Catalyst Athletics

I’ve been a body builder for years and wanted to learn Olympic weightlifting. Another trainer and competitive lifter recommended Catalyst Athletics to me as THE place to train in No. CA. I am so grateful to her for that tip! I’ve been training at Catalyst with Steve Pan for about a year now and have learned so much and am having so much fun training there. The emphasis is on learning proper technique and safety, which is huge! These lifts are very technical (so different than body building!) and learning to them them right is crucial! Even as a beginner from day 1 I have felt welcomed and like part of the Catalyst family and I look forward to my sessions there!

I’m relatively new to Crossfit and then Olympic Lifting. Through Crossfit I found a love for Olympic Lifting and have reprioritized my training based off of Catalyst Athletics guidance. I have not taken personal coaching as of yet, but the breadth of free information that they provide is unimaginable, as well as the quality of the information second to none.
It is both thorough and inspiring what Greg has generously given in his time and resources to make his wisdom available to all.
There are many great systems out there from what I’ve seen so far, but the expertise of what you will find with this gym and coaches is all that you really need.

As a professional with 20 years as a coach and a lifetime as an athlete I vaiue expertise. In the world of weightlifting Catalyst Athletics is top notch. The quality of coaching, the programs, the free material to support your development, the quality equipment, etc are first class. I am glad I invested time in both personal training as well as classes. In fact I often schedule patients and clients around my training at Catalyst as I find it vital to my success. I appreciate the cues and the approach. Of course, as a result my technique has greatly improved and my numbers/​results have followed.

I feel confident in writing a review for Catalyst now.
This gym specializes in weightlifting, and also offers a slew of fitness, strength & conditioning, and personal training classes. It’s likely that you’ll find yourself in amazement of how individuals here could lift so much weight and literally throw it over their heads.
I’ve been a CrossFitter for over a year now, and decided recently that I wanted to take my weightlifting a lot more serious. So began the long journey of looking for a new gym. I was tempted to go to NorCal CrossFit, and joining their barbell club which is also highly rated. Likewise, I had an opportunity to join Catalyst (it’s closer to my work, but much more expensive).
Why did I choose to go to Catalyst instead?
I simply love the atmosphere of being here. It’s competitive while not forcing you to overdo anything. The coaches here are amazing — I personally love Steve Pan, let’s be real, the dude’s hilarious, and he’s an amazing coach and KNOWS what he’s talking about.
The coaches here are extremely qualified to be here, the other individuals here are super helpful, really nice, and just full of talent.
I highly recommend anyone who is interested in giving weightlifting a serious go. Get coached up correctly, and you’ll find that everything else will follow suit.

I was excited to come here when I moved to the valley, having seen a ton of their videos on Youtube and read lots of their articles about olympic weightlifting. (I am reviewing the olympic weightlifting classes only). Had a 1 on 1 with Blake, who taught me great form and was very patient. The classes themselves are fun! Challenging, motivating, the environment here is outstanding.
I’m excited to see how I progress in my lifts here, but for sure this is the place I want to be to improve them. There is no other place in the Bay Area where you can learn quality olympic weightlifting and train, as a recreational lifter, in such a motivating environment.

I had the opportunity to spend ~6 months at Catalyst Athletics — at first doing Olympic Weightlifting sessions with Steve Pan, then their CrossFit-​like-​but-​arguably-​better fitness classes with Phil Dao. The trainers, the programming, the gym and the equipment are all ridiculously legit. I learned a ton and would highly *HIGHLY* recommend Catalyst Athletics for folks who want to elevate their training and get results.

I honestly can’t say enough great things about Catalyst Athletics. When I first walked in the door a year and a half ago, I had never lifted more than a 10 pound dumbbell, or stuck with a program for more than a few months. Today I’m deadlifting 230 lbs and I am the strongest and most confident I’ve ever been, thanks to the programming and coaching at Catalyst.
The Catalyst fitness classes are Crossfit-​style, but without the Crossfail. They feature the great strength training + metcon but without the stupid shit that can leave you seriously injured. You get the workout and the camaraderie, but without all the Koolaid drinking. (Of course, not that all Crossfit gyms are cults with shitty form — but you know, some are.) The workouts are scalable and the trainers are absolute sticklers for form — this is an Olympic weightlifting gym, first and foremost, so the coaching on the Oly lifts is world class, even for just the fitness classes.
The coaches — Alyssa, Steve and Phil — are all fantastic; each of them have their own distinct personalities, but all of them are adept at pushing you to the next level without pushing you past your limit. And owners Greg and Aimee are just plain awesome (not to mention hilarious). When I was having issues with knee pain, I made an appointment with a sports medicine doctor, who essentially shrugged, said «you should just bike or swim instead» and hustled me out the door. Greg, however, went out of his way to provide me with a wealth of information, tips and strategies to increase my flexibility and range of movement — and by working closely with the trainers I was finally able to accomplish full-​depth squats, pain-​free. That says a lot about how crappy our health care system is, and how much the Catalyst crew really does care about the health, well-​being and goals of the people who train there.
Furthermore, as a woman who has spent half my life trying to diet myself down to some unattainable photo from a magazine, I am constantly humbled, inspired and awed by the female lifters at Catalyst. Being around these powerful, totally badass ladies has done way more to fix my body image issues than any shrink ever could.
In short: don’t come here if your goal is to fit into size 00 skinny jeans. Don’t come here if you’re not ready to truly bust your ass and work as hard as you can. Don’t come here if you think leaving sweat angels on the floor is gross.
Come here if you want get strong as hell, supremely confident, and completely fierce inside and out.

One of my friends convinced me to sign up for some Olympic weightlifting sessions with her and another friend. And we signed up with Steve Pan.
I have a powerlifting background so I love lifting heavy. We’ve been working with Steve for five sessions now and, let me tell you, what a difference learning the right techniques and forms will make.
Steve is a trip to workout with. He’s professional, motivating and hilarious.
I’ll most likely continue training with him after my group sessions.
They do offer fitness classes and crossfit classes.

Highly recommend their fitness classes. Well designed programs, way better than cross-​fit. Attentive trainers who teach proper form and technique. They personalize workouts to your abilities even in group classes. Have been going there for two years.

I’m writing this review specifically about their weightlifting class and seminars. I took the weekend long olympic lifting seminar and was very impressed with the breadth of detail provided, and how they were able to break it down for beginners and experts and everyone in between. i was so inspired that I’m currently working out with the beginner weightlifting class, and I am delighted (if a bit demoralized) to see how much I have to learn from my coach. Steve does a terrific job of not overwhelming the lifters, but also consistently offering tips to work on. No attitude in this gym, no matter how much or little you’re lifting. I feel quite welcomed, and appreciate the level of instruction. Steve is also very careful with my injury and helps me modify the workout or adjust the weights used, which I also appreciate.

I’ve been a client for 2 years now. I never worked out for longer than a month so that shows that these guys have a great set up w/​friendly trainers and a reasonable price for what you get. Its a very friendly atmosphere and everyone pushes each other to get better.
I’ve learned a lot and gotten in pretty good shape.
I give this place 5 Russian Baby makers out of 5

This is the place to go if you want to learn Oly lifting. Don’t leave your training practice to chance.
I trained with Steve Pan and his cueing and tips were spot on.
Totally worth it.

This place is amazing. The intro program is a great way to start. The coaches are super knowledgeable, friendly, and encouraging. I really appreciate the emphasis on correct form, which is even more crucial when there are weights involved. Everyone in the gym is super supportive and it’s a really fun atmosphere. I highly recommend Catalyst to everyone!

Hands down the premier facility for Olympic weightlifting in Northern California. With the combined training and experience from owners/​coaches Greg and Aimee Everett, you will not find better coaching for weightlifting or general fitness. I’ve visited gyms around the globe and have not seen a cleaner or more organized space for lifting.
I trained and coached at another excellent Bay Area gym for several years before finding Catalyst. Making the switch to train at Catalyst took me to another level as an athlete and coach. In addition to making me stronger and faster than I’ve ever been, Catalyst is just a fun place to train with a great crew of people.

I have a pretty strong affinity to this gym! Been going here since the inception of Catalyst Athletics in Sunnyvale and was one of the first people to go through their «On-​Ramp» course. Watching this gym grow in membership and watching the other athletes around me develop into what it has become to has been a seriously fun adventure. Greg and Aimee really have a great community/​business growing and thriving here! Olympic Lifting and Crossfit style training in a pretty great space doesn’t get any better. I can vouch for Jeff H’s review because I witnessed it first hand. No Joke! This place is legit and the programming of daily workouts is proven!
My personal transformation in strength gains and athletic accomplishments since I started at Catalyst Athletics have been pretty dramatic and the results I have seen are very measurable. I am soooo much stronger now than what I used to be and I can accomplish more work in shorter amount of time.
Besides Catalyst Athletics being a gym, it also happens to be the Editorial HQ for the Performance Menu Journal. Lots of useful information here on Olympic weightlifting, strength training, fitness, and nutrition.

I’ve been doing CrossFit at Catalyst since Jan ’10. The On-​Ramp is an excellent way to get into CrossFit. The facility is super clean and spacious and very well equipped. The trainers are excellent, they focus on form, especially early on, and are very organized in their work out planning, and good motivators.
I’ve had an very positive experience at this gym. I look forward to each session.

I have been doing CrossFit at Catalyst for about 8 months now. When I started, I was a complete neophyte. I’d never done CrossFit or even any lifting with free weights. The CrossFit On-​Ramp class was perfect and quickly got me up to speed without being intimidating. After the On-​Ramp class I started the regular Level 1 class. I’ve lost over 20 lbs. and have made great strides in my fitness. When I started I had to do pushups from my knees and thought deadlifting 65 lbs was a challenge. Now I’m doing real pushups and deadlifting 250 lbs.
The instruction here is top notch. Greg, Aimee, and Caleb are all excellent and knowledgeable trainers. Aimee is a former national weightlifting champion. Greg has written several books on Olympic lifting. The class sizes are small and you get a lot of personal attention. All of the trainers are fully engaged and excited about helping you reach your potential.
The facilities are outstanding. It’s a nice, open, well-​lit space with plenty of room to move around. All of the equipment is in excellent condition.
After I took the On-​Ramp class, I took a CrossFit class at another local affiliate, lured by the lower price. Compared to Catalyst, it was dreadful. I marched right back over to Catalyst and signed up. If you’re looking for a place to do CrossFit (or any of the other classes and services they offer), it doesn’t get any better than this, folks.