Beast Strong Powerhouse, LLC
Gym with 24/7 access featuring equipment for powerlifting, Olympic lifting, and strongman training.
About Beast Strong Powerhouse, LLC
Beast Strong Powerhouse, LLC is a Tucson gym built around strength training, 24/7 access, and a supportive environment for people at different experience levels. The facility offers equipment for powerlifting, Olympic lifting, and strongman training, while also serving members working toward weight loss, improved athletic performance, bodybuilding competition goals, or a stronger overall level of fitness. Its guiding phrase, "Strength Starts Here," reflects the gym's focus on consistent training and long-term progress.
Rafe and Melissa opened Beast Strong Powerhouse on Tucson's east side in December 2016. The idea began with a need for a facility where people could train heavy, train hard, and have access around the clock. The original gym started with a small group of about 25 members, and the "Strength Starts Here" culture grew from there. In 2018, the gym added equipment and space as its membership expanded. That same period also marked Rafe's transition from full-time work as a contractor to dedicating himself fully to the gym, as coaching and personal training became a larger part of the business.
The company opened its second location, Beast Strong Powerhouse West, in May 2020. As demand for coaching and personal training increased, the team brought on coaches who were already part of the Beast Strong community. The gym describes its coaches as active trainers and competitors who bring practical experience to their work with members. Training options listed by the business include personal training, bodybuilding competition preparation, online coaching, and general gym memberships. The website also invites prospective members to book a tour and discuss their goals with the team.
Rafe, also known as Raphael "Rafe" Teich, began strength training at age 12 in his parents' basement. His early equipment included a small bench, a one-inch barbell, loadable dumbbells, and plastic-coated concrete plates. He later competed in bodybuilding and won the NPC Teen National Championship. In November 2024, he earned his IFBB Pro Card. Rafe is certified as a USA Olympic Weightlifting coach and a USPA powerlifting coach, and he works with lifters in powerlifting, strongman, bodybuilding, and general strength training, as well as people focused on weight loss and overall fitness.
Melissa Teich brings a background in competitive swimming, triathlons, bodybuilding, and powerlifting. She earned her IFBB Pro Card in 2014 after winning the NPC USA Championships in the Women's Physique Division. Her competition history includes a first-place finish at the 2019 KERN US Open in the women's 67.5 kilogram class, wins at the Wings of Strength Arizona Women's Pro Show and the 2022 Texas Pro, and appearances at the Ms. Physique Olympia and Rising Phoenix World Championships. In 2025, she won the Chicago Pro and qualified for the Olympia, where she finished in the top six in the world. Beast Strong Powerhouse has facilities in Tucson and Marana, and visitors can begin by booking a tour to learn more about the gym, its training options, and the approach that shapes its community.