Marietta Barbell Gym

When Curtis Leslie was a 148-pound collegiate athlete at Albany State, he didn’t know that he was special. When he was bench pressing 340 pounds, he was just working out because he enjoyed it. He enjoyed making himself better - a through-line in Curtis’ life that keeps showing itself.

When the renowned teacher, sports consultant, and world-record-holding powerlifter, Dr. Judd Biasiotto, saw young Curtis casually lifting national record weight on a Tuesday at Albany State, he approached him.

“Man, don’t you know that you’re lifting a national record right now?”

Curtis popped his eyebrows and said, “I had no idea.”

From then on, Curtis started getting serious about his craft. He improved his nutrition and became more serious about lifting. It wasn’t long before he was breaking records and traveling around the world to do so.

Curtis Leslie has five world titles and seven national titles to his name. He first broke a national record when he was in college at Albany State when he was competing in the 148-pound class. From there, he went on to continue to build muscle as well as his reputation and won his first national title when he was competing in the 220-pound class.

Hailing originally from DeKalb County, Curtis came back home after college and started training at Coffee’s Gym in Marietta. He began traveling the world competing while also working for the City of Atlanta’s Water Department. Not once did he miss work for competitions. Somehow, he found the time and energy to train multiple days a week in Marietta, making the hour one-way drive because the trainer and gym were the right fit for him.

“I say all the time, if you really want to get better, you’ll make it work.”

Many years later, Curtis started eyeing the old Cagle’s gym in Marietta located at 24 Alexander Street. The gym had sat lifeless for a few years just begging someone to come in and bring it back to life. With that, 11 years ago, Curtis Leslie and Jean Wojcik (lovingly called Ms. Jean) started their Marietta Barbell journey. They’ve been together for 28 years and this business venture has only helped them grow stronger.

Marietta Barbell Gym or MBB, as Ms. Jean likes to refer to it, is a no-nonsense, old-school gym. It’s the type of gym where they use real chains, not that soft type with the fabric wrapping to protect your dainty hands. MBB is the place where the clanging of barbells reverberates off the cement block walls. It’s the place where chicken broth recipes, ideal serving sizes, and optimal grams of protein are discussed. It’s the place where you can get a set of real metal plates that are measured in the metric system. MBB is where you can find beginners trying workouts for the first time alongside seasoned veterans that have been benching, deadlifting, and squatting hundreds of pounds for more than half a century. People of all ability levels and ages work out at MBB, representing a healthy cross-section of Marietta.

At MBB, Curtis and Jean aren’t interested in providing a massage room, childcare, or a cycling instructor shouting at you to cycle faster over a curated pop playlist. By design, you won’t get an exhaustive list of programming, convenient parking, or a golf car to drive you from your car to the facility. Instead of muzak or light pop/rock gently airing out over the room, you’ll most often hear the driving sounds of AC/DC or Led Zeppelin. ?

What they are interested in is celebrating you and growing a family-feel inside of a small, humble gym. Ms. Jean, a bundle of energy and in better shape than most people 50 years younger than her, furiously cleans, sanitizes, re-racks, and encourages the lifters around the gym. Most impressively, she will call you by name and encourage you individually as you come and go.?

Curtis and Jean want the little gym on Alexander St. to be a “neighborhood gym” for all people to come and feel welcome. On “Squat Saturdays,” you can view small teams of folks of mixed genders, ages, and ability levels attempting a personal record (PR as its known in the exercise community), huddling nearby anxiously waiting to celebrate each other with a successful lift.?Raucous, elated yells are sure to sound off every few minutes as people try to compete against themselves. Most days, Ms. Jean walks around filming for Instagram to give an update to those at home. She often signs off with MBBStrong which has a great double meaning for the sort of community they have fostered at 24 Alexander St.

Daniel Haugh, an Olympic Hammer Thrower, and local Kennesaw State University Owl, trains at Marietta Barbell where the walls display a banner cheering him on to victory in Tokyo in the 2021 Summer Games. Although Daniel is probably one of the most successful amateur athletes that work out of MBB, the encouragement and warm reception he enjoys is no different than any other member. Ms. Jean and Curtis made a point to convey that all are welcome. “As long as you follow the rules and are respectful.” Ms. Jean flashed a stern, grandmotherly glance as if to communicate that she doesn’t take any nonsense in her gym.

There’s something special going on at MBB that is hard to fully describe in words without experiencing it. I know that it stems from the family-oriented atmosphere that Curtis and Jean have cultivated but there’s also an air of progress, of grit. An unspoken feeling of determination that’s colored by a group mindset that supports one another and manifests itself in the members themselves.

A few years ago, Curtis didn’t know that he was walking around with an artery that was nearly 100% blocked. He was feeling lethargic when Ms. Jean encouraged him to visit the doctor. Within a week, he was in surgery to prevent an inevitable major heart attack. After his procedure, Ms. Jean dutifully stayed by Curtis’s side every day during his recovery.

That’s when the members really had their time to shine. A few trainers and regulars there at the gym made it their personal mission to support Curtis and Jean the only way they could – by keeping Marietta Barbell Gym running. The members worked together to keep the place clean, functional, and safe. They regularly checked in with Curtis and Jean and helped perform basic maintenance as needed. Ms. Jean’s eyes misted up when she was telling me about how blessed they feel to have such a great family.

“We couldn’t have done it without them. Our members are so special,” Ms. Jean vocalized tenderly.

The proof is in the numbers as well as Ms. Jean shared the eye-popping number that MBB has quadrupled its membership in its 10 years of existence.

“Other gym owners come to ask us what our special sauce is. You do know that for most people that open a gym, it takes a few times to get it right. This is our first and only one.”

“Some days, we’ll have 300 come through here,” Curtis offered incredulously.

This growth in membership has all happened by the way, without a single expansion of their cozy 5,500 square foot facility.

The commitment to family isn’t something that Jean and Curtis just pay lip service to.

They live it out.

Ms. Jean works every Sunday so that Curtis can keep up his weekly tradition of taking his 87-year-old father fishing.?You read that correctly. He goes fishing EVERY Sunday with his father. I was skeptical at first.

“Curtis, you take him fishing even during the winter?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah.” He quipped.

“Where do you go fishing?”

“All over. Macon, Covington, even over near Alabama. We like bass fishing, but during the winter, it’s more catching crappie.”

You can come enjoy a hug or encouragement from Ms. Jean or glean wisdom from Curtis Leslie himself by visiting in person at 24 Alexander St Marietta, GA 30060.

Follow them on Facebook at Marietta Barbell Gym and Instagram at @marietta_barbell

The standard monthly rate is $40 with a discounted rate of $35 for all students, police, firemen, military, and senior citizens.

MBB boasts an easy system of no contracts, no sign-up fees, and no monthly debits. It’s as simple as paying month by month.

Hours of operation:

Monday-Thursday 12 noon-10 pm

Friday: 12 noon-7 pm.

Saturday: 10 am – 5 pm

Sunday: 12 noon – 5 pm (On Sundays, check availability with Ms. Jean because there are occasional large groups that train)

Proudly displayed in the front office area are dozens of framed pictures of MBB athletes over the years hurtling discs, throwing javelins, competing in triathlons, squatting (of course), complete with ruddy faces and necks with pronounced veins.