Seattle Barbell Club

Fantastic experience: If you’re looking for the best Olympic lifting gym in Seattle, Seattle Barbell Club is the place to be! This gym is a haven for weightlifters of all levels, offering top-tier coaching, an incredible training atmosphere, and a highly motivated community that pushes you to be your best. The coaches are phenomenal, providing expert guidance tailored to each lifter’s needs, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced athlete. The gym is well-equipped with everything you need for Olympic lifting, powerlifting, and strength training. The community is second to none supportive, driven, and always ready to help you hit new PRs. Whenever I’m in Seattle, Seattle Barbell Club is my go-to spot. If you’re serious about Olympic lifting, this gym is a must-visit!

Fantastic experience: If you want to learn excellent Olympic Weightlifting form, Derek is your guy! Seattle Barbell has been a wonderful community for my daughter to grow in the sport of weightlifting. She switched from competitive gymnastics to weightlifting going into middle school 2 years ago. All she had was flexibility and a good strength base and Derek created a little powerhouse! As a parent of a child that attends Seattle Barbell, I feel very comfortable with all of the coaches and weightlifters. It's a super supportive community that welcomes all ages and levels, recreational and competitive. Derek is very attentive to form, especially with newcomers, and gives great corrections to all athletes. He has a growing community of Olympic lifters and Power lifters.

Fantastic experience: I went to a class looking to get a form check on a few lifts. Derek was really awesome and gave me a lot of pointers to work on, like back rounding on deadlifts, arm position on OHP. Gym has a really positive energy and the other lifters were really helpful and supportive.

Fantastic experience: I trained here for 4 months during my sport's off season. I was looking to get stronger for the national championships and Derek sure delivered. While I own a home gym, learning Olympic weightlifting on my own proved to be problematic so I signed up for the Olympic weightlifting program. In the time I spent here I added 20 kilos to both my snatch and clean/jerk. Outside of weightlifting, this translates to more flexibility and more strength which means all the drills I do in my sport are now much easier, my gear feels lighter, and it's much harder to push me around the court. In addition to the excellent coaching, the community is also fun and supportive. I highly recommend Seattle Barbell Club to anyone looking to improve their weightlifting technique and/or make strength and performance gains.

Fantastic experience: Seattle Barbell Club is so good I feel conflicted about going on vacation. Derek is an extremely competent trainer, and has a great sense of how to structure programs for beginners as well as advanced lifters. Most sessions have somewhere between 8 and 12 people, but the way Derek goes about it, it often feels like you have a personal trainer for the price of a group training session. He is particularly good at injury rehab. An unexpected perk is the social aspect. Derek does a great job of keeping things light-hearted and fun. The regulars are super friendly and you will get to know everyone over time. When I started, I really only intended to try weightlifting out for a month as a novelty thing, but somehow I'm still here.

Fantastic experience: Derek and SBC have been very welcoming & supportive. From 2016-2018 I was at an Eastside-based Crossfit gym focusing on their barbell club programming (= Olympic Weightlifting + powerlifting). Good times were had, progress was made. When the 1 barbell coach left, the owner let our club fizzle and our community scattered. Tail end of 2018, I tried another local barbell specialty gym on the Eastside. I liked the main coach and was easing into the community. Then, the owner mistreated me so I only lasted 1.5 months. Early 2019 I jumped in with Derek's cozy gym at Strength University in South Bothell, later re-branded Seattle Barbell Club. I haven't looked back. The community has always been fun and supportive. People come and go (life, right?) but the vibe remains good. I continue to make gains in technique and strength. We have nearly as many women as men working out there and I chip in on spot-coaching also. Come ready to self-organize with the programming tools, and ready to be part of the community and positively contribute. The occasion risqué joke or expletive happens so that keeps it fun also.

Positive experience: This place was really dialed it was like you got a free trainer

Fantastic experience: Seattle Barbell club offers excellent coaching and personalized instruction in a safe and comfortable environment. I have learned a lot about weightlifting and continue to get stronger all while working out along side other friendly club members. I highly recommend Seattle Barbell Club!

Fantastic experience: Seattle Barbell Club has had a huge positive impact on my strength and overall health and wellness. Derek Kress is knowledgeable, accessible and enjoyable to work with. Through his program, at age 45, I'm now stronger and healthier than I was in my 20's.

Fantastic experience: Great place for weightlifting and powerlifting with personalized coaching. I am doing weightlifting and my technique has been improving a lot with Derek. I met also great people at this gym: there's a great community with good mindset.

Fantastic experience: Derek is an amazing trainer, he genuinely wants every client to get better and get stronger. He always pushed me to lift that one last rep and it pays off. Definitely worth it!

Fantastic experience: I've been lifting for years and was never conforable increasing my weight too much because of the fear of injury. Derek recently corrected my squat and deadlift form which has helped me hit new personal bests in these lifts.

Fantastic experience: Derek is very personable and takes the time to really get to know your strengths and struggles so he can help you in just the right way. No matter what your fitness goals are, whether it be to lose weight or get become a professional lifter, he will make sure you get to it. As a person that's absolutely strained for time, Derek works with the schedule I have to get to my personal fitness goals. Would highly recommend him to anyone either wanting to start lifting or someone who already life and just needs there extra racks and platforms.

Fantastic experience: If you're looking to get crazy strong, avoid injury, and have a blast doing it, Derek's the man! Super knowledgable and supportive - he definitely knows his craft. After working with Derek, I feel like whether you're a total beginner to lifting, or a weekend warrior, or a seasoned gym rat, Strength U is a great place to learn to be as strong as you want to be.

Fantastic experience: I have been training with Derek for a a few years and am very happy. I have not only become stronger and more in shape but I have learned so much. Derek is a teacher first and has taught me about all aspects of fitness, including lifting, mobility and nutrition. I have seen huge increases in strength with Derek's programming and coaching. His knowledge in both power and Olympic lifting has given me a great foundation that continues to grow. He pushes me every workout and I find myself doing things that I never thought I would be able to. Finally, working out with Derek is fun. He makes me want to work hard and has increased my confidence in myself. I highly recommend him!

Fantastic experience: My experience at Strength University has been great! Derek makes you feel very comfortable and even cracks a couple jokes. It is like being with family. He is very knowledgeable and makes sure that each rep is practiced with perfect form. He takes the time to work with you and give you individualized attention which is keen in safety considering I am no expert in lifting. He asks you what your goals are and more than willing to help get you there and work with your schedule. I have even invited a friend to come to Strength University with me and it was a blast. Overall, its been a very positive experience. =)

Fantastic experience: Strength University has excellent coaching that is very knowledgable, great atmosphere to train in. Highly recommend this gym.

Fantastic experience: I've known Derek Kress for several years now and let me tell you, he is one phenomenal trainer. He takes the time to get to know what your goals are and creates a plan so that you can safely achieve those goals. He is highly knowledgable in power lifting and Olympic lifting which are definitely areas where you want to have a coach who knows what they are doing! I would highly recommend anyone who wants to be healthier and stronger to check out Strength University!

Fantastic experience: Great atmosphere. A comfortable place to workout. Derek is a down to earth, but challenging trainer, who really gets down to the basics. All his workouts are based on strength training and are very effective.

Fantastic experience: Derek has been my trainer for almost two years. In that time, I'm down one shirt size, and have lost several inches off of my waistline. I feel a thousand times better and really enjoy the new sense of healthy living that working with a trainer has given me. Derek's style is very personal and hands-on with each person getting his complete attention when they need it, as well as the space to do their own thing. The facility itself is a tight-knit community of individuals with diverse abilities and goals. We celebrate each others gains, and encourage each other to excel. Strength University is the perfect place for those who don't want to be in a high-volume, impersonal gym. It doesn't matter if you're new to strength training or have been in the gym for years. All are welcome here.