Universal Pro Gym is nestled away on a corporate campus in Horsham, Pennsylvania, surrounded by financial offices, law firms, and a few extended-stay hotels. Three minutes from the turnpike and 45 minutes northwest of Philadelphia, the location is convenient for the 35,000 employees who work on the campus every day.
“We are the only full-service facility on the campus,” says Bob Caron, owner of Universal Pro Gym. Bob is from Havertown, Pennsylvania, which is about 35 minutes west of Philadelphia. He’s been in the medical field for 27 years in orthopedic research at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Since 1999, Bob has competed on and off at local bodybuilding shows. He’s also been a personal trainer since 1998.
Never Too Late to Start a Gym
So, why start the gym now? “I always wanted to open a gym,” he says. “Had an early midlife crisis and went for it.”
Part of that might’ve also been due to the fact he felt other clubs and gyms were lacking: a personal touch.
“We are 100 percent hands-on with everything. We know every member’s name and try to build a relationship with them. They become part of the family. There is a huge amount of support for each other in this club, and that’s why our athletes excel.”
Serving a Clientele Looking to Excel
Given his background, it’s no surprise that a large number of the gym’s clientele consists of bikini, figure, physique, and bodybuilding competitors.
But that doesn’t mean that general population clients are unwelcome. In fact, it’s just the opposite, which is reflected in the gym’s name.
“We wanted everyone from soccer moms to retired folks to professional bodybuilders to feel welcome, so our name is kind of a combination of our clientele.”
Regardless of clients’ backgrounds, “we like to lift and play hard, always with a positive attitude.”
He gets all of that done through the variety of services Universal Pro Gym offers: personal training, nutritional counseling, contest prep, functional training, small group classes, massage therapy, yoga, and even an on-site full-service barbershop.
In the near future, clients can look forward to some tactical training courses.
The elitefts Experience: “Perfect from start to finish”
To help improve on what he already had established, Bob reached out to elitefts for equipment because elitefts is “easy to work with.” That, and “the fact that their equipment is simply the best on the market.”
Some elitefts Equipment at Universal Pro Gym
- 10 Collegiate 0-90 Dumbbell Benches
- Military Dumbbell Bench
- 3 Competition Power Benches
- 2 Olympic Incline Benches
- Olympic Decline Bench
- Half-Rack with Weight Storage
- 2 3x3 Collegiate Power Racks
- 2 Deadlift Platforms
- 2 Smith Machines
- Iso-Leg Press
- Belt Squat Machine
- Hack Squat Machine
- Power Squat Machine
- Standing Row
- Collegiate Adjustable Incline Bench
- Pro Glute Ham Raise
- Cable Cross Over with Adjustment Pulleys and Jungle Gym Base
- 2 Lat Pull Downs
- 2 Low Rows
- 2 Triceps Pressdowns
- Standing Calf
- Pec Deck and Rear Delt
- 8 Pairs of Muscle Clamp Collars
- 8 Pairs of E-Z Spring Collars
- 2 Multipurpose Deluxe Curl Bars
- 2 Double Stirrup Handles
- 24-inch Straight Pro-Style Lat Bar
- 34-inch Straight Pro-Style Lat Bar
- Cambered Pro-Style Lat Bar
- Multi-Exercise Bar
- 2 Triceps Pressdown Bars
- 4 Single Cable Grips
- 2 Chinning Triangles
- 2 Accessory Racks
- SS Yoke Bar
- American Press Bar
- American Fat Bar
- American Gridiron Bar
- American Multi Grip Attachment
Everything was “perfect from start to finish,” Bob says. “Matt Goodwin went above and beyond to make everything perfect.”
To anyone else looking to outfit their gym with equipment, Bob recommends that they work with elitefts and “do it without any hesitation.”
That said, there are a couple of areas where elitefts could improve:
“Build an inverted leg press, and don’t change anything else.”
For More Information
To learn more about Universal Pro Gym, visit universalprogym.com, email info@universalprogym.com, and follow them on Instagram @universalpro_gym and on Facebook @UniversalProGymHorsham.
