September 18, 2006
17 responses to Breaking news: Metal Gym shut down!
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Under the Bar is 20 years, 11 months and 5 days old with 462 posts, 329 photos, 108 video clips (363 M worth) and a bunch of comments.
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September 19th, 2006 at 7:39 am
If they are indeed getting rid of things like reverse hypers and cambered bars, could be a good opportunity to buy some great pre-loved gear.
September 19th, 2006 at 11:52 am
I believe they are not getting rid of anything, just looking at a new place to set up shop. From the sound of it, and total lack of customer notice, this rent matter must have dropped on them like a bombshell. Not sure if Ano has actually sold the gym business to concentrate on his clothing and equipment business or what all this talk about new owners is about. Moving everything and setting up a new gym takes time, guessing it will be until next year before the new Metal is officially opened. Long-term this might be a good thing, there might be improvements (I’d love more specialty bars and to have the other pair of the 38 kg dumbell finally fixed, not to mention seeing the heavy bag back up that has been absent since the chain broke in late spring).
September 19th, 2006 at 3:57 pm
Yup, all I have to say is this sucks a bit. Now we’ll need to find somewhere else to train… Bummer.
September 20th, 2006 at 1:50 am
Wow that’s some crazy news. Maybe they are getting so busy with the gear business they need to split a bit.
September 20th, 2006 at 9:34 am
Latest developments: Ano just posted a note saying that Metal might not relocate after all and that negotiations are continuing. The verdict is expected within a couple of days. Good thing I haven’t yet bought a card somewhere else.
September 20th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
You’d think they wouldn’t post a “we’re shut”-sign until it’s absolutely certain. And, you’d also think they’d have the gym open until they know for sure, wouldn’t you?
Oh well, hoping for the best!
September 20th, 2006 at 1:30 pm
I have a feeling that they already knew for sure… only then someone saw some light somewhere and now nobody knows for no nothing no anything. Really hope they can settle the score, got some training to do.
September 21st, 2006 at 1:32 pm
From Ano on the Metal Gym homepage:
The facilites at the gym we visited yesterday with Måns left me even more eager to have Metal back… this is GREAT news. Since I was in contact with them about my unused training time, I also requested the heavy bag be reinstalled. My back is starting to feel the results of not being able to bang the bag of late after the chain snapped. Anyway, it is with much curiosity that I await the reincarnated gym and whether it will turn more commercial trying to attract a larger customer base (to pay the increased rent…?). To some extent, having more money rolling in could be a good thing in regards to certain specialty bars I would love to see in there.
On the other hand, this will probably mean that the percentage of powerlifters in the gym will be somewhat diluted… After all, powerlifters are generally not interested in “extremely massive supplement stores” as long as they get their protein. 
HAPPY HAPPY!!!! Unless the 1% hits the fan that is… Now let’s hope we won’t have to wait very long for the reopening.
September 21st, 2006 at 4:40 pm
Ironic, isn’t it, that gym’s make more money from people that don’t show up than from those who do. It’s a tough business. I’m glad it might stay open for you, Kris, because Metal had to be the sweetest setup I ever heard of. Ever.
September 21st, 2006 at 4:55 pm
Frankly, I would be surprised if Metal if making much money off the gym. Always kind of figured that the gym is living off their very popular Metal powerlifting equipment. With much of the world elite now lifting in Metal gear, they must be pulling in some decent sums. I confess to being a bit worried about the prospect of new owners and, in all likelihood, a striving to make the gym commercially viable on its own. Then again, I have a hard time believing that Ano would let a gym carrying his brand name degrade into a spandex haven.
September 22nd, 2006 at 3:31 pm
What about the gym you lifted at in the past, not the school gym, the one where you have a lot of footage from? That seems like a nice gym as well.
September 26th, 2006 at 12:07 pm
Mike, I’ve consider that option. The equipment is basic but solid, mostly coming from the former Gold’s Gym Helsinki, and the gym is located quite close to where I live. The place has changed owners since after crashing hard under bad management - a few lingering memories makes us looking primarily at other venues at the moment. As it stands now, the choice is between the largest gym in Helsinki and a much more basic affair with a 24h key card system. I’ll post some pics from our first visit to the latter, in the meantime everybody go read Måns’s excellent review. What I’m really waiting for now is the news on when Metal will be reopened. There’s really no point in going beyond pay-per-visit before then.
September 27th, 2006 at 1:18 pm
The latest from Metal is that the gym will be opened as soon as possible (October) in the old space. Really looking forward to that, just discovered that the gym we are going to today closes at 10pm. Måns is off work at 8pm and needs to refuel, so that’s pretty tight.
October 2nd, 2006 at 8:25 pm
The news stream has really picked up speed now. On Sunday, Ano announced that the gym has indeed been sold off to an external party, namely to the Finnish webstore Voimapuoti.com (translates as The PowerStore). Ano also wrote that the traditional Metal Gym Christmas Bench Bash (joulupenkkarit) will also be held as normal at Metal Gym in conjunction with a Nationals deadlift meet.
Today in the morning, Ano went on to reveal that the new gym manager is none other than the Finnish strength and bodybuilding legend Arto Lyytikäinen. I profess to not being quite up to speed with the large annals of Finnish strength history, but google tells me Mr. Lyytikäinen won BOTH the Finnish national titles in strongman AND bodybuilding in 1987. He is also a legendary coach and was very active when Iisalmi was something of a Finnish Body Mecca. From the few sources I have found, it does indeed seem like this man deservedly carries a lot of respect over here.
Finally, in the afternoon Metal Gym announced, this time also via e-mail, that the gym will reopen sometime NEXT WEEK. The official reopening will happen in November when there is also going to be a huge sale on supplements and Metal gear. Looks like that’s when I’m going to be buying new Metal training pants (God knows I need them, you all know what my trademark pants look like).
In sum, let’s see how this turns out. It could be a fresh change… or the path to Metal Gym turning into a crowded bodybuilding centred gym (NOOOOOOOOOOO!). This change is just too grand to be able to say much anything about it yet.
October 5th, 2006 at 4:58 pm
Or, could be nothing at all changes except the supplement sales part. We’ll just have to eagerly await and see…
October 7th, 2006 at 6:16 am
There’s no official announcement yet, but Ano mentions that the new owner has the intention of reopening Metal on Thursday.
October 9th, 2006 at 12:47 pm
Official now, Metal is opening on Thursday. Wonder if there are any major changes in there…