One of the first things people notice when they walk into our gym is that many of the machines look different.
That’s because they are.
We don’t buy equipment based on what’s popular or what’s cheapest. We pay three times more, import machines from overseas, and customize almost everything.
Why?
There are three honest reasons.
First, because my inner 15-year-old still wants the coolest toys to get huuuuge.
Second, because I refuse to build just another room full of weights. In a city as competitive as New York, standing out isn’t optional, it’s part of the job.
And third, because the equipment is genuinely better. Better biomechanics. Better feel. Better results. And, in many cases, safer.
It starts with biomechanics
Take our custom plate-loaded incline press.
Most commercial gyms use selectorized machines. They’re reliable, easy to maintain, and make sense when hundreds of members use them every day.
But they also limit your range of motion.
Our plate-loaded incline press follows a much more natural movement path, making it significantly friendlier on the shoulders while allowing virtually unlimited loading. You can even shift the resistance toward the stretched or contracted portion of the lift, depending on what you’re trying to accomplish.
Or look at our pendulum leg press.
It moves far more smoothly than a traditional leg press, and the footplate uncouples so each leg can be trained independently.
Nothing here is ordered from a catalogue.
Every piece was chosen because it serves a purpose.
It’s never just about the machine
Equipment by itself doesn’t build muscle.
Programming matters more. Execution matters more. Nutrition matters more.
But when a machine allows you to train through a better range of motion, load a muscle more precisely, and do it safely, every repetition becomes more productive.
That’s why we’ve spent years building a facility around biomechanics instead of convenience.
If I walk into a gym that’s filled with nothing but Gym80 or Precor (unless it’s a hotel gym), I already know someone ordered equipment from a catalogue, not from a coaching philosophy.
The real difference
People often ask whether better equipment produces better results.
Not by itself.
But here’s what custom equipment tells you. If we’re willing to obsess over something as small as the angle of an incline press, imagine how much thought goes into your program.
The equipment isn’t the product. The standard is.
The same attention to detail that goes into selecting every machine goes into selecting every exercise, every progression, and every coach we hire.
If we’re asking our clients to invest in their health, the least we can do is invest in giving them the very best tools, and the very highest standard, to get them there.
Maik Wiedenbach
See it in person
We offer a limited number of complimentary trial sessions for people who are serious about changing what’s not working. You train. You see the facility. You decide.
No pitch. No pressure. Just one session.
Maik Wiedenbach is a Hall of Fame swimmer turned bodybuilding champion and fitness model featured in Muscle & Fitness and Men’s Journal. An NYU adjunct professor and award-winning coach, he founded New York’s most sought-after personal training gym.