HardCore Gym # 66
History, crossbreeding, and getting high.
High Peaks Barbell
"Sit down class, it's time for our history lesson."
About 11 years ago, when the Arnold Classic was a much smaller Ohio event in a different building - a small company named HOUSE OF PAIN was there. Me (Rick) and Ed came from Texas - and a female bodybuilder named Anita 'Rammer' Ramsey joined us to work the HOP booth. Her husband Curtis Schultz knew of us from powerlifting circles - so he tagged along to help HOP as well. We learned a few things at that show - for one thing we learned that most guys who come talk to pretty girls in the booth have zero value as HOP customers. These guys talk, they flirt, they lie - but they don't unroll their wad of cash! We learned that it often snows in Ohio in March (shocker to us Texas boys!), and we found places to eat and work out. It was our kindergarten Arnold experience... My, how the worm has twisted since that simple start.
While HOUSE OF PAIN has been growing, Anita and Curtis have been busy as well. Anita was our first BB model, and so we naturally kept up with them; as Curtis coached, as they printed a football newsletter in Florida, as they moved around, and YES - Anita has finally seen the light! She traded her Posing Trunks for a Singlet and BP Shirt!! She is no longer a bodybuilder; she is now a competitive powerlifter - or at least a lifter with a very strong BP. Recently, they moved to a mountain range, and they started a gym in Eagle Nest, NM - with another gym on the way, right down the road in Angel Fire, NM.
I've been talking to her about High Peaks Barbell Club (and about her BP shirt) by email, but I got to hug her neck in person the other day! We caught up with Curtis & Anita at the big Europa Show in Texas (hats off to Ed & Betty Pariso for a great job combining Powerlifting - with oddball feats of strength - and bodybuilding - and even a Strongest Man competition!). Here are the latest details on their first NM gym, and info on why they want another gym right down the road. Anita can tell you most of it:
We understand that a gym should be a gym, and that the people that run a gym should know the industry. And though we welcome everybody, we readily admit that we are not for everybody. High Peaks Barbell Club is dedicated to promoting muscle. When a college strength coach, football coach and powerlifter marries an NPC National level bodybuilder who competes in sanctioned bench press meets - you have A PAIR OF GYM OWNERS THAT KNOW THE INDUSTRY. (*RB note: this talk of crossbreeding results reminds me of a comment I heard as Becca Swanson & Gary Frank were eating lunch at a powerlifting meet in Omaha, NE a few years back - someone said "If they had a kid it would be a MONSTER!!" They made this observation with the utmost respect and admiration, and I had to agree!)
After only a few months (since opening the doors of this gym) we have begun construction of phase two in Angel Fire, New Mexico a few miles down the road. (*RB note: I asked Anita about this bizarre idea of starting Gym # 2 only 11 or 12 miles away from Gym #1, and she explained that snow makes the mountain roads impassable for much of the winter - so the other location will help lifters avoid missed workouts! This is evidence of the way they cater to serious lifters. Cool by me.)
When Curtis and I met I was still competing in bodybuilding. Oh yeah, my name is Anita Ramsey. My face and my name is still in many bodybuilding magazines like MuscleMag International, Ironman, Muscular Development, FLEX, NPC News, Body's magazine (Italian publication), B&K Sport (Swedish Publication), Women's Physique World, Oxygen, Powerhouse magazine, Body Talk, Natural Bodybuilding & Fitness magazine, Great Lakes Fitness Guide, and many more. I was a competitive bodybuilder for over a decade. My first contest was a victory at the 1988 NPC Boulder B.B. championships. My biggest victory in the sport was winning the 1998 NPC Southern States Heavyweights and Overall. The Southern States is one of the Top NPC regional shows here in the US. After winning the Southern States, I went on to post my best placing ever in an International show with a 3rd place in the heavyweights at the 98' IFBB North American. I am a published author. My work has appeared in Oxygen, Ironman magazine, MuscleMag International, NPC News, Body Talk (supplement industry magazine), and I am column editor (Muscle Update) as well as an article writer for Bodybuilding.com. (*RB note: she's a busy girl!!)
Then I retired from the stage for a while and pursued training for powerlifting and sanctioned bench press meets. (*RB note: YEAH!! Fireworks!!) How'd this happen? My husband is Curtis Schultz; it's his fault. Gym Co-Owner Curtis Schultz is my husband - he was a collegiate strength coach, football coach and competitive powerlifter. But we both had a long-time dream of owning our own gym. We always wanted to offer a place for the hard-core, extreme athletes and the general public. Yes, Chalk is allowed and encouraged. We've found a great spot to lift, tucked in the high desert mountains of New Mexico. Our logo tag say's it all; "Train High @ 8,200 ft." And we're here to tell you the air is thin! Who cares whether you lift Raw or wear a Triple-ply BP shirt; train up at our altitude and see what you're made of!
Together, we've pursued our dream of creating a gym that caters to every style of serious lifter! We've already made a team, consisting of all new people to the world of hard-core powerlifting. We train together on Fridays with an intense atmosphere and pace.
The equipment is first class for powerlifting training, or any training. Power racks, bench presses, lifting platforms, (monolift coming soon), chains, bands, reverse hyper, ham-glute machine, dumbbells to 150lbs, and dead-lift bars and 55lb squat bars, as well as cambered bench press bars, Fat Bars, Mastif Bars, a Hatfield safety squat bar, not to mention a complete Bumper set for Olympic lifting. Did we mention we are an official USW Club! High Peaks Barbell Club is ONE of ONLY three certified US Olympic Weightlifting Facilities in New Mexico. There is also a complete selection of treadmills, stair climbers, and unique X-bikes for cardio work. We offer customized workouts and nutrition plans, group exercise, and personal training. We also offer competitive sport training; i.e. Soccer, volleyball, football, basketball, baseball, fast pitch, bodybuilding, powerlifting, and strongman training services. We are also the American Powerlifting Federation (APF) New Mexico State Headquarters. That is not all. We are also an official SPARQ Training facility. What is a SPARQ? The SPARQ Rating is the first-ever "National" ranking system designed to measure sport-specific athleticism. The key value of the SPARQ Rating is that it provides young athletes with an invaluable tool for staying motivated, measuring results, focusing training, and maximizing their success on the playing field. Join us to get YOUR SPARQ Rating it's FREE!
Here at High Peaks Barbell Cub(s) we do it all, and we will be promoting our first meet during the month of October, All-Hallo-Eve. (*RB note: the Halloween Monster Bench Bash is on 10/13/07 - Friday the 13th.)
*It sounds like Anita and Curtis have done a great job building high mountain training spots, even though I just might die if I squatted at that altitude! But if I ski or hunt in the Taos, Red River, or Angel Fire mountain region - I'll have to give it a try!
*By the way - kids, don't squat high - squat deep. The 'Train High' gym motto has to do with altitude, not squat depth, and it is not a drug reference! Please pay attention!
Next month we'll visit a gym that has the strangest name I've ever heard of for a gym. Seriously. In fact, why don't you email me the craziest gym-names that you have ever seen (include their location) - and we'll see how they stack up against the gym that I have in mind! (No fictional names - just real stuff.)
Until next month, train hard and don't play with matches or set fire to the neighbor's grass and/or bushes with fireworks. Trust me on this; the neighbors don't like it.
Crazy gym names: rick@houseofpain.com
Cash and photos of hot female models (strictly for business reasons):
HOUSE OF PAIN
P.O. Box 333
Fate, TX 75132
