Originally Posted by
Mark Rippetoe
We did a seminar in Kentucky a while back, and attending that seminar was a CF owner from Florida. He had been the owner of the affiliate for 2 years, and his exposure at our seminar was literally, by his own admission, the first time he had done squats with bar on his back. So his affiliate would not be a good one.
Obviously the equipment will determine whether you can use the gym effectively, so inventory it when you look around. If the owners are operating a strength training-oriented affiliate, it will be apparent from the appearance of the place. But even an affiliate equipped correctly can be difficult and expensive to use if they operate on the standard CF classes-only model. I don't expect a lot of response to this because of the political climate, but any CF affiliates that are operated primarily as strength-based operations, are equipped with more than just cheap bars and plates, that have good squat racks or power racks, a place to bench press safely, and who offer a membership option that is less than $50/month (or the equivalent for their market) are welcome to post it here on this thread.