Squat, Weightlifting, and Powerlifting Programs on my website: weightliftingfix.com/

*"The gym is useless if it's closed."* _- Clarence Kennedy, 2022_

Finally, the real face reveal. Clarence was always just spirit energy manifesting as a human man.

I was in a family member's town for a few days once. Google maps'ed "powerlifting." Went to the first result: an oldschool warehouse full of all the powerlifting equipment I could ever want, tons of space, garage doors wide-open to just walk in, open 24hrs. I walked in and there was one guy there who says to me , "yeah the owner only comes by on Tuesdays, you can just train man don't worry. You can play Spotify on the computer over there through the loudspeakers." Eventually he left and I was completely alone in this heaven. I long for that gym

I went from paying $55/mo to go to a performance gym w/ no air conditioning to $20/mo to go to a community gym. I can do all the same work. It’s also a 10 minute walk instead of a 15 minute drive. People just get caught up in the hype with these performance gyms.

This is why I've grown to hate a lot of performance gyms as well. The payment options are never transparent and I feel like I'm talking to a fucking used car salesman when talking to the owner. Some of them seemed real shady with how they operate. The part about toxicity/drama and opening hours is spot on too.

Welcome back to the real world Super Sayan Clarence.

Clarence speaking to us through paths

My only complains with commercial gyms are the bars knurling is usually almost nonexistant because of guys doing rack pulls and whatnot over the years

I train at an all-incluse type commercial gym with great performance equipment, platforms and huge space. The membership costs 40usd per month (in Norway this is cheap af) and you get access to 4 different locations in the same city with various equipment and they even have squash halls a boxing bag and cage-football. With eleikobars rogue plates and eleiko bumpers and eleiko powerlifting bench with IPF bars even. Opening hours every day from 05:00-00:00.

The toxicity aspect entirely relate to. I was part of a powerlifting gym, and the drama was unreal

I just wanted to thank you for being huge motivation for me to start lifting weights. I am not really interested in Olympic weightlifting, more for health and aesthetic purposes, but without you and your insane strength display, none of what I do currently would be possible. Thank you.

Its awesome how humble Clarence is

I've had the same experiences with the more "exclusive" more "selective" performance gyms here in the U.S. It was especially negative when trying to work out at a local "performance gym" out of town or when on vacation. It always seemed like no matter how willing to pay or how nice I was to the staff or owners, they tryed to make it as hard as possible or seemed like they went out of their way to be rude so as to make me go away just because I wasn't a local or because I wanted to buy a one week pass. Terrible way to run a business. Just of note, I'm a clean cut presentable guy who's been seriously training and lifting for over 12 years and I always go out of my way to be friendly and introduce myself to people. Apparently these types of places only want juiced up a holes who have been "initiated" into the club somehow. Clarence totally nailed it!

I like how he's talking about weightlifting and there's just a picture of The Paths in the background. Week through and through. Keep it up Clarence.

Perfect timing on this video. I’ve been going to a commercial gym for years and lately it’s been getting a bit crowded. Was just starting to look around for a new gym. Now I know what to consider. Thanks much Clarence!

I've been at the same commerical gym since 2006. It's open 4-midnight, a spa/steam room etc/ and the best bit, is nobody ever uses the weight lifting platform, so even though its 10 years old equipment, it looks brand new XD I chat with a huge cross section of people everyday, different ages, races, all sorts. I love it.

I can definitely sign this. In my old hometown there are both commercial and performance gyms. Over the past 15 years I've noticed that there's been a shift towards a sort of "hybrid" model. Some gyms still order all of their machines from the same manufacturer/importer and don't really cater to anyone specifically, which is fine, but it's also a lot of wasted money and space for equipment that gets very little use. But many gyms turned into 24/7 gyms during lockdowns and they're staying that way (thankfully). There's at least one "elite" gym/club whose membership costs way more than it's worth. There's also a couple of awesome gyms; one in my old hometown (where I still work) and one in my current hometown. One is focused on bodybuilding with some crossfit and strongman equipment. The one closest to me has a huge focus on strongman with lots of stones and other sport related instruments. They also have platforms for weightlifting and a lot of entry level pieces of equipment e.g. smaller dumbbells and kettlebells. Most importantly, an atmosphere that encourages everyone to move. Despite catering to strongman, the gym is a fun place to show up to and it almost feels like a garage gym at times. TL;DR It doesn't matter if the gym is top notch quality or completely makeshift. If the opening hours, price and/or location don't make sense then don't join. The best gym is the one that allows you to stick to your workouts without making unnecessary sacrifices in your daily life.

That Omori ost was very unexpected, nice

I bought clarence kennedy powerlifting program and I went from doing 110 kg atg squat 1 RM to do 180 kg atg squat 1 RM after 7 months, from 96 kg bench to 124 kg bench, its the best program i ever done and i repeated it for 3 times, tomorrow i will start first week of strenght phase for the third time.

I actually went to a weightlifting club in my town the other day, opening hours are... from 6-8 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays...safe to say it's actually in a backroom of a commercial gym that opened very recently...basically you have all the really shiny new gym equipment in the front and through a hallway you get into a quiet tiny room with some really rusty old bars, plates, squat stands and some wooden blocks. I actually went there to have someone assess my self-taught form on the snatch and I feel like the advice and cues they gave me really helped me. While there is a certain charm to training in some vintage old backroom it's kind of sad to see how little priority weightlifting seems to have at least where I'm from it's a really really niche sport that 99% of people never heard of

Clarence’s recommendations for performance gyms to improve? Love it! I have never been able to afford coaching or a performance gym. I’m just self taught and go to a commercial gym and do the best I can. Sometimes I’ll get glanced, but I’ve never gotten in trouble for dropping weights. And even though I’ll never be an elite Olympic weightlifter, I just do it because I love it and want to stay healthy. :)

Something about hearing clarence's voice is comforting, good to see you continue to make content brother. Sucks about performance gyms not really being more casual friendly, seems you have to jump through a lot of loops to have access and pay so much more. Granted I use to go to crunch which is decent enough for a commercial gym due to it being affordable and them having bumper plates and you have access to platforms...The main downside is usually always packed no matter the time of day.

Yeah, you really hit the nail on the head here. I lift at a performance gym since it's the only "decent" gym in my area, and I can't say I'm fond of the dumb drama that happens, or the poorly maintained equipment and hygiene of the place. But unfortunately I live in bumf*ck nowhere Virginia, USA where all the good gyms are in bigger cities. A gold's gym had freaking eleiko plates and bars and for half the price I'm currently paying. Might invest in a home gym soon

My local indoor bouldering spot for some reason has a platform, machined plates, bumper plates, legit barbells, power racks...opens early, closes late, only $64 a month for access to everything and it's a 10 minute drive. No brainer place for me to lift.

Ever since Crunch added all the crossfit equipment in my town it has become the choice place for me to train my "powerbuilder" style. warm up with a little cardio, get my compound movements done, do whatever accessory i have for my compound, and then general bodybuilding superset to finish the day. So easy and convenient for 20 bucks a month.

"And I hate this, I just want to be treated like a normal person". Yeah. Since I've gotten strong I've noticed I get treated differently at some gyms. I hate that. I was so weak for so long. If anything beginners need more help but strength gyms brush them off in favor of clout or strong lifters.

Thank you Clarence definitely buying that squatting program, cheers

1:52 the Bullet for my valentine in the background is great for some heavy lifts

Commercial gyms are phenomenal. Many weightlifters in the US train at a chain called Crunch Fitness. We're talking 8-10+ combo rack/platform setups. Enough machines to make a bodybuilder's head spin. Enough iron plates for 99.9% of powerlifters. Bumper plates galore.

Great video, very nice to see the pros and cons for both sides. Just for consideration, I think a large number of performance gyms must operate like a small business and can't provide the same level of service that a commercial gym can, and quality is going to vary significantly among performance gyms.

Clarence, thank you so much. You could not have posted this video at a better time. I was slowly coming to this conclusion on my own, but you’ve just saved me so much trouble!

DUDE I PEEP THE ENDER LILIES OST YOU USED FOR THE BACKGROUND MUSIC RESPECT I LOVE THAT GAE

Great analysis. The characteristic that most turn me down from commercial gym for me is the rules, I've been uncountable times warned for dropping weights (only in deadlifting, i wouldn't dare to drop the bar on the top of a jerk) and lifting barefoot , despite of this, commercial gyms are great for me.

I used to love my local "commercial" gym (it wasn't really, but it wasn't performance either). Great owners, equipment worked, friendly goers and very clean. Made all my noob gains there, great times! I have a garage gym now, which I must say being able to train in my underwear with no shoes or socks on at 5am is great.

There's a crossfit gym right across the street from my work. An ideal place to train for me, however 20 open box visits are 80 euros, not to mention that due to opening and group practice hours I cannot come in either in the morning before my work or during my lunch-break. Instead I'm going to a huge commercial gym 5 minutes from my work for 30 euros a month. Only two squat racks and horrible weights, but at least it's 24/7 with unlimited access.

Squat program is amazing Clarence.

3:15 I'm digging the lighting

Glad to see you’re starting to put together programs bro, great part on your end. Keep it up Clarence, good shit

this is so therapeutic, thanks Clarence

Depends on the gym. Commercial gyms in my area forbid chalk use.

Watching Clarence lifting with calm piano music in the background is the most chilling thing i know

I can agree with this from experience. I had the pleasure of having access to a 24/7 cross fit gym in my hometown in California. You just have to be mindful of the classes that go on during some hours which isn't a big deal since there's plenty of space. To be fair, the gym did have plenty of drama going on as well such as the owners hooking up with members and spouses cheating with others in the classes. It wasn't that big of a deal if you just minded your own business lol. The only place I've had issues with weightlifting was at my university gym where they banned dropping weights from shoulder height, but you were allowed to slam your deadlift like some uncultured brolifter. The only way to weight lift at my uni was by receiving the bar from OH back to front-rack shoulders, then back to the hip, then gently lower it onto the lifting platform. All of that, even with bumper plates.

Great video. Original content, well put together, simple, honest

I feel most at home in Crossfit gyms, but I definitely agree with the strengths and weaknesses you mentioned here.

I’m so proud of you Clarence your finally uploading

i started lifting only cause of him, its been a year now

Most commercial gyms are owned by dude who owns multiple business and is looking for a way to spend money and grow his assets rather than burn them on taxes. The startup costs are insane, but the long term investment on that equipment is pretty solid, so that's pretty much why you get some asset rich millionaire who can afford the luxeries of nice equipment and staff to clean the place. Most performance gyms are operated by some dude who probably has some shitty 9-5 and goes around looking for used equipment the best he can. Same thing with most crossfit gyms that ive noticed. They are typically run by a couple, who work a 9-5 or one of them runs the business full time and hires help to fill scheduled hours on the cheap, like free membership cheap and not paid.

The biggest issue with performance gyms is that they don’t have a sauna. Everyone knows the sauna is what will give you huge lifts.

My muscateer , great to see you online !!!

my gym has it all for powerlifting and armwrestling but its also 24/7 oppen all days all year ;)

I go to a powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting gym that is 24/7

The best attribute of commercial gyms to me is, that they seem to lack these so called ''characters'', that is overly extraverted trainers who talk to people they don't know (at length), scream from the top of their lungs, always want to use the same equipment you are using etc. I feel like these people are probably the ones who bash commercial gyms all the time on the internet. It's great that these types of people go to the semi- and non-commercial gyms to train with like minded people

My only problem is you're typically not allowed to use chalk. And yes, I've tried the liquid.

I feel like performance gyms are a thing of past. 15, even 7 years ago was extremely difficult to find a gym where you could do weightlifting/powerlifting in peace, so you had to take the inconveniences of find and go to a performance gym. CrossFit boxes were like a little of sun in the dark, but they had all the hours problems, classes predominance, price, and still pretty far away. In this days comercial gyms has evolved to much to considerate the others

You are mistaking 2 things here. “Comercial gyms” bussiness model is to rent you a part of the facility to be used. In the “Performance gym” the facility is just a tool of the owner/coach to provide their service (coaching)

There's a chain called 'JD Gyms' 24 hour opening and fitted with multiples lifting platforms, eleiko bars and bumper plates. Can't go wrong tbh.. times most certainly have changed

I go to a large commercial gym and they have 5 or 6 power racks with attached platforms, 2 Eleiko bars (and other Rogue utility/power bars), and Rogue bumper plates (pound plates, but I am in the US). They're very lax on typical gym rules, allow you to be loud, do Olympic lifts and drop them, etc. Not only that, but they have pretty much all the machines you could want for bodybuilding, etc. A lot of these more exclusive gyms are typically pretty bare bones with machines and non-barbell equipment. The gym is also a national brand, so with my membership I can train at any other branch in the country. I had thought about joining a "serious" gym, but didn't because of all the reasons you stated.

4:42 I literally used to live right behind where this picture is of

I LOVE my university gym in London. It's in the basement of my lecture building, has 8 squat/bench racks with bumper plates and rubber floors. It has probably 300kg per rack worth of weights and only costs 12 quid a month. It's open 10am-10pm on weekdays and 10am-6pm on weekends. I thought this was the standard for gyms since i've never been anywhere else, but I went to my Dad's gym and it was a tragedy in comparison

I have trained in commercial gyms as well as "performance" gyms. The advantage of the latter is the equipment and the coaches. But training in commercial gyms, as long as they have the equipment, I have found to be a slightly more favourable environment for me. In the "performance" gyms I have been to, there is a stronger community that forms. While that can be good, I often found myself wasting more time between sets chatting up my bros about something or the other. In commercial gyms, I have my headphones on, I finish my workout without anyone bothering me. I'm usually doing barbell movements so very few people are waiting for the equipment to be free too. Fortunately, I had fewer problems with opening hours of performance gyms than with commercial gyms. Biggest issues I've had with commercial gyms is lack of proper equipment (no squat racks, properly sized plates, or even lacking free weights) and some trainers trying to be too pushy and nosy, insisting you do a movement a specific way. Like I'm sorry you don't know the difference between Romanian and conventional deadlift Mr Trainer, but I am NOT doing a slow eccentric on my way down when I just pulled a 3RM! I loved training in the "performance" gyms I have been to, mostly because they were very cheap and had all the right equipment, but if a commercial gym matches all your required criteria, and you're not looking to be specifically coached for strength and conditioning or a lifting-centered sport, it's honestly not that bad.

The nearest oly gym or open crossfit gym to me is 30 minutes drive to Birmingham, where as my 24h commercial gym is 3 minute drive with full selection of bumper plates and a platform. no brainer

Damn, Clarence wearing a t-shirt with the name of my country... feeling proud

One other thing you didn't mention (only for weightlifters though) is if you need to do block/box work - block snatches/cleans, jerks, snatch balances, etc. Can't really easily do those in any commercial gym I've ever seen. I love my commercial gym though for everything else even for weightlifting.

Saw you yesterday!!! Was really nice to meet you even if brief and random tysm was so cool :)

The gym I currently go to is locally-owned and small compared to many commercial gyms, with ~20 people at a given time on a busy day. It costs USD $60+/month, which seems a bit expensive but not unreasonable; but is better equipped than nearby gyms with multiple squat racks and even "specialty" equipment including chalk and a safety squat bar. This puts it in a sweet spot IMO, especially when combined with the cramped structure of my town (i.e. people probably don't cross in or out just to go to a gym). I tend to see the same people including old classmates, which definitely makes me feel more grounded despite hardly interacting with anyone. There's a sense of community particularly among the more advanced lifters; but it's not an elitist club, the gym is open to everyone and there's many less advanced lifters as well. People are generally serious and there's a lack of the "tropes" that you find in commercial gyms, although there's still misplaced equipment and unracked plates from time to time. However, if this type of gym didn't exist and I had to choose between a run-of-the-mill big commercial gym and a more elite gym, I'd still pick the commercial gym as long as it has decent equipment. The aspect of being in a gym with other people is huge, but I'd rather come across a larger variety of people rather than be a part of a closed elite club, have to abide by highly specific etiquette and get brought into whatever politics might be going on. It's not like you can't get to know people in a commercial gym too. I feel like the amount of bad gym etiquette is exaggerated, but if it's really that bad then I'd rather build a home gym instead and workout according to my own goals.

Glad your back! I used to go to a kinda half and half gym, really rustic but open to the public. Had a platform but for mostly only deadlifts and stuff. No bumpers. Life change sent me to LA fitness, and they have everything I need and are much cheaper and easier to get to. Never going back.

yooo Clarence video! best day of Sept.

my commercial gym gives free coaching and access to a sauna and a hammam with the subscription. Best thing.

Love that tiny commentary on car culture there lol.

As a mature lifter I found this video one of the best in content and relevance, straight to the heart of the matter and great voice over. Regards to you all.

A lot of commercial gymns may have a weightlifting platform and bumper plates, but very few commercial gymns will also have squat and deadlift bars, so they aren't viable for non IPF powerlifters. Plus, the greatest asset performance gymns have in my opinion is the members themselves (less toxicity, better gymn etiquette, less people obnoxiously trying to showboat). When you go to performance gymns, you're not necessarily paying for better equipment, you're buying a better peer group.

Loving the AOT background lel

100% right … here i was contemplating Switching to a more specific gym. I think I’m good 😂 thanks Clarence, enlightening on all fronts !!

I lift at a commercial gym that has coaching But it has the no dropping weight rule but they're pretty lenient on that rule and it's more of just don't make too much noise. But when you do make too much noise they'll warn you before kicking you out.

I lift at a Gold's gym that has 4 platforms and eleiko bars and plates. I pay $20 per month and my next best option is a crossfit gym for $200 per month that only allows free training during certain hours.

Clarence summoning us with his newly acquired Founding titan powers

complete opposite for me here in nyc commercial gyms are packed to the maximum with almost nothing to use 10 hours out of the day and have shit hours whereas the few "performance gyms" we have here are actually quite nice

Funny, commercial gyms in my area cost quite a lot (600€ for students for a year) while the powerlifting gym i go to is just 100€ yearly, with all the same equipment.

It's been a few years since I've been to a commercial gym. Maybe things have changed for the better! Literally NEVER visited a commercial gym where with bumper plates and a place to drop them.

Home gym: Exact equipment I want, no wait to use platform or squat rack, instant commute = more gym time less gas money, no monthly payments, no drama unless you are bi-polar(or you have a crazy wife). Disadvantages: questionable company, no spotters, upfront cost. Long term this had paid for itself so many times over. Just the time alone in not commuting is huge not to mention the gas and gym fees. If you are into lifting and have developed it as part of your lifestyle it is a great investment. The community may be important to a lot of people but if you have friends you enjoy working out with, they will probably appreciate the free gym membership to your place.

That's why private Bodybuilding/ Powerlifting gyms are great. 24/7 access, amazing hand picked equipment, and KG / bumper plates.

Plx man make a podcast or more videos. You is the only one who speaks the truth. Saludos from Brazil.

Man, the drama is real is these performance gyms. The little cliques between certain lifters, the odd romance dramas, and yep the "we don't allow X fed members here" bullshit. Hated all that crap.

There's quite a few gyms nearby and none of them have deadlift/weightlifting platforms or bumper plates. Some of them have more than one rack for squats or other stuff. There's some crossfit gyms farther away, but they are stupid expensive, like actually ridiculous and they don't even list prices for just training there in whatever hours. They list like training programs where you can participate and you have to pay extra to join the instructed classes. Literally the only place where I have found to be able to do weightlifting (they actually have national equivalent to Eleiko for bars and bumper plates on top of even having gear) is the sort of community pastime center's concrete basement gym. The lucky and silly thing is that it's the cheapest and quietest place (I tried training in different hours throughout the day on different days and most of the time I was training alone or didn't have to queue for any rack or bar or machine) and you'd expect it to be the most ghetto gym as well, but in actuality it's the most geared towards people who have goals in the gym with barbells in mind. Also it was interesting how it was such a small place that people would actually say hi when walking in. That's totally unheard of for me in Finland. But that made me realize that the commercial gyms at least here are completely clueless about any sort of professional lifting or amateur/casual lifters who want to do more with resistance training than just train their muscles. The only negative was that it was closed in the weekend and closed at 2 pm on friday. Other than that it had pretty tolerable opening hours, like from 7:30 to 21:30. You could also use your public transport card to pay your visits per use. It's like for once somebody in the town hall knew what people actually want to pay for. Actually there's one exception, there's a sports hall where I go to train judo, that has the local weightlifting club. You'd have to pay for the membership and weightlifting class and you'd be only allowed to lift on their scheduled training hours so there would be no freedom and flexibility in your training, but you'd also get similar people and good coaching.

I have bought squat rack, barbell, plates,bench ,etc 3 years ago for my home. No drama,memberships or weird opening hours.

My experience with commercial gyms is simply how busy they are. All the LA Fitness / Goodlife gyms in my area are CLOGGED with people any time between 4pm-10pm on the daily. Not to mention there is plenty of machines but few racks, which means you are waiting a lot. I know this isn't the norm everywhere, but where I am it's the only option unless you want to fork over 2-4x as much for a limited schedule CrossFit experience. sad times :(

the weightlifting program is AMAZING love you clarence

The place I'm with (Flye Fit in Cork City), has a fantastic setup and swipe in system at the entrance and equipment wise they're very good and even have different levels dedicated to different aspects of fitness; i.e, 1st floor is weights, 2nd floor is studio bikes and halls, 3rd floor is AstroTurf 4th floor treadmills and so on. Only gripe I have with them is that the dumbbells only go up to 10 kg but I make up for it with barbell excersise that do the ae job as isolations and if it comes to it I high rep the 10 kg bells on some of those isolations. Can't knock it for the price though which is 35 and month and jve been training since 07 when I was a scrawny ass teenager and am now 32 and in the process of leaning out again and building up my functional strength. Its a process and I love every step of the journey, especially knowing you have to earn your strength and numbers through hard fucking work! Good to see you posting again bud!🤜🤛

I'm very thankful for my powerlifting gym. It's the best place where I live, great varied equipment, inclusive to anyone but there's a max membership, 24 hrs keycard, CHEAP, it's $20 a month. I love that place so much that I've kept my membership for when I'm more able to train consistently again.

That's why I have decided to build a home gym in the future with Olympic bar, bumper plates, half rack and a deadlift platform

Clearance sensei is back

Glad to get some Calrence today.

my gym is about 50/50, it's commercial but has plenty of powerlifting equipment from ER, eleiko, leoko, ivanko, etc

4:49 Bro you literally used a photo from my university gym

Commercial gyms are generally just fine. Never had an issue and had lots of great training blocks in them (helps that I train at odd hours and avoid the crowd). However during the pandemic, the only gym I could access was a performance gym. I had the itch to train, and they thankfully remained open. Nevertheless, this gym cost me more about 4 times as much as my membership at my basic commercial gym. On the upside (apart from being able to train vs not being able), the gym was tucked away and had a very small presence. I trained at a time (during the early morning and during a pandemic) when the place was nearly empty so I could do whatever I wanted. They had excellent equipment, racks, bars and plates (mostly Rogue but some Eleiko), and some machines (Elite FTS type stuff like Reverse/Nordic plate loaded hamstring curl, GHD, Reverse Hyper, Chest Supported Row, Belt Squat, i.e. good stuff no LifeFitness). I loved this gym, despite the price, and had a really solid 8 months of training before I had to move. Really the price was my only gripe, but well worth it to stay sane during an insane time.

im kinda blessed, we have eleiko equipment and 24/7 openingshours.

Worked out at a performance powerlifting gym for a month. Terrible opening hours, random absurd rules about using and cleaning equiment, no air condition, and crazy parking rules for 40 dollars a month. needless to say I never came back.

The virgin performance gym vs the Chad commercial gym

love the omori background music