I finally joined a gym that’s worth blogging about. It is called Powerzone Fitness and it’s located in Hooksett, NH.
Check out their website here: Powerzone Fitness and their Yahoo Local page with a 5 star rating and 4 glorious reviews here: Powerzone in Hooksett, NH
Why is Powerzone Fitness the best gym in NH?
- It is open 24×7. You get in after hours with an access card.
- No one is ever there. Turn the lights and fans on, crank your own music on the radio.
- No crazy meat heads taking up all the machines. It’s like the opposite of Gold’s Gym in Manchester, NH. If you ever go there you’ll know what I mean.
- It is owned by a former powerlifter. That means you can deadlift, lift over your head, and grunt without getting in trouble.
- They supply the chalk. Like using chalk when you deadlift or do Olympic lifts? They have a box of chalk beside the power rack.
- The have a power rack. They have a smith machine too, but they only use it for shrugs.
- Dumbbells up to 120 lbs. Not bad.
- They have a reverse hyper machine! It’s old, but it works.
- Training at Powerzone is like working out in your own personal basement gym, except they actually have all the equipment you could need.
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| I snapped this pic just before my third deadlift warm-up set at 10:30 pm. 10 minutes later some kid came in, put a Pantera CD in the radio, and worked up to a 405 lb squat single. Notice the box o’chalk next to the power rack? |
At this point you might be wondering why I’m making such a big deal out of the chalk? It’s because I no longer have to lug around my own chalk. Has your plastic Tupperware container of chalk ever opened and flipped upside down in your gym bag? Try it and let me know what happens.
So that’s it. If you live anywhere near Hooksett, NH, stop by, sign up, and tell them Steve from Project Swole sent ya. Here’s some contact info:
Powerzone Fitness
1558 Hooksett Rd, Unit C6
Hooksett , NH 03106
Phone: 603-485-5919
Oh yeah, and they also have damned cheap personal training if you need it, but not by me.
I used to work out there and you got a card to enter the building at odd hours. Because of my schedule I can only work out early in the am. Do you still issue entry cards? Also do you have cycles and treadmills?
Thanks
You’ll have to ask Powerzone
What about the safety aspect, liability and all that. Say someone hurts themself badly?
The responsibility is on that person. Everyone signs a waiver that says they can’t sue the gym if they decide to train without anyone in the building and hurt themselves. It would be the same if I were training out in my garage and hurt myself. If no one was there, I’d be screwed.
Thanks Steve- that place looks like what I have been searching for. I’m trying to train seriously for powerlifting competition after a ten year absence, but can’t find a decent gym or training partners. Are there folks around there that seem to be serious about power training?
Yeah there are some guys in that gym who are pretty strong. I haven’t really met any yet because I’ve been training late when no one is there. Of course you have to remember that I live in southern NH, so there might not be very many serious powerlifters in my area. Where are you training these days?
I live in Bedford now. I’ve been trying to train at Gold’s Nashua and WOW Nashua. Pretty tough venture. Power Zone is definitely worth checking out- sounds like I could find a few people to lend a hand. Seems like my kind of place…
I miss gyms like that. I got so sick of the BS at the usual “health clubs” that I built my own. We were talking the other day about opening an old school gym. It’s been a dream of mine for 25 years.
Dude you should do it man. I really thought about investing in a CrossFit box, because CrossFitters are really dedicated, there are a ton of camaraderie and CrossFit events in the US, you can charge like $100 a month or more for each member, and it would be easy to promote. I just think I would take more of a strength training focus, so I’m not sure a CF box is quite the right solution for me.
looks pretty damm awesome. i wish i lived in Hooksett,NH.