Chicago Strength & Conditioning

Best gym I've ever attended with fantastic coaching and excellent equipment. I drive from the Western suburbs just to come here. If you want to get strong and learn how to squat, bench, deadlift (among other things) this is the place to be.

Thank you Tom!

Thanks Sarah!

Not the worst place.

Thanks Kris!

I’ve tried training by myself in commercial gyms and have made a slight bit of progress on my own. After reading “Starting Strength” I tried doing the program on my own, as well. I’ve watched many many Youtube videos by Rip and the other Starting Strength guys. However, while I can pick out form errors after all of this when watching other people squat, deadlift, etc., it is extremely difficult to pick them out when I am doing the lifts. Errors in the technique is what can get you injured when trying to progressively lift heavier and heavier weights. I’ve had injuries related to this, so I gave a Starting Strength gym a try to see if they could help resolve some of my problems. Within a couple of weeks, Dave was able to help fix the major form errors in all of the lifts. For a solid two month period each time I came into the gym I was able to add about 5 pounds to the bar on each lift. Then we transitioned smoothly to slightly different regiment when this was beginning to stop working (which is natural for everyone) so that we could still add weight on the bar each week. I couldn’t have done this on my own. Within in a few months, here is the progress made compared to where I had started with: squat was tripled, deadlift was 2.5 times higher, bench press and overhead press were doubled.For most other sports that people try to learn, they will usually do so working with a trainer or coach. Why not with weigh-lifting? I’ve spent a lot of time in commercial gyms and nearly everyone you see is doing something different than everyone else and if you watch them over an extended period of time they are always using the same weight each time, one year after the other. In working with a Starting Strength coach, like Dave, you will be able to see huge differences in the amount of weight that you can lift over periods of months or even years, if you are so motivated. This is how you can get significantly stronger.

After hearing about Starting Strength from a friend, I decided to join CS&C. It has been the best decisions I've made related to my fitness. Aleli is so awesome! She has helped me so much and motivates me to keep going. All of the coaches at the gym have been so great and knowledgeable. I'm so glad I found Chicago Strength and Conditioning.

Thanks Pat! It was a pleasure to meet you. Go Pistons!

Thanks, Curtis!

I came to Chicago Strength and Conditioning because I practiced and competed in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu & I wanted to get stronger, I came in very small and weak (138lbs & struggled with just about every lift). I knew it was a fact that getting stronger would not just help me in my everyday life but it would have a direct translation to my abilities on the mat. Despite knowing this however, it seemed that no matter what routine or program I did on my own, they all left me either injured, still weak, or a combination of the two. When I came to Coach Dave for help he & Coach Karl taught me how to PROPERLY do the basic barbell movements and systematically walked me through Starting Strength Process. They helped me with nutrition and with programming and most importantly they watched and walked me through every individual lift that I did to ensure I did not get injured (something I cannot afford to have happen with my job).Since training with Coach Dave, I have seen all of my strength numbers increase and I have found it much easier to handle opponents on the mats. As a wonderful byproduct of training my physique has also improved! But the benefits of training here for me also went far beyond just the physical side of it, I have since felt more confident, felt more prepared to handle the everyday stresses of life & honestly just felt happier to finally be accomplishing my fitness goals. This gym is also not just a gym, it’s like a family of people who all come together to help you achieve your fitness goals, everyone who trains here is very friendly and are all there to help you. There is absolutely no judgement going on here. I highly recommend this place!