The gym
"I opened Forge because I got tired of being told to teach less, charge more, and let people fail safely. None of those things make athletes."
— Marcus Reyna, Head Coach & Owner
Forge Athletic opened in 2017 in a 4,200 sq. ft. warehouse on SE Division Street. The first eighteen months we had nine members. The next eighteen we had a waitlist. We have not advertised once.
What we do is straightforward. We teach the barbell movements. We program around them. We coach every rep — not because that is the marketing line, but because that is the only way someone gets stronger without getting hurt. Class sizes stay capped at twelve. We hire coaches with credentials and platforms — we do not hire instagram followings.
We do not have mirrors. We do not have music industry. We do have chalk, eighteen platforms, a sled, two competition deadlift bars, and the kind of community that picks each other up between sets without being asked.
Coaches
Head Coach & Owner
USAW Level 2 · CSCS · 18 yrs coaching
Former competitive weightlifter (85kg). Opened Forge in 2017 after eight years coaching at a chain gym that asked him to stop teaching the deadlift. Writes the Barbell Club programming and coaches the 5:30am class himself, every day.
Strength Coach
NSCA-CSCS · USAPL referee · 7 yrs coaching
Powerlifter (76kg, Nationals-qualified). Runs the meet-prep program and coaches private athletes through their first competition. Patient, technical, and the person to talk to about the deadlift.
Conditioning Coach
NASM-CPT · ACE-CMES · 5 yrs coaching
Former 800m runner. Coaches the conditioning blocks and runs the off-platform work — sled, carries, rowing, the things that make the heavy work possible. Lives for a good Tabata.
Mobility & Rehab Coach
DPT · USAW Level 1 · 9 yrs practice
Physical therapist who coaches part-time. Available for movement screens and rehab programming for members coming back from injury. Books quietly through the front desk.
House rules
Twice a week is the floor. Three is better. Five is when you stop being a beginner.
If we say drop the weight, drop it. If we say add ten, add ten. You hired us; let us do the job.
Take your headphones off when someone needs a spot. Sweep your platform.
Film your lifts. Then put it away. We are here to train, not to scroll.
You do not have to win a meet. You have to enter one. It will change how you train forever.