While fancy gyms or underground powerlifting gyms are great and often the best environment to train in, I've found that globo gyms still get the job done.
Let's be honest here, for my light days I'm not benching enough weight to need specialty equipment. Hell, I could even get by doing a heavy day on globo gym equipment (and I have).
I don't slip so much I need a brick of chalk, a yoga mat, grippy shirt, and bands to keep my shoulders on a bench.
I control my bar speed enough that it doesn't look like a pool noodle with 135lbs.
I believe that almost everyone should be able to get by in a globo gym if they have to. There are horror stories like when Sullivan went viral for having a bar bend in half coming up from a squat, but remember you are probably not Joe Sullivan, and if you are that strong, hopefully you have learned from that mishap and know not to squat 700lbs on a 50 dollar barbell. If you are at this level and training out of town, just skip the session and do a fluff workout. This rant isn't for you.
This rant is for the beginner who blames their shitty technique and overall weakness on not having the best equipment in the world. The girl who claims she can't bench 100lbs because the bench pad was too thin. Here's the truth, it's most likely not the equipment, you just need to get stronger, and probably need better technique too. A good coach will help you overcome both of those issues.
I do prefer using competition equipment when I'm training for a competition, but that's not the case right now. I am not planning to compete until December. This means I have no issue benching on a bench pad that's two inches thinner than comp standard and with inconvenient J hooks.
Up until my last two meets, I trained exclusively at globo gyms... I even worked at one. While I brought my own equipment into my gym, I consistently trained out of other gyms and the majority of my sessions where done on non specialty equipment. I got strong training out of a globo gym. Many people much stronger than me have also gotten strong training out of a globo gym.
Someone wants to train with me and doesn't have the means to go to a specialty gym I train out of? You bet I'm going to their gym to train with them and their less than perfect bar. Quite frankly, the main reason I train out of specialty gyms has more to do with the people in them then the fancy equipment they have.
Paused Bench... In a globo gym
Barx10
95x8
135x6
155x5
185x4x5
Incline Keyhole press
22.5lbsx10
30lbsx3x10
DB rear delt fly
15lbsx4x12-15
Overhead rope tricep ext
27.5lbsx4x12
Dips
12,8,8,8
Band pull aparts
4x20
TRX Ts
4x10