Atlanta Barbell — Attraction in Decatur

Deceptive business practices.

After joining back in the beginning of February I learned pretty quick this gym did not offer what they advertised or what I was looking for.

I emailed the owner two weeks later, stating that I wanted my membership cancelled after my first month and got no response. There is never anyone there during the times I was training to tell in person and they have no phone number so this seemed to be my only option.

After I got no response I called my bank stating my concerns that this business was going to continue to charge me after trying to cancel it. At their suggestion I froze my card and sure enough they attempted to charge my card three times after I told them I was no longer training there and would be taking my business elsewhere.

I finally received an email stating my membership was suspended indefinitely unless I rectify my payment method. I thought I was finally clear and unfroze my card. Little did I know they were just waiting it out to try and charge me again after a few weeks. I noticed today I was charged for both April and May over two months after I told them I no longer wanted a membership there.

Thank god I have a good bank. I already disputed these charges and received my money back. I wasn’t going to leave any sort of review about this gym in spite of the fact they advertised things they do not have and the overall state of the gym but this experience has compelled me to write and honest review of what you can expect.

So here’s my honest opinion of Atlanta Barbell:

Joined back in the beginning of February after searching for a new powerlifting gym closer to where I had moved to. After watching the carefully choreographed tour video on their website I thought I’d found what I was looking for after putting faith in what I was seeing was an accurate representation of what the gym was like and joined immediately.

First mistake. After joining I quickly realized that what was shown and what the reality is are two totally different things. What you see on the video is an organized, clean gym that seemingly caters to any weightlifter regardless as to what your goals are and what/ how you like to train.

My first impression was that while they did offer a lot of what they advertised they lacked in several key areas which include advertising a variety of specialty bars. They don’t. They have an assortment of 45lbs barbells and that’s about it. And one worn out SSB and one worn out trap bar. That’s it.

No cambered bar, no multi bar, no olympic bar, no Buffalo bar, no 55lbs bars. Saying they have an assortment of bars is an absolute lie.

The gym itself is also filthy. I have pretty low expectations when it comes to a gym that specializes in this type of lifting but this place didn’t even meet that. Gym is dirty, bathrooms disgusting, no mopping or sweeping ever takes place here. It’s nasty.

They offer no chains at all. And the bands they have are mismatched and beyond worn out. Their kettle bell selection is garbage.

They do have some pluses: To their credit, they do have a good amount of racks. Their free weight selection is adequate though not having any dumbbells in excess of 100lbs is a huge drawback. They do have one of the best reverse hyper machines I’ve ever used. But all of this is completely over shadowed by their business practices.

Stay away from this gym. There’s far better powerlifting gyms in the metro area for far less offering far more.

If you do decide to join here,...

This review is long overdue. I have been a member for over a year now. I joined because I wanted to prepare for my first powerlifting contest, also held at Atlanta Barbell. Before joining, I trained in my garage, and felt it might be impractical to travel so far to train there on a long term basis (over 30 miles one way). Guess what? I haven't looked back since. I realized my core reasons for staying included perspective and the availability of quality coaching. Regarding perspective, I might pat myself on the back for squatting 225 in my garage, or even a globo gym like Lifetime. But as I look around Atlanta Barbell when I train, I see that members set the bar high (see what I did there?) Regarding coaching, Atlanta Barbell has several coaches with the Starting Strength certification, which is very rigorous. Anytime I need a tweak to technique or programming, or even a major overhaul, I know trustworthy coaching is right there. That could be a focused, one on one session, or it could be a simple comment, in passing ("Your elbows are flaring").

This is timely: don't get it twisted: this is NOT that other barbell gym, in East Atlanta Village, that bans police and active duty military. It so happens that I have felt very pleased when I have seen LEO vehicles in the parking lot, because they were training inside. And my son the Marine has trained there and gotten coaching, when he's been home on leave, and proudly wears his Atlanta Barbell T shirt wherever else he's trained,...

Atlanta Barbell is the real deal. Other reviewers appropriately reviewed the facility - it's a weightlifter's dream - so I won't touch on that here. I found Atlanta Barbell when I was seeking to safely learn the big compound lifts from a professional.

Whether you're completely new to weightlifting, or you're experienced and want to take your training to a more advanced level, this gym and its team of trainers are unmatched anywhere else in ATL. I've "lifted" since college but it wasn't until I trained with Alex here that I learned real, confident, safe technique. In a mere few months, Alex's knowledge of anatomy and physiology changed the way I understood the big compound movements. He is extremely educated in his domain and has an excellent one-on-one coaching ability. And on a personal note, Alex immediately comes off as a genuine, honest, good dude. I've never been more happy with a decision than I was when I decided to join Atlanta Barbell, and I will forever evangelize for this gym among friends and...