Powerhouse Gym Madison Heights — Attraction in Madison Heights

Power House? More like Power Hungry™, starring Frank, the self-appointed Sheriff of Treadmill Town. The other reviewer wasn’t kidding, this guy gets off on “catching” people breaking rules, even in his imagination. If you’ve ever wanted to experience what it feels like to be micro-managed by an elderly man who treats the dumbbell rack like it’s Fort Knox, congrats, you’ve found your hell.

Frank practically salivates anytime he thinks someone might be breaking a rule. And by “rule,” I mean whatever arbitrary nonsense popped into his head that morning. Did you set your water bottle down too loudly? Frank’s on it. Did you sigh after a heavy set? Frank’s sprinting across the gym like you just committed a felony.

And here’s the real kicker — we’ve spent over $14,000 at this gym in the past couple of years, with plans to drop another $6,000+ on personal training. That’s enough to expect, at bare minimum, basic human respect. But nope, Frank prefers to treat paying members like criminals. It’s like watching someone try to live out their failed childhood dream of being a mall cop.

It’s honestly impressive how much joy this man gets from ruining people’s day. Like, sir, are you okay? Did you grow up in a chaotic environment or something? Do you need a hug? Therapy?

Do yourself a favor and pick literally any other gym (there are many around here without contracts or rude managers!) where the manager isn’t acting like a wannabe mall cop in some weird episode of The Addams Family.

Frank, if you’re reading this (and I hope you are): Learn to respect paying customers. And for the love of all things protein, get over yourself. You are terrible for business, and honestly, I feel genuinely sorry for the trainers and employees stuck working under your little...

This is responding to the Troy PHG Owner’s response to my review of the Troy PHG: I agree with you. When you refer to grunts, weights clanging, and the occasional scream from a Man or Woman pushing themselves as hard as they possibly can as quote “Disruptive Behavior” that verifies my point. That’s disruptive behavior at a Library, Etc. but at a Gym that’s a sound of beauty and passion and inspiration…for every 1 member that complained there’s another 10 who love it but you never hear from them. And I never threatened anyone ever. You told me there was no crying at your gym to which I said I’m cancelling my membership and that’s exactly what I did. All in a calm and collected tone. I am a respectful and kind Man. I thank you George for coming up to me that night b/c if you hadn’t I still would be there, out of some subconscious sense of loyalty, working out in a constant state of fear of being judged and criticized for being myself. So this is a great gym if you want average and wish to remain average…a lot of people out there will like this gym, they do keep it very clean and quiet. But if you want to find inspiration, motivation, or if you just want to workout in a Judgment Free Zone, I’d look elsewhere. At least Planet Fitness openly markets/identifies as that type of “Fitness Center.” I can and do respect that; I train at PF’s when I am out of state on business travel. Too many rules George/Frank, this next generation of kids are wanting to train legs with no shoes, they want to drop the bar at the top of a deadlift, they want to get intense and train hard. I hope you consider revising your strategy/rules a bit. Best wishes to you...

I'm a competitive bodybuilder in the NPC (National Physique Committee).

Powerhouse Gym of Madison Heights has proved very helpful in both my off-season training and in my contest prep. The 24/7 access is a lifesaver during prep, when you often need to get in 2 or more workouts per day.

The equipment is scrupulously maintained. An example is the pulley stations. The handles are metal, which I strongly prefer to the plastic and fabric handles some other gyms have. But more than that, the moving parts are well-maintained and lubricated at all times. I belong to another gym in Livonia, and only about half of the resistance on their pulleys comes from the weight stack. The rest comes from friction, because the thing has not seen a drop of lubricant since 1985. No such problems at Powerhouse Madison Heights - all equipment is well maintained.

I also tend to use the Smith Machine for several exercises. My previous gym in Royal Oak only had one Smith Machine, and sometimes a guy would hog it for 45 to 60 minutes, doing his entire workout there. The Madison Heights Powerhouse has, I think, 6 Smith Machines. In all the years I've been going there, I never had to wait for one.

Everything is kept extremely clean and sanitary. The members are good about wiping down their equipment after use, and there are also hand sanitizer stations in the gym.

As a bonus, the dry sauna will take the chill out of your bones on those cold Michigan mornings, before you start...