Powerlifting USA Magazine

HARDCORE GYM #93

 

January 2010 - Vol. 33 No. 3

OHIO'S GORILLA PIT GYM

by Rick Brewer | rick[at]houseofpain.com
www.houseofpain.com

 

A lot of the Hard Core Gyms we tell you about are still just diamonds-in-the-rough. They are in basements or garages, with very limited space, but they still have lifters who are making progress and getting stronger. If these gyms never grew any larger, they would still be cool places to train. But a few of them DO grow—like bodybuilders on Growth Hormone!


There are two very important things to know about the Gorilla Pit gym. First, it has grown from a garage into a larger warehouse, and second, this hard core gym is in Ohio. As far as I can tell, Ohio is not in CA, TX, or PA. I thought that weightlifters outside of those 3 states had to do Olympic lifting or become bodybuilders. Any powerlifting gym outside the Iron-State-Triad (TX, CA, PA) gets my attention and respect! So when Ty Phillips told me about his Gorilla Pit, I was interested. If he had told me that he was raising an actual woodland gorilla to compete in BB shows and teach high school wrestling, I would have been less impressed. But that’s enough geography, let me get back to Ty:


Rick, thanks for getting back to me! I am sure I can give you more than enough to run a feature on my facility. I have sent several pictures of me in the Gorilla Pit 1.0 (my garage) and others of the facility as it is now.


Gorilla Pit was designed by strength athletes to cater to strength athletes. Outside of private gyms like EFS and Westside Barbell, Gorilla Pit is the only gym like this in Ohio. We are open to the public, with 24/7 access, and we have literally everything you could need to train for powerlifting, strongman, and Olympic lifting. The gym is about 4,000 sq. ft. I have four power cages, four flat benches, a GHR, a chest supported row, a mono lift, two stone platforms, lat pull machine, leg sled, six tires 300 lb. to 1000 lb. (I’ve never seen a 1000 lb. tire! RB), super yoke, farmers implements, logs, two 85’ athletic lanes, 12 atlas stones from 200–420 lb., six texas power bars, axle, incline bench, 2,000 lb. in bumper plates, 1,000 lb. in 100 lb. plates, 1,800 lb. in 45’s, and I am sure I am forgetting other things.
We are a meat-and-potatoes facility for those looking to get stronger and better at what they do. (Reminds me of the YouTube video of “Normal Kid Meets A Powerlifter,” when the powerlifter explains that there is no such thing as toning—only weaker and stronger! RB)


I offer strength and conditioning classes for high school and collegiate athletes. We also have a relationship with the US Military. They run their recruits through PT at our facility, and I also offer PT prep work for enlisted military. I am also working with a few Marines to get them back into hard-core shape.


RB: When/where/why did it open? Is it possible to train for powerlifting outside of TX, CA, and PA?


TP: I got sick of all the commercial fitness centers and took out a personal loan, to create a perfect place that I would want to train at.


The reason I opened is pretty simple. No one caters to real lifters. Who wants to train on a smith machine for the big three? For a while I was actually training at the fitness center at my work, until they kicked me out for breaking the smith machine...twice. When I brought my chalk in for deadlifts they threw a fit. It was the same story at Fitworks. No chalk, no power racks, and deadlifting brought the 18 year old “personal trainer” running to tell me I was going to hurt myself. Also, I was making the other gym patrons uncomfortable.


Step one was to move to my garage. I bought some equipment, and got a training partner who also bought some equipment. We cleaned out my garage and set up shop. We quickly outgrew the place, as it was only a small 2 car garage, and my wife was not happy about her car sitting outside in the winter when we paid good money to have a garage to avoid that very issue. (If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. RB)


So step two came within a few months. Site hunting and equipment hunting. After a few months of looking, I found what I felt was an ideal place to create a facility of this kind. By ‘ideal place,’ I mean it was a mess. It was a granite-cutting facility that had not been cleaned or aired out in probably 5 years. I cannot even begin to describe what a dump it was when I took it. After sweeping, cleaning, and pressure-washing it 5 times, it was still dirty (if that gives you any idea how bad it was). So I went out and rented an industrial paint sprayer, and went to town. After a month of round-the-clock work, with my whole family involved, we had a usable facility. (And mama’s car was back in her garage! RB)

 

Gorilla Pit Strength Sports is in Mentor, Ohio. We are about 20 minutes from downtown Cleveland. I am in a pretty heavily populated suburb just east of Cleveland. We opened our warehouse doors on November 1, 2009.


We have a varied group of lifters. My most impressive achievement to date is a 16 year old wrestler that I work with. He is 140 pounds and pulling 475 on raw deadlifts; he doesn’t even wear a belt. (Dang, put a belt on him quickly! RB) He currently has the state DL records, and once his season is done, we will be training for world records!


We also have some former bodybuilders turned into strongmen and powerlifters. We have our own team (Team Gorilla Pit), and several of us competed in the April 24, 2009, Lexen Xtreme IPA meet. My original training partner Bryce was part of the Caribbean IPF team.


My father-in-law is a national judge for USAPL, so we will hopefully be hosting meets for USAPL as well. We’ll definitely make our presence known in the USAPL federation.


We have several Marines—even a few of their Elite Socom/Recon guys training there—as well as several high school athletes (who can play Socom/Recon video games. JK. RB) I have a few MMA fighters that I do strength conditioning for, as well as a few ‘Average Joes’ who just like the gym environment and attitude.


Our environment and equipment set us apart. We are a hard-core warehouse-gym with brand-new bad-ass equipment. (I have a relationship with Legend; the same company that makes Lou Simmons line). Gorilla Pit is a brand image that I would like to create, with clothing and equipment.


Another thing that sets us apart is that the management and owners (my wife, myself and my partner Bryce) all compete in some form of strength sport. This is personal. I didn’t open the facility looking to make money. I opened it so that I would have a badass place to train, and I wanted to offer that to other people who felt like I did. Membership is cheap (only $280/year) and day passes are free. There are no gimmicks, no cancel fees, and no bull-shit. Just a straight up hard core environment.


Another plus is our relationship with these lifters. I know them, and I am friends with many of them. I end up working with them and offering hours of free PT because I want to see them excel more than I want to make money. From my 16 year old record breaker (who is like a little brother), to our Marines (trusted friends), to our older clientele, I let them know we truly appreciate having them here. We try to get to know our lifters. Of course, not everyone wants that, and for those who just want to walk silently in/out (with their hood up)...I get it and I respect that.


Maybe the most unusual thing about my facility is the fact that I have a jazzercise group right next door. They have exercised in the space next door to us for 13 years. She has a dedicated following of women who look just like they did 13 years ago...it is hilarious. We have our heavy-metal music blaring, with guys dropping weights and growling out great PR’s, and then when it’s quiet for a second, you hear the ladies next door hoopin and hollering with their “whooo’s” and “you go girls.” The whole place breaks into laughter. I have often wondered if it’s the same way over there when one of us gets a great lift, and turns around growling and yelling—the ladies next door probably laugh at us!


We also have an inspiring handicapped lifter. He is a younger guy with no fingers on one hand, but he doesn’t let it slow him down! He uses a strap, and found a way to make it stick to the bar. He deadlifts along with the rest of us with only one functional hand. It’s pretty awesome and pretty damned motivational!!


RB: Way cool to hear about the one-handed deadlifter. Awesome! Reminds me of the 72 year old one-handed deadlifter that Brian Dobson (of Metroflex Gym) trains. If he needs ideas for a way to stabilize a squat bar on his back, please contact Brian.


Since you just now opened the full-sized warehouse version of Gorilla Pit, what else needs to be done? What is next?


TP: Well, we feel pretty complete. We have everything we need aside from a reverse hyper. I think the big push now is marketing and members, but I would like to get an MMA cage in there as well. I tried my hand at fighting, but had a severe orbital bone break, and almost lost my eye. That kind of put the kabash on that for me. I would still love to work with fighters and condition them. We have quite a few that come in for conditioning, but it would be even better if I had a cage for them too.


RB: If you get a cage, you could keep real gorillas in it. That would really keep the fighters on their toes, and what an awesome marketing tool!
Do you have room to host a competition?


TP: Yes. I plan on hosting both strongman and PL meets there during 2010. We will probably host a USPF meet in February.


RB: Perfect! Tell the PL USA readers how to find you.


Gorilla Pit Strength Sports
7472 Tyler Blvd.
Mentor, OH 44060
216-310-2283
Gorillapitps[at]gmail.com

www.gorilla-pit.com

 

Congrat’s to Ty Phillips on building his own Hard Core gym in Ohio! Big iron-plate kudos to Ty! All of the rest of you need to take note! Seriously, dudes, the gauntlet has been thrown down! If Ty can build a cool gym outside of the Iron-State-Triad (TX, CA, PA), then so can YOU! Don’t be scared!


Tell me about where you train, and send photos and info! Heck, tell us how you train with your plastic-and-concrete weights if that’s all you got! Holla!

 

*photographs courtesy Ty Phillips/Gorilla Pit Strength Sports