I just moved to LA and am training at R1. Its a cool gym. Its sort of invite only it seems, but they are talking about ramping business up and opening it up to more lifters or MMA/Self Defense classes. Right now its mostly small MMA, boxing, Thai boxing, and private training for competitive fighters. They also use the gym for various magazine photo shoots and some TV shows. The owner Rico, from what Ive heard, was one of the best college wrestlers of all time at Iowa. Total bad ass.
Finding an oly gym is ridiculously hard. 20+ replies and only a few suggestions.
sblevit’s advice is good. Call USAW and they may help point you to a nearby gym.
They pointed me to Chikara Weightlifting Club, which is in east LA. It’s listed under Whittier, so I didn’t recognize the city the first few times. I really had to work at finding this place, so I hope this helps someone else out there.
They have 4 platforms, plates, and a lifting team there. They have sessions 6x/week. If you want to lift, you need a coach - there’s no way you can learn on your own - and their coaching is superb.
[quote]jimmyjames wrote:
The problem with not going to LA is I’m a professional rock singer and I want to start a band out there. It’s tough really. My two passions in life are music and lifting. For music, LA is the best in the country - for weightlifting, the worst.[/quote]
Check out Austin, TX. Several olympic weightlifting gyms with great coaches. The music scene is huge.
Holy balls this thread is old.
If anyone in Los Angeles is still looking for a place to lift, check out Waxmansgym.com hes a great coach, well worth it…very welcoming and great atmosphere.