Power Palace Gym

10/25/2026

We've added a new sign to the Nautilus Next Gen Leg Extension. This is actually one of the best leg extension machines because the strength curve on the machine is optimized for maximum time under tension but like all machines you have to use it correctly to get the full benefit. I see many people (not just in the gym but also online as I searched for tutorial videos) do this exercise incorrectly and there is misinformation online for what makes a good leg extension machine. The challenge is at the BOTTOM (the starting position), not the TOP, of the rep (when your legs are fully extended). If the strength curve remained consistent for the entire rep range then you'd damage your knees when you fully extend your legs.

The only way that you put resistance on your quads when your legs are extended at the TOP of the rep is when you pause the rep for a couple seconds -- it is because the resistance vanishes at the top of the rep range that some people "smash" the top of the machine lever when they fully extend their legs. It's very noisy and loud when people do this and can be heard from across the gym even by people wearing headphones. I hear it ALL THE TIME when people use this machine ,and it DAMAGES the metal gears and bike chain belt in the machine when people do that because they are trying to over-extend the machine beyond its intended range of motion. The resistance is supposed to get easier at the TOP of the rep so you don't hurt your knees, and you're intended to pause at the top of the rep range for 1-3 seconds, too. If you hear any banging at the top of the rep you are going up too far to where you lost resistance on your quads.

You as the user need to limit your rep range so you don't fully extend your legs all the way out, but instead keep your knees at a position so you keep tension on the quads. And once getting to this top range you should pause for 1-3 seconds before you slowly lower the weight stack back as you return to the starting position range. If you do leg extensions this way with suitable resistance your quads will BURN like they are on fire. You should feel like fire ants are biting your quads if you are doing the leg extension correctly. If you don't feel that intense burn in the quads then you are wasting your energy on the leg extension machine. I can tell when people are not doing this correctly because they are swinging their legs wildly, making a lot of noise but not actually working their quads. Then they pull out their phones or chat with people. If you do leg extension correctly you need a moment to get your thoughts in order because the discomfort on your quads is so much. It is a large muscle group so when you exhaust them, you feel it. It is one of the few exercises where if you do it correctly it's actually very uncomfortable.

The Leg Extension is a deeply isolating exercise and if you perform it correctly you should have trouble walking for a few moments after finishing your set, because your quads are exhausted. If you can hop off the leg extension and walk normally you did not perform the exercise correctly.

Also, ignore the handles on the seat and just cross your arms like a vampire, and keep your back perfectly still. Many people cheat the exercise by trying to swing their backs against the back pad to get the weight up past the starting position, or because the weight is so much it is lifting them out of the seat because their quads cannot get the weight up from the start position. That is your signal the weight stack is too heavy for you. Again, the fully extended position is the LEAST CHALLENGING part of the motion and is not actually the exercise. The challenge of the exercise is to lift the weight from the starting position so if you use body momentum to lift the stack up then you're cheating the exercise.

The exact amount of weight that you use on this machine is going to vary not just depend upon how strong you are but also how you are using it as part of your program. Nautilus machines were designed as part of a circuit. Many people like to use leg extensions to pre-exhaust their quads before they do another compound movement such as a squat or a leg press. However the original Nautilus program the leg extension was performed after doing compound leg movements. There's also a unit where leg extensions were built into a leg press machine so you would superset leg press and leg extension together.

So if you've already exhausted your quads some by doing another compound movement you're not going to need to use as much weight as when you are using it as the first leg exercise. This is something that you should consider as part of your program.

We've actually added a specially designed HUSLA pad to this machine to help increase tension on the quads at the bottom and top of the range, and again these pads are designed because a good leg extension will lose a lot of tension at the top of the range so you don't damage your knees. You don't have to use the extra padding, you can rotate the pad to not use the extra cushioning without removing the pad from the machine but it's there if you want some additional tension at the start and top of the exercise.

10/12/2026

Our dedicated arm workout room "The Armory" gained a new machine today: the Nautilus Nitro Plus Triceps Extension. This pairs with the Nautilus Nitro Biceps we've had for several years. Very long head engaging and works better than any cable exercise! The Armory Collection also includes Paramount Overhead Triceps, Cybex (Eagle) Triceps, Nautilus Next Gen Multi Biceps, Nautilus Next Gen Multi Triceps, and the uber rare Nautilus Next Gen Super Forearm! The most sought after arm machines in one room! If you know, you know!

The Nautilus Power Plus seated triceps dip and Short Preacher Curl are now located in the back room next to the Long Preacher Curl. Next month we are purchasing a 2nd set of pro style dumbbells for the main room and I will move the current dumbbell set into the back room.

10/04/2026

State of the Gym Update Oct 2026: We appreciate all members of our gym who have been doing their part to follow the rules as well as those who have voiced their concerns about things that have occurred over the past two years while I was out of state.

When I came back a little over a month ago, it was obvious that many rules were not being followed by members, but it was also that in my absence staff were not ensuring these rules were followed. I did not know about this but it seems to be that many newer members also did not know I was the owner, and were under the mistaken impression one of the staff managers was the owner. That has never been the case. I have always been the sole owner of Power Palace Gym. So the only complaints I knew about were those which had been emailed to me, and each of these complaints I believed staff had addressed in my absence. I only learned after returning to the gym that this was not always the case.

As members have obviously seen since my return, I have been running the gym solo since returning with no other staff. There is a reason for that, and now you know why.

Since I returned, I spent two thousand dollars having the gym professionally deep cleaned. I spent additional thousands improving floor, fixing equipment and purchasing additional equipment, such as more treadmills since the gym had grown in membership during my absence. I've also kicked out over 45 people, many of which had not been paying their bills in at least a year yet had continued to enter the gym anyway. Because they refused to leave the gym after their membership cancelations, I've even had to call police to trespass notice three individuals, one as recently as yesterday afternoon, who did not believe they need to follow the rules of the gym. I have had to spend most of my time at the gym to ensure people no longer sneak into the gym who are not supposed to be here, that people pay the day passes when bringing guests and that the rules are enforced. That includes late at night, when some of these people kicked out have tried to re-enter the gym thinking I wouldn't be here.

And now you know why I seem to always be here. Our reception hours have remained 3 PM to 8 PM M to F, but I am frequently at the gym early morning and late at night regardless, because at the moment it is the only way I can ensure these people do not re-enter the gym. We are a small local gym, we do not have the revenue yet for 24 hour staff, and the money I am saving from not hiring staff for the reception hour shift is instead going into repairs / improving the gym facility. That is going to have to include a new wired camera system that I can access remotely, as the current wireless system has not always been reliable and I did not have remote access.

I am the sole owner of the business, Starting this gym was my idea. It is the only gym in the area that is 24 hours, that allows members as young as 13, that caters to the bodybuilding and powerlifting hobby. I spent over $120K to start the gym four years ago, with additional expenses since then. No one else has invested money into this gym. While I was gone the past two years, I paid for the gym's supplies and I paid for repairs to equipment -- I pay a specialist service that does the maintenance. If you believed otherwise, you were misled.

I apologize that complaints to staff members in the past did not always get addressed. I apologize that people I expressly had kicked out two years ago continued to enter the gym without approval. I am sorry that rules of the gym designed to ensure safety and prevent damage to the equipment many members come to the gym to use were not always followed. I have spent the past month since returning addressing the culture issue, removing problematic members and frankly -- restoring order to the gym.

I appreciate the members who have always followed the rules and who have remained patrons of the gym despite the problems, and those who continue to remain as I work to make additional space improvements and purchase additional equipment to make the gym even better.

-Carey

10/04/2026

Just FYI for those who don't know how to perform the Glute Bridge exercise correctly. This is a tutorial that explains the proper form, and the instructor expressly points out cheating the exercise with momentum / lower back and quads is not how you use it, even if it lets you load more weight.

Looking to build stronger glutes and get more out of your hip thrus...

10/03/2026

10/03/2026

Sure are a lot of Planet Fitness people commenting on my last video who seem to think its totally okay to load more than double the amount of weight listed on the manufacturer website for the weight machine just because it can fit on the bar, or who are under the impression just moving weight on a machine is all there is to how to use it and how how you moved it doesn't matter.

I particularly loved the comment from the guy who claimed he regularly lifts 600 lbs on glute bridge all the time, but also in the same paragraph complained about how the belts always break, claiming it's a "defect" with the belts (lol) not having the self-awareness to understand he is the problem, not the belt.

Ego lifting doesn't get you gains and if you all know so much, start your own gyms. Then you can pay the bills to repair equipment when people are constantly breaking things through reckless usage.

If you're a novice lifter who has no idea how to use machines to isolate the muscles they are designed to isolate, I suggest that instead of using your phone to leave hot takes on social media posts you instead spend some time using your phone to learn how to weight lift correctly, starting with a query for "mind-muscle connection" and maybe some info about the theory behind why any of these machines even exist in the first place (start by learning some bodybuilding history about men like Vince Gironda and Arthur Jones, guys who pioneered the use of these these machines for bodybuilding. Watch some Mike Mentzer videos, hell even read Arnold's Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding). Otherwise you are just wasting your time using the machines and will not get the gains you are hoping for, as you don't understand how to use them to obtain the results.

PS: It wasn't mentioned in the video, since it was intended for our gym members, but I had sent an email out to all members weeks prior to this alerting all members about how I put a temporary replacement belt onto the Glute Bridge machine because of the prior damage to the original belt. These belt's have TWO male buckle insertions on them, and the first one had already been ripped off, no doubt by someone ego lifting with it as well.

He did not use the temporary belt, he used the original belt and then ripped the second male insertion off that belt due to ego lifting. Because it has a max weight capacity of 360 lbs, which no, he wouldn't be able to lift either just using his glutes.

Picture of the machine with new belt for context on the two buckle inserts on these belts for those who clearly don't know what they have been commenting about.

And no, the machine does not have too large of a collar for loading plates, different plates have different sizes and weights, seven 10 lb plates isn't the same weight as 7 45s even if they occupy similar amounts of space on the collar. This is common sense. You may as well argue that just because someone can load five or six 45 lb plates on either side of a powerbar that means they need to be expressly told its dangerous for them to bench press with it when they are a novice lifter new to working out. This is common sense. The collar also needs to be longer than the plates on it to hold them safely during the exercise, so they don't go flying off.

All members agree to our rules, which clearly state no ego lifting. This is a gym for people serious about weightlifting, not for goofing off and clowning around with reckless behavior endangering themselves and others. The rules are posted at the entrance to the gym, too.

He was provided an opportunity to course correct, and chose not to, and is no longer a member at our gym.

PSS: To those who think I'm incorrect about RDLs, Glute bridge wasn't even a thing until 20 years ago, for 60+ years the primary way to develop glutes has been RDLs with accessory exercises (lunges, glute kickback, leg press, etc). Saying glute bridge is an alternative to RDLs isn't a matter of opinion, it's a fact, because glute development has traditionally been done using RDLs, not glute bridges. The glute bridge only exists to allow isolation of the glutes and no other muscle activation, so if you're overloading it with weight you're objectively doing the exercise wrong, using hamstrings, quads, and tendons in your joints instead of actually lifting only with your butt! Learn some mind-muscle connection and stop ego lifting, you'll get better results.

And if you think RDL is a lower back exercise, you'd better learn real fast how to do it correctly before you damage your back. You use your legs, with a focus on your glutes. Of course you hit glutes with squat / deadlift too but those aren't as glute centric as RDL is, why do you think people do RDLs instead of squatting or deadlifting?

Go read the literature made by the people who invented these exercises, it's easily accessible online. Many of the comments that have been left on the last video are by people who will get themselves seriously hurt on the path they are on.

10/01/2026

Just added a HUSLA Leg Extension Pad to the Nautilus Next Gen Leg Extension that many members were doing a makeshift blue pads setup on. Hopefully this is easier for ya'll to use.

10/01/2026

Last night around 10:00 p.m. somebody loaded what looks to me to be over 600 lbs onto our Nautilus glute bridge which only has a weight capacity of 360 lb. In the process of their ego lifting they broke the belt, ripping the buckle off the belt stitching and then didn't bother to call / text / email the gym. It costs about $200 to replace one of these belts. Fortunately the belt buckle had already been having problems so I had ordered a replacement weeks ago which finally arrived yesterday, but it seems very likely to me the reason why we're having problems with the belt buckle in the first place is because of the misuse of the machine.

The Glute bridge is an alternative to a Romanian deadlift, instead of having to hold a barbell with your hands, you can instead just focus on activating the glutes ie your butt muscles. That means if you can't Romanian deadlift for reps the weight, it should not be loaded on the glute bridge when you're doing it. It is not a squat machine and quite honestly there's maybe a couple people who have ever been in this gym who can actually do a 600 lb squat for reps anyway.

This also applies to the Belt squat by the way. I also see people load far too much weight on it using too long of a chain so they're not even doing the full range of motion, which is probably why they think that they have to load so much weight onto it. If you can't barbell squat with the weight you shouldn't be belt squatting with it either. You're not supposed to use the handles to push yourself up using your upper body, it's a leg exercise. If you do not know how to use the belt squat machine, ask me and I will show you.

Going forward if I decide you are using too much weight for the exercise, I'm going to tell you to stop doing it. We have always had rules against ego lifting for safety. If I stop you I'm going to instruct you on how to correctly do the exercise so that you do not injure yourself or damage my equipment. And if you break the equipment even after I have asked you to lower the weight / use proper form you will be charged for the replacement. A good rule of thumb is if you are unable to control the negative portion of the rep and slam the weight down and you're doing any exercise other than a deadlift variation / barbell clean etc, there's about a 99% chance you're doing the exercise wrong ( too much weight and/or bad form).

And if you break something and you don't tell me us about it even by txt or email, you're going to be charged for the replacement as well. If I had previously asked you to not ego lift and you break something and dont tell us, you will be banned from the gym.

Work your muscles, not the joints.
The exercise equipment is for you to get a workout, not for you to stress test the machines to see their limits.

If you're using so much weight on an exercise that when you Google about it, and it says that you're an elite powerlifter and you are not an elite power lifter, that is a big clue that you're doing the exercise wrong.

09/21/2026

We have a Nautilus Super Forearm machine in our dedicated arm workout room, The Armory. Which is actually currently listed by someone else on eBay for $74,000 although other units have sold for over $45K.

09/15/2026

It's been a few years so I felt it was time to do another tour of the Power Palace Gym in Newberg, OR and discuss all the equipment we've got here for our club members.

Couple of verbal typos I made:

1) triceps bar, not tripod bar.

2) weighted pullups, not pushups on the Pit shark

3) I forgot to mention the Nautilus Super Forearm machine in our Armory room, which is a grip and wrist machine.

It was midnight and I made the video while taking a rest after doing my own chest workout for the night / morning, so the blood wasn't pumping to my brain as well as it should lol. I did back, shoulders and arms right after this. I tend to do my workouts late at night or very early morning when (almost) no one else is in the gym so that members have priority on equipment.

-Carey