That one kilo changes a life. A place to learn the bench press to a world standard.
2026.9.5Pre Open2026.10.1Grand Open
“Only for strong people” is an assumption. We broke three of them.
B.A.D. GYM URAWA is a bench press gym one minute from the west exit of Kita-Urawa Station. It has competition equipment built around an Eleiko IPF-certified combo rack, and the B.A.D. Method established by bench press world champion Yusuke Suzuki, twice winner of the IPF World Classic Bench Press Championships in 2018 and 2019. Beginners and competitive lifters train in the same room. We pre-opened on 5 September 2026. In September we open on three days only: Mon 14 Sep 10:00-22:00, Sat 19 Sep 10:00-22:00, Fri 25 Sep 17:00-19:30 (current plan; the latest is announced on Yusuke Suzuki's Instagram (@bodyartdesign)). From the grand opening on 1 October 2026: Tue-Sun 10:00-22:00, closed Mondays.
Correct form before habits set in. That is the only short road to getting stronger.
60 kg becomes 62.5 kg. Here, the next rack over celebrates that moment with you.
Competition equipment, world-standard coaching, a room made for lifting. Everything serves the same purpose.
60 kg on the bench is fine.
This is a gym for people aiming at 100 kg.
He runs B.A.D. (Body Art Design) in Matsumoto, Nagano. His philosophy: the bench press is body control. URAWA carries that method forward.
Form clinics (free for members, up to 8 people) and personal sessions (60 min from JPY 15,400) can be booked with him on these days.Booking route to be added once fixed
Strength is not talent. A world champion's method, broken into steps anyone can follow.Draft steps, not yet approved by the supervisor
You lie down and press into the bar - the ground - with your palms as front feet.
The bench press is a movement that lies just beyond upright, two-legged walking.
Brain → Nerves → Muscles → Bones and joints → Sensation → Brain
Because you feel well, you move better. Because you move better, you feel more.
Building this virtuous circle is the heart of the B.A.D. Method.
Before the bar: shoulder blades, ribcage, breathing. An injury-free body is built here.
Build the feet, the back, the grip and the bar path at light weight. Form is the shortest route.
Load and repetitions managed as a programme, so progress is visible.
A plateau points at a weakness. Analyse it and get past the wall.
Three official attempts at an in-house meet, and a real competition if you want one.
Steps 0 and 1 above are taught through these five chapters.
Why there is a pull inside the push.
Why a lift done lying down needs your feet.
The chapter numbers do not correspond to the step numbers above.
Enter a weight and the reps you managed, and it estimates the most you could lift once. See the distance to 100 kg as a number before you start.
Estimated 1RM —
Calculated as weight / 40 x reps + weight an estimate, not a measured figure. Enter up to 10 reps.
We measure the real figure at the form check during your trial.
We assess where you are when you join. Everyone starts somewhere different.
Feedback on video. Nobody is left alone after joining.Delivery method to be confirmed
A record meet is the mid-term exam. Progress confirmed in numbers.
The same equipment used at world championships, here as a matter of course. Exposed ceiling, low indirect lighting, black steel catching the light.
The switch flips the moment you open the door.
The images are CG renderings of the finished interior.
The final finish, the layout of the fittings and the equipment installed may change.
Built around the same Eleiko used at world championships, with competition-grade equipment only.
Three in total - the Eleiko IPF-certified rack plus MBC POWER - and an MBC double half rack with two stations. Competition kit, without queuing.
ABSOLUTE POWERS precision plates, 1.25 kg increments, a dedicated platform.
Rogue Echo Bike, rower and GHD. Building the body that lifts, from the ground up.
An Eleiko cable machine, rarely seen in Japan. Independent pulleys, so two people can use it at once.
Red is 25 kg, blue 20 kg, yellow 15 kg. These are set by the competition rules of the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) and mean the same thing in any venue in the world. For 10 kg and under the rules specify no colour; Eleiko and most other makers use green for 10 kg, white for 5, black for 2.5 and chrome for 1.25.
On day one they are just colours. Six months later you read the weight from across the room. That is the clearest evidence of progress there is.
15 kg yellow, 20 kg blue and 25 kg red are set by the IPF Technical Rules (edition effective 1 March 2026, 2.2(b)6). The same rules set the tolerance for competition plates at 0.25 percent or 10 grams of face value, and our plates are within that.
It began as a waffle-iron factory. In 1957 the works manager, a lifter himself, got tired of bars that broke and set out to make a better one. That is why Eleiko's knurling still carries a waffle pattern.
Stockholm, 1963. It was the first bar in history to get through a championship without bending or breaking. More than 1,000 world records have since been set on Eleiko bars.
As Official Equipment Partner to the International Powerlifting Federation, Eleiko supports world, continental and national championships. That Eleiko IPF-certified combo rack is one minute from Kita-Urawa Station.
Our Eleiko equipment is the IPF-certified competition combo rack and the Cable Cross 120 kg. The bars are MBC POWER power bars (stainless shaft, chromed sleeves) and the plates are ABSOLUTE POWERS precision plates, within ±10 g of face value.
What an unstaffed gym cannot do, for the whole of our opening hours.
Staff are here during opening hours. Nobody has to wonder who to ask.
Swap between sets, spot each other, call for each other. Sharing rather than occupying is how this sport works. The official rack has a jack, so swapping is quick. If it is your first time, staff will introduce you.
Log in and your records are the same on any device. You can see that you are keeping it up.
About a quarter of the floor, 42.24 sqm: B.A.D. STUDIO is available to hire by the hour for yoga, pilates and dance classes.
Booking is done entirely online and there is no advance payment. You pay at reception on the day by a cashless method (credit cards, electronic money, QR payment). We do not accept cash.
Classes are announced through the gym and its social media. You get the room and the exposure.
All prices include tax. A fixed weekly slot is a monthly arrangement for instructors and partner businesses. Weekday evenings and weekend daytimes are busy with gym members, so the number of slots is limited.
We check against gym member use, so please apply on the web and we will tell you what is free.
Payment is made at reception on the day of use. There is no advance payment.
The studio is available from the opening on 1 October 2026. Weekday evenings and weekend daytimes are busy with gym members, so slots are limited.Cancellation terms to be added once fixed
Apart from the joining fee and the monthly fee there are no administration charges. Prices shown include tax; the figure in brackets is before tax.
Joining fee JPY 11,000 (JPY 10,000 before tax; charged once when a monthly membership starts, and not for drop-in use. The same for everyone, founding members included). There are no administration or payment-processing charges
Personal training: Yusuke Suzuki 60 min JPY 15,400, 90 min JPY 19,800, 120 min JPY 24,200 (on the days he is in the gym, by appointment). Blocks of 60-minute sessions: 4 for JPY 44,000, 8 for JPY 79,200, 12 for JPY 105,600
Certified trainer, 60 min ¥9,900. Form clinics (with Yusuke Suzuki, on the days he is in the gym, up to 8 people) are free for members
Rental locker: JPY 1,650 a month (limited number, holds a full set of competition gear)
All prices on this page include tax.
Somewhere you train, and somewhere you compete.
Dates for record meets, form seminars and studio open days will appear on this page once they are fixed.
For anything not answered here, write to [email protected] . We reply within two business days.
We do not take enquiries by telephone.
The trial is free: once per person, by appointment, 60 minutes. Only if you join on the day do we take the joining fee of JPY 11,000 and the first month's fee.
We have designed the run-up so that those 60 minutes count.
One minute on the form below. A confirmation email arrives straight away.
Tell us your training history, your goal and anything that bothers you. We design your 60 minutes before you arrive. See the questionnaire
Interview, form check, bench pressing, tour of the gym. Just bring clothes you can move in, indoor shoes and a drink.
For now this is advance registration before opening. Nothing is charged when you register. You are of course free to go away and think about it. We will not pressure you. Register in advance
The feel of a room does not come across in writing. Start with 60 minutes. We will not pressure you.
| Name | B.A.D. GYM URAWA(BODY ART DESIGN) |
|---|---|
| Address | 2F Iwasaki Bldg, 4-1-11 Kita-Urawa, Urawa-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama 330-0074 |
| Getting here | 1 min on foot from the west exit of Kita-Urawa Station, JR Keihin-Tohoku Line |
| Opening hours | 10:00–22:00Not yet fixed |
| Opening days in September | Mon 14 Sep 10:00-22:00 / Sat 19 Sep 10:00-22:00 / Fri 25 Sep 17:00-19:30 only We are in the pre-opening period, so we open only on the days above (current plan). The latest days are announced on Yusuke Suzuki's Instagram (@bodyartdesign). |
| Closed | From 1 October 2026, closed Mondays |
| Equipment | Separate changing rooms, rental lockers, free Wi-Fi There are no showers, no car park and no bicycle parking (please use a facility nearby) |
| Operations | During staffed hours we can advise on form and how to use the equipment |
| Supervised by | Yusuke Suzuki (bench press world champion) |
