Back in the days...

Jon:
Moving to a new city evokes memories of past relocations. In the beginning of the 90s I moved to Uppsala to study philosophy at the university. I had lifted weights prior to that and I had always been interested in martial arts so as soon as I had installed myself I went searching for a gym. After a few months living as a nomad in gym limbo I found what was to become my second home for a few years to come: Chikara. It was mainly a dojo with Karate and Thaiboxing classes and a very small weightlifting room. The place was hidden on the second floor in a back alley with the weightlifting room on the first floor. I signed upp for thaiboxing classes with usage of the weight room being included in the price.
The gym had quite a shady reputation it turned out as it previously been owned and ran by the infamous Uppsalamaffian. For me it was heaven though. I never became a great thaiboxer but I didn't suck either and I loved to spend time in the weightlifting room. It had a raw concrete floor with some rubber mats and instead of a platform there was a hole in the floor where you squatted and deadlifted (not that I ever deadlifted back then). The door was locked with a big padlock and the hole thing was so badly isolated that snow blew in during winter. It had a few barbells, benches and racks. A complete set of dumbells from 10 kg to 50 kg or so, a few machines, old bleached bodybuilding posters and a stereo. Most of the time I was completely alone there. I could play any music I liked on the stereo. Rollins Band, Ministry, Sick of it All and Sepultura were the usual choises.
The only other guy (I saw two girls there once, for one minute or so) that came there regulary was one of the owners of the gym called "Ryssen" (the Russian). I asked him once what his real name was and he just replied: "Nevermind. Just call me Ryssen. Everybody else does."
He was built like a refrigerator - short and wide - and used to workout in camoflage and boots. After a while he asked me if I wanted to train with him. Eleven o'clock monday to friday. We never talked much but it was great times. I got a key of my own an started to do two workouts a day if I didn't have thai practice also. Ate enormous amounts of oatmeal and eggs and was always on the lookout for cheap protein. Got bigger.
This is many years ago now and Chikara doesen't exist anymore. I am not even sure that gyms like Chikara exists in Sweden anymore. Since that time it has always been my ideal kind of gym. When I look for a new place to train I am always looking for that feeling. An Occam style gym with only the bare essentials where people come to to lift rather than something else. I miss the unpolished, rough edged kindness that let you do your thing without interference.