It’s Arnold weekend 2024 and on the Saturday—when the expo is always absolutely rammed—I decided to skip the chaos for a bit and go do what I actually love: hit a proper old-school gym. We jumped over to Metro Fitness in Worthington, Ohio, about a 20-minute drive from downtown Columbus. First 10 minutes walking around, I knew it was my kind of place: old kit, proper vibe, and machines you just don’t see in the shiny commercial gyms—Paramount, Flex Fitness, old Hammer Strength, and an old Cybex chest press that’s probably 30 years old but still felt brilliant. After getting a solid upper-body session in (chest, shoulders, triceps) and testing a few bits—including the dumbbells—I headed back toward the expo to see what was going on and check out some equipment at the Jim LeCaire stand. Then on the Sunday I trained at Pros Gym downtown Columbus, which was busy and stuffy with loads of influencers about. I even popped into the famous posing room, and you can see why pros use it—bright lighting, black walls, and big mirrors. It was a mad weekend, but having that Sunday to train, do a bit of cardio, and just switch off at my own pace was honestly therapeutic.