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In 2 years, I have made my dream a reality. A real old-school gym where training is hard, and everyone can feel at home. Read how the Gym came about here....
In 2018, I decided I wanted to open a Gym that had the quality and feel of an old-school gym from the 80s/90s. It had been a dream for some time to have my own gym, and in doing so, it came out of frustration for what I saw and experienced at the well-known impersonal and crowded "Fitness Chains" that only went for the big money. I wanted a gym, in the old-school way; run with passion and mindfulness.
My mind was made up... "I will open my own gym". However, this was easier said than done. After almost 2 years of puzzling and orientating, I had my plan ready and knew exactly how and what I wanted but the starting capital was not there....
So this required creativity and perseverance.
I started buying up 2nd hand old school appliances and refurbishing them myself. After a while, I had collected quite a few. The appliances worked top notch and looked good. Basically, I could get started. A location was the 2nd obstacle and then the search for an affordable and suitable location started.
However, all this cost a lot of money so I started looking for credit. I wrote a business plan and went to two lenders and they did not see any merit in my plan as I would not be able to compete in the current fitness industry. That was exactly what I didn't want as I wanted to start from my passion and not go for the big money.
So no start-up credit...
In April 2020, I got in touch with someone who is an entrepreneur himself and he saw the passion and entrepreneurship in my eyes and wanted to give me the chance to realise my dream. He offered me a loan; just enough to start renting my current location and that way, after more than 2 years of plodding and trying, I could start the gym after all!
On 29 May 2020, I signed the lease and immediately started working towards opening the gym within five weeks. We are now some time on and my idea of how a gym should be appeals to more and more people. Slowly but surely, we are growing!
Even the insecure beginners choose this very approach, because we work personally and on a small scale, the step is easier and you get much more guidance than with the big chains.
My passion and commitment have since been rewarded and now I am the mega proud founder and owner of Dordrecht's one and only old-school gym PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD GYM.
Hope to see you soon!
From warehouse to old-school Gym
Hard work and chores every day, step by step the gym came to fruition. Since July 2020, we have been open!
I work exclusively with proven techniques and do not do "hypes" or "trends". Bodybuilding has been around for over 100 years and is the basis for everything within the fitness industry. 100% commitment, motivation and discipline really is the basis for a good physique. At progressive overload gym, this is central, and we help each other achieve it!
My mission is to help you achieve your goals. Together we get to work, and create a way for you to keep it up and enjoy it! Physical and Mental health is the focus here. But sociability and respect are also 2 important pillars in the gym. No extreme diets or dangerous means but just the basic principles.