Gym that has olympic weightlifting platforms around San Jose, CA

Hey all,

I am currently living in San Jose, CA where I am working. While I was in college, I took up Olympic-style weightlifting because the school gym had the equipment and there was a certified coach coaching it. It was the best deal because as a student, I literally paid 7 bucks a session (2 hrs) to train with a certified coach.

Unfortunately, now that I have graduated, I don't have access to my college gym. I was wondering if anyone knows of any commercial gym in the San Jose area that has the equipment for weightlifting: platform, rubber plates, Olympic style barbell (with bearings). I am opening to commuting up to 15-20 miles so Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cupertino, Campbell area are all possibilities. Budget-wise, I can probably afford up to 80 dollars a month for membership. Also, I have enough experience where I can safely perform the lifts on my own. If anything, I just need some training partners.


So far I have found a couple places:

Catalyst Athletics in Sunnyvale CA: Has everything I need except it was pricier ($99 dollars for non-competitive weightlifting). Also, they only allow you to lift Wed evenings and Sat mornings. No open gym hours. So 2 times a week is meh...

Gold's Gym on Monterey Rd in SJ: This is where I currently work out. It's 15 bucks a month. When I started a year ago, there were 2 Olympic barbells and 4 blue-20kg plates, 6 yellow-15 kg plates, 2 black rubber-15 kg plates, and 1 red-25 kg plate, and of course the Olympic platform.
After a year, one barbell has been bent/broken by some ignorant fellow who was probably powerlifting with metal plates. 2 blue plates have been damaged/removed, along with the one red plate. And then recently, the 2nd Olympic barbell was replaced by the owner with 2 bars that resemble Olympic-style barbells, but on closer examination, lack bearings (aka not legit OL bars).

Crossfit from all over: Too expensive and you have to follow their workouts.

Overtime Fitness: Pricey and they tell members to refrain from dumping weights because of all the classes/people that go on in there.

FIT Barbell: Pricey and seems to be formatted like a class



Thanks

Catalyst is the only Oly gym that I know of out there.

Crossfit Oakland has a new weightlifting team set up by Max Aita I believe. Catalyst is pretty nice. If you're willing to make the trip to South SF, you can train under Jim Schmitz for 50$ a month after your first month ($100 first month).

[QUOTE=bull.dogz;955158023]Catalyst is the only Oly gym that I know of out there.[/QUOTE]

holy shat your avi is at calstrength

[QUOTE=strengthsthetic;957825333]holy shat your avi is at calstrength[/QUOTE]

Yes.

Yah, I've been looking for the same thing. Possibly converting from CrossFit because I'm over the class structure, limited hours and cost... I really just need the space and the equipment!

Not from over there but you could always try talking the old coach at your uni. You can maybe talk to him about doing private sessions, or if you had a good relationship with him then you can try and see if he'll let you use the facilities free of charge or if there is anyway you can use them for cheap.

Further, what about taking an extra class as a "non-degree seeking student" OR "auditing" a class. At my uni, you can be a non-degree seeking student and pay much less than regular students which may allow you access to facilities. Further, auditing a class is basically letting you sit-in on classes, so maybe you could get by with that as well as it's sort of an "in" to the facilities.

What about using Catalyst and looking to compete...how much does the cost change?

You can purchase a gym membership at san jose state university even if you aren't a student. They just recently got an oly platform and bumpers (only 275lbs worth right now but apparently there is some more equipment on order)

[QUOTE=ivanovich76;975939733]You can purchase a gym membership at san jose state university even if you aren't a student. They just recently got an oly platform and bumpers (only 275lbs worth right now but apparently there is some more equipment on order)[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the info... i'll look into it since I'm just a couple miles away from SJSU!