Athlete performing a barbell lift on the strength floor at O.N. Athletics in Groton, CT

Barbells, Racks & A Plan

Strength Training & Weightlifting in Groton

Squat, press, pull, and carry on equipment built for it, with programming that tells you what to do today and why it moves the number up next month.

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The Strength Equipment, In Detail

O.N. Athletics is equipped for serious strength training, whether you're working toward a new PR, building muscle, improving athletic performance, or simply following your own training program.

Our strength area includes squat racks with adjustable safeties, dedicated lifting platforms, bumper and calibrated plates, oly pads, multiple barbells, benches, a wide range of dumbbells, kettlebells, preset curl bars, sandbags, sleds, and more. You'll also find plate-loaded and selectorized machines for additional pressing, pulling, leg work, and accessory training.

A large open training area gives you room for sled work, sandbag carries, sprints, and other functional strength and conditioning without being confined to a small section of the gym.

Squat racks with adjustable safeties for solo lifting
Dedicated lifting platforms and bumper+calibrated plates
Multiple barbells, benches, dumbbells, etc.
Plate-loaded and selectorized strength machines
Large open area for sleds, carries, sprints, and functional training

Bumper plates stacked on the strength floor at O.N. Athletics in Groton, CT

Coached Programming Versus Training Solo

Training on your own works right up until progress stops. Most people plateau not because they lack effort but because they repeat the same session with the same load for months, or they change programs every three weeks and never finish a block long enough to see it work.

Coached strength programming fixes that with structure. You get a training block with a defined goal, prescribed loads that climb on a schedule, planned deload weeks so fatigue does not bury the progress, and a coach checking technique on the lifts that punish sloppy positions.

You can also mix the two. Plenty of members follow coached programming two or three days a week and use their 24/7 access for accessory work, conditioning, or a second session on days that suit their schedule.

From First Barbell To Advanced Lifter

If you have never held a barbell, we start with the pattern, not the load. Air squat before goblet squat, goblet squat before back squat. Hinge with a dowel before deadlifting a loaded bar. That progression takes weeks, not months, and it means your first heavy attempt happens with positions you can actually hold.

Intermediate lifters usually need the opposite intervention: less program hopping, more consistency, and honest accessory work on the weak link keeping the main lift stuck.

Advanced lifters get the space and equipment to run real percentage-based work without negotiating for a rack, plus a coach's eye when a lift starts drifting under maximal load.

Lifters squatting heavy barbells in the racks at O.N. Athletics in Groton, CT

Strength For Fat Loss And For Aging Well

Muscle is metabolically active tissue. Building and keeping it raises the energy your body uses at rest, which is why strength work paired with sensible nutrition changes body composition more durably than cardio alone. Lifting also protects the muscle you already have while you are in a deficit, so the weight you lose comes off in the right proportion.

The longer-term argument is even stronger. Bone density, joint integrity, balance, and the ability to get off the floor without help all track with strength. Training that loads the skeleton in your thirties and forties is what keeps stairs, luggage, and grandchildren manageable in your seventies.

None of that requires maximal singles. Consistent, progressive work in moderate rep ranges, done for years, is what produces the result.

How Strength Work Pairs With Classes

Strength training and coached CrossFit Dýr classes are complementary, not competing. Classes deliver conditioning, variety, and a group to train alongside. Dedicated strength blocks build the raw capacity that makes those classes easier and safer.

A common pattern here is two or three class days a week plus two dedicated strength days on the open gym floor. Because both live under the same roof and the same membership structure, there is no second gym to join and no schedule to negotiate between two facilities.

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24/7 Open Gym Access

Member app entry so your strength sessions fit any hour of the day.

Personal Training

One-on-one coaching if you want your strength plan written and watched.

Membership Pricing

Compare open gym, class, and training memberships.

Common Questions

Questions About This Program

No. Beginners start with movement patterns and light loads, and add weight once positions hold. Your free intro is where we find out what you have done before and where to start.

Yes. Members have 24/7 member app access, so you can run your strength sessions at whatever hour suits you and still get coaching when you want it.

Yes. Dedicated platforms with bumpers are on the floor, so Olympic lifts and heavy deadlifts can be performed and dropped safely.

Most new lifters add weight to their main lifts within the first few weeks as coordination improves, with visible changes in muscle and body composition typically showing over two to three months of consistent training.

Tell your coach at the intro. Programming is adjusted around injury history, and most restrictions mean choosing a different variation of a lift rather than skipping training altogether. Clear anything medical with your doctor first.

Still Not Convinced?

We'll make it easy

Your Free Intro Is On Us

Tour the facility, meet a coach, and talk through your goals. No commitment, no pressure.

Find Us

Come Visit Us

Address

800 Flanders Road, Building 9 Unit 5
Mystic, CT 06355

Serving Groton, Mystic, Noank, Stonington, New London, Ledyard, Gales Ferry & Southeastern Connecticut

Directions & Parking

Off Flanders Road, connecting to Routes 184 and 1, minutes from downtown Mystic and a short run from I-95, Noank, Stonington, New London, and Naval Submarine Base New London. Free on-site parking directly outside the door.

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Call or Text

(860) 415-4909

Hours

Open 24 Hours7 Days a Week

24/7 member access through our member app