The good: Over the decades I've been to dozens of gyms from the east coast to Gold's and World Gym in Honolulu, HI; and including large university athletic centers. DBW is one of the best equipped weightlifting gyms I've ever seen. Mike has dumbbells up to 200 lbs (yes, 200, that's not a misprint) and even a tibialis anterior machine (a what?). There's no indoor pool or track, but I don't care. There's a more than adequate selection and volume of cardio equipment. Mike's wife, Alex, has also incorporated her tanning and nail salon business into the facility. But the weights and weightlifting machines are what really stand out.
The bad: Many members are in the bad habit of leaving weights on the bars and machines. I would estimate that at any given time except, perhaps, shortly after opening in the morning, more than half of the commonly used machines have weights left on them. Unloading 100 lb plates or stacks of 45's (clearly not left by a rookie who doesn't know any better) is an annoyance for myself, but could be an impossibility for a woman or a person of small stature.
The ugly: Most of Mikes bars, even the curl bars, have gotten bent, some so seriously as to be virtually unusable. This is presumably due to abuse by overzealous meat heads, but I'm sure that happens at all commercial gyms. This causes the center of mass of the bar to be off-center such that, if any significant amount of weight is loaded on the bar, it will rotate in one's hands. At best, this is an inconvenient annoyance. At worst, when doing any type of pressing movement with a significant weight, the unexpected rotation could cause loss of control and injury. Perhaps there are sturdier bars available?
The final word: An outstandingly well-equipped gym, especially for a town the size of Honesdale. read more
