OUR STORY LIBERTY BARBELL
BUILT TO TRAIN.
BUILT TO BELONG.
An idea in late October 2020. Twelve people who believed in it. A gym built around freedom, responsibility, and the people who show up.
THE STORY BEHIND LIBERTYTHE IDEA TAKES SHAPE
FOUNDING MEMBERS
TWICE THE SPACE
It was late 2020, and COVID restrictions had me frustrated. I didn’t want to social distance or wear a mask when I trained. But my frustration went beyond the restrictions: I also wasn’t a fan of where gym culture was headed.
To me, the gym should be a place to train—not a place to be seen. I wanted an adult-only environment with high standards for gym etiquette, where people respected the equipment, respected each other, and took responsibility for themselves.
Just as important, I wanted a community. Think of it as a Cheers for the gym: a familiar place to show up, put in the work, and feel like you belong.
Less micromanagement. More personal responsibility. That was the idea behind Liberty Barbell.
THE REASON BEHIND IT ALL
“We’re there to train.
We’re not there to be seen.”
JONA LEO · FOUNDER
BEFORE LIBERTY
The equipment
was already there.
As an IPF World Champion and nine-time national team member, I had been fortunate to receive sponsorships from numerous equipment manufacturers. Those relationships helped supply my personal gym.
I had also run meets at every level, from local competitions to national-level events. Over time, I had acquired a substantial amount of equipment.
By late October 2020, the idea came together: what if that equipment could become the foundation for the kind of gym I wanted to be part of?
LATE OCTOBER 2020
Twelve emails.
Twelve yeses.
The community came first.
The space came next.
I emailed 12 people and laid out the idea: an adult-only gym built on good etiquette and a high level of personal responsibility. A place with the freedom to train, without the atmosphere or constant policing I wanted to leave behind.
All 12 became members immediately.
That response turned an idea into something real. With our first members on board, I started looking for a space and found the location we still call home today.
Liberty Barbell was born—not just from a collection of equipment, but from people who wanted a different kind of training community.
THE 2023 EXPANSION
More room.
Same standards.
In 2023, we doubled our space by expanding west into a second bay. Along with the expansion, we added athlete performance programs, creating more opportunities to help athletes develop.
We had more room to train and more ways to serve our community. What we wanted the place to stand for stayed the same: purposeful training, respect for one another, and personal responsibility.
EXPLORE ATHLETE PERFORMANCE