#129 Last Day at Old School

2007-2008

Things were difficult when Dustin and I started Old School. This fell in the same era of starting MusclePharm. Not only did I have the gym and MusclePharm on my plate, but the housing market also crashed. We couldn’t get a loan. Dustin and I felt like we were climbing a fucking mountain to just get a chance to succeed.

Struggles

It was hard. We didn’t have permits. We thought we were opening in November, until the county came and shut us down. By the time we had all the permits and the drawings, it was the following July. We were paying rent on a gym that wasn’t even open yet. Stress was running high. I remember, plain as day, sitting at the front desk with Dustin being so happy that we finally got approved. We finally were free to build the gym we wanted.

Idols

Arnold, Louie Simmons, John Broz, etc. have come through. Icons. Mr. Olympia’s, world-record holders, and elite athletes. You name it, they’ve all been through the doors of Old School Gym. Then, you think, what’s next?

What’s Next?

Everything has a run. It’s just what it is. I learned this lesson firsthand at MusclePharm. On one hand, I would be super sad if this was the complete end of OSG, but it’s not. We’re just evolving and improving. We're evolving to the next situation… a better situation. It’s super exciting.

To see how far we’ve come is staggering. Even if I never did better than my original personal training studio, I was still winning. I was winning because I was coming from the coal mine and the trailer. It’s bittersweet leaving this location.

Thank You

Thank you to everyone that made the trip to the original Old School Gym. Thank you for the support. Thank you for taking the mentality and applying it elsewhere. The art of the hardcore gym is lost. We strive to keep shit real. We strive to be authentic. That’s what people want to be around.

Thank you to all the training partners over the years. Thank you for the spots. Thank you for the encouragement. Thank you for the PRs. Thank you for showing up. And to even the motherfuckers that don't like me anymore, thank you too. Appreciate you all.