SF Iron

I love this gym.
First and foremost, as a competitive college athlete, I’ve done all of the weight training that you might expect. With that said, SF Iron has some of the highest quality trainers in SF. Bram especially is experienced, well informed and an all around great guy to work with. While I was there, I felt myself grow stronger in both physical strength and my overall technique. The will push you, but also build a workout around your goals. 100% worth the money.
But more than that is the quality of the people who run the gym. Back in March I suffered a concussion that prevented me from continuing at SF Iron. It kept me on my back for awhile, and only just now have I been able to go over credit card statements. When I realized that I had paid an additional month for SF Iron, I emailed them with a small hope that they would refund me for the time I hadn’t been there. And they did, no questions actions (and for any of you who have tried to cancel a gym membership in the past, you know how special this is.)
Between the quality of the gym, the trainers and the service, SF Iron is probably one of the top three gyms in SF, and certainly the best gym for weight training. I cannot recommend this place enough to anyone who is either looking to start strength training or is looking to push themselves to the next level.

I started going to SF Iron about 3 months ago and wow, what a great decision that was. This is an instructor-​only gym with a focus on compound lifts. Depending on your goals and budget, you can choose private, semi-​private or small group sessions. It is definitely not cheap, but that is a good thing for several reasons:
* They have great equipment that you don’t have to wait around for
* The coaches are all highly trained
* Motivation: skipping sessions is expensive! :)
The folks at SF Iron have been super nice and so helpful. My coach, Zach, is patient and kind, but also knows when to push me a little harder. Even the other people working out are very chill. This is a non bro-​y gym, no shake bar and no mirrors. Just nice people looking to get strong.
When I joined up, I was simply looking to learn about lifting with free weights. It’s almost embarrassing to say, but I was a 40-​something guy who had never lifted (excluding a terrible short-​term stint several years ago with a trainer at Gold’s Gym). I didn’t even know how much I didn’t know. Now I understand that the gym I chose focuses on strength instead of size, low reps with heavy weights instead of hypertrophy. Luckily, that’s exactly what I would have chosen had I researched it more and will set a solid foundation for whatever direction I choose for my fitness in the future.

I have been going to SF Iron for the past few months. This has been a great experience for me, as I have never lifted before. I came here to learn proper technique/​form, while also trying to shape up for my honeymoon. Bram and Scott have been AMAZING coaches, as their investment in your own personal lifting goals becomes theirs. I never felt like I was being rushed with completing sets, as it was more about challenging my body to get stronger. I would have no problem recommending SF Iron to friends and anyone interested, or have even been intimidated to learn to lift.

I’ve never written a Unilocal review before because I’m pretty lazy about this stuff. But I am giving my first time to SF Iron because they deserve it.
I used to work out at Fitness SF near Market and 10^th. Being a busy working professional, I was looking for compound exercises that worked multiple body parts without requiring me to spend hours in the gym every day. Came across Stronglifts 5×5 online and decided to give it a try. Probably did that on my own for over a year, but was really starting to plateau on all of my lifts. At my peak I think I did 240lb squat, 165lb bench, 95lb overhead, and 270lb deadlift… but all with truly horrible form in hindsight (I’m appalled just thinking about this now).
Then in mid June I changed jobs, with my new office in SOMA it no longer made sense to go to Fitness SF so I decided to look for a new gym. Saw SF Iron and all the great reviews on Unilocal so I put myself on the waitlist. Got off the waitlist and joined in late July and was paired with Josh. Initially I had some sticker shock on the price, but since my work reimburses for part of it I decided to give it a shot. Worst case scenario I get some proper instruction and go back to training on my own, right?
Boy am I glad I tried it out. I’ve worked with a couple of trainers at Fitness SF previously and Josh is better than all of them combined by a mile. He is extremely knowledgeable about all the lifts he’s teaching you, down to every last little detail. I’ve learned so much from him, my form now is night and day from when I was training on my own. It’s by no means perfect, and we’re constantly working on tweaking different things to get better, but it’s been less than 4 months and I can see the results loud and clear. When I first started at SF Iron, we dropped my working weight down by a lot to fix my form. Now I’m back above where I started with more room to grow. As of this past week my working weights are: 265lb squat, 205lb bench, 120lb overhead, 265lb deadlift. I’ve basically blown past all of my PRs by a ton (OK not yet on deadlift, but my form is way better so I won’t injure myself now and it’s just a matter of time), which is amazing in such a short amount of time and there’s no way I could have done this on my own. I look better and feel better, and I’m much stronger.
In addition to being a great coach, Josh is just a great person in general. He feels more like a friend than anything. I brought my 6 month old puppy to the gym a couple of times because he has separation anxiety when I leave him alone at home. The first time the puppy was super well behaved so I thought great, I can bring him to the gym no problem. The second time I brought him, he was barking nonstop. I was super embarrassed and thought Josh would probably tell me to leave. Instead he was totally cool about it and gave me a bunch of tips on how to train my puppy. He then spent a really long time training my puppy on the spot, and was able to calm him down. Pretty amazing stuff.
Like everyone else has already mentioned, this gym has a great atmosphere. Lots of equipment, everyone’s super friendly and non judgmental, really diverse group of people and everyone supports each other. I don’t know everyone at SF Iron all that well but it feels like a community when you’re in there. Even though personal training is not cheap, this is some of the best money I’ve ever spent imho. Highly recommended.

SF Iron is a fantastic place to learn about the benefits of strength training, learn the basic movements, lock down your form and get stronger every time you come in.
I sought out a coach at the end of 2014 after training on my own for over three years. My training had plateaued and my squat and bench press wasn’t increasing. I reluctantly admitted my form was poor, and signed up for four sessions with Coach Niki. I learned a ton about correct squat technique, bench press form, how to do a overhead press, and I even learned powercleans!
I decided to stick with Niki as she transitioned over to working at SF Iron from the gym where I first started working with her. I have since been transitioned over to Coach Josh as my training has progressed from novice to intermediate. Josh is incredibly meticulous, detail oriented, breaks down complicated biomechanical concepts in easily understandable terms, and is generally really great to work with.
As for the gym’s environment, this is the best one I’ve been training at because of its friendly and fun atmosphere. Even though I work with Josh as my coach, the other coaches are always willing to help out, and all the guys and gals who train there are very encouraging. Oh, and everyone knows how to properly spot you on a bench press!

I had been lifting weights for about a year when I decided I wanted more serious training and a facility that offered more than the standard 2 – 3 squat racks. Just when I felt that I could only get to a decent gym if I worked part time some days and went out of SF, I saw that SF Iron opened downtown just a quick bus ride away from work.
Josh Garza showed me the gym (an abundance of squat racks and no hex plates, just lovely round iron and bumper plates). He and I got started on my trial sessions where he took me through the main lifts — squat, bench press, overhead press, and deadlift, checked on my form and gave me corrections and cues to lift safely and more efficiently.
I’m not a natural athlete by any means and the idea of knowing what my body is doing is very alien to me (you know the uncoordinated fat kid who got picked last in school, that’s me). Josh helped me by giving me verbal cues that really helped me work on my form. He explains why lifts need to be done a certain way and helps me make adjustments based on my body structure. He gives me guidance on my diet and rest and monitors and makes adjustments as needed.
I broke my arm in February and while I was able to work back up from starting with the bar again, I was choking whenever I would near the weight I was carrying when I had my accident. It was really frustrating and I tried to psych myself, pray, self-​curse etc etc — and I was just not getting it done. I told Josh about this and he took me through a couple sessions where I went up down up down with my weight and after a while of trying not to think too much about what I was carrying I squatted 5lbs over my pre-​accident weight for doubles and 10lbs over for a single. Truly a happy day. I’m now registered for my first meet, and Josh is helping me with training and how to eat to get strong.
I’ve seen him work with his other trainees and he talks them through issues they have, demonstrates the lifts, and watches and gives encouragement /​corrections as they train. People don’t all learn the same way and he finds ways to communicate what needs to be done by example, verbal cues, etc — different ways depending on the trainee. He’s legit.
Bram and Nikki are the other coaches and they are great as well. Both have given me form checks and help when Josh is not at the gym.
I also really like that SF Iron says «Strength for All». It’s not a musclehead gym and it’s not an intimidating place. There are actually a lot of people who are sort of new to weight training. And the guys who squat heavy are just as ready to cheer you when you’re busting out that difficult rep, no matter what weight it is.
And women, just in case you worry about getting bulky. It all depends on your goals. It’s actually pretty hard to get ripped and you really have to work at it if that is what you want. But you can be strong, and you can gain confidence, and you won’t need anyone to pick up your shit because you’ll be able to do it yourself. And SF Iron is the best place to work on all that awesome.

I started working with Coach Josh in January 2015. The timing was unfortunate, and I was consciously determined not to be labeled as one of the «New Years Resolution-​ers». This was made easier by the fact that Josh was able to teach me the basics of strength programming, which is really the difference between exercise and training. Josh put me on a training plan to accomplish my goals of improving body composition by gaining strength and muscle.
I was loosely into fitness in the years prior to joining SF Iron, dabbling in home workouts such as P90X, yoga, playing sports, and sporadically working out in the gym (where, looking back, I really had no idea what I was doing), During my first few sessions at SF Iron, I learned the fundamentals of the major barbell lifts, and it was a revelation. Sure, you can watch a few YouTube videos, or even read articles on how to do these lifts properly — and that may indeed be sufficient for some people — but for me, nothing is greater than having a coach who can break down the movements step by step, body part by body part, fingers to toes.
In January 2015, I was lifting an 85 lb squat and a 90 lb deadlift. Following a linear progression, in two months at the end of March 2015, I was lifting a 190 lb squat and a 225 lb deadlift, and these lifts still had lots of room to grow further. Further, after many sessions, I stayed with Josh and he was able to satiate my natural curiosity by answering any and all questions related to fitness, nutrition, and strength programming.
Unfortunately, work and personal commitments necessitated ending my time with SF Iron. However, the technique and knowledge on programming I have gained are intangibles that I can now use to safely continue my training on my own. Josh was even able to provide me with a plan moving forward on what can be expected with my progress when training alone.
If gainz are desired, I strongly recommend visiting SF Iron and give strength training a real chance — even if for just the introductory sessions.

Niki is an amazing coach! I’ve made incredible gains with her guidance. She is kind, funny, professional, extremely knowledgable and the best trainer I’ve worked with. SF Iron teaches strength training via 5 classic lifts: squat, deadlift, overhead press, bench press, and the clean. The training is very focused which is great since everyone is working towards the same goal: getting stronger. The overall vibe of this gym is also very welcoming and diverse (young, old, male, female, LGBT’ers, etc.) I love it!

I was loosely into fitness for a long time, and tried yoga, running, pilates… and was disappointed by all of them. I wanted something where I’d make real progress, without hurting myself (running is painful, yo!). Plus, I really wanted to improve my posture.
SF Iron is exactly what I was looking for. Now that I’ve been here for a few months, I can see how my posture is improving, my body is leaner, and I can look back on my training journal to see how far I’ve come already. With every session you lift more than you ever have before, which is an incredible feeling. You are truly and measurably getting stronger.
With Josh’s training, I was able to progress quickly, and crush PRs that I had thought were unattainable. I developed back muscles for the first time in my life (!) and he helped me adjust my diet to actually support my gainz. If I ever have any mobility issues, Josh can immediately figure out the problem and is usually able to fix it within two minutes. Whenever the training gets really difficult (physically or mentally), he’s able to coach me through it and motivate me to keep pushing myself, which always pays off.
Plus, everyone here is super supportive and friendly. *No one* will judge you. It’s okay if you can barely lift anything; everyone here understands that you gotta start somewhere, and they’re excited to see you get stronger. SF Iron is a fantastic community of athletes of all levels, and I have fun every single time I come in.
Also there’s a chocolate shop next door so…

I have been working with Josh Garza since he was at Anthropos.
My history: severe back injury (herniated disk) in college, two ankle injuries from climbing in 2001. I had built up poor mechanics over time, slouched, worked a desk job, and knew it was time to do some major work and I started training in the olympic lifts with Josh. I was happy to start putting weight on my right ankle and knees after 2 months, and after 4 months, felt the muscle return to my lower back, hips, knees and right ankle. I was happy to be working out at least twice a week, and progressed rapidly. From not being able to sit on my ankles to sitting with both of them out and strong enough to squat 105 lbs for 15 reps in 4 months! I was ecstatic! I kept telling everyone how much I loved it here.
However, I just received an email tonight (Feb 1) cancelling my membership with SF Iron. I was devastated, to say the least. I had been so happy with my progress. I received the reason of «non-​compliance» and feedback that I was a difficult client who wasn’t interested in his feedback, which could not be further than the truth. In my recent sessions, I had to actively asking for his feedback and for attention, which he seemed reluctant to give.
I do not know if this is the standard treatment for members at SF Iron, but I am swallowing my pride and posting this review. Be honest with your trainer about their commitment to YOU and YOUR fitness path, or if they will just let you go without any reason after you have come to depend on the training. I am crying right now. This is more devastating than I can describe. I will not stop lifting. I will look for another trainer, and try to find other workout accomodations, but it would have been helpful to have some warning, any warning at all.
If you are starting here, do ask them what they mean by «Strength for All.»
I am truly shocked.

I came to SF Iron to learn the basic mechanics of compound lifts — squat, deadlift, benchpress. In the first few weeks, I quickly learned the proper forms and started lifting progressively heavier loads (adding 5−10lbs to the bar every session). Fast forward about 9-​months — I’ve added about 135lbs to my squat, 150lbs to my deadlift, and 50lbs to my bench press. I also completely changed my body composition (more muscle, less fat), and I’m now training for my first powerlifting meet. I’m convinced that barbell training and the programming at SF Iron (based on Starting Strength) is the most efficient way to add muscle and gain strength, and if you’re new to this, trust me — strong looks and feels real good.
What makes SF Iron unique and deserving of 5 Stars:
1) The Coaching: Niki, Bram, and Josh are incredibly smart, pay detailed attention to your alignment, give cues to fix your form, explain the anatomy and physics behind everything that you do, and are a wealth of knowledge in strength training, nutrition, and conditioning (plus they’re genuinely nice, fun, and funny)
2) The Programming: Everyone starts with a linear progression (adding 2.5−10lbs to the bar every session), until you can’t any more, then they switch it up — play around with volume, intensity, rest, recovery, in order to keep you getting stronger. There is a science behind gaining strength and a lot of it is in the smart and proactive programming. These coaches won’t let you stall.
3) The Community: This is a highly supportive and motivating group of people — it’s a mix of newbies and elite lifters, and everyone there is thoroughly committed to getting stronger. Definitely not a «bro-​y gym», in fact there is a very large female contingency
4) The Space/​Equipment: Open space, soaring ceilings, dimmable LED lights, large windows w/​great natural light, 6 squat racks (3 with wooden platform), high quality barbells w/​good textured grip, lots of plates (including bumper plates and fractionals)
Last words — its personal training, so its not cheap, but I look at it as an investment in my long term health. If you don’t take care of your body, where will you live?

I would give this place 6 or 7 stars if I could. Wow!
Josh is the best personal trainer I’ve worked with. I read Starting Strength, watched all the videos, and thought I could do the program on my own. I did Starting Strength for off-​and-​on 2 years with minimal results. Then I saw Josh for the introductory course. Wow! I was completely blown away.
He details every single movement to the half-​inch. He’s very detailed and thorough — drawing out the movement on a white-​board, then having you do the movement, then correcting you every inch of the way. He explains the technicalities of the movement in great depth. It’s clear that he has a lot of knowledge and passion for training. He even helps you with your nutrition and program planning. In between sessions, you can send him your training spreadsheet, workout video recordings, and nutrition plan and he advises you over email or in your next session.
Also, the space is a really cool place. Everybody there is nice and motivated to train. This makes you want to train harder.
In all, I’ve never met a trainer so detailed and organized as Josh. I really recommend going there and checking out the program for yourself.

A few years ago I read Starting Strength and caught the «get big and strong» lifting bug. I started fast out of the gate and made some decent gains putting in time at Quad’s Gym in Chicago one summer, but as the weights became heavy my form broke down quickly and progress came to a standstill. I paid for some one-​on-​one sessions with a couple of different coaches (including one pretty big name in the CrossFit community) to address my technique issues, but their advice just didn’t seem to quite fix things for me.
For a couple of years after that I fell in and out of the gym, and lost weight and strength as the stress of starting an ultimately unsuccessful business took its toll. Over the past year I rebuilt and recovered from that, with some solo work at World Gym and strength-​focused group classes at a local CrossFit box. But as the weights made it back up to where I had maxed out before, I could feel the same technique problems beginning to hamper my training again.
That’s when I had the good fortune to find SF Iron. I stopped by and talked to Josh, who asked about my current training and goals and scheduled some intro training sessions with Niki.
I think the word «revelation» would be a fair way to describe them. I did come in with a decent foundation in the four main barbell lifts, but a few technique improvements and cues from Niki have made the same weights that used to plague me with knee, back, and shoulder problems start going up easily and without pain. If you’re doing a lot of heavy lifting on your own and have never had coaching over multiple sessions, let me tell you that a.) you need it, and b.) you will have a great time, because setting your form right will both give you instant gains and help keep things trending in the right direction over the longer term.
I’ve only been at SF Iron for a couple of weeks now, but as a semi-​experienced (if not yet very strong) lifter, I’m excited to see where working with them takes me. They’ve made lifting fun again — every day that I have a session is a countdown to the moment I get under the bar in the gym. I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone at the gym and competing in meets at some point down the line too.
So yeah, if you want to get strong (you should) and you need help and coaching (you do), get yourself into SF Iron and say hi.

I’ve been training with Coach Bram for almost a year now and he’s helped me really increase my strength and improve my form on the bench, squat, deadlift, and press. For example, in the 11 months I’ve been training here my squat has increased from around 275lbs for one rep to 365 lbs for four reps. I learned the main lifts from internet articles mostly and thought I knew what I was doing, but quickly realized I had a lot to improve. It’s also incredibly valuable to have someone who can write out a program for you and keep you accountable on the program. The coaches here also are very knowledgeable about nutrition.
Everyone at SF Iron is super friendly and inviting and there are people of all different backgrounds and levels of experience. If you are interested in powerlifting, weightlifting, or just general strength, it’s a great environment to lift at. Also — if you are just starting out on basic barbell training program like Stronglifts or Starting Strength, you quickly realize how hard it is to actually have access to a squat rack for an hour at a commercial gym like 24 hour fitness during a reasonable hour of the day. I was tired of waiting 25 minutes to use a rack and then being rushed to finish my sets.
Training at SF Iron has definitely been worth it for me, and I recommend the gym 100%.

I’ve tried many different types of exercise over the years. I was into Pilates for a while, P90X for a while, running for… well, to say I was ever really into running at all would be an overstatement. Tennis in high school. I’ve never considered myself particularly athletic or blessed in the physical fitness department, and the only activities I’ve managed to stick to consistently have been indoor rock climbing and skiing.
Enter SF Iron. 6 months ago, my friends suggested that I check out their weightlifting team. I was afraid of injuring myself, which is why I had never taken the leap into lifting on my own, but since there was a coach, I thought hey — why not meet the team and see what’s what? The rest is history and I’ve never looked back from the day I made the decision to join this gym.
Bram McArthur has been coaching me for the past 6 months, and he’s been an incredible coach. He’ll set up a training plan for you, one that not only really motivates you to progress even further, but one that fits you individually. Bram is incredibly knowledgeable, supportive and hilarious to boot — what more could you really ask for?
If you’re about those stats, I’ll throw some at you: I started out struggling to squat 75 pounds — like, really struggling. I had no idea what I was doing and it was mentally and physically draining to struggle as I increased weight. Fast forward to now and I’m squatting 175 pounds for 5 sets of 3, and I’m still improving. If I can do it, so can you.
Powerlifting, Pilates, running, hiking — whatever it is you do, and whatever it is that you call it — what matters at the end of the day is that you find something you’re passionate and committed to.
Yes, it’s hard. Yes, it can be time-​consuming and physically and mentally draining. These points are all true, but they are all qualities of any project you are truly putting 100% of your effort into. Do yourself a favor and check out SF Iron — you won’t regret those gainz, friends.

I was a little intimidated by barbell training at first but I wanted to try a different way of strength training for rock climbing. I tried crossfit first and that was a fun workout but I wasn’t really seeing any strength gains. The workouts were so random it was hard to tell if I was making progress.
I really only liked the weightlifting part of crossfit so I decided to try a weightlifting gym that offered personal training. I started working with my coach, Josh Garza. In our first session I went from feeling injured and barely squatting 85 lbs to feeling confidant and squatting 125 lbs. Because of his coaching we added 40 lbs to my squat in just the first session and I didn’t feel like I was hurting myself anymore. That’s when Josh got stuck with me for life.
It has been a year and a half since then and I have been able to squat 210, deadlift 265, and bench press 115 and those numbers keep going up! I have competed in Olympic weightlifting and powerlifting. I feel stronger, healthier and happier with my body than I have ever been and I’m totally in love with weightlifting.
Josh is a truly talented coach. He is incredibly competent and knowledgable about anatomy and strength training and is a great teacher. He has an excellent eye for coaching technique which is important not only for performance but for injury prevention. Believe it or not, with proper technique, barbell training is completely safe!
Josh and the other coaches at SF Iron primarily base their coaching and programming off of Starting Strength which is one of the most effective and highly regarded training methods in the weightlifting community. Barbell training 3x per week on a linear progression with squats and some form of pressing every session and alternating power cleans, chin-​ups and deadlifting also programmed in.
The other coaches at SF Iron, Niki and Bram are excellent and I have worked with both of them in some capacity. All the SF Iron coaches are accomplished lifters themselves and have a lot of experience coaching athletes of all levels. I have seen athletes of all ages and experience levels being coached effectively here and have watched a lot of people make huge gains in strength. Nobody has an attitude, everyone is friendly and supportive. Surprisingly, there are equal numbers of males and females training at this gym which is atypical for a gym like this. I think it’s a good sign!
The gym itself is very open and not cramped, has lots of natural light, is very clean and has really nice equipment.
If you are hesitant to start strength training for whatever reason, TRUST ME and please get off the treadmill and get under a barbell. You will have the body and the strength you’ve always wanted and you will never look back.
If you are already strength training on your own or you are at a crossfit box or 24 hour/​Crunch and you want to make more gains I urge you to seek professional coaching from any of the coaches at SF Iron.
If you are an athlete of another sport and have never used barbell training as part of your training… it’s a game changer. Try it!
Come join the fight against muscular atrophy! STRENGTH FOR ALL!

Ladies and gentlemen, if you are interested in barbell training or if you have been curious about strength training and didn’t think it was for you, go in and visit with the very knowledgeable and undeniably cool training staff at SF Iron.
I came from a CrossFit background, and was dissatisfied with my options in the area. At the suggestion of a friend, I started training in powerlifting. The barbell work in CrossFit transitioned nicely into dedicated powerlifting. For the better part of a year and a half, I have been looking for a community of like-​minded knowledgable individuals and training partners to train with in the five basic barbell lifts: squat, bench press, overhead press, deadlift, and power clean. If you are unfamiliar with these lifts, trust me, you want to make them an intimate part of your life, three days a week.
Through barbell strength training, I have become a better version of myself; a happier, healthier, stronger, and more confident woman. If you wish these things for yourself, guy or gal, and you are willing to put in the time and the work, go visit SF Iron.
The training staff at SF Iron: Bram, Josh, and Niki are approachable, knowledgable, and individualize your training plan based on your needs, skill, and strength level. They break down and teach the movements and provide a watchful eye while you become proficient and strong.
Niki is my trainer at SF Iron, and she has helped me reach personal records and goals that I never thought were going to happen. This includes competing in my first Starting Strength Lifting competition, and it won’t be the last. Niki, Josh, and Bram are as quality training staff as you can come by, their facility is incredible, and centrally located.
In terms of equipment and amenities, there are four Rouge racks, two Olympic platforms with racks, with barbells, plates, fractional plates, and chalk. There are also four benches, a GHD sit up machine, a C2 rower, lockers, bathroom, water dispenser, ect. A very nice facility with lots of natural light.
At SF Iron you will be coached and supported through the good, the bad, the ugly, and the frustration by a community that aspire to similar goals. Not to mention SF Iron’s philosophy on strength rings true in the people you encounter at their gym, strength IS for all.
Cheers.

Earlier this year my friend encouraged me to get into weightlifting and I was skeptical at first because I knew nothing about weightlifting. First time I came here I noticed all the women had great glutes (butt) and legs. Then I saw how heavy they were lifting. I was really impressed.
Weightlifting is a serious sport and you don’t want to get hurt. This is why you want to train with people who know the sport and can teach you how to do it right. Coaches here are very knowledgeable and don’t have attitude.
I started as a total newbie training with Coach Bram in April. I learned to squat with a barbell for the first time in my life. Started at 95lbs, 3 sets of 5 reps. In August, I was squatting 215lbs, 3 sets of 5 reps. What is the best way to get a nice butt, SQUAT HEAVY! Weightlifting is helping me build muscle and strength, my glutes and legs are more toned now than before when I was just doing bodybuilding stuff.
This is not a crossfit gym. This is better than a crossfit gym. You come here to learn the basic lifts and techniques from coaches who know what the hell they are talking about.
Everyone at this gym is very supportive of one another. Having a community of weightlifters is a great way to start your weightlifting journey or to get better at it.
Another reason this gym is great. They have a female coach and she is badass!
What I like about weightlifting is that I can see my progress and results. It is challenging and fun. I only wished that I had learned about this sport earlier.
Lots of lifters at this gym compete regularly, so if you want to be competitive and want to do it with others around, this is a great place to train at!
They also teach Olympic lifts at this gym!
#StartingStrength #Stronger #StrengthTraining

A year ago, I was looking for a serious coach to train me to compete at the national level in the sport of olympic weightlifting. A friend of mine, who also competes in weightlifting, introduced me to Coach Bram McArthur at SF Iron.
I saw that Bram was a certified USA Weightlifting Coach, also NSCA CSCS certified, and had a masters in Kinesiology. After meeting Bram for the first time, I felt we got along well, but I also liked how he explained the physics and science behind the lifts and how to improve my technique. He was also going to design a linear strength progression and a specialized weightlifting program for me as I got ready for competitions. I was excited to get started.
Fast forward — almost a year later. After consistent training with Bram and excellent coaching, I achieved incredible personal records for all my major lifts. I weigh 100lbs and can now squat 190lbs, deadlift 210lbs, clean and jerk 130lbs and snatch 99lbs. I competed in several weightlifting competitions and qualified for the American Open just 8 months after training with Bram.
I am very happy with Bram’s coaching. The foundation of his coaching is based on building strength. And I like that he puts together well designed training progressions that actually make you a stronger, higher performing athlete.
I have invited friends to join the team and have seen them grow from complete beginners to deadlifting and squatting over 200lbs, something that previously seemed out of reach, but that is totally normal when training with an excellent strength coach.
I also just love the SF Iron community. Everyone is super friendly, welcoming, supportive, and respectful. It’s a great team. I’ve made great friends here. And getting to train with everyone is one of the best parts of my day.
Coach Bram, Coach Josh, and Coach Nikki really do believe in strength for all and have trained everyone from complete beginners to competitive powerlifters, competitive olympic weightlifters like myself, and former professional athletes.
A huge part of how they coach is teaching you the basics & fundamentals of building strength, so your knowledge grows the more you train, not only do you become stronger, you become more informed.
I highly recommend SF Iron and look forward to the future of this amazing gym and community!

Amazing trainers, knowledgable, friendly, and fun. Lifting with Niki and Josh, they push me harder than I could ever push myself, and I have the confidence of knowing that I’m learning safe and proper form. They’re constantly watching and giving me tips to improve my performance.
I started powerlifting just for physical appearance, and I’ve seen amazing results, but now I’m lifting because it’s incredible to be constantly getting stronger and to know each session that you’re going to push yourself to lift more than ever before and you’re going to succeed.