If anyone was wondering, Heavy Metal Gym was founded in 1982 by Tom Jensen. The original location for our gym was where Gords Maytag is today on 10th and Tranquille. From there, it moved to the small strip mall at 12th St. and the Halston, and finally to our current location at 145 Briar Ave. Through it all, the spirit of Heavy Metal has always been the same.
When I first discovered the gym in 2016, I had no idea it even existed. I had met Marc, our current gym manager, while working with my younger brother as security at the North Hills Mall. When he heard I was looking for a gym, he suggested coming here. The first time I came to get a membership, I immediately felt welcome. It reminded me of the first gym I ever trained at on a military base—Heavy Metal Gym felt like home again.
When the opportunity came in late 2017 to purchase the gym, we didn’t hesitate. I didn’t want to see the gym sold off in pieces, and I recognized its potential. Since then, we’ve made several updates. We removed the old T-bar ceiling, added updated energy-efficient LED lighting, and put in new flooring. While we have purchased some new equipment, like the functional trainer, I’ve also continued repairing and maintaining the original machines that were fabricated by Coach Clint Geffard and a welder friend of his back in the early 1980s.
The gym has been open by keyfob 24 hours a day for as long as I know, but we’ve added a brand-new security system with cameras inside and out, as well as new software to help modernize operations. We feel that Heavy Metal Gym has something to offer everyone and that we provide a valuable service to the residents of Kamloops.