A lifter setting up for a heavy squat on a platform in a low-lit strength gym

Boutique strength & conditioning

Train with intent.
Build with consistency.

Small-group coaching in a focused space. Honest programming, clear progress and a community that holds the standard, for every body that shows up ready to work.

  • Never more than 8 per session
  • No lock-in contracts
  • All levels welcome

This week on the floor

The class timetable runs Monday to Saturday

Every class is coached, capped at eight and open to members on any plan. Level 1 sessions assume you have never held a barbell; Level 3 is for people training towards a meet.

Monday

  • 6 am – 7 amBarbell BasicsLevel 1Coach Dana Whitlock · Platform room
  • 12:30 pm – 1:15 pmLunch Express: DeadliftAll levelsCoach Marcus Reyes · Platform room
  • 6 pm – 7 pmSquat ClubLevel 2Coach Dana Whitlock · Platform room
  • 7:30 pm – 8:15 pmMobility and HingeAll levelsCoach Jess Calloway · Studio floor

Tuesday

  • 6 am – 6:45 amKettlebell ConditioningAll levelsCoach Marcus Reyes · Studio floor
  • 12:30 pm – 1:15 pmLunch Express: Bench PressLevel 2Coach Jess Calloway · Platform room
  • 6 pm – 7:15 pmOlympic Lifting IntroLevel 1Coach Jess Calloway · Platform room

Wednesday

  • 6 am – 7 amBarbell BasicsLevel 1Coach Dana Whitlock · Platform room
  • 6 pm – 7 pmDeadlift ClubLevel 2Coach Marcus Reyes · Platform room
  • 7:30 pm – 8:45 pmOpen Platform (coached)All levelsCoach Dana Whitlock · Platform room

Thursday

  • 6 am – 6:45 amKettlebell ConditioningAll levelsCoach Marcus Reyes · Studio floor
  • 6 pm – 7 pmSquat ClubLevel 2Coach Dana Whitlock · Platform room
  • 7:30 pm – 8:30 pmBeginner InductionLevel 1Coach Marcus Reyes · Studio floor

Friday

  • 6 am – 7 amBarbell BasicsLevel 1Coach Dana Whitlock · Platform room
  • 12:30 pm – 1:15 pmLunch Express: CleanAll levelsCoach Jess Calloway · Platform room
  • 6 pm – 7:30 pmCompetition Night PrepLevel 3Coach Dana Whitlock · Platform room

Saturday

  • 8 am – 9:15 amSaturday SquadLevel 2Coach Dana Whitlock · Platform room
  • 9:30 am – 10:30 amBeginner InductionLevel 1Coach Marcus Reyes · Studio floor
  • 11 am – noonStrongman SaturdayAll levelsCoach Marcus Reyes · The yard

Sunday

  • All dayClosed — rest day.
412
Members training here this month
6
Coaches on the floor
68
Platform squares of lifting floor
11
Years on the platform

Kit hire

Hire the kit for a month

A small hire pool for members and for people training at home. Collect it at the desk, bring it back at the end of the month, and the deposit is refunded the same day.

Platform kit

Hire from $35 a month $75 deposit

Racks, bars and plates. We check collars and knurling with you on return.

3 of 6 free

Squat rack and bench

Rack · Half rack · 7 ft

A half rack with a bench and safety arms. Four bolts, one wall and an afternoon.

$55 a month

Reserve this kit
4 of 8 free

Power bar and 315 lb of plates

Bar and plates · 45 lb bar · calibrated plates

Our house bar with calibrated plates and collars, in a wheeled case.

$35 a month

Reserve this kit
1 of 4 free

Adjustable dumbbells, 5 to 70 lb

Dumbbells · A pair · 5 lb steps

One pair replaces a whole rack of dumbbells. Heavy, but they fit under a bed.

$40 a month

Reserve this kit

Personal kit

Hire from $8 a month $25 deposit

Belts, lifters and sleeves. Sized on the floor and sanitized between hires.

5 of 10 free

10 mm leather belt

Belt · Sizes S to XL

Single-prong 10 mm belt, broken in and wiped down. Better than buying one before you know your size.

$12 a month

Reserve this kit
2 of 6 free

Pair of lifters

Lifters · US 5 to 14

Weightlifting shoes with a wooden heel. The quickest fix for a squat that keeps pitching forward.

$10 a month

Reserve this kit
6 of 12 free

Knee sleeves and wrist wraps

Sleeves · Sizes S to XL

Neoprene sleeves and a pair of wraps. Sizes swapped free of charge if you guess wrong.

$8 a month

Reserve this kit

The coaching team

Six coaches share the floor. Meet three of them.

Everyone on this team has competed, and everyone still coaches the beginners’ sessions. Portraits are stock photography for this concept design.

Dana Whitlock

Head coach

Dana has coached barbell strength for the better part of two decades and still writes every block on this floor. She takes the 6am Barbell Basics herself.

Marcus Reyes

Strength coach

Marcus runs the deadlift and kettlebell sessions. He came from county rugby and is the one who will quietly take a plate off your bar before you ask.

Jess Calloway

Performance coach

Jess takes the Olympic lifting intro and the Performance members. She runs the twelve-week testing day, so nobody has to guess whether the plan is working.

Membership

Rates, written down

Month to month, cancel whenever you like. The coached plans include the classes; the flexible options are for people who need fewer of them.

Coached membership

  • Foundations

    Start here
    $89/ month
    Two coached classes a week, a baseline assessment and the training block we are running this month.
  • Unlimited

    Most members
    $129/ month
    Every class on the timetable, every week, plus two guest passes a month.
  • Performance

    Competing
    $159/ month
    Unlimited classes, a monthly one-to-one programming review and first call on the busy evening sessions.

Flexible

  • Open gym

    $49/ month
    Uncoached access to the floor outside class hours. No classes, no programming, just the room.
  • Ten-class pack

    Best for travel
    $110/ pack
    Ten coached classes to use across three months, for shift work, travel and school terms.

Member results

What people say once they settle in

Sample reviews for this concept design.

★★★★★

I arrived unable to squat below parallel. One block later I squatted 200 lb with a coach watching. Nobody rushed me and nobody let me add weight before I was ready.

Kayla M. Squat Club

★★★★★

The 6am class is the only reason I train at 6am. Coached, capped at eight, out the door by seven.

Sam P. Barbell Basics, 6am

★★★★★

I had never touched a barbell. The induction covered how to set up, how to brace and how to bail. I was nervous for about ten minutes.

Rosa V. Beginner Induction

★★★★★

Two of us, one platform, an hour on a Saturday morning. A coach keeps an eye on both of us, which is more than our old gym ever managed.

Nick and Jo Saturday Squad

★★★★☆

My deadlift went from a grindy 225 lb to 315 lb in a year. Same coach each week and the numbers written down where I can see them.

Grant H. Deadlift Club

★★★★★

They talked me into my first meet and then coached the whole prep. I did not embarrass myself, and I have entered another one.

Andre K. Competition Night Prep

Plates loaded on a barbell on a platform, chalk dust in the air

The room

Six platforms, one standard

There is no mirror wall and no television. Six platforms, calibrated plates, two competition bars and a coach standing on the floor for every session.

Members rack their weights, wipe their bar and help whoever is on the platform next to them. That is the whole culture, and it is why the room still feels like this after eleven years.

“If it is worth doing, it is worth doing with a coach watching.” — Dana Whitlock, head coach

Good to know

Questions, answered clearly

I have never lifted before. Can I still join?

Yes. Every class is scaled to the person in front of the coach, and the Level 1 sessions exist for exactly that first barbell. You are taught how to set up, how to brace and how to bail long before anything gets heavy.

How do I book a class?

Members book through the member app up to seven days ahead. Guests, hire customers and anyone trying the gym out use the inquiry form on this page and we put you into the right session.

Do I need my own belt or shoes?

No. Belts, lifters and sleeves are in the hire pool, and there are a few spare belts at the desk if you forget yours. Plenty of members have trained here for years in flat shoes.

Can I pause a membership?

Yes, twice a year for up to eight weeks at a time, with no fee. Tell the desk before the month rolls over and the months simply wait for you.

How busy is the 6pm class?

It is the fullest session of the day. Booking opens seven days out and the evening classes fill on the day they open. The 12:30 express classes and everything after 7:30pm always have room.

Do you run competitions?

Two in-house meets a year, one in spring and one in fall, plus a novice team at the regional championships. The Friday Competition Night Prep class is where that training happens.

Free first week

Start your free week

Seven days of coached classes, a baseline assessment and a training block written for you. No card, no contract, and you can walk away at the end of the week.

This is a concept design, so nothing is charged and the form comes to Vidal Studios.

What this build would cost

Custom Build (kit hire availability), from $2,500