Help me name my gym.

[chris423]

Hey guys. I don't know if anyone remembers but I'm the same guy that had a thread awhile back where I had an opportunity to buy a small established gym pretty cheap. After a lot of thought, I decided against buying the gym due to it being a 35 minute drive from my home. I felt I wouldn't be able to balance my job, family life, and a gym 35 minutes from my home.

I've wanted to own my own gym since I was 18 years old as many of us here may have. I've been very lucky and think that I may have been presented with yet another opportunity to have an honest shot at making one work even in this horrible economy. In fact, it's probably this horrible economy that's made this possible. I've wanted this since I was a teen. I'm now 39 and staring 40 in the face this coming October. I've spent my youth behind a desk as an office drone and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna do this. I'm not really interested in hearing from folks that wanna try to talk me out of it. LOL This is something I think I would want to try and experience even if I had a crystal ball that assured me that I was gonna fail. I feel that in the scenario that I've been able to put together for myself there is really very little risk. Even if I fail miserably I'm not gonna be out very much considering the way I've been able to put it all together.

I've been scouring Craigslist, a local used commercial equipment dealer, gyms in a neighboring state and equipment auctions from failed gyms in a neighboring state. After over a year of doing this I have been able to put together a very nice and fairly extensive package of equipment for a shade over 12k. I will try to post a list of equipment after I finish with this post. All of my equipment is paid for and there will be zero debt in starting up this gym.

I have a childhood friend that is the general manager of a large flag/banner manufacturing company that has a 2200 square foot basement space that he is willing to rent me for 500 dollars per month with utilities included. It's a basement space but has 9 foot ceilings and is finished nicely with drop in ceiling, florescent lighting, sheet rock, carpet, and gas heat. He says it never gets over 70-75 even in the hottest days of summer in that basement with no need for air conditioning. I could cover my monthly rent/utilities on this space with only 25 members paying 20 bucks each per month or 20 members paying 25 bucks each per month. I haven't decided yet if I'm gonna charge 20 or 25 but it will be one or the other of those prices. I'm planning on this being a code/keypad type of facility that is laregly unstaffed and I am keeping my job. This will be a hobby business and not something I have any delusions of making a living at. This project will be debt free with no more than 15k in total start up costs and only 500 bucks per month in rent/utility overhead. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna take the place sometime during the summer and have it open for business by September 1. I almost forgot to mention that this is a pretty decent location in the old downtown area of a small city with a 50,000 population. It's a basement space but has it's own doorway right off the sidewalk in the downtown commercial area and best of all it's about an 8 minute drive from my house. The building also has a loading dock in back with a ramp that leads down to the baesment in case anyone was wondering about the difficulty of getting commercial gym equipment into a basement space. LOL


What I'm asking for in this thread is a brainstorming session to come up with a name. So far the only possible names I have in mind are Old School Gym or Old School Fitness. I know facilities already exist with those names so I thought that I would ask you guys for some ideas on some more original names before going with one of those. Please keep in mind that even though I consider myself to be a very hardcore guy that would personally be fine with my gym being named The Bucket of Pain, etc. type of name, I'm looking for a name that will appeal more to the general public while still not being such a pansy name that I hate it myself. LOL

Sorry this post is such a long read.

Cliffs:
I'm gonna open a gym this fall
Please help me brain storm for possible names

[Black Sunday]

Basement = Dungeon, naturally, just not original.

[chris423]

Here is the equipment I have been able to put together for just a shade over 12k.

I've got 3 bench presses, one is a Sorinex auto spot that gives you a lift off, 2 power racks, one is an old Sorinex 1 squat rack, 1 Hammer Strength incline bench press, 1 Paramount decline bench press, 2 flat benches, 3 adjustable incline benches, 1 upright utility bench, 1 preacher curl bench, 1 shoulder press bench, 1 plate loaded pec deck, 1 Bodymaster lat machine, 1 3 stack cable crossover that has a second lat machine on the end of it. 1 counter balanced smith machine, 1 plate loaded Scorpian brand shoulder press machine, 1 plate loaded Hammer Strength brand lateral raise machine, 1 Bodymaster overhead triceps extentsion machine, 1 dip station, 1 Dynabody vertical row machine, 1 Polaris pullover machine, 1 T-bar row, 1 Promaxima chest supported row, 1 Prostar leg press, 1 Cybex horizontal squat machine, 1 selectorized leg extension/seated leg curl machine, 1 Dynabody plate loaded leg extension/lying leg curl machine, 1 sissy squat, 1 standing calf raise machine, 1 glute machine, 1 multi-hip machine, 1 selectorized lower back extension machine, 1 glute/Ham raise bench, 3 ab benches, 1 plate loaded gripper machine, 1 plate loaded dip machine, 1 Schwinn Airdyne bike, 1 Vision fitness upright bike, 1 Tectrix/Cybex stair stepper, 1 Life fitness stair stepper, 1 Nautilus Treadmill, 1 Sci Fit eliptical, 1 Wave Master XXL heavy bag, over 3,000 pounds of plates, dumbbells from 3-135 pounds, 1 trap/shrug bar, 1 football bar, 8 olympic bars including 3 York Bars, 1 texas power bar, and 4 Hampton bars, 3 curl bars including a Gaspari bar that allows you to supinate your hands while curling with a barbell, a set of the big blue 100 pound power bands, 4 sets of 3/8" chains and one set of 5/8" chains, and I just ordered a dead lift jack. I think that's it for now. I don't think I forgot anything. LOL

Sorry I didn't list the brand name of every piece of equipment but it's a long list as it is. LOL

[hookrunner]

After reading Snoack's beta male thread, how about:

Chris's House of De-Wussification...

[Skullaway]

I will just throw some stuff off the top of my head.

"Mr. Pumps"

"Get Your Pump On"

"Lift and Live"

"Muscle Town"

"Build A Body"

"Your Name + the word Gym"

[soon2B_ripped]

Here is the equipment I have been able to put together for just a shade over 12k.

I've got 3 bench presses, <snip>...
I don't think I forgot anything. LOL

Sorry I didn't list the brand name of every piece of equipment but it's a long list as it is. LOL

Remember back when we (our generation) were teenagers & it was cool to go hang out in the basement of your friends house? There always seem to be one guys whose parents had some sort of rec room in the garage or in a "downstairs" with the pool table & the little fridge?

Why not just call it Chris's Basement? or Chris's Place? or the Rack Room?
If you want the place to be accessible 24/7 why not just call it what it is: 24/7 your slogan could be "So now what's your excuse?"

If you want to draw mostly males make sure the font on your sign & advertising is something vaguely hard core in appearance like black lettering on tread stamped Steele (like the texture of a truck toolboox).

If I had a place I would just call it Terri's. Folks are gonna call it something convenient anyway regardless of what the business name is: Wally world, the Awful Waffle, the Pig & Whistle, Joe's, the Truck Stop (instead of Shell), the mill (instead of Lowery & sons Steele) So if you call it Bodies by Chris its still gonna be called Chris's Place, see? Or you can look at the road that its on & call it "The 5th street Gym" because that's an informational title. or if its on a corner use both the names like "5th & Vine Sweat Shop".

I hope you get lots of ideas you can glean from, good luck with your place.

[oldsuperman]

The Training Place
Down Under Gym and Fitness

[ka3s3r]

how about like new school fitness with an old school influence...wisdom weights?....personally i thnk hardcore fitness is good name

[kjd2121]

Just wondering how you can open a place, but you don't mention any insurance costs?? don't you need to cover yourself for possible lawsuits, injuries, etc...?


The Underground
Joe's
Mac's
Buddy's
Sam's
Iron Underground

[Fifty+]

chris's iron garden:train, eat, rest & grow.

[bamazav]

Classic Body?

[Nikonguy]

Down Under Gym and Fitness

So far my fave

[chris423]

Just wondering how you can open a place, but you don't mention any insurance costs?? don't you need to cover yourself for possible lawsuits, injuries, etc...?


The Underground
Joe's
Mac's
Buddy's
Sam's
Iron Underground

I plan on having a pretty iron clad waiver form that members must sign to join. I have checked on a liability insurance policy for the gym and it's not nearly as horribly expensive as some folks would like you to believe. I can get a one million dollar policy covering an unstaffed 24 hour key club gym for 1400 and change per year if it's paid by the year up front (it is considerably more expensive if you wanna make monthly payments). I probably will get the policy but was gonna wait until talking with an attorney about how well the liability waiver form would protect me before making a final decision on that.

[chris423]

The Training Place
Down Under Gym and Fitness

I'm glad someone replied with a name that had "gym and fitness" in it. I've been thinking about that possibility because my preference is to call it Gym but I feel that the word Fitness appeals more to the general population. I've been wondering to myself if it would sound silly to call it something gym and fitness. I was thinking if I just call it gym it would have less of a chance of success but if I just call it fitness then I won't be able to respect myself in the morning. LOL


Underground Gym & Fitness sounds pretty decent to me. I think that will make the short list of contenders.

[chris423]

Also if anyone has any comments or suggestions regarding equipment after reviewing my list it would be appreciated. I think I have it covered pretty well but different folks have different perceptions and experiences and multiple heads are always better than one.

[Brackneyc]

How about "Chris's Gym." I'm a big fan of less = more. You could use your last name instead of your first name as well. The best gym I have ever been to uses nothing more the owners last name. Doesn't even use the word "gym" in it anywhere.

I opened my own business 21 year ago. Used my last name as well as the type of business. Has served me well so far. Still going.

[ehode]

"Shut Up and Train - 24 hour key access gym"

[ehode]

"Shut up and Train - crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women."

[chris423]

"Shut up and Train - crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women."

I like it but I don't think that place would attract any women. It would be a big sausage fest every night. LOL

I do want my place to lean towards being hardcore but you have to attract a few hot chicks to join because for every hot chick you can get to join you're gonna get 10 guys that join just to stare at them. LOL

[IronCharles]

my preference is to call it Gym but I feel that the word Fitness appeals more to the general population.

If you want to cal it "fitness", you will need to get a lot more cardio equipment. "Fitness" will appeal more to the overweight housewife than the bodybuilder / powerlifter type.

I like (already mentioned) The Underground, The Iron Underground, or Chris's Iron Underground..

I train at a place called "The Gym." Simple, yet descriptive.

[chris423]

If you want to cal it "fitness", you will need to get a lot more cardio equipment. "Fitness" will appeal more to the overweight housewife than the bodybuilder / powerlifter type.

I like (already mentioned) The Underground, The Iron Underground, or Chris's Iron Underground..

I train at a place called "The Gym." Simple, yet descriptive.

I'm gonna have 6 pieces of commercial quality cardio equipment. That's about all I'm willing to buy and devote space too. I guess it will lean towards being a more hardcore type of place complete with great bars, monster power rack, deadlift jack, speciality bars, bands and chains, etc. I will have a circuit of machines and 6 pieces of cardio so that the more fitness center types can train there if they want but it will definately lean towards being a hard core place.

I would say your right that I shoudn't call it something fitness but I think it has enough machines and cardio to get away with something gym and fitness if that sounds ok.

[Stenn]

Ok, I gotta post my ideas before reading others. Pardon me if these have come up already.

The Dungeon (The most obvious.)
The Iron Underground
The Iron Mine
The Basement Gym
The Iron Hole
The Pit of Pain
The Mines of Moria (You get to be the balrog.)
The Whine Cellar (Sorry, couldn't reisist. )
The Iron Sepulchre (Might offend some, but what the heck.)
The Rusty Rabbit Hole
Mr. Baggins' Basement Gym (Ok, forget I mentioned that one.)

Ok, I'm just getting silly now. Anyway, congratulations on making this happen! I look forward to hearing how things shape up as you turn your dream into reality.

Now I'm gonna go back and see how un-original my ideas were.

Edit: Now that I've seen the input of others and your own preference, try these on for size:
Fitness Factory
The Fit Pit Gym
Finer Fitness Gym
Fabulous Fitness Gym
Furious Fitness Gym (I seem to be on a roll here.)
Fight for Fitness Gym (Better name for a boxing gym...)
Fundamental Fitness Gym (Has "Fun" in it!)
Fitty's Gym (Oops, wrong owner.)
Stairway to Fitness Gym ("And she's buy-y-ing, a Stair-Mas-ter, to heaven...")

That's it, I'm tapped out.

Oh, and the best gym I ever worked out at was in Galway and was simply called Galway City Gym.

[Marius_Ursus]

Whatever you call it, promise me you'll have posters that say, "SQUATS CURE CANCER" and "DEADLIFTS REQUIRED".

[da_bull]

I can only hope to someday own my own gym too, Congrats!

How about "The Fitness Basement"

[chris423]

My favorite that I have come up with is "Crap Hole Gym" and the logo could be a huge powerful guy doing super heavy behind the neck presses while sitting on a toilet with his pants around his ankles. I just don't think many people would sign up for that place. LOL

[snorkelman]

Are you able to post any pics of the equipment?

I like the concept of having the word "gym" and/or fitness in the actual title.

We have a local gym that caters to the non-hardcore group and it is called "nature's way health club" but it doesn't offer tennis or spa services, so I am sure that they are missing out on lots of business because people have no idea what it really is. After 12 years I finally noticed that they painted huge letters on the wall nearby the sign that says "health gym"

I think you need the word gym in it or risk a bunch of people not knowing what it is.

The more hardcore your name, the less females you will get. We have a local Planet fitness that my wife goes to. It suits her needs just fine. She laughs because she talked to the owner who said that they have 5,000 clients! They only have about 30 lockers in the men's locker room and another 30 in the woman's if that's any indication of how it works. They sign you up and lock you into a whole year, and they know very well that most of that group will never show up after February.

Sounds like your place will cater more to the hardcore group, but you may benefit from a bunch of cardio equipment and machines for those afraid to use the free weights or those undergoing PT.

[IronCharles]

I like it but I don't think that place would attract any women. It would be a big sausage fest every night. LOL

I do want my place to lean towards being hardcore but you have to attract a few hot chicks to join because for every hot chick you can get to join you're gonna get 10 guys that join just to stare at them. LOL

See, now you're giving us more pertinent information. Personally, if I started a gym it would be a hardcore, chalk dusty, powerlifting haven for alpha males, and the occasional alpha female. Now, maybe you're not married, and are considering this a clever way to be "mentor" to a number of sweet young things, and perhaps develop off site relationships. If that thinking were part of my planning, I would call it "Chris's Strength and Beauty." You would appeal more to women who already know they are hot, or would be really hot with a little "toning", and you would discourage women who would never consider themselves potentially beautiful.

Now, regardless of whether that is manipulative or not, you realize that choice of words will greatly influence the type of clientele you recieve. I think that's why you're asking for suggestions in the first place.

[chris423]

Whatever you call it, promise me you'll have posters that say, "SQUATS CURE CANCER" and "DEADLIFTS REQUIRED".

I'm a pretty big squatter and definately agree. I wish I could put up a big banner that reads "If you're doing quarter squats, you're only working your vagina." LOL

[chris423]

See, now you're giving us more pertinent information. Personally, if I started a gym it would be a hardcore, chalk dusty, powerlifting haven for alpha males, and the occasional alpha female. Now, maybe you're not married, and are considering this a clever way to be "mentor" to a number of sweet young things, and perhaps develop off site relationships. If that thinking were part of my planning, I would call it "Chris's Strength and Beauty." You would appeal more to women who already know they are hot, or would be really hot with a little "toning", and you would discourage women who would never consider themselves potentially beautiful.

Now, regardless of whether that is manipulative or not, you realize that choice of words will greatly influence the type of clientele you recieve. I think that's why you're asking for suggestions in the first place.

I'm married and not looking to score with chicks with my gym. I'm just thinking I have to at least get a few decent looking women in there to spark more male interest. I'm just thinking of the business surviving and nothing more. Not wanting the place to be overrun with females but it would be nice to have say 10 decent looking women join the place. I would definately prefer any female members to be fairly serious about their training and not looking to be overrun with the Curves crowd for sure. LOL

[paolo59]

Don't have any suggestions for the name, but congratulations!!! The whole thing sounds fantastic. I hope it is incredibly successful beyond your wildest expectations or dreams!