4x Men’s Physique Olympia Champion Jeremy Buendia’s New Commercial Gym Tour 

Four-time Olympia Men’s Physique champion Jeremy Buendia‘s decade-long dream of the commercial “Stoik Gym” was finally realized in Roseville, CA.

With only eight weeks until the 2025 Olympia, which will likely be Buendia’s last, Buendia’s contest prep has been balanced with creating his physical and spiritual sanctuary.

[My wife and I] would sit and talk about the perfect gym we want to open…now we have it.

—Jeremy Buendia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o8wjdstaZk&t=1s

A Community-Driven Gym

Some of my life’s best memories and most important lessons have been in a gym. 

—Jeremy Buendia

Stoik Gym prioritizes community, encouraging camaraderie that reflects the belief that gyms should build “characters and spirits” alongside aesthetic physiques.

Stoik’s Equipment Selection

Every machine at Stoik Gym was chosen for performance and accessibility. Highlights include:

• Nordic Hamstring Curl (NHC): Buendia described the NHC as “one of the most difficult exercises.” Studies featuring thousands of subjects show that stronger, more durable hamstrings lead to dramatic injury reductions. (1)(2)(3)
• Vertical Hip Thrust: This glute-focused machine looks like a machine squat variant, but creates anterior tension (horizontal loading) by driving the hips forward against a pad to lighten knee load.
  • A comparison using muscle electrodes found hip thrusts activate the glutes better than squats. (4)(5)(6) However, research shows squats are as good, if not better, for glute growth.
• Squat Machines: To build legs with limited joint mobility, Buendia prefers pendulum squats, which relieve pressure on the back and allow full range squatting. (7)

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A post shared by Jeremy L. Buendia (@jeremy_buendia)

During the walkthrough, Buendia showcased the adjustability of his machines’ angles and tension curves. Buendia’s strategic layout prioritizes efficiency: lower-body machines on one side, upper-body on the other, with mirrors placed only where movement visualization is essential.

Final Olympia Prep

Buendia remains focused on 2025 Olympia prep despite the heavy demands of opening a commercial gym. He’s encountered recent fluctuations in weight due to long hours and inconsistent meals. With Stoik Gym operational, he will have time to tighten up before endeavoring for Olympia title number five in Las Vegas, NV, in October.

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References

1. van Dyk N, Behan FP, Whiteley R. Including the Nordic hamstring exercise in injury prevention programmes halves the rate of hamstring injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 8459 athletes. Br J Sports Med. 2019 Nov;53(21):1362-1370. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2018-100045. Epub 2019 Feb 26. PMID: 30808663.
2. Raya-Gonzalez J, Castillo D, Clemente FM. Injury prevention of hamstring injuries through exercise interventions. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2021 Sep;61(9):1242-1251. doi: 10.23736/S0022-4707.21.11670-6. Epub 2021 Jan 22. PMID: 33480508.
3. Morin T, Caillet AH, Nordez A, Doguet V, Lacourpaille L. Robustness of hamstring muscle activation strategies following selective hypertrophy induced by Nordic hamstring curl and stiff-leg deadlift exercises. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2025 Jul 1;139(1):296-307. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00237.2025. Epub 2025 Jun 30. PMID: 40586278.
4. Contreras B, Vigotsky AD, Schoenfeld BJ, Beardsley C, Cronin J. A Comparison of Gluteus Maximus, Biceps Femoris, and Vastus Lateralis Electromyographic Activity in the Back Squat and Barbell Hip Thrust Exercises. J Appl Biomech. 2015 Dec;31(6):452-8. doi: 10.1123/jab.2014-0301. Epub 2015 Jul 24. PMID: 26214739.
5. Plotkin DL, Rodas MA, Vigotsky AD, McIntosh MC, Breeze E, Ubrik R, Robitzsch C, Agyin-Birikorang A, Mattingly ML, Michel JM, Kontos NJ, Frugé AD, Wilburn CM, Weimar WH, Bashir A, Beyers RJ, Henselmans M, Contreras BM, Roberts MD. Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2023 Jul 5:2023.06.21.545949. doi: 10.1101/2023.06.21.545949. Update in: Front Physiol. 2023 Oct 09;14:1279170. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1279170. PMID: 37461495; PMCID: PMC10349977.
6. Plotkin DL, Rodas MA, Vigotsky AD, McIntosh MC, Breeze E, Ubrik R, Robitzsch C, Agyin-Birikorang A, Mattingly ML, Michel JM, Kontos NJ, Lennon S, Frugé AD, Wilburn CM, Weimar WH, Bashir A, Beyers RJ, Henselmans M, Contreras BM, Roberts MD. Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift. Front Physiol. 2023 Oct 9;14:1279170. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1279170. PMID: 37877099; PMCID: PMC10593473.
7. Kim SH, Kwon OY, Park KN, Jeon IC, Weon JH. Lower extremity strength and the range of motion in relation to squat depth. J Hum Kinet. 2015 Apr 7;45:59-69. doi: 10.1515/hukin-2015-0007. PMID: 25964810; PMCID: PMC4415844.

Featured image: @jeremy_buendia on Instagram