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Published on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 00:24

Every so often some guy will call me and talk up his gym and tell me to come see it. The invited trek is obviously designed to get some free publicity out of Romano. If you deserve it, that's cool.  But, sometimes I get wrapped up in situations that are just ludicrous.  It makes keeping an open mind a little difficult.

I was thinking just that when Dave told me a guy named Ryan Bracewell from the Asylum Gym e-mailed him right before we were leaving for Wrestlemania in Housto, TX.  Cool name, right? "Asylum Gym." So cool in fact that I thought I might have heard of it. Turns out I hadn't (these days such events bring no surprise). Dave did say that the owners were offering up the gym to us while we were there and even offered to meet us at the airport so they could "show" us around, then give us a ride to our hotel.   Hmmmmm......

Owning up to my incredibly cheap nature, once I found out that the cab ride from the airport was like 75 bucks, I e-mailed Ryan and took him up on his offer.  Turns out Asylum Gym is close to the airport and Dave's plane got in an hour after mine, so it gave me just enough time to get over there, take a look and snap a few pics and get back to pick up Dave and Colette when their plane landed. This all required precision timing because the limo would be waiting at the hotel to take us to the WWE Hall of Fame awards right as we arrived. It was going to be tight.

Ryan and his partner Nathan Payton met my son Max and me at the airport right on time.  We shoved off and were at the gym in less than 10 minutes. They say first impressions are the most important, but in this case it didn't work out that way.  The first two things you notice about Asylum Gym is that it's small and incredibly clean.  Two things I hate about a gym! Then Ryan opened a huge metal garage door and cranked up the music; the two things I love about a gym.  So, we're back to dead even.  Then I started looking around.  Holy shit.

This place is designed to build monsters. No doubt about it. Powerlifter, strongman, power bodybuilders and World Strongest Man competitor Travis Ortmayer love this place. And to show their love they do things such as 850 pound deadlifts, 700lb squats, 1000lb rack pulls and lots of other big numbers.  And they do it on equipment that is rock solid top of the line-- not going to break or bend-- stuff.  Not only is Asylum very well equipped, but right outside those big bay doors is a parking lot where you're welcome to do your sled pulls, yoke and farmer runs, and tire flipping with tires that go up to 720 pounds. There's VERY loud music, chalk for increasing grip, and no one is going to say anything if you take off your shirt. It's one of the best atmospheres an athlete could want.

The saying goes, "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."  Well, if you pull out all of the weapons stocked in the Asylum's arsenal and use them you'll destroy that saying.  I'd love training here.  If you're in town, feel free to visit Asylum Gym (by the Houston International Airport)! Check out what's in this place!

3 squat racks w/ band attachments (bands provided by gym!)

2 Olympic lifting platforms with rubber plates

Dumbbells up to 150

multiple flat, decline and adjustable benches

Adjustable tilt reverse hyper

Rope Reverse Hyper

2 GHR

vertical leg press

leg extension

lat pull with many attachments

Powernetics Bulldog machine

Machine Squat

Power Runner

Top of the line Yoke and Farmers

720 tire

Hummer Tire deadlift setup

Atlas stones and platform  (only 240 & 330 now, but making more soon).

50 and 80lb kettlebells

Safety Squat Bar

Rogue B&R olympic bar

3 Texas Power Bars

1 Texas DL bar

Axle Bar

12" log

Band DL platform

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