Vintage Iron gym honors ‘golden era’ of bodybuilding

Isaac Daniels of Moline had a big day on Saturday, May 25. At 2 p.m. that afternoon, he graduated from Augustana College. But that morning was devoted to getting fit and helping a friend. The kinesiology and exercise science major spent part of the morning before his graduation working out at the new Vintage Iron […]

Isaac Daniels of Moline had a big day on Saturday, May 25. At 2 p.m. that afternoon, he graduated from Augustana College. But that morning was devoted to getting fit and helping a friend. The kinesiology and exercise science major spent part of the morning before his graduation working out at the new Vintage Iron Gym at 2501 53rd Ave., Bettendorf. “It’s a great environment to do exercise. …  I’m here to gain strength,” said Mr. Daniels, just before he hit the weights and did some power curls on the Vintage Iron equipment.

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The recent Augie graduate was also at the gym to lend his support to a friend – Trevor Johnson, the owner and operator of Vintage Iron Gym. The new gym celebrated its grand opening on Saturday, May 25, with a Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony, and treats for guests. (They included cupcakes decorated with a “VI” symbol. They were from the gym’s next door neighbor, Molly’s Cupcakes.) Mr. Johnson said Saturday’s grand opening was a dream come true; a dream that has been years in the planning, working and money-saving stages to get the gym open. “I wanted to bring something new to the Quad Cities. … I wanted to create a space that is positive,” he told a crowd at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Before the ceremony, he told the QCBJ that that journey started years ago when he was in college. During that time, he said he was “going down the wrong path.” (On the gym’s website, he called that time a “toxic life of drugs and alcohol abuse.”) Fortunately, that “wrong path” took a right turn when one of his friends took him to a gym and got him interested in weight lifting. “It just sparked, something snapped and I never looked back,” he added. After that, his life took him to the Army, and jobs after the military, but he always had the passion for weightlifting and the goal of eventually opening his own gym. “The last decade, I’ve spent learning, researching, planning and executing my business plan to achieve this goal,” Mr. Johnson said on the Vintage Iron website. That dream finally became a reality this month. Vintage Iron had a soft opening on Saturday, May 18, and its grand opening a few days ago. During Saturday’s opening ceremonies, Mr. Johnson had a hectic morning greeting people and signing up new customers. In fact, the ribbon cutting ceremony was briefly delayed while he signed people up to join the gym. Just before the ceremony, at least 30 people were busy lifting weights in the main gym area. Some of them – like Mr. Daniels – are friends, but most were strangers who wanted to be part of the new gym. “Most of the people here today, I don’t know any of them,” Mr. Johnson said. He gave much of the credit for the big crowd to his wife, Karah, who put together a social media advertising campaign to get the word out on the opening of the Vintage Iron Gym. That gym currently has two full-time employees – Trevor and Karah Johnson – and two part-time employees.  Most of those employees, and many friends and family members, were wearing white T-shirts with the phrase “Vintage is Numero Uno.” Mr. Johnson said that phrase is his tribute to the 1977 docudrama movie “Pumping Iron” with Arnold Schwarenegger. The movie largely focuses on the 1975 Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia bodybuilding competitions. In one famous scene from the movie, Mr. Schwarenegger celebrates a bodybuilding contest win by eating fried chicken and wearing a T-shirt with the phrase “Arnold is Numero Uno.” The movie “Pumping Iron” is largely seen as a tribute to the golden era of bodybuilding of the 1960s and 1970s. During Saturday’s opening of Vintage Iron, Mr. Johnson said he is “absolutely obsessed with the golden era of bodybuilding” and wants his new business to reflect that atmosphere and the classic weight-lifting equipment. In addition to the golden-era tribute, the Vintage Iron Gym offers these perks for members:

• Discounted membership for military, law enforcement, fire and EMS workers.
• Discounted members fee for students.
• 24/7 access to members.
• Free personal training consultation for members. (Go here to learn more about membership and the fees.)

At least one of the new customers said those perks – plus the friendly environment – make the gym a good place to get in shape. “This is just a great place to workout,” said Mr. Daniels.