Memories Of the Old Skool Gyms

[redweston]

Pretty much ole school here, big speakers hanging from the ceiling blasting out the tunes, two smith machines, two leg press, power rack, tons of weights and benches, mirrors on all the walls, dumbells up to 150 #, hammer strength machines, and we have cardio equipment, oh yea it's open 24 hours and the owner does man the desk ! You'll see chalk on the floor in the back room where the free weights are, it's called the "power pit', I call it home !

Keeponpumpin!- red

Forgot to add that it attracts all kinds and everone is allways welcome !

Keeponpumpin!- red

[gbg]

The first gym I went to was old school, loved it! got motivated from just working out there. The intensity and effort put forth by the guys was incredible,
and if you didn't try to equal that you felt like the biggest pansy in town.
Nothing like it! unfortunately that went to **** for the most part but it gave me a solid foundation and will always be grateful for that.

[wave_length]

I trained at Mustafa Mohammed's old gym. Very small but hardcore gym with a lot of old equipment. Mustafa basically lived there. He was cooking his chicken breast behind the desk and was munching on dried fruit the whole time. It was great to see him train or getting a spot from him. Very nice and friendly guy who treats his gym members like family.

[OutOfStep]

When I was about 20 I trained in a dungeon known as Cold Steel Gym. It was in a filthy old abandoned textile mill. The guy gave you a key when you joined and you just let yourself in whenever you wanted to train. Hot as hell in the summer and freezing in the winter. You'd turn the heat on but would be done training by the time the place started to warm up. He had an old ****ty stereo with speakers all around. All the equipment was made by the owner. Lots of benches and squat racks. Everything was rusty from the damp air. When you left, your hands would be orange. Parts of the floor would dip down when you walked across it. You felt like you were going to fall right through coming out of the hole when squatting. The place was probably full of asbestos for all I know. I had some awesome middle-of-the-night sessions in there with a buddy I used to train with. It was all guys. Real weightlifters. No bull****. Everybody trained in jeans and work boots. Someone bought the place and turned it into a fitness center and I left. I miss those days.

[Whiskeyjack]

When I was about 20 I trained in a dungeon known as Cold Steel Gym. It was in a filthy old abandoned textile mill. The guy gave you a key when you joined and you just let yourself in whenever you wanted to train. Hot as hell in the summer and freezing in the winter. You'd turn the heat on but would be done training by the time the place started to warm up. He had an old ****ty stereo with speakers all around. All the equipment was made by the owner. Lots of benches and squat racks. Everything was rusty from the damp air. When you left, your hands would be orange. Parts of the floor would dip down when you walked across it. You felt like you were going to fall right through coming out of the hole when squatting. The place was probably full of asbestos for all I know. I had some awesome middle-of-the-night sessions in there with a buddy I used to train with. It was all guys. Real weightlifters. No bull****. Everybody trained in jeans and work boots. .

This sounds EXACTLY like the place I've described, MacNeilly Barbell Club. I learned to train in that milieu and almost everything since hasn't come close.

[Donica]

As I worked out yesterday at my gym It hit me hard that the gym lacks real benches for doing real bench presses you know the kind with a spotters platform in back , no hack squat machine, no real power racks, no etc. My gym has one Smith Machine that rarely gets used except when I do.
I had a flashback to 1978 working out in my basement with the plastic 110# set and when I made some money sheveling snow and other work to buy another 50#'s + the 30lbs blue plates my brother left behind. Fast forward to 1981 got my first taste of working out at a real gym in Detroit, probably the only one on the east side, real crude with rock blasting, chalk smoke, several olympic benches, a couple of power racks, no dressing room, only a toilet and a sink, I was loving the 2 hours spent working out, yeah we thought 2 hour workouts were required, no treadmills, stairmasters, maybe one stationary bike. 1983 was when I got my first membership at a hardcore gym called the Weight Station in warren,mi where members were mainly powerlifters and bodybuiler types, the manager Don,was a big powerlifter dude who taught me and gave me my first strength program 5x5.
Boy do I miss those days. I was wondering who else has had those type of moments/memories?

I know this is the "over 35" section, and I don't exactly qualify to be posting here yet, but I watched PUMPING IRON again recently (both the original with Arnold and the second one with Rachel) and couldn't help but wish more gyms were like those depicted in those films. I'm setting up my own PT studio right now, and although I'm trying to make it as customer-friendly as possible, there is a definite "old school" feel about it to me--I can't help it, that's the type of gym I want to train at (like that atmosphere of those gyms in the movies, hardcore!), so my personal training studio is going to have that 'essence' as much as it can. Fancy gleaming machines don't get you results--they can help, but it's that hard work and dedication and knowledge that really matter. Bring back the "old school"... that's what I'd like...

[wave_length]

I know this is the "over 35" section, and I don't exactly qualify to be posting here yet, but I watched PUMPING IRON again recently (both the original with Arnold and the second one with Rachel) and couldn't help but wish more gyms were like those depicted in those films. I'm setting up my own PT studio right now, and although I'm trying to make it as customer-friendly as possible, there is a definite "old school" feel about it to me--I can't help it, that's the type of gym I want to train at (like that atmosphere of those gyms in the movies, hardcore!), so my personal training studio is going to have that 'essence' as much as it can. Fancy gleaming machines don't get you results--they can help, but it's that hard work and dedication and knowledge that really matter. Bring back the "old school"... that's what I'd like...

Beautiful women are of any age are allowed to post here
Way to go setting up an old school gym!

[DaddyR]

I'm setting up my own PT studio right now, and although I'm trying to make it as customer-friendly as possible, there is a definite "old school" feel about it to me-

Oh how I envy you! If I wasn't stuck in a top-dollar job with one teenager left to finish raising I would do the same. I still may, once she gets out on her own and I can take chances with my finances again. There's a definite need for it where I live (the nearest gym is 10 miles away and the nearest DECENT one is more like 15).

[Stenn]

The first gym I went to was old school, loved it! got motivated from just working out there. The intensity and effort put forth by the guys was incredible,
and if you didn't try to equal that you felt like the biggest pansy in town.
Nothing like it! unfortunately that went to **** for the most part but it gave me a solid foundation and will always be grateful for that.

Old school gyms encourage hard work, fitness centers do the opposite. I was once at a fitness center pushing the edge on my deadlifts. Just before my first pull on my heaviest set, someone behind me said in a mildly sarcastic voice, "Don't hurt yourself..." I'm fairly certain it was one of the pretty-boy trainers, but I couldn't be sure. I wanted very badly to yell at someone. Had I stayed at this gym much longer, I probably would have gotten an MP3 player to tune that sort of crap out.

At fitness centers, I'm the sweatiest guy in the whole gym which makes me a little self-conscious about making messes even though I clean them up. The thing is, EVERYONE should be as sweaty as I am.

The same thing goes with grunting and yelling. I don't holler to be a dick, I do it because I'm working hard. It's not much fun finishing a difficult and loud set and then getting side-long glances and glares instead of beaming smiles and encouragement.

Be careful where you work out! The wrong gym can suck the life out of you. If you're not careful, you'll end up in a pre-natal pilates class wearing a headband and calf warmers.

[DeathtoToasters]

These stories are great!

[Whiskeyjack]

Beautiful women are of any age are allowed to post here
Way to go setting up an old school gym!

^^^hear, here!

[CYLON RAIDER]

Old school gyms encourage hard work, fitness centers do the opposite. I was once at a fitness center pushing the edge on my deadlifts. Just before my first pull on my heaviest set, someone behind me said in a mildly sarcastic voice, "Don't hurt yourself..." I'm fairly certain it was one of the pretty-boy trainers, but I couldn't be sure. I wanted very badly to yell at someone. Had I stayed at this gym much longer, I probably would have gotten an MP3 player to tune that sort of crap out.

At fitness centers, I'm the sweatiest guy in the whole gym which makes me a little self-conscious about making messes even though I clean them up. The thing is, EVERYONE should be as sweaty as I am.

The same thing goes with grunting and yelling. I don't holler to be a dick, I do it because I'm working hard. It's not much fun finishing a difficult and loud set and then getting side-long glances and glares instead of beaming smiles and encouragement.

Be careful where you work out! The wrong gym can suck the life out of you. If you're not careful, you'll end up in a pre-natal pilates class wearing a headband and calf warmers.

AMEN!

[Donica]

Beautiful women are of any age are allowed to post here
Way to go setting up an old school gym!

Thank you!

[gbg]

Old school gyms encourage hard work, fitness centers do the opposite. I was once at a fitness center pushing the edge on my deadlifts. Just before my first pull on my heaviest set, someone behind me said in a mildly sarcastic voice, "Don't hurt yourself..." I'm fairly certain it was one of the pretty-boy trainers, but I couldn't be sure. I wanted very badly to yell at someone. Had I stayed at this gym much longer, I probably would have gotten an MP3 player to tune that sort of crap out.

At fitness centers, I'm the sweatiest guy in the whole gym which makes me a little self-conscious about making messes even though I clean them up. The thing is, EVERYONE should be as sweaty as I am.

The same thing goes with grunting and yelling. I don't holler to be a dick, I do it because I'm working hard. It's not much fun finishing a difficult and loud set and then getting side-long glances and glares instead of beaming smiles and encouragement.

Be careful where you work out! The wrong gym can suck the life out of you. If you're not careful, you'll end up in a pre-natal pilates class wearing a headband and calf warmers.

Those dam pretty boy trainers piss me off! and I never take my headphones off, I'm sure people think I'm rude but my avoidance of them works well as listen to kick ass metal blasting in my ears.
Would be a wonderful day if an old school gym opened up, that has always been a dream of mine.

[boathead]

no hard core gym in my past, sadly, but just this past friday, a coworker, who happens to be the coach of the local high school lacrosse team, asked me to join him in the high school's weight room. i guess i expected something a bit more modern or sterile, but what i got was:

damp cinder block basement....steam pipes along the walls and ceilings, half of them leaking. spots of chalk dust on the floor....benches, and racks, free weights, dumbbells where you had to go searching for its partner...and pullup bars.

it was nice. a bunch of high school kids blasting heavy metal and doing nothing but compound lifts. i truly enjoyed it, and hope to be invited back.

[lifterg]

Pretty much ole school here, big speakers hanging from the ceiling blasting out the tunes, two smith machines, two leg press, power rack, tons of weights and benches, mirrors on all the walls, dumbells up to 150 #, hammer strength machines, and we have cardio equipment, oh yea it's open 24 hours and the owner does man the desk ! You'll see chalk on the floor in the back room where the free weights are, it's called the "power pit', I call it home !

Keeponpumpin!- red

Was that Scott Rittenburg's Gym. I used to lift there with Scott when I was in the area.
There used to be a bunch.
Leaning Tower Y in Chicago
Ardizon and Nalley in Indianapolis
Powerhouse in Kalamazoo
Frantz in Aurora, IL
Quads North in Chicago
Those are some memories. Usually smelled like Icy Hot and there was enough chalk dust in the corners to get a handful if you forgot yours.

[mofitness4u]

Pretty much ole school here, big speakers hanging from the ceiling blasting out the tunes, two smith machines, two leg press, power rack, tons of weights and benches, mirrors on all the walls, dumbells up to 150 #, hammer strength machines, and we have cardio equipment, oh yea it's open 24 hours and the owner does man the desk ! You'll see chalk on the floor in the back room where the free weights are, it's called the "power pit', I call it home !

Keeponpumpin!- red

My kind of place! Only 60 miles from my house. a little envious

[Baldiewonkanobi]

Any mention of speakers/music and the term 'old school' seems to vanish in my mind. My fondest memory of gym sounds were an old fan that klanked on every revolution (AC what was that?), steel clashing, deeps thuds as wheels hit the floor, explitives, groans, and shouts of encouragement. Any music in the place wafted in the always open windows from the street below...Hollywood Blvd. 1955. The music of honking horns, squeels from burn outs and glass packs.

Baldie

Oh and Vince Gironda's over on Ventura Blvd. If you brought any music into that gym you wore the portable radio like jewelry hung on the hard way.

[BuckSpin]

Sadly, my only experience with a place like this was my first - my high school. It was a Parochial school. Now, I know everyone has seen schools like this that have facilities that are better than some colleges.

This was not the case....trust me. We were on our own.

We had what we could find. Every mix & match of every make & model of plate. Home made benches & a 90 degree vertical leg press that resembled a guillotine. You bet your @$$ you controlled that descent! I don't recall one DB. It was a combination weight room/locker room/trainer's room that smelled like unwashed football equipment 24/7/365.

The thing I remember most was that the big plates were hard to come by, so some dads "made" 50lb plates by burning them out of 1" solid steel plate, then punching a hole for the bar. The edges of those were rough, orange & definitely "not" 50lbs exactly.

Ironically, Pyramid was a start up at that time not 5 minutes from the high school. I think a number of what we had were crude, garage prototypes. And to come full circle, where I train now is filled with old Pyramid machines & free weight stations. I moved 600+ miles and now train on stuff that was built literally where I once lived!

[DeathtoToasters]

Beautiful women are of any age are allowed to post here
Way to go setting up an old school gym!

Suck up! lol

[bigalaska57]

We still have two old school gyms in San Diego Sterns Gym been around since the 40's. Leo Sterns the body builder, trainer, photographer of body building contests. Pat Casey the first man to bench 600 trained there for a while. Bill Pearl trained there and many more. Leo Sterns sold it a few years ago Sherman Brown owns it now. He was a ranked national level bodybuilder. I was there for its 50th year. There are guys working out there who have been going for over 40 years. They allow women there have for years. Leos wife used to run the gym for women in a separate building for sometime. The place is made up of all ages however mostly 30 - 60 plus year olds. Leo would still come up read the paper and catch up with the guys. Bitch about the world but hey when your in your 80's more power to you. That cranky old guy is great. the equipment is old school lost of it made by Leo and still being used 50 years plus. The did buy some newer hammer stuff not much. Nice mix. No ac lots of sweat and hard work. Everyone willing to spot you. Heavy dumbbells to 150.
Everyone puts away the weights. They asks if you are using equipment I mean real gym etiquette. Amazing.
The second gym is Fischer s in Spring Valley. They do not have an attendant working the desk. They even open up on all holidays. They have given some members their own key to the place. Gene Fischer is the owner. Nothing fancy just old fashion weights with dumbbells to 150. Gene used to work for Leo. Great guy. The people who go there are willing to spot you and work in etc.
Now I work out at two large warehouse clones La Fitness and @4 hour fitness. To many kids. No respect, Weights left out all the time. I have had equipment loaded and teens think its cool to jump in there when I get a drink. Now mind you at 51 I am a little more patient (I feel just tired of repeating myself) so kids get a friendly get the hell off of my machine, do I look like I am joking move your little pencil neck now. I do mention if you want to work in by all means all you need to do is ask.
I feel the equipment is substandard and the gym just wants members to sign up never show up and keep paying. The equipment get broken from abuse its just BS.
look I ran a gym in corps in South Carolina and Alaska out in the Aleutian Islands. I fixed all the equipment on the spot. None of the waiting for maintenance to come in two weeks from now.
I blame it on MTV. The gyms dont teach proper weight room etiquette so they do what they want. The new gym are not weight rooms they are fitness centers. Enough said.

[Taichichuan]

I've been to a few gyms in the past from the YMCA, York's Gym, Bally's, Fitness USA, and a "hole in the gym" at Eight Mile and Greenfield Roads.
I miss the old Powerhouse Gym in Highland Park, MI Those were the days!
Although it's still there in name, now it's a goddamn fitness center.

[Whiskeyjack]

Any mention of speakers/music and the term 'old school' seems to vanish in my mind. My fondest memory of gym sounds were an old fan that klanked on every revolution (AC what was that?), steel clashing, deeps thuds as wheels hit the floor, explitives, groans, and shouts of encouragement. Any music in the place wafted in the always open windows from the street below...Hollywood Blvd. 1955. The music of honking horns, squeels from burn outs and glass packs.

Baldie

Oh and Vince Gironda's over on Ventura Blvd. If you brought any music into that gym you wore the portable radio like jewelry hung on the hard way.

Baldie, this sounds obsequious but I have to say it: from your posts it's evident that you've seen the golden days of old skool bodybuilding; you were in the right place at the right time. If I ever come out that way I'll look you up; I'd love to hear more about those gyms and lifting at that time.

[gympunk]

The 1st gym I got the nerve to go to was a pretty small, no frills place. it was OK- but I actually like having alot of options for my $$. Now, in my city there WAS a bare-bones gym that had been open in an old store front since the 1960's in a rough part of town. I've always wanted to lift there. A while back I packed up my gym bag & drove by, it's closed!! Also there was a rough looking gym called The Garage, in an old garage in a latino area I used to work in. I always wanted to see what it was like, but didn't know if they'd treat me like an outsider, fairly skinny white guy? But it also closed....

[MtnBikeMike]

Reading this thread got me to thinking and Googling. I am amazed my old training grounds from the late 60s and early 70s is still going strong!

I'm going to have to visit real soon!

http://www.lostbattalionhallweightlifting.org/about.htm


Some old time pics. Notice the pic of the beautiful and elegant split snatch has hasn't been done in years!

http://www.lostbattalionhallweightlifting.org/#Upcoming

[mofitness4u]

I've been to a few gyms in the past from the YMCA, York's Gym, Bally's, Fitness USA, and a "hole in the gym" at Eight Mile and Greenfield Roads.
I miss the old Powerhouse Gym in Highland Park, MI Those were the days!
Although it's still there in name, now it's a goddamn fitness center.

You talkin' bout Viking Gymon 8 mile?

It's a shame about Powerhouse the original went from extreme hardcore to fluff, never felt worthy to workout their as a kid.

[Stenn]

Reading this thread got me to thinking and Googling. I am amazed my old training grounds from the late 60s and early 70s is still going strong!

I'm going to have to visit real soon!

http://www.lostbattalionhallweightlifting.org/about.htm


Some old time pics. Notice the pic of the beautiful and elegant split snatch has hasn't been done in years!

http://www.lostbattalionhallweightlifting.org/#Upcoming

Oh man, I'd LOVE to belong to a gym like that. That place looks awesome! I've been looking for something like this in Houston, but I've yet to find anything in the central area.

[Taichichuan]

You talkin' bout Viking Gymon 8 mile?

It's a shame about Powerhouse the original went from extreme hardcore to fluff, never felt worthy to workout their as a kid.

Right! Viking Gym! It must be the OLD AGE! LOL There are a few guys that go there and do the heavy dead lifts, the heavy benches, heavy leg work. But when you see these guys workout it's like the "Wayback Machine" is running! LOL

You never felt worthy to work out there as a kid? I avoided the Powerhouse Gym like the plague until I found out they were going to end contracts! I was leaving out of a health food on Woodward and I felt a "tug", like a nudge. I **** you not dude! This is some weird supernatural **** if not I'm a paranoid schizophrenic! LOL I heard a voice in my head say very plainly, "Go to the Powerhouse Gym and get a membership!" WTH was that? OK! I walked over to the gym and ask about the memberships. "One week left for a lifetime membership!" WTF?! It's good to have a guardian angel!

[mofitness4u]

Right! Viking Gym! It must be the OLD AGE! LOL There are a few guys that go there and do the heavy dead lifts, the heavy benches, heavy leg work. But when you see these guys workout it's like the "Wayback Machine" is running! LOL

You never felt worthy to work out there as a kid? I avoided the Powerhouse Gym like the plague until I found out they were going to end contracts! I was leaving out of a health food on Woodward and I felt a "tug", like a nudge. I **** you not dude! This is some weird supernatural **** if not I'm a paranoid schizophrenic! LOL I heard a voice in my head say very plainly, "Go to the Powerhouse Gym and get a membership!" WTH was that? OK! I walked over to the gym and ask about the memberships. "One week left for a lifetime membership!" WTF?! It's good to have a guardian angel!

Thanks for that, I just might check them out (Orig. Powerhouse) again after all these years even though I live far eastern suburbs now. I guess if I search hard enough I will find a hardcore gym, esp. after listening to the posts on this thread, there is hope. Dude, I thought Vikings was closed long ago, it's funny cause I use to date a girl right off the street from Viking , that really takes me back over 23 yrs ,lol.

[bodyhard]

My gym is old school in NY, even the weights probably date back to the 70's, all the machines you mentioned are still there, old arnold and bodybuilding posters. It's truly out of a 70's movie, we even have real Italians and Russians (from actual Italy and Russia) lol that just got off the boat and dont speak English and have like 2 girls that go there and they are ripped.

Where is this gym at, please tell me. I am looking at owning a gym in the Bronx and if all goes as plan this gym will be strictly hardcore 100%.

My gym is a pussy gym right now and I would love to train at a hardcore gym RIGHT now!