Brightside Barbell

Brightside Barbell We are a Strength and Conditioning facility located on the bright side of the Bay near Lake Merritt in Oakland, CA.

We focus on small group and 1:1 training, incorporating HIIT, conditioning, gymnastic skill work, and Weightlifting & Powerlifting

06/01/2026

Still pumped about our last squat cycle. Hella PRs across the board, from technique PRs, post partum PRs, post injury PRs, lifetime PRs, and a few "I'm just glad I made it to the gym today." (RELATABLE!)

Lifetime PRs are sick, but it's also important to remember that we all go through seasons in our training and exercise careers. Sometimes our schedules, our nutrition, our sleep, our stress levels, our training, and the stars above ALL align and we smash huge weights in the gym... But sometimes life is hard and we can barely manage to make it through the day, much less train hard 3-5 days a week AND THAT'S OKAY!

Even if you didn't PR your back squat (this time), just keep coming and try to enjoy the experience of training. Remember why you're here. Throwing huge weights around is cool as hell, but functional fitness is also about being able to get up from the toilet without help when you're 90 years old, being agile enough to catch yourself when you trip, and remaining strong, resilient, and physically independent to increase and prolong a higher quality of life.

Consistency over time will yield results and progress isn't linear so just stick around and enjoy the process πŸ’ͺπŸ’ͺ

05/19/2026

Memorial Day Murph is a workout dedicated to Lieutenant Michael Murphy and a long standing tradition at many gyms. This year, on Monday 5/26, we will have two heats: 8:30am & 10am.

Murph as done Rx is:
1 mile run
100 pull ups
200 push ups
300 air squats
1 mile run
* Partition the pull ups,
(Unpartitioned and/or wearing a weighted vest are both generally considered Rx+)

04/22/2026

Catch Coach lifting at the San Francisco Open at 2pm along with THIS SUNDAY 4/26 at πŸ‹οΈ

She's taken a break from competition, but got bit by the Oly bug again and we are stoked to have her making cameo appearances in our Tues/Thurs 6pm Barbell Technique classes lately to fine tune her pull. (If you're looking to spend a little more time dialling in your Oly Technique, that's the class for you!)

We have 4 athletes lifting this weekend at the SF Open and they still need volunteers! Reach out if you can come help out and cheer on your friends. Volunteers get a free swag bag, food, and coffee! If you can only pop in for a bit to say hi to your lifter buds, that's rad too. There's a $10 spectator fee and it will be a blast! The other option is to catch them on the live stream.

Super stoked! Wish them luck β€οΈπŸ™πŸ‹οΈ and thank you .bieyro for putting together such a cool, inclusive, and supportive event environment for seasoned lifters as well as so many 1st time lifters. It's gunna be fun!

04/16/2026

Congrats to 1:1 visiting athlete Elizabeth for her BS 1RM and Deadlift 3RM PRs! She is a mostly self taught recreational lifter and usually lifts on her own at a commercial gym, but wanted to touch base with one of our professional coaches for a form check. She booked for two 1:1 sessions a little over a week apart to review her form, allowing her time to implement some suggestions in her solo training, then come back to review with us again. She was feeling a little nervous about going heavy on her own, but with a few small adjustments and some helpful guidance, she felt confident enough to smash some lifetime PRs at Brightside and was kind enough to let us share this experience with you too!

Did you know we offer 1:1 training for all kinds of athletes looking for a wide spectrum of services? Ranging from a single-session technique check, to multi session packages tailored to learning a new skill, to folks looking for on-going and regularly occurring accountability and coaching?

πŸ€«πŸ‘‚(Although, we will let you in on a secret. If you're looking to start a new fitness routine and don't have highly specific goals and are just looking for general fitness, strength, conditioning, and community, our group classes might be a more cost effective way to get started on your training journey!)πŸ’ͺπŸ’ͺ

If you're not sure if we are right for you, schedule a free consultation through our website. Link in bio!

www.brightsidebarbell.com

04/12/2026

Super Total athlete has been putting in the WORK! And believe us when we say it is HARD to train to compete in both Powerlifting AND Weightlifting, but they are crushing it lately. Stoked to see what Tilde, Amanda A., and Coach Lexi can do at the SF Open coming up on Sunday April 26th!

More info about this and more coming to your inbox via the Gainz Gazette πŸ’ͺπŸ“° so stay tuned!

In

Do you like lifting heavy circles?Yeah, us too.Do you also like running and jumping and biking and swinging and rowing a...
04/05/2026

Do you like lifting heavy circles?

Yeah, us too.

Do you also like running and jumping and biking and swinging and rowing and getting inverted and kipping and barbell cycling and metcon-ing and meeting new friends and trying a bunch of weird new things, then rolling around on the ground afterwards?

Oh man, you've found the right place, then.

Come for the barbells, stay for the broad, all around fitness and friendship🌈❀️

πŸ‹οΈπŸƒπŸ€ΈπŸš΄πŸš£πŸ’ͺ❀️

04/03/2026

Shout out to with a huge 5kg clean and Jerk PR today!

Just a few weeks out from the SF Open Weightlifting meet (Sunday April 26th, hosted by .bieyro at ) and our Barbell Club athletes prepping and peaking and we are STOKED!

If you're considering competing in the future or just curious how a Weightlifting meet works and want to come support your friends, WE STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS! So come through and show some love to our lifters, drink amazing coffee, indulge in some fancy desserts and delicious tacos (for real I don't know if I'm more excited about the lifting or the vendors πŸ₯²)

It's gunna be a blast!

🀸 Adult recess vibes in class today with a slightly different take  on "inversion" work ✨And don't stress, plenty of sca...
04/01/2026

🀸 Adult recess vibes in class today with a slightly different take on "inversion" work ✨

And don't stress, plenty of scaling options available!

Come through!

03/23/2026

πŸ’ͺ Our ever-so-slightly-longer-than-usual EMOM didn't scare away 6 and 7am!

🌞 Even though that crazy heat wave is over, summer is still just around the corner. The 6/7am classes are a great way to get your workout in early and beat the heat.

πŸ’₯ Come through and start your day off with a Bang (or occasionally a Burpee πŸ˜…)

πŸŽ‡The scores have been submitted and points have been tallied. We had 44 participants across Women, Men, and Non-Binary d...
03/18/2026

πŸŽ‡The scores have been submitted and points have been tallied. We had 44 participants across Women, Men, and Non-Binary divisions, all entering at least one or more scores.

πŸŽ† We are finally ready to announce the official winners of Brightside Barbell's 2026 Friday Night Lights!

But if you've seen the leaderboard you already know ;)

Stay tuned to see who has earned their seat in the Gym Rat Hall of Fame πŸ€πŸ’ͺ

Address

1920 Park Boulevard
Oakland, CA
94606

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