Chicago Loop · Est. 2011
Train like
it matters
Coached strength, conditioning and boxing sessions for adults who train around a full calendar. Twelve to a class, never more, and a coach who knows your name before your second session.
Studio session 04 · Muted
4 studios
Chicago · Austin · Denver · Seattle
12 max
Athletes per coached class
41 coaches
Certified and re-tested yearly
96%
Still training after 12 months
First class free / New member intake every Monday / Coach-led, always / No lock-in contracts / Four studios, one standard / Capped at twelve / Doors open 05:00
01 / Why Forge
A hard room
that lets you in
No mirrors to pose in, no queue for the one working rack. Forge runs coached sessions in blocks you can actually finish, programmed by strength coaches who write the next twelve weeks before you start week one.
You get a barbell, a plan and a coach watching your hip height on every rep. If the plan stops working, we change the plan – not your membership terms.
- Programming reviewed every four weeks against your logged numbers
- Coaches on the floor for every session, never a screen
- Equipment spec: calibrated plates, competition bars, no broken cables
- Showers, towels and a recovery bay you would bring a guest to
Active members
6,400
Median coaching tenure
11yrs
Sessions per studio, weekly
118
Average member rating
4.9/5
02 / Curriculum
Pick a goal.
We write the block.
Three curriculum tracks, each twelve weeks or shorter, each with its own loading scheme, conditioning dose and re-test week. Choose at intake; switch at any re-test without a new contract.
Muscle gain · Fat loss · General fitness · Return to training
Track A · 12 weeks
Muscle gain
Three barbell sessions a week with a hard loading intent, backed by accessory volume you can recover from on a working schedule.
- Squat, hinge and press progressions
- Week 4 and week 8 re-tests on the big three
- Protein and sleep targets set with your coach
3 sessions / week · 70 min
Track B · 10 weeks
Fat loss
Strength kept, engine built. Two lifting days and two interval days, plus a step target that fits around a desk job and a commute.
- Interval work on rower, bike and sled
- Monthly body composition and waist check
- Habit plan reviewed every two weeks
4 sessions / week · 50 min
Track C · Rolling
General fitness
The all-rounder: one strength day, one conditioning day, one long mobility session. Built for people returning after years away.
- Technique-first coaching on every lift
- Scalable loads, tested at week 6
- Free intake session with a physio screen
3 sessions / week · 45 min
Sample week · Chicago Loop
Barbell strength
Mon / Wed / Fri · 06:00
Track A · Coach Reyes
Engine room
Tue / Thu · 12:15
Track B · Coach Okafor
Boxing fundamentals
Mon / Thu · 19:00
All tracks · Coach Vasquez
Mobility reset
Sat · 09:30
All tracks · Coach Lindqvist
03 / The floor
Built like a workshop, kept like one
Calibrated plates, competition bars, chalk allowed. Twelve platforms per studio, six ergs, two sleds and a recovery bay with a sauna that runs until close.
1,400 m² per studio · 12 platforms · 6 ergs · Sauna & cold plunge
Free weights, first
Six racks, split platforms and dumbbells to 60 kg. Everything within ten steps of the coaching desk so nobody trains unobserved.
Conditioning kit
Rowers, assault bikes, ski ergs, sleds and turf long enough to sprint. Intervals are programmed, never improvised.
Recovery, on site
Sauna, cold plunge, and a mobility bay stocked with bands, rollers and a physio chair. Towels included, always.
04 / The team
Coaches,
not instructors
Every coach on the Forge floor holds a recognised certification, logs their own training and re-tests annually. Turn a card to read what they are qualified to do.
Hover or tap a card for certifications
Dominic Reyes
Strength lead · Chicago Loop
Dominic Reyes
Strength & powerlifting
Coaches Track A and every re-test week. Twelve years under the bar, eight of them teaching.
- NSCA CSCS
- USA Weightlifting L2
- FRCms mobility specialist
- MS Exercise Science
8 yrs coaching
Mara Okafor
Conditioning lead · Austin East
Mara Okafor
Engine & fat loss
Writes the interval progressions for all four studios and runs the Track B habit reviews.
- ACSM CPT
- Precision Nutrition L1
- USATF Level 1
- BSc Kinesiology
6 yrs coaching
Tom Vasquez
Boxing coach · Denver RiNo
Tom Vasquez
Boxing & footwork
Twelve amateur bouts, then a decade teaching adults to throw their first clean one-two.
- USA Boxing L2 coach
- NASM CPT
- TRX suspension L2
- Emergency first aid
10 yrs coaching
Ines Lindqvist
Rehab & mobility · Seattle Ballard
Ines Lindqvist
Rehab, mobility, return to training
Runs the intake screen and every graded return after injury or a long layoff.
- MSc Physiotherapy
- FRCms certified
- SFMA Level 1
- Postnatal coaching cert
9 yrs coaching
05 / Member stories
Twelve weeks, on the record
No staged before-and-afters. Every re-test is logged by the coach who ran it, and members can leave the data on the board or take it home.
Swipe or use the arrows · 248 re-tests logged this year
I booked the trial because the class was capped at twelve. Six months on, I deadlift double bodyweight and I have never once trained alone.
Priya N., 38 · Austin East
-14kg
In 12 weeks
2x
Deadlift / bodyweight
My A1c came down before my waist did. The coaches asked about my bloodwork, not my mirror. That is why I stayed.
Marcus D., 45 · Chicago Loop
6.2%
A1c, from 8.1
4x
Sessions weekly, 3 yrs
I walked in unable to hold a plank. Tom had me boxing in eight weeks and in a ring eleven months later.
Elena R., 31 · Denver RiNo
11mo
Intake to first bout
-9kg
Body weight
After the shoulder rebuild, Ines graded every single week. I squat more now, at fifty-two, than I did at forty.
Daniel K., 52 · Seattle Ballard
+40kg
Back squat, 18 months
0days
Lost to injury since
06 / Studios
Four cities, one standard
One membership covers all four floors. Travel for work, train at the same standard, with your programme waiting on the other end.
Chicago Loop
412 W Kinzie St
Mon-Fri 05:00-22:00
Austin East
1908 E 6th St
Mon-Fri 05:30-21:00
Denver RiNo
2750 Walnut St
Mon-Fri 05:00-21:30
Seattle Ballard
5321 Ballard Ave NW
Mon-Fri 05:30-21:00
07 / Book a trial class
Train a class.
Then decide.
Your first coached session is free, kit included, no card needed. Bring one training partner and we will put you both in the same class.
Step 01
Pick a studio and a session time that fits your week.
Step 02
Tell your coach the goal. You will leave with a twelve-week outline.
Step 03
Train it. Decide afterwards, without a sales conversation.