MyoMuscle Peterlee – Review

I live in Hartlepool which is a town in the North East of England and just up the road from me is another small town called Peterlee. I have been to a gym in Peterlee already, Hammer Strength Underground, today I was heading to MyoMuscle which is in relatively close proximity to Hammer Strength Underground and another gym called Fitness Factory. The reason I mention all three is that they are all Official Hammer Strength Training Centres. Plus all three have fantastic reputations. I head to Fitness Factory next week to complete the Peterlee trilogy!

I headed to MyoMuscle on a glorious sunny day. Things always feel better in the sun. I find my way to an open shutter entrance with a smaller side door adorned in graffiti. As soon as you walk in you are hit with a bright open feel gym (don’t let the cardio equipment that is the first machines you walk by put you off!). Instantly I knew I was going to have a great workout.

I made my way to the reception and was greeted by Leanda who was so hospitable throughout. We had a chat before my workout and she gave me a quick orientation of the gym. This was one well kitted out gym. The changing areas were spotless and Leanda was busy cleaning the gym throughout my workout, which a member told me was her usual behaviour.

I was on pull day and started with rack pulls. The gym has an area for more heavier lifting and it had two deadlift platforms with bumper plates and bars aplenty. It had other individual racks that could be used for benching or squatting. It was in a large corner of the gym and I felt more than comfortable to start my workout there. Its always a positive sign to a gym when you can walk in ad instantly feel at home.

Rack pulls done and the gym opens up as I turn around to see the abundance of Hammer Strength equipment. More than you need to hit every body part at various angles. There was one piece of equipment I had not seen on my travels and this was a standing row without a chest plate/rest. I was later told that the gym has boxers who requested this bit of kit so the owner didn’t hesitate in getting it for them. I gave it a go and it really worked my back from a new angle.

The gym has two large power racks that are central, a large amount of free weights that run along a large mirrored wall. Also in that area was a large 8 stack cable machine with a dual pulley system on two of the stacks, something I had a mind blank and nearly buried myself with by pulling down way too much weight, sadly my ego would not let me quit but I did not go into that light. I then used other back machines for a machine row, further pull downs and seated rows. I finished with some bro curls and dreaded cardio.

Speaking of cardio, it was seriously well equipped with multiple treadmills, cross trainers, bikes and stair masters. I had worked up more than a sweat and loved every minute of my workout in this quite frankly ridiculously good gym.

After my workout had finished I chatted with Leanda a little more. What struck me was how well branded this gym was, from water bottles to machnes to merch the MyoMuscle logo was emblazoned across everything. Leanda asked if there was anything the gym could improve upon and I was pretty hard pushed to think but did notice the lack of turf for a sectioned off class area that had copious functional strength equipment. Leanda informed me that the gym did have turf but members requested more machines and more heavy duty lifting so it was removed to put the class space and deadlift platforms in place – a great gym for me is one that listens and acts upon its members needs and wants.

MyoMuscle knows what kind of gym it is and is more than comfortable with it. From branding, to listening to members to having the walls covered in street art it is somewhere you would be lucky to train in on a regular basis.