Happy to have my first review this year go to one of my fav places in the twin cities!…read more
Where to start? When I decided to try powerlifting back in Nov 2016, I knew I needed a coach to help me with my atrocious form problems. I did a bunch of Google/Yelp searching to find a gym with a coach that catered to this particular sport. There were a few, but American Strength stood out. I sent a message through their contact page on their website and got a response fairly fast from Ken, the gym owner. I called him and set up a time to talk with him about my goals and check out the gym - also your first session with a trainer is free, and you get a week pass to try the gym out for free as well.
The rest is history! The gym itself is great and has everything someone who lifts weights would need. Multiple power racks, 3 squat racks, a strip of track for sleds, benches, free weights, cable machine, deadlift platforms, an oly platform, a separate room for stretching and mobility stuff, heavy metal through the speakers. There's even a log and keg for strongman-esque training. One downside perhaps is there aren't a ton of machines for body-builder style training, but this gym definitely isn't geared towards that anyway. There are also showers and a couple changing rooms. There are lockers but I think you need to rent them, but this isn't a place that I've ever worried about someone swiping my stuff. Oh, there's only 5 or 6 cardio machines - priorities!
Ken is a great coach - I've been with him a year now training once a week/every other week depending on my schedule. He's very technical, as a coach should be! He basically took me from sitting on a box with no weight over and over because I didn't know how to squat, to squatting 190lbs at my first meet 10 months later, and he writes my programming when needed. He charges hourly and his rate is more than fair! I am not a member of the gym, it's just a bit too far away for me to go to more than once or twice a week (or I totally would have switched already), but the monthly rate is comparable to the tiny Snap across the street from my work, and there are discounted memberships too for military/law enforcement, students, and couples.
Aside from all that it's a great environment. All the staff I've met are super nice and helpful. There's a mix of guys and gals in the gym at pretty much all times, so ladies, you never need worry about feeling out of place. The guys can get loud sometimes if someone is going for a big lift, but overall there's a lot of comradery and an energizing atmosphere. If I'm having a bad day I always feel better after an hour or two of training there :)
So if you're interested in getting stronger, learning to lift, or even just getting fit in a general sense, this is the place to be!
