Strength & conditioning — Portland, OR
Train hard.
Recover harder.
Repeat.
Coach-led strength and conditioning for people who take training seriously — and want numbers to prove it. No mirrors for posing. Barbells, platforms, and a plan.
Programs
Pick a track.
We write the plan.
Every program runs on a fixed cycle with a start date, a test week, and a coach watching your numbers. Nothing is improvised.
Strength Foundations
Twelve weeks on the big lifts. Squat, hinge, press, pull — coached in blocks of eight, tested at the end.
Barbell Club
Olympic lifting under USAW-certified coaches. Platform time, video review, and mock meets every quarter.
Engine Room
Conditioning built on assault bikes, sleds, and rowing ergs. Forty-five minutes, capped at sixteen people.
Remote Programming
Individual programming delivered weekly through TrueCoach. Video check-ins and a monthly call with your coach.
Schedule
The week,
on the wall.
Open gym 06:00–22:00 daily · Classes capped at 16 · Book in the app up to 7 days out
The room, in numbers
Small room. Serious numbers.
Coaches
Coached by
people who lift.
Every coach on the floor trains out of this gym. Ask them what they’re working on — they’ll show you their logbook.
Mara Kessler
Head coach · Strength
CSCS, 11 yrs under the bar. Programmed three national-level powerlifters.
Darius Okafor
Barbell Club
USAW L2. Former 96 kg national qualifier. Runs Saturday technique clinics.
June Tanaka
Engine Room · Conditioning
Ex-collegiate 800 m. Builds the conditioning cycles and the rowing tests.
Rafe Bianchi
Remote Programming
Writes individual blocks for 40+ remote athletes. Answers video within 24 h.
Membership
One price.
No initiation fee.
Month to month. Cancel in the app in two taps. We’d rather keep you with training that works than with a contract.
Open Gym
For lifters who already have a plan.
- 06:00–22:00 access, 7 days
- 4 platforms, 6 racks
- Chalk, straps, and belts provided
- Guest pass every month
All-Access
Classes plus open gym. Most members land here.
- Everything in Open Gym
- 38 classes a week, capped at 16
- Quarterly strength testing week
- Programming app included
- Freeze anytime, no fee
Remote
Individual programming, wherever you train.
- Weekly individual block
- Video review within 24 h
- Monthly call with your coach
- Drop-in when you're in town
From the floor
Members say it better than we can.
I added 40 pounds to my squat in my first two cycles. Nobody here cares what you lift — they care that you show up and log it.
After ten years of globo gyms, having a coach actually watch my snatch every week fixed things I'd stopped noticing.
Engine Room is the only conditioning class I've done where the numbers on the board mean something six months later.
First visit
Your first week is on us.
Seven days of classes and open gym. A coach will run you through a 20-minute intro session first — movement screen, goals, and where to start. No card required.
What to bring
- Flat shoes or lifters — no running shoes on platforms
- A water bottle (filtered refill station by the rig)
- Your current numbers, if you track them
- Nothing else. Towels and chalk are here.