Garage Gym Life APRIL 27- MAY 3
WEEKLY
OVERLOOKED BUT ESSENTIAL:
FIVE HOME GYM MUST HAVES
JAISYN MIKE: I WILL BENCH 716LBS!
BETTER THAN A DEADLIFT JACK? DEAD WEDGE REVIEW
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Morning Motivation from Instagram
@iron_doula has goals and she’s not willing to let negative self talk stop her from reaching them! It’s easy to stay dedicated when everything is perfect and you’re hitting PRs constantly, but are you able to stay the course when it’s just you, day in, day out, just you and the iron and all of your doubts and fears yelling at you that you can’t do it? Are you able to do what Frances does, shove the doubt aside, wrap your fingers around the bar and get to work? Because that’s the only way to get to where you want to be. One rep at a time. Give Frances a follow @iron_doula and be sure to say THANK YOU � for the DAILY DOSE OF MORNING MOTIVATION �
JAISYN MIKE UNFILTERED
I'm like, I was the best bencher in the world by far, I had nothing to prove - Jaisyn Mike
Always Outspoken Open World bench press record holder, Jaisyn Mike, spoke for over an hour in a candid interview with Garage Gym Life recently on Instagram Live about several topics. Check out some highlights.
Commitment to Staying Drug Free Although he will still maintain a drug free status and compete in a drug tested federation, Jaisyn said he won't make a big deal about it any more. "It actually hurt me. I actually lost followers because of it. So I'm not going to push it any more. That being said, Jaisyn will continue to post his drug test results to silence critics who don't believe he's accomplished so much without PEDs.
On Staying With USA Powerlifting "Part of the reason I chose to stay was because there's some business aspects I think I can explore with my company, Athletic Over Everything. They now don't require us to use stuff that's on the IPF Equipment List so that means that my Tshirts can be worn on the platform, That represents a huge growth opportunity for any apparel brand, much less one that's represented by an All Time World Record holder. "I wore my own singlet for the Arnold," Jaisyn said.
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EQUIPMENT REVIEW
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COVER STORY
Overlooked But Essential: Five Home Gym Must Haves
Most new home gym owners focus on buying the equipmen they need to train for the goals they have. It's not until later that they realize that it takes more than weights and motivation to make a functional gym space. Here's a list of five essentials to add today.
COST: $8.99 - $14.99
I bought hooks for my own home gym for $8.99 for a 10 pack of adhesive hooks with a 15lb load capacity and $14.99 for a 4 pack of screw in hooks with flexible arms.
HANGING HOOKS You could classify this under wall storage but hanging hooks specifically are useful for getting stuff off of the floor to where they're easy to find. There's nothing worse than being short on time and being unable to find everything you need. Get some hooks to hang up your bands, cable attachments, barbell collars, banners, etc. You can choose between adhesive hooks or screw in versions with flexible arms for multiple applications or go with a mixture of both for ultimate versatility.
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GARAGE DOOR SCREEN “If you have a garage door, this Spring when you open it, you'll be joined by swarms of bugs looking for shade from the sun. Unfortunately, they'll find that shade inside your mouth when you get air to brace before a squat. Shut all of that down, with a garage door screen. They're inexpensive and the brand I prefer lasts a long time plus has magnetic snaps in the center so you can walk in and out of the gym during training without having bugs swarm in through the open screen. The brands I've tried take about 15 minutes to install and about five minutes to put up and take down before and after each workout. Or you could just leave it up. Be warned that they're not pet proof so it's probably best to put it away after each training session. Cost varies depending on if it's a simple one car garage screen or a giant track mounted beast for a two car garage opening. photo credit: Juaquin Greaves
LEAFBLOWER This is another garage centric issue so those of you with your gyms in a spare bedroom, can check your Instagram for a minute. But if you're in a garage, backyard, patio or barn, pay close attention. Fall is coming and with it leaves will come into your gym through every possible opening! Unless you want to wear out your rotator cuffs with a broom, it's time to invest in a simple leaf blower, available at most home improvement stores or Amazon. You can choose from electric, battery powered or gas powered backpack monsters depending on your personal preferences, how much you want to spend and if you want to use it to actually blow leaves out of your driveway or if you outsource chores like that to the neighborhood kids. COST: $21 - $459.00
COST: $30 - $1,185.00
HEATER Heaters and garage door screens are the two items most thought about the least by new home gym owners. Take a minute to work your way through that sentence. What I mean is you don't think bugs until they bite you and you don't worry about about how cold your garage or basement is until Winter arrives and then you're scrambling to find recommendations on the Internet because the home supply stores are sold out of inexpensive heaters because everybody else realized they needed heat around the same time you did. That's not the life you deserve. Be proactive and grab a heater in the Spring or Summer when they're available and prices may be slightly lower due to reduced demand. To find out if a heater will work for your space, DON'T go by feel which can vary based on the weather. Instead go by BTUs which you can read on the label year round. photo credit: Juaquin Greaves
You should also double check your local regulations because kerosene heaters (my personal preference) aren't legal in every state and if the heater isn't legal, you won't be able to find fuel for it which would not be ideal.
Cost varies from small plug ins only suitable for an office space to large wall mounted units designed for warehouses. photo credit: Juaquin Greaves
COST: $32 - $1,499
GYM CLOCK I almost made a lame joke about it being Gym O'clock but when I became a man, I put away childish things. Mostly. Anyway, many of us train before work and we often don't wear a watch during training. I get it. That's your time to shut out the world. But your hour of bliss won't matter when you're driving like a maniac because you lost track of time during training and left the house late. A gym clock is a simple and inexpensive solution. The best ones come with a remote and interval timers so you can save your phone for taking pics for the 'Gram and making that one life changing TikTok video. You can find these from Rogue, Amazon.com and Fringe Sport. Pick the one you like and have it.
Unfortunately, the specific brand I purchased back in 2019 is no longer available but have no fear. You can find these from Rogue, Amazon.com and Fringe Sport. Pick the one you like from the retailer you're most comfortable with and you should be fine. COST: $47
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I have too many goals not checked off to walk away from full power - Jaisyn Mike
Plus, this opens up the door for Jaisyn to sell his merch to other lifters who compete with USAPL which represents another potential revenue stream.
Pro Series = Potential Paydays The prize money potential from the USA Powerlifting Pro Series was another factor. "There is prize money as far as the best bench as far as points. So I looked at it financially; I was the best bencher in the world by far as far as drug tested, I was in the top ten for everybody, I had nothing to prove," Jaisyn said.
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He posted in a bench video on April 7, "My legs are sooo sore from squatting I couldn’t even put my heels down!".
Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining As a seasoned multi sport athlete, Jaisyn isn't discouraged by the initial setback from DOMs related to returning to the squat and deadlift along with accessory work. He's instead focused on the potential positive carryover to his total. "Now that I'm back to full powerlifting, I'm doing accessory work, so there's no telling how strong I'm going to end up being!" he said.
Back to Full Power Along with his new dedication to just letting his work on the platform speak for itself, Jaisyn has decided to return to full powerlifting. "I have too many goals not checked off to walk away from full power," Jaisyn said recently on Instagram. "800+650+800 is possible if I can get motivated," he said. Considering when Jaisyn last competed in full power, he consistently placed in the top three, often placing second only to the great Ray Williams, these goals are not out of reach.
The Gift And The Curse Yet another thing that's remarkable about Jaisyn's bench journey is the lack of assistance work. "I didn't do any accessory work for two years," Jaisyn said. "I didn't get stronger but my bench went up because I perfected the movement. I think though that it affected my other lifts." Now Jaisyn has returned to full power, he's feeling the normal aches and pains from being away from those movements for so long.
Click here for my full interview with Jaisyn on IGTV
GARAGE GYM LIFE WEEKLY
JAISYN MIKE
Morning Motivation from Instagram Work in the shadows and shine under the lights! Shoutout to nationally qualified NPC Classic Physique competitor @_competition_ready who’s putting in the work in his home gym to be stage ready when game day comes back around! My guy, E, has a record of ACHIEVEMENT from track in college to infomercials with Billy Blanks and he’s just getting started ‘cause he’s got the memories of his last time on stage in 2019 to fuel that � Go follow my man E @_competition_ready to keep up with his Iron Journey and don’t forget to say THANK YOU � for the DAILY DOSE OF MORNING MOTIVATION �
EQUIPMENT REVIEW
TLDR
Stores Easily
The Dead Wedge is a deadlift jack alternative for your gym bag. But since you live that home gym lifestyle, it ends up being an easy to operate implement that takes up little to no storage space when not in use.
Pay attention because you will see this again. Space is premium in a home gym and as you can see from the above photo, the Dead Wedge fits easily in one hand making it simple to store or carry with you when traveling.
Easy to Use
Durable
Yes, you can just buy a deadlift jack but with the Dead Wedge all you need to do is set the it in front of the already loaded plate, roll it into the groove, load your bar and roll it back out ready to go.
The manufacturer claims that the Dead Wedge is rated for loads in excess of 900lbs. It's made out of a hard natural rubber and while mine hasn't had that much weight on it, I can say that I've had my Dead Wedge for some time and it looks good as new.
Unlike a single deadlift jack, there's zero temptation to set the Dead Wedge in the center of the bar thereby deforming the barbell over time. The Dead Wedge is also more effective for loading Trap Bar Deadlifts and Block Pulls than a standard bar jack.
Available on Amazon Prime The Dead Wedge is available from multiple retailers but most importantly for me, it's on Amazon so you can order yours today and have it by the end of the week or sooner.
Time Consuming
Like mini deadlift jacks, The Dead Wedge is more time consuming than a large deadlift jack because you have to do one side at a time.
Watch the full review on YouTube
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