Strength Asylum – Review of My Experience There

Before I start the review I think its important to state that this is a review of my experience and not technically about the gym itself; however I will be giving a more technical review in the coming days. I will give you a quick overview of what Strength Asylum is. It was opened in 2012in Stoke/Hanley and was designed for people serious about training by people who are serious about training. It is a no nonsense gym as it does not have the extra frills you may see in commercial and some smaller gyms like saunas, jacuzzi, etc. There’s experienced staff in bodybuilding, strongman and general health and fitness. It is also an Official Hammer Strength Centre. The gym has over 150 machines over 13500sqft. Its also only one of two IFBB affiliated gyms in the UK. Oh and a certainly Beast calls it his home gym.

So to the review. As I walked from my hotel which was in the centre of Hanley, Stoke on Trent I went approximately town and walked down a hill and then just round the bend you could see the sign and that is when a mixture of excitement and nervousness kicked in. This gym might not be a big deal for you but for me this was a destination gym, a gym I really wanted to experience and train at and I had arrived.

Upon arrival you’re greeted with a warm welcome, like you’ve trained there for years. I completed the waiver for should anything go wrong and was offered an induction, which I declined but the staff did give me a quick orientation. There was separate room for legs and one for arms, one that had a mixture of functional fitness and the main room which had an abundance of machines for back, shoulders and chest along with free weights, squat racks and deadlift platforms. Click this link for a virtual tour of the gym.

I was able to go two days. On the first day I hit back and shoulders. I started at 3:45pm and finished a couple of hours later. It was relatively quiet at first. Maybe a few guys training in the area I was; then at peak time in most gyms the place really came to life. It was full, the energy was sensational and it was so motivating to be surrounded by people who have been dedicated to their training for years and some had amazing physiques, something that I aim to achieve. The members where all approachable and in between exercises I was able to have brief interactions with people and all spoke so highly of their gym. They really did feel like it was their gym, the place they have learned so much, developed so much and will continue to grown. By the end of my workout I was knackered. I didn’t intend to train for so long, I had no set plan for back and shoulders but the mixture of the copious machines and the energy of the gym made me just want to keep on going. I made my way for something to eat and headed back to the hotel for an early night. Not to speak too graphically, but I was the knackered that I my back cramped up when on the toilet. I went to sleep buzzing and dreaming of deadlifting the next day on the same platforms as the deadlift world record holder – how could I not go for a PB??!!

I woke up early, ate a hearty breakfast and prepared for round two. Heading back down that same bank and seeing the sign peer from around the bend, I was definitely nervous now. I always get hyped before deadlifting – though deadlifting does not always love me, This time I was greeted by Andy, the owner, and he was what you want in an owner. Energetic, passionate, chatty and more importantly he knew his stuff. He made sure my waiver was still on file and I was good to train. I completed my specific deadlift warmup and I was good to go. I headed to the deadlift platforms, it was approximately 10am and the gym was fairly quiet but the people working out where definitely putting the effort in. I kicked my shoes off and began the whole deadlift process of warm up sets to working sets. Caught up in the energy I ended up completing far too many reps that when it came to attempting my PB I failed – no shame in that but some massive regret. From there it was serious punishment time, legs. Hack squat, V squat, leg press, single leg press, extensions, curls and so on and so on. It was a gruelling session but there was something about this gym that made you put the extra in. You didn’t want to leave any regrets; though I did. But the leg room killed me and I loved it. My second session was done and it was time to leave. Strength Asylum had changed me, the motivation and dedication I witnessed by that many people is something I had not seen even in my football days.

I can not recommend visiting this gym enough. If you want to improve, if you want to experience an environment that fuels ambition and be surrounded by some of the UKs finest competitors in their relevant fields then you HAVE to make it your duty to visit this place. This is a destination gym.