House of Gainz — Attraction in Austin

I’ve been working out at HOG for a year now. When it first opened, it felt like a much-needed addition to the Tech Ridge area — a well-equipped gym with a friendly atmosphere and high-quality personal training.

While I continue to benefit from the variety of equipment, the welcoming staff, and excellent training options, there are several persistent issues that have turned my workouts into something I mildly dread rather than the sessions I once looked really forward to.

The Music The music is simply too loud. Even with AirPods at full volume and noise-cancelling turned on, I can still hear the blaring songs clearly. There have been times I couldn’t hear my personal trainer over it, which is frustrating. From what I understand, management intentionally keeps the volume high, so I don’t expect this to change anytime soon.

Equipment Repairs/Condition: This is one of the more frustrating areas: Out-of-Order Equipment: Some machines, particularly the stair machines, have previously been left unusable for months. Weight Machine Adjustments: Several weight machines have broken or missing adjustment knobs. While technically still functional, they are not adjustable, which limits their use. Cable Stations: there are a handful of cable stations that are missing numbered labels on the weight stacks. Despite requests to management, these have not been added. Cardio Machines: There are pieces of cardio equipment that have never been functional since I joined. It seems like they were set up and forgotten. Plates: it’s clear that HOG bought several batches of plates from different sources. It can be frustrating to find matching plates to ensure your bar/machine is balanced on each side.

Temperature I understand that Austin weather can be unpredictable, but the gym has become noticeably less cool over time. Whether intentional or not, this makes intense workouts much less enjoyable.

Cleanliness The gym has a hardworking cleaning person, but there’s only one, which means that during their off-hours, things can quickly get messy. Paper towels run out, spray bottles sit empty, and the gym loses its cleanliness.

Tidiness This issue is more about certain members than the gym itself. Some inconsiderate people leave equipment scattered everywhere, bags on the floor, and weights unracked. While management has warned against this behavior, it still happens regularly.

Cameras and Tripods This has actually improved over time. During the first 6–9 months, it was pretty common to see influencers with multiple photographers taking over spaces. Now, tripods are still common, but most members are considerate about keeping them out of walkways.

That said, I’ve noticed a few people streaming live from the gym (likely on TikTok or Twitch). While I don’t really appreciate this, I just choose to work out away from those individuals.

In Summary HOG remains a well-equipped gym with friendly staff and high-quality training. However, ongoing environmental factors — like the loud music, neglected equipment repairs, and temperature issues — can make the overall experience far less enjoyable than...

Edit: The gym post fake reviews. Beware.

• there’s is a reason this is the most liked review of the gym*

The gym serves its purpose but has room for major improvement.

If you're someone who only goes to the gym for hypertrophy and mostly uses machines, then this gym will probably be a good fit for you. I will say that the floor plan was poorly thought out and they put too many machines in there. You often have to weave between machines just to get to the mens locker room.

If you're someone into barbell work or sports training then this gym is mid at best. They DO have more squat racks / "power cage" than most gyms. However, the weights are seldom organized and often just laying all over the floor- literally. They did invest in upright weight racks but then had the bright idea to stack the heaviest weights on them so trying to get the 45 or 55lb weights is inefficient. Additionally, these racks are also disorganized and you often have to remove 3-4 training weights just to get to the weight you want.

The turf field is cool but is often littered with miscellaneous equipment that doesn't belong there or influencers filming. So trying to do sprints or sled workouts is not always a viable option.

Beyond that the gym can be dirty. It's not uncommon to see trash by the squat racks, empty plastic bottles on the machines - sometimes for days at a time, and used paper towels just thrown on the floor.

I have photos of everything mentioned in this review, but think that would be overkill. Anyone who has visited the gym or frequents the barbell area and turf knows this is just an objective review. With that said, this is just meant to be constructive criticism - but I will admit it was spurred by a feeling of being "over it".

The main reason for working out at a gym rather than your home or apartment is for convenience . The gym meets this benchmark in some areas more than others. Are there plenty of machines and weights? - yes. Are the weights / space organized? - no. Is the place clean? - some days more than others.

*edit: I will be adding photos to...

Leaving this review is kinda a bummer because I really wanted to LOVE this gym. I really enjoyed their Georgetown location so I had super high hopes for this one especially since it was right down the road for me. Unfortunately it does not live up to that standard for me to where I could make it my home gym. This is obviously only my personal opinion but take it for what it is. CONS $30 day pass… excuse me 2 day pass??? I don’t understand how that marketing tactic is suppose to work. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a day pass to go to a gym 2 days in a row. Essentially nerfs any opportunity to invite a friend to your gym to get a workout in together. Like that is half a months membership for most gyms… I would 100% swing by this gym more often if this was more reasonable but for sure not worth $30 sadly :/ Big Tex down the road has day passes for $5… tbh I don’t know of any other gym in atx that charges that for a day? if you do any sort of powerlifting don’t even bother. No squat bars, no deadlift bars, no kg plates, questionable Olympic bars only. This may be different now as I haven’t been in awhile but that was def a downer for my powerlifting husband and his friends. Lots of influencers, tripods, cameras, etc. I personally don’t really mind this unless it gets in my way, but if you are not into being in the backgrounds of people’s instagram videos I don’t recommend. I highly recommend Los Campeones down the road @ The Linc. They have a strict no tripod policy. PROS Really nice posing room. When it’s not full of people taking selfies, it’s a great space to practice if you’re a competitor! Lots of cardio machines. And it’s cool they’re up on the 2nd story looking out over the gym. I can always appreciate being given something else to look at other than a wall when I’m doing cardio. 3, some cool machines. If your a machine person there is def a couple...