Hard Core, Soft Core
You can get both on the internet, but in my gym, hard-core has given way to soft-core. As I have written in the past, Met-Rx has accommodated more diversity in training styles than any gym in the area. If cardio equipment is your thing, there is plenty of equipment to train with. Almost 9,000 square feet is jammed with machines to work just about every muscle in isolation. Swiss balls, med balls, cable machines and dumbbells are always in use. We have two squat racks and a safety squat rack which is what the hard-core members use for heavy squats and deadlifts and everyone else for knee raises and bicep curls. I had brought in two sets of rubber bumper plates for use in the Olympic lifts and they got plenty of use by those who knew what they were meant for.
Nothing stays the same, however. Met-Rx is now Club Z and the most hard-core of the hard-core, members of the Freak Factory, the strongman athletes, have been given their “termination” papers and I have had to remove my bumpers from the gym.
A few months ago, we all lamented the imminent closing of Met-Rx which was bailed out at the 11th hour by a member who was also a well-known bodybuilder in his day. The gym remains open under new ownership and changes are afoot designed to bring in new members, especially women, according to the new owner. He alleges the heavy lifting and dropping bumpers going on in the corner somehow intimidates and scares off those women. I don’t know which women, but none that I know!
In any age, making a gym profitable is a tough thing and this economy is making it tougher still and so changes are being made to increase the membership rolls. One of the first things done was to put out nice patio furniture outside. Why, I have no idea. The next thing was to get rid of the “extremists” who “do powerlifting”. Actually, what they do is what people have done in gyms long before the age of the shiny chrome and fern gyms of the 80’s and 90’s; they lift heavy, train hard, make some noise, drop some iron, sweat and go home.
Hardcore? Not!
They are dinosaurs though and had to become extinct to make room for more trainers and their out-of-shape clients who are needed in large numbers pay the bills to keep the joint open.
Crossfit saw this trend back in 2002 and labeled them “Globo Gyms” and “boxes” and people who wanted true fitness left the boxes in droves and never looked back.
Pretty!
What we had at Met-Rx until recently was the ideal but the ideal wasn’t bringing in revenue so the transformation will be another yet another gym for the masses.
Those of us who train “old school” have to go back to the garage until another facility opens that welcomes the type of training that really makes people strong and fit.
Steve Belanger’s Old School Garage Gym
Tagged with: Crossfit • Deadlift • Globo Gym • hard core • Olympic lifting • powerlifting • Squats • Steve Belanger • Strongman
Filed under: Equipment • Gym • People • powerlifting
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Well said Fu.
Any interest in sending this article, maybe in an expanded form with a little more background, to the local papers as some kind of opinion piece. Just a thought.
Maybe straight to the bar might be interested also.
“the strongman athletes, have been given their “termination” papers and I have had to remove my bumpers from the gym”
Did the new gym owners buy the membership contracts from Met-rx? If he did, he must honor the terms of the contract. He cannot terminate the contracts if they are still valid under the old membership. Talk to a lawyer.
The way it came down was from “member complaints” about the noise of dropping bumper plates from snatches, cleans and high pulls. The new owners want to take the “hard-core” aspect out of the gym and attract mainstream members. The strongman guys were asked and then warned by management not to drop and they ignored it so out they go and my plates went with me. Strangely, the manager, who was the previous owner said he will order some color bumpers which will not mark the wall, which was the reason he gave for removing my bumpers.
It’s a shame to see the “strongman athletes” types being pushed out. These are the hard-core blood and veins of bodybuilding. Remember my days in Uni, used to go to a hard-core gym. Sure there were times I was intimidated by those huge bouncers… but next day I’d be back with more vengeance, more passion and determination. After all, your seeing evidence of what your body can be if you put in the effort and focus.
Mark Martinez
your hypergain test lab
“After all, your seeing evidence of what your body can be if you put in the effort and focus.”
That sure is the truth Mark. Most of us serious and strongman lifters found a gym nearby that is wide-open for strongman, powerlifting and Olympic lifting. this is from a gym that is predominately boxing and BJJ.