Hi everyone,

This is the week!

There is a lot happening over the next several days as we close out our time at Rep Max and Left Coast and officially begin training in our new home. We know there are going to be questions, so please read through this entire email as it covers where to train this week, our new coaching hours, how training will flow at the new facility, and our new reservation system.

First, we want to give a BIG welcome to the approximately 35 Rep Max athletes joining SoCal Weightlifting!

We’re incredibly excited to have you with us, get to know you better, and officially welcome you into the SoCal community. This is a substantial transition for both communities, and we’re looking forward to getting everyone together under one roof.

TRAINING THIS WEEK

Chris and Brandon will not be coaching this week at Rep Max or Left Coast as we are in crunch mode getting everything done at the new facility.

If you currently train at Rep Max:

You will train at Rep Max Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

Rep Max will be closed as of October 1, so there is one VERY important thing we need you to take care of this week:

PLEASE TAKE YOUR PERSONAL BARBELL HOME!

If you have a personal bar stored at Rep Max, take it home after your final training session. Any bars left behind will be moved into storage, and they will not be quick for us to access afterward.

We will eventually have personal bar storage available at SoCal, but we don't have the same amount of wall space that we had previously. We need some time to figure out the best way to organize that space. Personal bar storage is something we're going to solve IN October, not BY October. For now, take your bar home and we'll communicate the plan once we have it figured out.

If you currently train at Left Coast:

Gizzi has generously said that our athletes are welcome to continue training there through the end of this week. We will be removing our equipment from Left Coast throughout the week but there is still Left Coast equipment that will stay there that you can use. A huge thank you to Gizzi and the entire Left Coast community for giving us a home during this transition.

SOCAL COACHING HOURS starting thursday

Coaching hours at our new location begin Thursday, October 1!

Our initial coaching schedule will be:

Monday–Wednesday: 4:00–8:00 PM
Thursday: 4:30–7:30 PM
Friday: 4:00–8:00 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM–12:00 PM

For this Thursday only, coaching hours will be 4:00–8:00 PM because we expect more athletes than usual as we get into the new space.

Yes, you will have access to the gym outside of these hours. We are still sorting through 24/7 access as the doors are not super conducive to a modern lock system. If you want to train outside of those hours, please text your coach and they can help you get into the facility with our short term solution.

Moving forward, Thursday will be a shorter coaching evening since it is traditionally our rest day and a quieter training night.

We're going to use October to evaluate this schedule. As we see what works in the new facility, we'll determine whether these hours work well or need to be adjusted.

NEW: WEIGHTLIFTING FLOOR RESERVATIONS

One of the biggest changes at the new facility will be a reservation system for the weightlifting portion of your training.

Our new training floor is smaller than our previous space, and we want to make sure that when you come in to train, your time on the weightlifting floor is protected. The goal is simple: a better training experience.

We don't want athletes showing up and wondering whether there will be space for them. We also know that when too many athletes are on the weightlifting floor at once, it becomes difficult for our coaches to give everyone the attention they deserve and it makes training feel chaotic or overwhelming. Reservations allow us to control that before it happens.

IMPORTANT: Your reservation is ONLY for the weightlifting floor while you complete your Snatch and Clean & Jerk work.

You DO NOT need a reservation for:

• Warming up
• Squats, jerks, pulls or other strength work
• Accessories
• Upstairs training areas

Reservations will also ONLY be required for weightlifting-floor training between 4:00–7:00 PM. If you're using the weightlifting floor outside of those hours, you do not need a reservation.

Reservations will be made through the Zen Planner app so feel free to download that.

[I will be inserting the how-to guide on reservations here, as well as sending out an additional text once I can roll that out. I have a ton of admin work to do in order to ensure everyone’s memberships are set up in a way that they can reserve so I just need a day or two to get that done. For you, it will essentially be downloading the app, logging in, and then just tapping to reserve your sessions in the time slot you want.]

Please read through that page before your first reserved training session so you understand how everything works.

HOW TRAINING WILL FLOW

We've intentionally designed the new facility around the way you actually move through a training session.

When you arrive:

1. Head upstairs.
Put your bag on the storage racks and complete your warm-up upstairs.

2. Move to the weightlifting floor.
If you're training during reserved hours, enter the training floor at your scheduled time and complete your Snatch and Clean & Jerk work before the end of your reserved time. This is where you'll receive the most direct coaching and attention during your session.

3. Move into your strength work.
Once your lifts are complete or your reserved time has ended you'll move on to the next portion of your training. If you have squats, jerks or other strength work, you'll move into the strength room. Your coaches will still be on the same floor and available to help.

4. Finish accessories upstairs.
Accessory work can be completed upstairs. Coaches will not be stationed upstairs actively coaching accessories, but you are ALWAYS welcome to come down and ask questions if you need help with anything in your program.

The layout is intentional:

Most coaching → Weightlifting
Less coaching → Strength work
Least coaching → Accessories

This allows our coaches to put their attention where it has the biggest impact while giving everyone enough space to complete their entire training session.

We'll also be releasing a coaching schedule this week so you'll know who is on the floor each day.

Your floor coaches will be Chris, Brandon, Adam, and Perry.

GRAND OPENING + GAME OF LIFTS + POTLUCK ON SATURDAY!

And finally... Grand Opening weekend is here!

Remember that there will NOT be normal Saturday training from 9:00 AM–12:00 PM this Saturday because we'll be hosting Game of Lifts. The weightlifting floor will not be available for regular training during the event. If you want to get your regular training in on Saturday, you absolutely can as the facility and training floor will be available for regular training after 12:00 PM.

If you haven't registered for Game of Lifts yet, grab one of the last spots!

Session 1 — 2 spots remaining
Session 2 — 2 spots remaining

GAME OF LIFTS REGISTRATION LINK

We'll also have SoCal Weightlifting and Rep Max apparel available for purchase at Game of Lifts, so you'll have a chance to grab some gear while you're there. Most importantly, we're hoping everyone sticks around and hangs out after the lifting!

At 12:00 PM, we're having a big Grand Opening potluck!

We'd love for everyone attending Game of Lifts to bring something to share and plan to stick around for an additional hour afterward if you can.

We've always had so much fun with our SoCal potlucks, and this feels like the perfect way to celebrate the new gym and welcome everyone from Rep Max. We want to eat together, hang out, introduce people who haven't met yet, and give everyone a chance to get to know their new teammates and training partners.

There are going to be some growing pains as we learn how everyone moves through the new facility, figure out our busiest training times, and get used to a new system. October is going to be our month to learn, adjust, and make the space work as well as possible for everyone.

Thank you for being flexible with us throughout this entire transition, from the fire, to training out of multiple gyms, to finally getting back under one roof.

We're excited about what we're building, and we're even more excited about the group of people we're building it with.

See you at the new SoCal!

SoCal Weightlifting
Pursuing Excellence in Weightlifting