Hey Fishdog don’t thing you’re not going to help…
None of this “you guys” stuff…
“we,” baby… When are we going to build it…
:o)
B.
This is some incredible stuff people!
I knew that if I got this question out here, there would be some GREAT input.
Keep it comin’!
(My post from another topic:)
Hey, you guys can come to my island Oahu…the north shore…ten minutes around the corner from my house…instead of a “dirt on the floor” gym, could be “sand on the floor”…beachfront outdoor gym…tons of free weights…like the old BB legends describe in Venice Beach California. Then we could all go surfing afterward to cool off and for cardio. Only serious, hard core trainers allowed, and only good BB music (metallica, rage against the machine, etc) allowed. We could sleep on the beach under the stars, wake up, train hard again, make mango-protein post-workout smoothines (my favorite…I have a tree, I’ll donate mangoes to you guys), bbq fresh fish on the grill, surf, run on the beach. No such thing as tanning beds, you will already be tan naturally. Our own T-Mag, T-bodybuilding paradise…
If anyone can get BradT’s idea up and running i will more than gladly help open a second one up in FL. But, Im a sissy and want a little more light, a steam room, and I don’t remember if you had a cardio machines or a track to run on,ether one would do. Just make those adjustments and I know there is a large crowd of T-men here in Fl who I could have signed up in days and everyone else would either sign up when there current comercial contract run out or will be scared to death to come any where near the place like they should be.
DA
My apologies Brad, I’ll help whenever we decide where it’s going. What would be the best place to put this gym? Or are we thinking of starting a bunch of them in different states?
That seems to be the biggest question…
Probably Colorado, close to Biotest somehow. (I think someone mentioned this already)
Haven’t really thought of where to put the thing.
10 squat racks so 5 of them can be used for Bicep Curls haha jk
We need a sign in the squat rack like
“If you curl in the squat rack we will beat the $*&% out of you. Repeatedly.”
Include broken stick man being stomped on by a large group of bar T-men.
Then again, if this is strictly going to be a T-gym, we won’t need the sign.
But if you want to make money commercially…
Location, location, location…
I’m partial to the KC market. It’s a fairly untapped market with limited options. Ballys, Golds, and now 24HR Fitness is really starting to stink up the place.
I’m positive that experienced people are starting to feel the displeasure of these types of places, just as I did about five years ago. I was fed up.
In 2000, I began researching the necessities. I’ve watched facilities come and go like a mild case of STD’s. Unfortunately, the places that survive are the one’s that have the most marketing dollars.
Would the T-GYM be successful in the KC area? I think so, but it would take an incredible amount of support from BIG sponsors (hint, hint), someone with a hell of a lot more business know-how than me, and a very large bank roll to keep afloat during the first two years.
Geez, that kind of leaves me out of the equation. You guys have most of the good ideas, I don’t have any money, and I don’t have any business sense. Oh, wait, I have desire, drive, a vision, and the audacity to never give up on my goals. Maybe I will be useful?
My first thought is don’t start too ambitious.
- Find the cheapest location you can. However, if you can locate near something that supplies members (businesses, schools with bad gyms, etc.) that’s a bonus.
- Don’t worry about how it looks, the music, any of that at first. No-nonsense.
- Stick with the basics - the equipment should be power racks. Olympic Bars. Dumbells. Chin bars. Start small.
- Sponsor or host some appropriate contests so the right people learn your name.
- Grow slowly.
there would be ‘scouts’ that would recruit from other gyms. that would be the only way to get a membership.
jaystyles
This thread is easing my nerves as I am opening a gym within the next two weeks. I have everything you guys are asking for plus a few more things. I haven’t seen too many people mention strongman equipment, granted it doesn’t usually do as much for strength, but it sure is fun to mess around with. I have a steel log, farmers walks, a yolk, harness and rope for car pulls, and I’m trying to track down some larger tires.
I’m located in Grand Blanc, Michigan; 15 minutes south of Flint if anyone is interested PM me.
Jaystyles, that is a cool idea but I think you would have to be Westside Barbell or Nazareth Barbell to successfully pull that off.
Good post Cory. All the way through, I was waiting for “The first rule of T Gym is - Never talk about T Gym.”
This is a nice concept but as others have said, it needs to be commercially viable.
Unless there is a large, serious lifting population in the area it is hard to see much financial success from such a facility. Those people curling in the squat rack may be annoying, but their money pays bills the same as yours.
The “juice bar” (heh heh) would serve Power Drive, Surge, Grow.
Drinks other than water would be allowed out on the floor.
Every month (on a rotation depending on when you joined), you will be weighed/tested. If your strength or LBM hasn’t gone up, or your BF hasn’t gone down, you go on probation. If TWO months pass with no change, you go on Westside!
Now we have to get someone to open up a 24/7 restaurant next door that serves meals according to Massive Eating, T-Dawg, P+C, P+F, etc.
I’m guessing this won’t happen in Western/Upstate New York, so I’m gonna haveta move. Any consensus on the best location?