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I've looked for them as well, but they seem to be long gone. Here in Vegas, there was a Gold's Gym on the east side of town that was almost the sister equivalent of the Gold's in Venice. All the hardcore bodybuilders trained there, but that place, after being around as long as it had, closed last year. There are smaller gyms here, but those tend to be along the "anytime fitness" model, and they even cost more than the larger fitness centers and chains. There are no real dungeon-type gyms, except for one that is a powerlifting gym.
In a way, I think that they are a dying breed because the particular demographic that they cater to isn't anywhere near as large as those who are just looking for a "fitness center" gym. It simply makes good business sense to cater your product to as many people as you can.
A lot of fitness centers stay away fron the old school formula and style because insurance companies refuse to cover them at least that was the excuse one fitness center here gave a member to justify their dumbells only going up to 85 pounds. The place I go to now has dumbells up to 125. I guess we live in the lawsuit era where people can sue you for anything. It is a shame.
There are at least four independent gyms here in the Allentown area that are for strict body builders.
These are for the men and women that would scare the hell out of those with memberships at Planet Fitness.
There are some definite hardcore athletes in the Allentown area, not just bodybuilders, but I used to train at a gym where a lot of the velodrome riders would go - holy legs! Their lifts were just amazing.
Where I go now, we are a hybrid gym of all kinds of stuff, but there is so much heavy-duty equipment and some heavy-duty guys too. I have never been around a more supportive group of men and women in a gym setting in my life. People offer to spot you before you can get your mouth open to ask! We have everything from yoga stuff to strongman kegs and it rocks One thing the owner did was to partition off into rooms, and there is a "heavy lifting" area in a room all its own away from the cardio machines and that works really well.
I've been looking for a gym that is a mix between a hardcore powerlifting gym crossed with a clean, modern fitness center. basically, I want a place with good equipment for powerlifting while still being modern and CLEAN. I want to be able to do dead lifts without some weenie personal trainer sounding a lunk alarm on me but I don't want to be disgusted by using the locker room either.
I go to a Gold's. The free weight area can get crowded, but it's good to see so many people prefer the free weights over the machines. It's also good to see newbies on the machines developing a base and moving to more free weights over the course of a month or so. There are plenty of barbell benches and squat racks that are always being used. There is also a whole mix of people from beginners to power lifters. A great gym really.
The one thing that maybe has changed is the people. Just last week there was an old guy benching some weight who got stuck and pinned under the bar. He was struggling like crazy and people were just walking by ignoring him. I had to run from the other end of the gym to help him out. Hard to build camaraderie when no one is even willing to help anyone else out.
I favor old school gyms! Unfortunately the only old school gym near SF in Daly City closed in 2009. I think these gyms are closing at a more rapid rate in the high cost coastal areas. The World Gym in Santa Cruz closed last summer.
Some of my favorite old school gyms around the country:
I wanted to bring this thread back just like the other one to see if the new blood of posters contribute. My initial post is very important to understand the thread.
I previously trained at a Youfit and now an LA Fitness. I wish I had more "hardcore" options available to me, but the closest Gold's Gym are are 18 and 22 miles away from my place, respectively. There were two independent gyms relatively close by, but both have closed up shop within the last 10 years or so. The first was located a little off the beaten path by the office's of a fairly major employer in the area, and the gym closed shortly after that employer moved. The second was located right next to my old high school and they closed back in 2009 when the county purchased the land from them for portable storage while the school was being torn down.
My brother went to an old school gym here in Miami, Porkys, incidentally recently bought out by U-Fit. Well, he and I compared equipment and my LA Fitness has everything he has and more, much more. F the old school snobbery. Weight does not know what gym name is on it.
I visited Fight Club here in Miami on a free week long pass. It is boxing and weights and aside from the boxing rings, which have no interest in, it was the same as my LA Fitness. Actually much, much less as boxing rings and rows of punching bags means there are less squat racks and available benches,etc.etc.
I do not like to jump rope which is the old school cardio. So when done with weights at my wide demographic Fitness Center I can chose from stairs, ellipticals, stationary ellipticals, lateral ellipticals, rowing machines, spinning equipment, aerobic classes, swimming, even boxing. The previously attended LA Fitness had an indoor track for sprinting.
I previously trained at a Youfit and now an LA Fitness. I wish I had more "hardcore" options available to me, but the closest Gold's Gym are are 18 and 22 miles away from my place, respectively. There were two independent gyms relatively close by, but both have closed up shop within the last 10 years or so. The first was located a little off the beaten path by the office's of a fairly major employer in the area, and the gym closed shortly after that employer moved. The second was located right next to my old high school and they closed back in 2009 when the county purchased the land from them for portable storage while the school was being torn down.
Lol. Well it is a thread I started back in 2013. I miss the old school I have seen a few around but they are hard to find
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One thing the owner did was to partition off into rooms, and there is a "heavy lifting" area in a room all its own away from the cardio machines and that works really well.
