Starting Strength Atlanta | John's Creek — Attraction in Johns Creek

I’ve never been a gym person. Ever. Before coming here, I had zero experience with lifting, fitness, or even regular workouts. But at just 24 years old, years of sitting and tattooing left me with such severe back pain that it was genuinely affecting my quality of life — even basic things like sitting down were a struggle.

From day one, the coaches at Starting Strength Johns Creek changed everything. These are not just trainers — they’re professionals who truly know what they’re doing. Every single coach here is knowledgeable, attentive, and incredibly encouraging. I felt safe putting my trust in them, and that made all the difference.

In just 2.5 months, I went from someone who couldn’t squat without a box… to someone squatting 106 pounds. It still blows my mind. If you had told me this three months ago, I would’ve laughed out loud. But here I am — stronger, pain-free, and finally feeling like myself again.

Huge thank you to Adam for helping me improve my quality of life and showing me what it means to get truly stronger — inside and out. And to Laura, thank you for always being so supportive and for running everything so smoothly — your attention to detail and care makes a huge difference.

The gym itself is spotless. The people here — both staff and members — are so diverse, kind, and down-to-earth. There’s no ego, no pressure, just a welcoming, supportive environment where everyone wants to see you succeed.

And the cherry on top? My 12-year-old little brother now joins me. This kid normally hates waking up early, but he happily gets up at 7 a.m. just to go train — and honestly, that says everything.

This has been the best investment I’ve made in myself and my life. If you're even a little curious — go check it out. You...

Starting Strength is a life-changing program, and I’m typically very reluctant to use phrases like that because they often over-exaggerate. In this case, it’s 100% valid. Its impact is not just on specific muscles and related bone density — it’s a whole body workout. And, because of its precise lift postures and its thoughtful process of stressing and recovering your body, you continuously evolve with more and more capability. Starting Strength has changed my strength (naturally), my fitness, my balance, helped me lose 20 pounds, increased my energy — and indeed, enhanced my outlook and passion for life.

It’s clear none of this would be possible without the complementary coaching of experts like the Atlanta owner, Adam Martin. I am grateful to have him as my coach. To a lifelong skeptic of weight training and trainers in general, Adam brings a patient, knowledgeable and fact-based approach to everything he persuades you do at his gym. And while he looks like the nightmare drill sergeant of an Army conscript, he is kind and encouraging, and in fact quite wise about life in general.

I’m a senior tech executive and father of four with plenty to do during my day. Nonetheless I look forward to driving to each session and the endorphin high I get afterwards. I am actually bummed when a vacation gets in the way!

I highly, highly recommend looking at Starting Strength — especially if you’re a Gen X-er like me. It’s a proven training to push back the “designed-in” obsolescence of our bodies and minds. You’ll be so proud of yourself, and make some good friends...

After reading Peter Attia’s book Outlive along with a few other books and articles on aging and longevity, I realized that I needed to add strength training to my routine. I’ve been a runner for many years but other than body weight exercises and some dumbbell work, I had not been a weight lifter. So where to start?

I did some research and found a book called Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. I read through that and decided to join a gym. But I still didn’t really know what I was doing and knew I needed help with form and programming. I then noticed that a Starting Strength gym was set to open in Atlanta. So I signed up. And while I can only get there on Saturday mornings (I live in Midtown and getting to and from Johns Creek during the week is not practical), I’ve loved my experience.

Here’s the skinny: Adam, Duck, John and the rest of the team have created a culture at Starting Strength that is encouraging, supportive and actually fun. Yes, we work hard. Yes, we push each other. And yes, I’m sore on Sundays. But the culture is the opposite of intimidating. It is like a little family and it keeps me coming back on Saturday mornings.

If you are thinking about adding strength training to your routine (and everyone should, especially as we age) I highly encourage you to try Starting Strength. Your age and current level of fitness don’t matter - just start. If you want the opposite of an intimidating, “bro” gym, start here. It just might...