About Industrial Strength
Industrial Strength was founded in 2013 in Portland, Oregon (USA). At the brick-and-mortar facility we offer 1:1 personal training, group strength training classes (both for kettlebells as well as barbell-based strength & conditioning), a competitive weightlifting team, and martial arts classes with our specialty being Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
One thing that makes us unique is our ability to offer such a wide range of training options all under one roof. Additionally, we are one of the rare gyms to offer legitimate strength training in a class-based setting.
Industrial Strength On-Demand is a platform we created to make our training available to everyone out there who is not able to train with us in person. The On-Demand site offers both instruction on HOW to do things correctly (kettlebell exercises, Jiu Jitsu techniques, etc.) as well as full workouts for you to follow along with from anywhere in the world.
One of our biggest specialities is kettlebell training. Kettlebells are the ultimate piece of home gym equipment because they are the only thing that you can use for both legitimate strength workouts AND cardio training, they are essentially indestructible, they are compact enough to put in a closet when you’re not using them, they do not take up much floor space for your actual workouts, and you can even take them with you when you travel! If you are looking to legitimately transform your body and fitness level, and especially if you are interested in working out from home, then kettlebell training is just what you have been looking for.
Your Instructors
Industrial Strength was founded by Tony & Mira Gracia.
Mira Gracia
Mira is a native New Yorker who moved to Oregon in 2000 to search for a better quality of life and an environment that supported her active lifestyle and passions. Over the last 15 years her passion, focus, and practice of strength training has transformed into a journey to empower people all over the world. Being a first hand witness to the powerful physical, mental and emotional outcomes strength training enables is why she advocates its importance. Some of Mira’s credentials include being the 2022 Masters’ World champion in weightlifting, a StrongFirst Senior Instructor (a position where she helps teach workshops where aspiring fitness professionals become certified instructors in specialties such as in kettlebells), achieving “Sinister” with StrongFirst, being an international level weightlifter for her age group and weight class, and holding numerous weightlifting records as high as at the national level.
Tony Gracia
Tony grew up in Seattle where he spent much of his childhood playing sports of some kind, with a particular affinity for baseball. He started strength training in high school in an effort to get bigger and stronger for baseball and basketball, and ended up developing a passion for it in and of itself. When his high school senior year baseball season ended he decided to try something new; he took his first Jiu Jitsu class and was immediately hooked. He moved to Oregon to attend Linfield University where he graduated with a double major in Exercise Science and Chemistry. Upon graduation he moved to Portland where he has been working full-time in the fitness industry for nearly 15 years. Some of Tony’s additional credentials include being a StrongFirst Senior Instructor, a 3rd degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a 1st grade brown belt in judo, an author for organizations including Functional Movement Systems, Onnit, and StrongFirst, and a multi-time speaker and presenter for the National Strength & Conditioning Association, Pacific University, and Concordia University.
FAQ
What is the difference between “Courses” and “Classes”?
“Courses” are products that have a fixed amount of material and just one payment for lifetime access. Think of it like buying a DVD (for those of you who are old enough to remember what that is). We offer both “full-length” courses that are usually over an hour of content, as well as our “masterclass series” which are usually laser focused on one topic and shorter in length.
“Classes” have new lessons or workouts added frequently. For kettlebells this usually every day Mon-Fri barring holidays. These tend to be very “workout forward” and are all about getting you a great kettlebell workout – less instruction time and more lifting! For Jiu Jitsu this is usually two classes each from Tuesday night and Thursday night, meaning four per week. Both Kettlebell Classes and Jiu Jitsu classes use a monthly subscription format.
Where should I start if I am new to kettlebells?
If you are new to kettlebells the best place to start is our KETTLEBELL VIRTUAL ON-RAMP course.
When we work with people in-person at Industrial Strength we have them go through a month-long onboarding process to learn how to lift safely and understand what weights to choose for different exercises before they join our regular kettlebell workout classes. The course above is the “virtual” version of that – you get to learn how to do everything safely and correctly, and you go through eighteen workouts designed specifically to help you integrate your new kettlebell skills into a class format.
How many kettlebells do I need? What sizes should they be?
This is a great question. We actually wrote a blog post about it:
How do I know if I am ready for your kettlebell classes?
If you have completed the KETTLEBELL VIRTUAL ON-RAMP course then you should be ready to subscribe to our classes. Just remember to actually go start your subscription after you finish the course, because it does not start automatically.
If you already have kettlebell experience and are considering jumping right to classes without the Virtual On-Ramp, then make sure you are proficient at 1) one-handed swings 2) Turkish Get Ups, 3) Military Presses (single and double), 4) Squats (goblet and front squats), 5) cleans (single and double), and 6) snatches. Additionally you should have a collection of kettlebells to let you do a variety of workouts – obviously you can handle heavier weights on some exercises than others, so you want to make sure you have kettlebells that are appropriately challenging for each exercise.
How do you measure progress in your kettlebell classes?
We are big on measuring progress and making sure you are using an appropriately challenging weight for your workouts.In order to do this we include “test days” so you can really push yourself and compare against your previous performances.If you do well enough on the “test days” then you are encouraged to start using a heavier kettlebell for those exercises.THIS IS A CRITICALLY IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROGRAM.If you always use the same weights forever your progress will plateau.Getting to the point of handling heavier weights is an essential part of building muscle, getting stronger, and improving fitness.