Gyms in Pittsburgh

[Mark Edward]

I'm going to be moving to Pittsburgh for a new job in the near future. My office is near Duquesne, but I won't be there every day, and I'll be living north of town up by Cranberry. Does anyone have any advice on where to train?

From looking around the internet, Celli's looks like the best bet, but it might be a little inconvenient to get to. There's a place called something like Pure Athletix in Wexford that might work, but it looks like it might be too much of a health spa type place for my taste. There's a couple YMCAs, but Ys are always a crap shoot. And then there's various Crossfit boxes, but fuck that. So I don't know. Any information is appreciated.

[DonkeyLips]

I go to the Y downtown which has 2 racks (one power rack and one without adjustable safeties). Don't go during rush hour or on Sunday afternoons or you'll be waiting all day. No bumper plates, 2 benches, plus 1 incline and 1 decline. This gym would be so much better if they got a 2nd power rack. Tons of useless machines and you'll always be able to find some piece of cardio equipment (haha) because there are 10000 of them.

The Y on the North Side needs renovated bad and only has 1 rack, which sees little action. You probably weren't thinking of going there anyway though.

I've been considering going to Celli's but haven't gotten around to it yet. Never been there but it looks like a legit training gym.

I don't know anything about the places north of the city.

[beastmaster103]

Mark -

I live in Bridgeville, which is south of the city off of I-79. I used to lift at Amerifit, but have since purchased all my own equipment and use my garage as my gym. Amerifit was great because it was down and dirty, had a ton of weights, 2 power racks, one platform, and not too many bros. Unfortunately, it's in the South Hills.

I have been to Celli's once for a squat lesson with Ryan (the owner). That place has everything - Monolift, 5 or 6 racks, unlimited amounts of weight, all kinds of chains, GHR's, etc., and everyone is very laid back and supportive. I would have joined if I lived remotely close to it, but it is about a 25 minute drive without traffic for me. Ryan knows his stuff and set some big time records in PL a few years ago. This would not be a bad option if you start or end your day at that gym.

A guy I work with goes to LA Fitness on McKnight Road (Route 19). He kept his membership because he was able to lock in some ridiculous rate of $19/month or something. He says it's okay. Just looking on google maps, maybe you should give Bodytech (off of Perry Highway) a call. They had a monolift in their photos and talked about DB's ranging from 5-170 lbs, which is impressive in its own right. Also saw Pure Athletex - it was a bit more expensive per month but had nice facilities.

You could just contact each place and get a "free" membership for a week until you found one you liked...

Let me know if you have any other questions. Sorry I couldn't be any more helpful.

[wdh1]

beastmaster-

How was the squat lesson with Ryan Celli? I live northeast of town and need lots of help with my form. I'm going to see an SS coach in Baltimore in a few weeks, but wonder if a coaching session with Celli in the meantime would be worthwhile.

[Mark Edward]

Thanks for the tips, everybody. I think I'll check out the YMCAs, and in the likely event that they suck, I'll go to Celli's or Bodytech.

[beastmaster103]

wdh - the lesson with Ryan was worth every penny. He even offered to follow up with me via email. I would send him a video of my workset(s) from that day and he'd let me know if he saw any issues with form. It eliminated all my IT band issues I had. He is really sharp. There is another SS coach I know in the Greensburg/Latrobe area. We both graduated from the same HS. He could definitely give you cues. His name is Nick Racculia. I'd look up his contact info on this site.

[Palladio]

I recommend this place if you live north of the city: Extensive weight training equipment - Bodytech Gym in Pittsburgh

24-7 access via card, no rushing to get there before they close. Power cages, bumper plates, a deadlift jack, chalk is allowed, locker rooms actually work.

$30 / month, some membership fees up front.