The Ultimate Guide to Boutique Strength Training Gyms in Philadelphia
From open gym to CrossFit and personal training, here’s where you can strength train around the city.
Looking to strength train? We’ve got the gym, group classes, and private sessions for you. / Photograph courtesy of Fit Academy.
If you’re looking to strength train in a smaller, more intimate setting, look no further. Whether you’re interested in weightlifting, CrossFit, open gym, or cardio-strength hybrid classes, check out these boutique strength training gyms all around Philadelphia.
Jump to:
Center City, Rittenhouse, and Graduate Hospital | Old City, Washington Square West, and Midtown Village| South Philadelphia, East Passyunk, Queen Village, Bella Vista, and Point Breeze | Fairmount, Brewerytown, Callowhill, and Spring Garden | Northern Liberties, Fishtown, Port Richmond, and Kensington | Manayunk, Roxborough, and East Falls | Chestnut Hill, Germantown, and Mt. Airy | West Philadelphia | North and Northeast Philadelphia | Local pop-ups
Strength Training Gyms in Center City, Rittenhouse, and Graduate Hospital
Barry’s
1911 Sansom Street
The O.G. treadmill and weights combo workout, Barry’s combines cardio with strength training — plus a rotating muscle-focus schedule — to give you the ultimate full-body workout. Only want to strength train? Opt for double floor for four rounds of weight-only work.
CrossFit Rittenhouse
2300 Chestnut Street, unit B7
Whether you’re a seasoned CrossFitter or new to the fitness regimen, CrossFit Rittenhouse caters to enthusiasts of all levels. They offer three one-on-one sessions for beginners to go over the fundamentals, plus membership options, drop-in WODs, personal training, and nutrition counseling. Note: They are temporarily closed as they work to restore damages caused by Hurricane Ida.
Control Lab
1624 South Street
Graduate Hospital’s newest strength and conditioning gym runs small group and personal circuit-style workouts using a variety of training equipment, like squat racks, rowers, battle ropes, and free weights. They also have on-site nutrition counseling.
Leverage Fitness
1530 Locust Street
Leverage’s facility was intentionally designed to accommodate up to four people, meaning you’ll get the benefits of personalized attention and the small-group energy. They have two semi-private sessions — strength and conditioning — for a holistic training program.
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OpenBox Athletics
1931 Washington Avenue
OpenBox Athletics on the border of Graduate Hospital and Point Breeze offers a number of functional intensity training and bootcamp/HIIT style classes every week. You can also book 60-minute personal training in modalities like powerlifting, yoga, and Pilates.
Optimal Sport 1315
1315 Walnut Street, lower level
In addition to all their group fitness classes, this health club offers open gym time and private strength sessions with their certified trainers.
RippedPHL
1519 Walnut Street, 3rd floor
This Rittenhouse HIIT studio combines running intervals on the treadmill with weight training on the floor. Bonus: They’ve got indoor, outdoor, and on-demand classes and personal sessions.
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The Summit at Rittenhouse
255 South 17th Street, 2nd floor
The Summit at Rittenhouse offers private training led by trainers with degrees in exercise science. That way, you get a fully customized strength workout that’s completely tailored to your needs and goals.
Unite Fitness
26 South 20th Street
Over the past 15 years, Unite Fitness has been helping people get physically and mentally strong with their segmented 55-minute workouts: 25 minutes of cardio via treadmill or spin bike, 25 minutes of HIIT strength, and five minutes of recovery. Plus, every day targets a different muscle group for ultimate results.
X-Force Philadelphia
30 South 15th Street, mezzanine (inside The Graham Building)
X-Force operates on what’s called eccentric, or negative, strength training, meaning extra resistance — 40-percent to be exact — is added to the second half of your rep. It’s especially great for busy folks, since the X-Force pros recommend the Swedish-designed, 30-minute system only once per week.
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Strength Training Gyms in Old City, Washington Square West, and Midtown Village
Bodysmith Performance
1315 Walnut Street
Certified strength and conditioning specialist Matt Smith offers in-person, remote, and in-home progression-based training. Your first session will start with a movement assessment to go over your goals and injury history, and from there, you’ll work with Smith to improve your mobility, strength, and recovery methods.
Level 1 Fitness
111 North 2nd Street
This Old City gym is here if you want to lift weights on your own or with one of their personal trainers. A highlight of the facility is their kinesis wall, which gets your whole body working through resistance training.
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Mass-Fit
401 South 2nd Street, lower level
Old City’s Mass-Fit is focused on functional and strength training for pain relief, particularly for your back. In their 6,000-square-foot facility, they offer personal training, group fitness, open gym, and a barbell club.
Paris Fit Studios
221 Vine Street
This woman-owned gym outfitted in all pink runs a variety of group fitness classes — like HIIT bootcamp and step aerobics — to strengthen your muscles, as well as one-on-one training and open gym.
Subversus Fitness
1229 Chestnut Street
Midtown Village’s Subversus Fitness believes that everyone has the capacity to tap into their athletic side, and their certified coaches are here to help. They offer CrossFit, a barbell club, personal training, open gym, and adult gymnastics, plus virtual coaching so you can train from anywhere in the world.
Strength Training Gyms in South Philadelphia, East Passyunk, Queen Village, Bella Vista, and Point Breeze
CrossFit 2 Street
1323 South 2nd Street
Since 2013, this Pennsport gym has been running CrossFit classes mornings, afternoons, and evenings during the week, plus morning workouts on Saturdays.
Fearless Athletics | CrossFit South Philly
744 South 11th Street
In Bella Vista, you’ll find CrossFit spot Fearless Athletics, which features 4,500 square feet of functional training space. They also have open gym, personal training, and classes for at-risk and underserved youth.
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Fitness Works
714 Reed Street
Fitness Works is a full-service fitness center offering a range of group exercise classes, personal training, designated circuit training areas, and a whole lot of free weights. After your workout, do some laps in their three-lane pool or enjoy their sauna.
G-Strength
616 South 4th Street
With personal and small-group strength training, G-Strength aims to help all clients get stronger, increase endurance, and improve flexibility and stability. They also provide nutrition coaching to help you develop eating habits in alignment with your training regimen.
KG Strong
1901 South 9th Street, Room 210 (inside Bok)
KG Strong is known for their strength training using kettlebells and yoga classes (hi, rooftop yoga!). Owner Katie Gould also recently launched a postpartum strength series, and while this one is already full, Gould is hoping to offer more in the near future.
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PHL Athletics
2017 South Juniper Street
Open seven days per week, PHL Athletics runs a ton of strength and conditioning classes, as well as bootcamps, Olympic lifting, and private sessions. They also run over 40 hours of open gym time on a weekly basis.
SelfEmbodiment Fitness
1349 South Street
This boutique fitness studio specializes in strength training and uses a variety of equipment — hex bars, TRX bands, dumbbells, and barbells, among others — to help you achieve your goals, whether you’re in a private or semi-private session.
Train & Nourish
1621 East Passyunk Avenue
Train & Nourish was founded by a woman, for women, and is led by a team of all-women trainers. Their flagship location in East Passyunk runs small group strength classes, private training, and nutrition counseling.
Strength Training Gyms in Fairmount, Brewerytown, Callowhill, and Spring Garden
BPM Fitness
1808 Spring Garden Street
Fairmount’s BPM Fitness is founded on optimizing your physical and mental strength. They host 45- and 60-minute strength training and circuit-style workouts that incorporate kettlebells and TRX bands, plus classes that begin with 30 minutes of cycling.
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Crossfit Fairmount
1513 Parrish Street
If you’re new to this CrossFit gym, you’ll need to complete their On Ramp series, which consists of six one-hour classes over two weeks to help you become acclimated to the CrossFit world. After that, you can participate in group classes or open gym. CrossFit Fairmount also runs yoga, gymnastics, and nutrition services.
Fit Academy
1363 North 31st Street
Fit Academy hosts private, semi-private, and larger group training (both indoor and outdoor!) in the form of bootcamps. Some days are focused on upper body, while other days you’ll get a solid leg and glute, core, or full-body workout.
Iron Works Fitness
454 North 12th Street, Basement B
This open gym in Callowhill is open 24/7, and features four squat racks, two deadlift platforms, and a fair amount of dumbbells, treadmills, and ellipticals.
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J’aime Fitness
2101 Brandywine Street
Along with barre and HIIT yoga, this family-run fitness studio in Fairmount runs bootcamp group classes, which are great for strength training as they often implement kettlebells, dumbbells, battle ropes, and rowing machines. You can also opt for private training at J’aime.
Steelworks Strength Systems
2511 West Girard Avenue, 1st floor
Steelworks Strength Systems takes a holistic approach to strength training. Each day’s workout starts with a warmup focused on mobility, followed by skill drills, strength training (think barbells, heavy squats, plyometrics), and their energy-system training, which works to improve cardiovascular endurance through mostly aerobic exercises.
Train & Nourish
559 North 20th Street
Train & Nourish’s second location opened earlier this year, bringing their private and small-group training for women to Fairmount and its surrounding neighborhoods.
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The Training Station Gym
533 Spring Garden Street
This sleek fitness club in Spring Garden has two weightlifting platforms, a power sled, agility ladder, a variety of free weights, dumbbells, and lifting equipment, plus other state-of-the-art strength and cardio machines for you to use in an open gym setting
Strength Training Gyms in Northern Liberties, Fishtown, Port Richmond, and Kensington
Bamn Fitness
1630 North Mascher Street
Standing for ‘By Any Means Necessary,’ Bamn Fitness’s goal is to help every client achieve their fitness goals, no matter what. The gym is separated into sections, featuring a circuit room with artificial turf, a free weight area, a power lifting wing, and a cardio zone.
The Bar Philadelphia
965 Frankford Avenue
Opened this past May, The Bar Philadelphia is a space for both personal training and pumping iron on your own. Their gym memberships are limited, though, in order to maintain an intimate fitness experience.
Cedar Street Barbell Club
2860 Memphis Street
This Port Richmond spot is dedicated solely to powerlifting with barbells. They’ve got something for everyone: private sessions, small group classes, and open gym time.
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Collective Strength
3245 Amber Street, 52A
This inclusive barbell gym in Kensington aims to make powerlifting accessible for everyone, especially communities that have been traditionally underrepresented in the strength training world. They have tiered pricing model for both memberships and drop-in visits to help mitigate financial barriers.
CrossFit Renaissance
3251 Cedar Street
CrossFit Renaissance in Port Richmond hosts small group strength sessions (that of course feature WODs), plus bootcamps, personal training, a youth CrossFit program, and nutrition counseling.
Earn Everything Strength and Conditioning
3245 Amber Street, 1st floor
Group classes at Earn Everything Strength and Conditioning run six days per week and focus on alternating muscle groups so you’re never overworking certain areas of your body. They also run a “super kids” program for youth ages eight through 15, as well one-on-one training by appointment only.
Fit Girl Army
2813 North 5th Street
Launched in 2015, Fit Girl Army’s workouts alternate between high repetitions using light weights and low repetitions using heavy weights. Here, all muscle groups are worked six days per week with varying exercises.
Fortitude & Co
712 North 2nd Street
At Fortitude & Co, every member goes through an initial one-on-one consultation so that their trainers know how to best help them during the small group strength and HIIT classes. They also offer open gym time so you can lift on your own.
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NovemFIT
1732 North Howard Street
For the past 10 years, NovemFIT in Fishtown has been helping people of all ages and skill levels get strong — whether that’s through functional training intervals, weightlifting, bootcamps, or barbell open gym.
Revolution Fitness Factory
1516 North 5th Street, Unit 104
Revolution Fitness Factory’s training program is known as WarriorFIT, a 45-minute high intensity workout that incorporates various strength equipment. The Kensington spot also offers personal training.
Studio North
1420 Germantown Avenue, Unit 1
Because Studio North knows that every client has different goals, they only offer one-on-one training. Your session also includes massage gun therapy, foam rolling, stretching, and even reserved parking.
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Swift Fit
2245 East Tioga Street
Swift Fit is a gym in Port Richmond where members can come in and strength train at their convenience. They also offer personal training, so you can work with one of their on-call coaches to stay motivated.
Warhorse Barbell Club
801 North Second Street
This NoLibs barbell club runs small group sessions that still include fully customized strength, circuit, and conditioning programming. If you’re looking for something a little more fast-paced, their Ignite training mixes dynamic intervals with strength and conditioning.
WillPower Live
1401 Germantown Avenue
The high-intensity training programming at Kensington’s WillPower Live moves you through 45 minutes of alternating strength and conditioning exercises. Monday through Thursday focuses on different muscle groups — lower body, upper body, core, and full body — while Fridays through Sundays are more for body weight, longer cardio intervals, and full-body conditioning.
Women’s Gym
426 East Allegheny Avenue
Designed as a space for women to achieve their fitness goals, Women’s Gym in Kensington offers group classes focused on strength training, HIIT, and dance fitness, plus personal training.
Strength Training Gyms in Manayunk, Roxborough, and East Falls
BeautiFitStrong
4027 Ridge Avenue
Along with personal training, BeautiFitStrong in East Falls offers small group strength training, muscle-targeting lifting sessions, and even nutritional guidance.
Breaking Point Fitness
3797 Main Street
Breaking Point Fitness is home to CrossFit Ridge Avenue, and here you’ll strength train with functional movements and the assistance of kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, and jump boxes, among other equipment. They also offer personal training in case a group setting isn’t your thing.
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Fire for Effect Athletics
123 Leverington Avenue
This strength and conditioning spot in Manayunk focuses on strongman exercises, which basically involves pushing, pulling, pressing, and lifting heavy or oversized objects. The team at Fire for Effect Athletics says working out this way can be beneficial because the functional movements “mimic movements that the people do in their daily lives.”
GoalsFit
110 Levering Street
Open for 13 years, GoalsFit runs personal and group training sessions at their Manayunk studio, outdoors, and via Zoom. Their offerings range from kettlebells and running to HIIT and bootcamp, plus workouts for kids.
Knights Gym
3510 Scotts Lane
If you’re looking for purely open gym, head to Knights Gym. They also offer core-only and full-body virtual training programs.
Manayunk Athletics
126 Leverington Avenue
Home of CrossFit Manayunk, Manayunk Athletics focuses on Olympic weightlifting and bootcamp-style training sessions. The gym, which recently celebrated its 10th birthday, offers both private and community classes.
Never Give Up Training
4368 Cresson Street
With a leader like Ali Cook Jackson (who is a certified Ironman coach) and a team of all certified trainers, you’re guaranteed to get a kick-ass private session or group fitness class at Never Give Up Training. The Manayunk studio also offers training programs for marathons, triathlons, and a variety of sports.
Prime Intensity Training
3801 Ridge Avenue
The circuit-style training sessions at Prime Intensity Training — better known as PIT — are meant to build muscle, boost stamina, improve endurance, and of course, get you strong. In addition to their East Falls location, they have a spot in the heart of Conshohocken.
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Requisite Fitness
3500 Scotts Lane
Requisite Fitness offers a variety of strength training options, including their CrossFit affiliate group CrossFit 215 and Kilodelphia Barbell, the gym’s weightlifting club. Personal and semi-private training is also available, as is customized programming for every sport.
Strength Training Gyms in Chestnut Hill, Germantown, and Mt. Airy
Balance Chestnut Hill
12 West Willow Grove Avenue
For strength training at Balance Chestnut Hill, you’ll want to take their B-Fit (circuit training), B-Pumped (cardio strength combo), or B-Strong (a modified B-Fit without cardio intervals).
TCore Fitness
7500 Germantown Avenue
Though they specialize in HIIT training, TCore Fitness offers small group classes that implement strength training equipment like TRX bands, kettlebells, oversized tires, and sand bags. They also offer one-on-one training for a fully customized plan.
Urban Athlete
7112 Germantown Avenue
This training facility in Mt. Airy hosts open gym time, plus group workouts that feature bodyweight exercises, free weights, kettlebells, TRX bands, rowing machines and barbells.
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WC Fitness
6769 Germantown Avenue
Opened in 2011 by personal trainer Walter Copeland II, WC Fitness offers personal training with certified coaches, as well as small group strength and conditioning classes and nutrition counseling.
Strength Training Gyms in West Philadelphia
BodyRock Bootcamp
3858 Lancaster Avenue
This West Philly fitness training biz hosts indoor and outdoor group bootcamps and personal training. Their sessions run every day of the week, and target various muscle groups so you’re always left feeling strong.
Fit Gym Philly
4415 Chestnut Street
An acronym for “Focused Intense Training,” Fit Gym Philly boasts dumbbells up to 250 pounds, plus a range of cardio and strength equipment and cable machines. They’re open seven days per week, so you can train when it works with your schedule.
Ground Up Barbell Club
Near the intersection of 47th Street and Kingsessing Avenue. Exact address will be provided at the time of booking.
Founded in 2014, Ground Up Barbell Club is a trans woman-led strength gym operating in West Philadelphia. Since its inception, it has grown from a free club that operated out founder Olivia Cadence Luxe’s bedroom into its current setup: an indoor/outdoor gym that provides no- to low-cost access to strength equipment and coaching, especially for cis women and trans, non-binary, Black, or Indigenous fitness enthusiasts.
Strength Training Gyms in North and Northeast Philadelphia
CrossFit Prime
220 Geiger Road, Unit 106
Located in the Bustleton section, CrossFit Prime runs 60-minute, trainer-led classes meant to build strength and endurance. You can also enjoy open gym seven days per week.
Dan Campos Fitness
4926 Pearson Avenue
This Torresdale spot offers a range of strength options: personal training, and small group powerlifting, bootcamp, tabata, and cardio kickboxing.
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Juniata Fitness
4401 G Street
Juniata Fitness is a full-service gym, meaning you’ll get open gym time, group fitness classes, personal training, nutrition consulting, and physical therapy. Their amenities also include a sauna, lap pool, and a kid’s club.
Mayfair Fitness
7416 Frankford Avenue
Mayfair Fitness is a smaller open gym in the heart of the Northeast Philly neighborhood. They also offer personal training and nutritional guidance.
No Limit Gym
3154 Willits Road
No Limit Gym offers group strength sessions every day of the week. They focus on combining plyometrics with conditioning and endurance training using a variety of weight equipment.
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North Barbell
1023 West Dauphin Street
This North Philly gym provides semi-private training focused on weightlifting. They have three lifting platforms, multiple squat racks, a sled, and a barbell competition bench, among other equipment.
SPM Fitness Lions Den
534 East Girard Avenue
Founded by transformation body coach Nixlot Dameus, SPM Fitness Lions Den offers one-on-one strength training and custom meal plans so you can reach your wellness goals. You can also rent the gym for $10 per day, up to three times.
Strength Training Pop-ups in the Area
Festive Fitness & Wellness
Varying locations
Founded by licensed athletic trainer Mike Watkins, Festive Fitness & Wellness hosts inclusive, body positive personal training and small group fitness classes in person, outdoors, and virtually. (In-home personal training can also be accommodated.) Other services include stretching and mobility therapy, manual therapy, and massage. All pricing is on a sliding scale.
Nonnormative Body Club
Varying locations
With a goal to make fitness accessible, inclusive, and more expansive, Nonnormative Body Club offers personal training, group classes, and wellness workshops for folks whose “bodies and identities rebel against normative definitions of beauty and health,” according to founder Asher Freeman. Recently, they hosted group bodyweight circuit and kettlebell sessions virtually and in West Philly, as well as workshops on binding health and top surgery recovery.
Strength Haus
Varying locations
Launched during the pandemic, Strength Haus runs donation-based outdoor kettlebell sessions every Sunday in various locations across the city. Check their Instagram for updates on where the next class will be.
