About Us
About 3Score Gym
3Score Gym is a strength training gym located in Berkeley, CA. specializing in barbell training for adults. Our expert coaches guide you through scientifically-backed programs to build muscle, increase bone density, stabilization and fitness to stay strong throughout life in a safe, supportive age-aware environment.
Our Mission
Enabling adults to live longer, stronger and healthier lives through science-backed strength training.
Why we lift
At 3Score Gym, we believe getting older doesn’t mean slowing down. With smart strength training and personalized coaching, we help adults build lean muscle, improve bone density, and stay injury free. So you can keep doing what you love, for longer.
Our Values, The joy of weightlifting
Weightlifting isn’t just about building muscle- it’s an investment in your future, a practice that helps you preserve your independence, extend your healthspan, and unlock more years of vitality and adventure.
Passion
We are passionate about barbell lifting to help the adults lead healthier lives. Driven by our life experiences with injuries and limitations as well as being athletes, and outdoor explorers,we want to continue helping others lead adventurous and active lifestyles well into thier 80’s and 90’s.
Community
We believe in building a strong, stable and vital community environment to enable learning and growth. At 3Score Gym we share experiences, build friendships, exchange information and celebrate wins together!
Commitment
We are committed to you and ask that you commit to yourself and us by attending consistently. We are here to help you stay focused to getting stronger and healthier one lift at a time.
Growth
Growth comes in steps albeit baby steps to leaps and bounds. We tailor programming to ensure that progress happens at your pace and you hit your goals.
Honesty
Our team promises to stay honest by using measured data points to ensure that you are progressing at your own pace. We track lean muscle mass and strength metrics and have monthly check ins with every member to ensure that we celebrate your wins and track your goals.
Team Work
We are a TEAM. Our personalized coaching approach addresses progress and getting stronger together. Our training pods become your team mates. We lift together, support each other and laugh while we are at it.
Barbells & Weights
By focusing on compound lifts that engage multiple joints and muscle groups, barbell training builds strength in natural movement patterns, engaging all the small balance and support muscles as well as the large muscle groups.
Functional Training
Functional movement training enhances your stabilization and overall fitness, empowering you to move with confidence and ease. Our classes focus on helping you build a body that’s strong, balanced, and ready for whatever life brings—to keep you doing the things you love.
Personalized Coaching
You will start exactly where you are, with a program tailored to your current abilities and goals to ensure steady, safe progress. You will get personalized guidance that helps you stay motivated and achieve your best results efficiently.
Scientific Approach
All training programs rely on the most recent information coupled with tried and true methodology to meet your needs and help you hit your goals. We measure progress by not only weight increments on the barbell but also collaborating with health professionals and lean muscle mass measurements via biannual InBody Scans.
Our Facilities, Hustle for muscles
At 3Score Gym, we put your strength, stability, and healthspan at the center of everything we do. Specializing in barbell training for adults, we are committed to helping you build lasting strength and confidence—especially if you’re navigating perimenopause or menopause. Our expert team understands the unique challenges of these life stages and holds certifications in weight training designed specifically for your needs.
You will find a supportive community here, united by the desire to stay strong and independent at any age. With personalized coaching and science-backed programs, we are dedicated to helping you thrive through every stage of life.
Are you ready to invest in your strength, stability, and healthspan?
Our Team
Gene Banman
CEO and Co-Founder
The seed for 3Score Gym was planted in 2012, when I was 61 and struggling just to get out of my car. Years of desk work and business travel had taken a toll, and I realized how much strength I’d lost with age.
After discovering barbell training, I became stronger in my 60s than I’d been my entire life. It felt like the fountain of youth and I wanted everyone to experience it. Since then, I’ve immersed myself in the science of strength training and co-founded 3Score to help other adults regain strength, independence, and confidence.
Avelina Acosta
Head of Training and Co-Founder
With over 20 years of experience in coaching and competition – from powerlifting and triathlons to martial arts – I’ve lived through injuries, overtraining, hormone imbalances, pain management, and rebuilding self-confidence from setbacks.
I hold a master’s degree in public health, specializing in accessibility and utilization of health services. My passion lies in helping adults navigate performance, recovery, and aging, especially those managing chronic conditions.
At 3Score, I bring both technical expertise and my own personal experience to support our members and their journeys toward sustainable strength and a fulfilled life.
Mariana Maya
Head of Marketing and Co-Founder
I believe life is best lived with adventure – whether I’m paddling on the ocean, exploring new places, or simply having the strength to lift my own suitcase. I value a mix of training styles to support long-term independence.
For the past three years, I’ve photographed an all-women’s Strongman competition, where I’ve seen firsthand how lifting builds strength and confidence. Strength isn’t about perfection – it’s about progress.
If you’re looking for a welcoming space to build strength, healthspan and confidence, our 3Score community is here to support you every step of the way.
Get in touch
with us
We are here to answer any and all your questions.
We are located in the
Gilman District in Berkeley, CA
Follow us on instagram
"Six months later I was not only as strong as I used to be, but stronger than I ever had been in my life!
Gene Banman Co-Founder & CEOI was so excited with this discovery! It was like a magic elixir, like the fountain of youth! I told all my friends and business associates to start lifting. I thought everyone should lift!"