Ep. 105 - Powerlifting, Community & Opening Your Own Gym

Opening a community gym in the middle of a pandemic: crazy, or if done safely, sorely needed? That’s exactly what Mike Farr (Silent Mike) and Jim McDonald did. These Nor Cal natives return from their previous episode alongside Alan Thrall and Eric Helms where we discussed what the heck is in the water in Sacramento that produces so many iconic lifting groups. They join us today to talk about their experience of pulling the trigger on their dream of opening a gym in Sacramento, despite the challenges of COVID. Philosophically, they have the outlook that you can only put your dreams on hold for so long, and that there will always be a reason not to do something. Ethically, these two didn’t cut any corners in pursuit of their dreams. They realise that for folks like us, lifting has to find a way, because it’s something we need. Learn how they provide their members the space as an outlet, while protecting their health, and not going bankrupt in this episode.

Om Podcasten

Iron Culture was started by Eric Helms and Omar Isuf, now currently hosted by Eric Helms and Eric Trexler with Omar as a returning guest, as a means of exploring the world of physical culture and attempting to distill a unified philosophy of lifting and to help listeners find greater meaning from the iron. The lifting community has become fractured over the last ~70 years and this Podcast will attempt to explore the fundamental threads that unite these different tribes. The Podcast focuses on dispensing practical, useful information to the listener, bouncing from history, to philosophy, to contemporary lifting culture issues, to science. This can range from teaching the audience about lifting, programming, nutrition, supplements/PEDs and the history of lifting culture. The format includes casual conversations between the two hosts on a variety of topics, discussions with a panel of experts and interviews with authoritative figures in the lifting community.