacations, and moving around the gyms here locally).

My point was that you need the real lifting equitment and real lifters around you. If you can get that at a commerical gym then go for it. I don't know how iron can be shitty though...and boost is talking about a fairly well known hardcore gym I think. It seemed a bit better set up than what you're talking about from a few of the videos I skimmed.

My gym as I state isn't a hardcore gym, but it's got the hardcore equitment and a few pretty hardcore lifters.

All I can say is I"m glad I"ve never even heard of or seen these planet fitness and bally's outside of people talking on the internet. They make golds gyms seem respectable :)

And I'll agree to hate them with you!

[dellsguy67]

IMO.....the hardcore gym you describe is a rare commodity these days anywhere in this country. in wisconsin for example, i know of 1, and that is ford's gym in madison, and he supports bb-ing and plifting.....otherwise, we have athletic clubs, fitness centers, etc - all are jerkoff stations.

you may move someday, life will change, and the scenery will too. you may only have 1 chance to train at a place like this, and you will have stories and experiences there that you wouldn't at other places. think of it in these other 2 analogies:

1) you are in a frat. something you will never be around after college. could you imagine missing out on all the friendships, hot snatch, etc that you are getting now?

2) imagine going to college and having your girlfriend from high school still with you.....yes, you love her, you have history, blah blah blah. you will only be in college once. you will only be in your early 20's once. take advantage of it, dump your girlfriend, and go have some fun.

[boostnmuscle]

dells bro, i swear u must know me...those 2 analogies arent just analogies but two huge issues in my life right now (junior in college and JUST broke up with gf that started dating right after high school) LOL u pinpointed it bro...I will be checking out the gym regardless in a few weeks when I get back up 2 school, its 5 bucks to train there for a day..im sure I will fall in love and let everyone know, if not..Ill stay at LA Gayness...lol not that its bad, me and my workout partners MAKE IT HARDCORE...lol shoes off, chalk, grunting, screamin at each other..everyone looks at us like we're crazy, which is why i would like to switch...il let everyone know how it goes when i try it out in the beginning of january but if u have more reasons why2 train at either or please let me know

[dellsguy67]

* meet cool people

* you'll be lifting w/ guys who actually have knowledge on how to train, instead of a shitty personal trainer cert.

* possibly more opportunities can arise within the bb-ing/plifting arena


if your LA fitness is anything like my gym, the only think i would miss is the 4-7 pm timeslot when it becomes MILF central....otherwise, i hate my fucking gym.

[sparkymark7]

Well, I don't think it affects your scenario but it applies to me (and perhaps others reading this so I'll chip in). I currently work out at a chain called "Fitness First" in the UK. It's full of Cardio stuff and has very little of what you would refer to as hardcore equipment. The one up here only has 2 barbells, one on a flat bench and the other in a squat rack. And yes I am stacking up step up boxes to do box squats. What would make this worse to most of you is I have to walk twenty minutes to get there wereas there IS a hardcore lifting and boxing gym with serious amounts of iron and hardcore lifters in it ONE street away from me.

So why do I put up with everyone looking at me like I must be superhuman to be lifting a barbell with 150k on it? (:-) I know that's weak but seriously, the 10k bicep curlers seem to think otherwise). Well, for starters when I go home (I'm also at uni) I want somewhere to work out too. The one at home does seem to have a few strong guys in it which is good. Secondly, lifting is important in my life but it isn't my whole life. My girlfriend is very important to me (see told you I was coming from a different angle!) and she also enjoys working out. Since we're apart a lot at uni and whatnot, going to the gym is actually something we can do together...well sort of we split once we get there but you know what I mean. We went to look at the hardcore gym but she would naturally feel very uncomfortable there and there was a serious lack of cardio stuff. By doing it this way, I can keep other aspects of my life in check too and I'm still progressing at a rate I'm happy with since I'm only starting out anyway.

I have no doubt I will outgrow this gym, when I need more plates for a start, they're already starting to look a bit thin but for now, doing what I do is working for me. I don't think this applies to you in anyway Boots, just thought I'd offer up something up for the discussion.

[boostnmuscle]

Thanks mark, and this isnt anything towards you, but ive tried training with my previous gf's and it just aint my cup of tea...I either need to be alone, or with someone my size or larger...If I had a hardcore bb'ing/fitness type of girl i would reconsider, but all my past gf's do best in salons and looking pretty for me :D most absolutely do not understand this type of lifestyle lol


and yes dells, my gym has somewhat a decent scenery with MILFs around 4-7 but my LA Fitness at home (here where I will be for the next month over winter break) is ABSOLUTELY FILLED TO THE MAX with fine, fine fine fine fine fine GORGEOUS HOTT FUCKIN SPANISH WOMEN...for those that know how south florida is (its like a foreign country lol, whites are def the minority here..well its at least 60/40 spanish in favor, its all spanish) but the women are absolutely unreal..gawd i wanna go 2 the beach soon lol

[XX]

boost I think me and hatter need to come visit you after the above post, lol.

I have no clue what I would do in your situation. is it possible to do both for you?

[ghostfacekilla]

id go to the gym that played better music

[Hoops]

Another good point is that if you plan to compete, you'll actually have people at the hardcore gym who can help you. The hot girls at the gym probally couldn't help you too much :)