Portland Oregon Weightlifting

gThere aren't a ton of outlets for us Olympic-style weightlifters in the Pacific Northwest. There's the main hub through Ironworks and Tom Hirtz in Creswell, just south of Eugene, and Crossfit-based PDX Weightlifting Club based in Loprinzi's Gym in downtown Portland.

There's also Portland Oregon Weightlifting gym in Sherwood, in the Willamette Valley.

It's small, cozy (in a no-frills gym way), and has everything you need and nothing you don't - including bad attitude. Jordan Franco opened it in 2006. He's just 26, an athletically accomplished local guy who's investing in his community with his independent gym. He makes his bread and butter through training area students for improved sports performance.

Jordan's a friendly guy. He's created a warm yet serious training atmosphere. The gym is stocked with bars of various weights and lengths, bumper plates (mostly in kilos), a power rack, blocks, stands, plus dumbbells, metal plates, and even a few kettlebells. The platforms feel great, and so do the extra thick bumpers, which just make you itch to pinch grip train with them.

Alas, rates are high, but terms are flexible. There aren't any crowds to fight. Oh, one other perk - Franco has the best set of gym rules I've ever seen, including "No yawning," "No stinking up the joint" and "No looking for your ride to come get you." Violations can cost up to 50 push-ups.

Photos from POW

Related link
Oregon LWC 37 events and info