Illiana Power Asylum

⚠️ Road Closure ⚠️

Please be aware that there will be a road closure on 179th street coming from the Cline entrance to the gym. Make it known that the only way to get to the gym will be to come from Kennedy Ave

We would like to take a moment and honor a cornerstone member of IPA that passed away today, Bill Taylor. Without the early support of Bill, Illiana Power Asylum might have never gotten started. From countless hours driving to pick up equipment on little to no sleep, to the dedication in all the projects to even get the doors open for business, Bill Taylor did it all with a smile on his face. For those that knew him, we were the lucky ones. If you ever had the opportunity to talk to him in the gym, he always found a minute to spare to share a laugh.

He will be greatly missed and the impact he left on the people around him will be felt forever. Thanks Bill for all that you did. Oh, and one more thing…

“SHIRT UP, BILLDO!!!”

Love you buddy

We are making a few changes to bring in some new equipment. In order to make that happen we are selling our elitefts monolift. It’s in perfect working order. Looking for $1,100 OBO. If interested, please contact us.

Weights for Wyatt is coming up this Saturday, July 12th! Here are some details to about the contest and the event as a whole:

Athletes will check in at 9:00am
Rules meeting at 9:45am
Contest starts at 10:00am

We are happy to announce that there are OVER TWENTY sponsors for this event!!! We will have a number of awesome items in the raffle, which is available to everyone in attendance. Tickets will be $1/ticket with no limits on how many you can purchase. All proceeds will be included with the GoFundMe donations.

If you are interested in competing there is still plenty of time to register. All experience levels are welcome. You have the option to sign up for Deadlift Only, Rolling Thunder Only, or both events.

We are excited to see everyone on Saturday!!!

It’s that time of year again where the heat at IPA can be brutal. We want to make sure that everyone is training as safe as possible in the upcoming week while the temperatures will be in the mid to upper 90s consistently. Please remember to listen to your body; stay hydrated before, during, and after training; and train smart in a hot environment. Also, please make sure you slap on some extra deodorant! 😉

IPA famously is not an air conditioned facility, but we will do what we can to try and keep it as cool as possible. For the duration of this heat spell, there will be a cooler of bottled water at the front of the gym for members to help themselves. Gatorade and other drinks are available in the vending machine.

Stay hydrated!!! And most importantly…. Embrace The Crazy!

Huge IPA congratulations to Abbie Janich who stepped on the stage today for the first time! She made the jump from powerlifting to bodybuilding and absolutely crushed it at her first show! Congrats on getting third place in the novice division!🥉

It is with a heavy heart that we share Wyatt Jellema passed away today from his battle with lung cancer. Our prayers and condolences go out to his family and friends. Wyatt was an avid fan of strongman and the reason we’ve had the privilege to call his fiancé, Ashley, a member of IPA.

In Wyatt’s honor, we will still be hosting the Weights for Wyatt contest being held on Saturday, July 12th at Illiana Power Asylum. We want to thank everyone that has donated and signed up for the contest so far. Your support has been unbelievable.

We have decided to start a GoFundMe specifically for the contest, which will benefit family with any memorial services costs. There is still plenty of time to register for the contest and/or make a donation. Please check out the link.

If you have any questions about the contest or want to contribute in any other way, please reach out. It is still our goal with the remaining weeks left to make this contest the biggest celebration of Wyatt’s life possible.

We hope everyone is looking forward to “Weights for Wyatt” as much as we are!!! Time to give an update on the “Grip It & Rip It Contest” rules for those who plan to compete. The goal is to keep it as simple as possible, with only a few guidelines for each event.

Max Deadlift: The big change is two attempts instead of three attempts. This should move the contest along quickly. Make sure to keep that in mind when selecting your opener!!! Judging under strongman rules, but yes, we are allowing cheating…I mean sumo 🤣🤣🤣

Rolling Thunder Hold: Grab ahold of the handle and hold on as long as you can!!! Using chalk is encouraged, but absolutely no tacky. Yes, we’re talking about those crafty strongman competitors looking to bend the rules!!!

If you would like to practice with the Rolling Thunder Handle ahead of time, please feel free to give it a shot. We have one at IPA and it’s very simple to set up

Illiana Power Asylum will be hosting a fundraising event on Saturday, July 12th called “Weights for Wyatt: Grip It & Rip It Event”.
The goal is to raise money for Wyatt Jellema, who was diagnosed with stage-4 lung cancer at just 28 years old. Wyatt’s fiancee, Ashley, has been a loyal member to the IPA community and a supporter of other members in their pursuits in competition, training, and always being a positive influence on those around her.

The contest will consist of two events: the Max Deadlift, and a Rolling Thunder Hold for Max Time. No experience is required to sign up, and all are welcome to participate and try their best!

Please check out the Google Doc for the contest information and guidelines. If you have any questions please feel free to DM us or email us at [email protected]

We hope you will consider signing up and help us support Wyatt in his fight against cancer.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hmiK2Z-mDUvq0KiYzPV3xpusholdqNa7BARvBatthLg/viewform?edit_requested=true

Thank you to for setting up shop and giving out samples and products today! They truly have the best tasting supplements on the market!
Check out their website and try them out for yourself!