The Muscle Factory has come to Hollister to help everyone from
the average person trying to get in shape to serious
bodybuilders.
The Muscle Factory has come to Hollister with owners Al McGovert, his son J.R. McGovert and nephew Curtis McGovert, who are in the business of providing products to help everyone from the average person trying to get in shape to serious bodybuilders.
Al McGovert had worked in different businesses over the years and had retired early when his younger brother, Bob, died unexpectedly. McGovert wanted to help Bob’s son, Curtis, a bodybuilder and McGovert’s godnephew
“He was working for a supplement store and wanted to open up his own supplement store,” McGovert said. “I’ve got the management skills and he’s got the knowledge of bodybuilding. We found a place in San Jose on Bernal Road right next to a Gold’s Gym. That’s how we started.”
That was three years ago, and business has been good in San Jose, so the McGoverts decided to open the Hollister location. They plan to franchise in the near future.
The Muscle Factory, inside Gold’s Gym, offers a number of products including various workout accessories, yoga and training mats, lifting straps, wraps, hats, knitted caps, sweat bands, dew rags, visors, bodybuilding videos and magazines, shoes just for the gym, sweatshirts and workout clothes.
But the biggest-selling items are supplements geared to maximize the benefits of working out, and the partners have developed, registered and patented their own line of products.
“Most of the products we carried lacked certain things. We decided to improve on that,” McGovert said. “We started with the weight protein. In our other store we had about eight different brands of weight-gainer powders. They were so thick and heavy it was like drinking mud. They also had to be blended in a blender. All of our products can be mixed in a shaker cup. They also don’t have the gritty taste a lot of products do.
“Then we went on to glutamine/ creatine. Next we focused on the meal replacements. You can get a whole meal with 50 grams of protein. We wanted products that had a lot of protein with no artificial sugars and no added fats. We also have products for people who are lactose intolerant. And we carry our own fat burners.”
McGovert said the products are put through rigorous testing before final decisions are made.
“Once we knew what we wanted, we shopped around for pharmaceutical companies,” he said. “We’d go back and forth testing and tasting the products until we got them just they way we wanted. Then we’d tweak them one more time.”
The Muscle Factory also carries name-brand products many long-time customers are familiar with. In addition to meal supplements, they feature Jamieson brand vitamins.
“We sell other miscellaneous things,” McGovert said. “This includes aloe vera, vitamin E and various tanning items for those who want to use them in the tanning booths and for those who compete. We also have energy juices and powders.”
The Muscle Factory also has, and is continuing to develop, its own line of clothing.
“We have clothes for both guys and girls,” McGovert said. “Ours are top-quality. I learned a long time ago that you get what you pay for. Our sweatshirts are made with the best quality, heavyweight cotton, made to keep you warm. Our name is machine-embroidered right on the shirt. We also have a whole thing of pants being made for us. We’ve done a lot of the designing ourselves.”
The Muscle Factory is located inside Gold’s Gym at 1525 Cushman Street. Open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Sundays. For more information, call 638-0796.
