★ 5

Starting Strength Houston is an excellent gym, built on the same proven program and outstanding coaching that defines the Starting Strength community. The focus here is always on form first—not just adding weight for the sake of a personal record—which ensures every session builds real, lasting strength. With the personal coaching, I’ve made far more progress than I ever could have on my own.

The coaching staff, including Tony Stein and John Chung, is skilled, attentive, and able to tailor programming to each client’s needs. As an older lifter, my training looks different from that of younger members, but the coaches make the right adjustments so that I can train safely and continue to get stronger. The fixed weekly session times provide consistency and accountability, which keeps me on track.

The Houston facility is centrally located, clean, well-equipped, and organized. The lifters here span all ages—from teens to folks in their seventies—both men and women, all working toward their goals. There’s no intimidation factor, just motivation from training alongside people who push and inspire you.

From the moment you walk in and hear a friendly “HELLO,” you feel welcomed. Starting Strength Houston was my first training home, and it set the foundation for the strength and confidence I continue to build. I highly recommend this gym to anyone ready to get stronger with the guidance of expert coaching.

I am now based out of the Starting Strength Katy gym. I recommend both gyms highly.

Source: Google

★ 5

Starting Strength is the gold standard in strength training - full stop.

Source: Google

★ 5

It’s the real deal. They made me strong and helped me. Gratitude.

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

Fantastic coaches - great at what they do and always encouraging / open for people at all levels of fitness. Everyone at Starting Strength will go out of their way to make sure you’re able to do your best at every workout. Gym has everything you need in it and there are plenty of open spots / class times where you can waitlist. 11/10!

Source: Google

★ 5

My son introduced me to powerlifting and I luckily found my way to Starting Strength. I’m in my late 50s and struggled my whole life to find a sport that I liked enough to stick with. In the 2+ years at SS, I can confidently say that it has changed my life and benefited me immensely in multiple ways. I’m much stronger, have better balance, more energy, and my knees don’t hurt anymore. I expected that the physical benefits would be tremendous, but the pleasant surprise was how much it has impacted my mental health. On days when I’m feeling exhausted by life the gym always lifts my spirits and I walk out feeling centered and happy. The other unexpected side effect is the camaraderie and friendships that I’ve experienced there. The coaches, other lifters, and owner are all friendly, engaging, and encouraging (though JD is also kind of a smart a$$ 😂). C’mon in! The waters fine!

Source: Google

★ 5

Fantastic experience. A+ all around from the cleanliness of the facility, quality of equipment, and friendliness and competence of staff. Coach John fixed three of my lifts in an hour. Cannot recommend enough. Starting Strength is THE standard.

Source: Google

★ 5

Great place to begin or continue strength training--especially for women! Very welcoming and supportive; big muscles but not a big gym mentality. No mirrors, so no showing off. Everyone has a personal, tailored program and guidance with every lift. Great mix of ages, genders, and walks of life. Definitely worth a try if you're interested in strength training but either don't feel ready to go it alone, or simply don't want to.

Source: Google

★ 5

I derive half the value from the actual workouts, the other half from a great culture and atmosphere. Coaches are subject matter experts and a pleasure to work with. Training is tailored to individual motivations and quickly adapt to any of life's circumstances that arise. If you're in to lifting or simply want to get strong this is the place to be.

Source: Google

★ 5

I love, love, love this place! Individualized training, coaches that listen to your goals, and working out with the other members is so much fun!

Source: Google

★ 5

Addicting! Love this place. Never been able to increase muscle mass before. Great coaches and great program!

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

Great personalized programming and coaching.

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

I love all of the coaches at Starting Strength & JD too! John & Tony are my regular coaches & I absolutely love those guys, but I’ve also had Josh, Matt & Dan & they’re great too. They write your plan out specifically for you & give feedback each set. I highly recommend SS to anyone.

Source: Google

★ 5

There is no better better setup for getting strong and improving your life, whether 18 or 80. And there are absolutely no better educated, better skilled coaches than the Starting Strength coaches. I don't even know how they see what they see when the coach human movement, but they're amazing.

Source: Google

★ 5

Every coach I’ve had at Starting Strength has been outstanding. They know how to tailor the program to each individual, whether you’re a 65 year old guy like myself, or a 40 year old mom, or a 20 old athlete.

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

I'm having a blast here. The coach staff is really great!

Source: Google

★ 5

I started this program to nurse a shoulder injury. I didn’t think it would work. Boy was I wrong. The pain from the injury was gone after a couple weeks so now I’m a big fan of the program (what can I say, it’s fun) and I decided to keep doing it to see what kinda progress I get after a couple of months. Halfway there and already seeing huge gains.

Source: Google

★ 5

I just got a body composition exam. In 2.5 years, I've lost 39lbs of fat and gained 19lbs of muscle. My diet is awful. The only thing that's changed in that time is that I go to Starting Strength three times a week and work the program they give me. Even if I didn't enjoy being stronger, I'd keep going just for that.

Source: Google

★ 5

I can't say enough about my 6+ months as a member of SS-Houston. I never learned how to lift properly and would get stuck and frustrated when trying to make progress on my own. Every goal, issue, and ache I've brought up were listened to by the highly knowledgeable coaches. The program is truly for everyone. Come in and get stronger. Oh and you'll have fun too.

Source: Google

★ 5

Starting Strength is an amazing program. Its gets you strong efficiently, effectively, and with no added nonsense. The coaches are very knowledgeable, and will help you with the proper form, and programming. I had back pain, neck pain, and foot pain from my military service, and the program relieved it all. The only time the pain comes back is when I stop the program.

Source: Google

★ 5

Get strong. Get personal attention. I've been a member for about 2 years. I'm 50+ and I'd never done any of these lifts before. I've been amazed at the results. The coaches are awesome - they do a great job meeting clients where they are, at any age or capability. I was in general not particularly comfortable with my body and what it could do, and they have absolutely made the training program and progression something I could understand and do.

Joining was one of the best decisions I've ever made. At an age when my peers are slowing down and becoming less active, I am demonstrably stronger than I've ever been in my life.

Source: Google

★ 5

I’m a 69 yo female who has had bilateral hip replacements and Starting Strength is truly for everyone! I’ve been weightlifting for two years and have made steady progress in gaining strength. Currently I squat 175lbs, deadlift 205lbs, overhead press 70lbs and bench press 97lbs. I’m looking forward to seeing you all at the gym!

Source: Google

★ 5

The best gym in town! The coaching is excellent. I worked with Josh the most. You learn the fundamentals of weight lifting and you are consistently building on prior workouts. They help motivate you by setting goals for the next session and are attentive to your form so that you don't injure yourself. Highly recommend this place!

Source: Google

★ 5

Starting Strength-Houston is a great place to work out and to get stronger. I trained there for about nine months before moving away for work. My only regret was not staying longer and learning the Olympic lifts from Josh Wells.

I more than doubled my strength in all the major lifts in my first year of training under their tutelage. Now, I squat consistently in the mid-300s lbs, bench press 250+ lbs, deadlift 400+ lbs, overhead press 180+ lbs at 198 lbs body weight.

I highly recommend this gym. Now, if only I could get my younger brother to join a starting strength gym.

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

The name says it all. Do you want to get stronger in a systematic fashion with proper training so you do it right and avoid injuries. This is a FANTASTIC way to do it. I worked with the crew 3 days a week from February 2021 to January 2022 and it was something that helped me attain a level of strength that would have been almost impossible left to my own devices. They just opened a new branch in Katy for those on the West side of Houston. Good luck!

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 1

I just seen 4 guys making fun of an old lady trying to lift weights.SMH!

Source: Google

★ 5

Starting Strength is the BEST for effective and consistent coaching. Regardless of your experience in the gym, the coaches (Josh and JD rock) are patient and ensure that each workout is meaningful. I feel more confident about myself and my ability to continue building muscle after working with Starting Strength. I can't recommend this gym enough!

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

The best physical training program I've ever done!

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

If you want a place to feel comfortable and improve yourself, this is it. The trainers here are the embodiment of the Starting Strength philosophies that "Anyone can get strong and getting strong will improve many aspects of your life." Or something along those lines. They're right. I never in a million years thought I'd be able to squat properly but these guys made it possible. Whats better, I enjoyed the journey.

Source: Google

★ 5

Awesome place to train and get strong.

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

Chase, Tony and the rest of the coaches at Starting Strength Houston are simply the best. My goals were to develop a pure strength base to enhance seasonal sports specific training later in the year, and to prevent future injury. Unsurprisingly, I found that I had been doing most of the major lifts incorrectly and improperly loading the wrong parts of the body. Correcting the bad habits and re-learning the lifts correctly mean building strength and greatly reducing the risk for injury. SS has exceeded my expectations and I’ve learned a ton about strength and physiology. I plan to continue at Starting Strength Houston indefinitely.

Source: Google

★ 5

The coaches at Starting Strength (Josh, Shelley, JD, Chase, Andrew, David & Tony) have taken me from no weight training whatsoever to squatting 83 pounds, benching 55 pounds and dead lifting 130 pounds within 2 1/2 months and that's with a two week break that caused me to have to "reset". Here's what I love about the coaching - they make sure you're using the proper form and your safety is their first priority. They get to know each person and make it fun while pushing you to improve. SO glad we joined!!

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

Did a one-off session while in town for business. Mostly coached by Josh, but chatted with some of the other coaches a bit. Wow, super valuable. I found time for one more session before I leave, and I'm looking forward to it.

I've been doing barbell training for a few years now, and I read a lot. But I learned more than I expected from the session. Most of the other trainees I saw seemed pretty new, but I was super impressed with how good their form was. Clearly the product of excellent coaching. Highly recommended for everyone, especially new trainees.

Source: Google

★ 5

I'm thoroughly enjoying my Starting Strength experience so far (Intro session on August 14th, just finished my 2nd full week of training). I've believed in the methodology for some time now, through the books and web resources, and am grateful for the opportunity to have an easily accessible franchise gym to fully explore my own training potential in.

This is the type of training that I've long been looking for, although I couldn't have known it earlier, since navigating the hype and constant pursuit of health and fitness fads among many of my friends and coworkers is nearly another full-time job. My main goal is to see just how far I can go on the Novice Linear Progression before programming alterations have to be made, and how that progress is reflected in my own appearance and overall physical ability.

My biggest concern prior to beginning group training with the Monday, August 19th session (my first after my Intro the previous week), was the Bench Press. I incurred a Grade 2 AC joint injury in my right shoulder several years ago, with surgery not really an option, due to its lack of severity and no major lingering deficits, regarding pain or range of motion limitations.

Unfortunately with every subsequent attempt at resuming the bench press, the pain returned, as if a spike was being driven up into the AC joint from underneath. Looking back now, I can attribute this to a combination of poor-to-nonexistent technical proficiency and instruction, and the decision to work around benching with machine-oriented exercises, such as the seated chest press, "pec-deck" adduction, and inclined presses, all of which, regardless of weight or frequency, always resulted in the same pain that lasted for the better part of a week.

However, the Bench Press has now become my biggest source of excitement. I completed each and every set on Monday night, paying as careful attention as I could to positioning and alignment for every rep, and apart from the resulting soreness in those unchallenged muscles, there is absolutely no pain.

Thanks to Starting Strength, I can now Bench again, without the fear of being nearly incapacitated with shoulder pain in my dominant arm for days afterward. This is honestly something I never thought I'd reclaim, and to know that I have (and can now build upon it), has been a tremendous source of relief and satisfaction.

I'm looking forward to continuing my training, and am grateful to the staff at SSH (JD, Josh, Shelley, Chase, Andrew, Tony, and Nathan) for their knowledge, support, and encouragement. Thanks, guys!

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

The coaching is excellent.

Source: Google