There a many reason’s one joins a gym. The dawn of a new year, vanity, health, or a desire for friends or a lover are equally valid reasons as long as the membership is utilized. The Loprinzi brothers opened their gym in 1948 with the goal of helping Portlanders strengthen the body, mind and spirit.
Loprinzi’s is a true neighborhood gym. You can’t buy a shot of wheat grass at the juice bar because it doesn’t exist. Free weights and Nautilus machines are wiped down daily but the equipment doesn’t shine, it’s worn and tarnished. There’s a scent of perspiration in the air. If you do happen to meet a woman at this gym she is most likely elderly, a mother of six, or covered in tattoos and piercings. In other words she’s capable of kicking your ass. Bob works the sign-in desk. He’s there every single day at 5 a.m. and he’s happy to provide free training assistance. There are no contracts and monthly payments rely on the honor system.
Sam Loprinzi was runner-up for Mr. America in 1946 and the walls are covered with his pictures as well as the bodybuilders who’ve frequented the gym over the past 60 years. The framed faces of these athletes staring down causes you to push a little harder. There’s something about the lack of pretentiousness, the skinny bodies, the fat bodies and the sculpted physiques that inspires. You feel comfortable from your first day regardless of your physical shape.
Before he was a bodyguard for The Rolling Stones, before he was a pro-wrestler or governor of Minnesota, Jesse “The Body” Ventura worked out at Loprinzi’s. During my first week of membership in 2004 I stood slack-jawed as I watched a guy bench press over 500 pounds! Think about that. Six, 45 lb plates on each side of the sagging bar, the dude strapped himself into a Velcro bodysuit assisted by two spotters on each side of the bench.
The Binewiski family, characters at the heart of Katherine Dunn’s cult-classic fiction “Geek Love” (circus freaks who intentionally use drugs, radiation and arsenic during pregnancy with the intent of producing albino, flipper-limbed children) worked out at Loprinzi’s. The place is all history and no-bullshit. Loprinzi’s Gym kills any desire for the artificial, 24 Hour Fitness environment. The framed quotation over the front door says it best: “Good Health- Your Most Valuable Possession”.
You make me wish I was part of that family. The way you describe the whole environment and people creates such a great image in my mind. The gyms of today have such a cold, callous feeling to them that it is hard to get comfortable enough to walk out of the locker room in your workout clothes much less pump some iron. Whatever your motivation, keep up the good work. You will love the payoff!
‘albino, flipper-limbed children’ – THAT is SO EVIL it’s funny!!
honor system for payment! That’s even funnier!!
sweat! sweat! sweat!!!!!!