Spring 2020 Home Gym Quarterly

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HOME GYM SPRING 2020

QUARTERLY

SPRING YOUR STRENGTH

Get Good Deals on Used Equipment

GCode Nutrition CEO on the Impact of the Arnold Fit Expo Cancellation

How to Get Started in Highland Games

Building a Garage Gym for Bodybuilding

Learn How to Refurbish Used Weights 1

HOME GYM

QUARTERLY

TABLE OF CONTENTS ON THE COVER

10 FEATURED

Picking The Right’Dumbbell Set for your Home

I created a bodybuilder’s gym in my garage By: By Stephanie McNeal - pg 28

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The Mass Dungeon: Building Strong Bodies and Stronger Families By: Vincent Masone, Sr - pg 34 On Location...

By: John Greaves III - pg 38 Busy Dad Meal Prep By: John Greaves III - pg 40

Graphic Editor/Director: Kellie Kilgore Graphics, LLC

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Getting Started: How to Train for the Scottish Highland Game

All About VetWOD with Sebastian Paz

By John Greaves III

By Kylie Frazier

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Learn to Refurbish Plates Like a Pro

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By Joe Gray

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As I write this it’s 10:21 pm and the house is quiet. I’ve been going over the articles and images from this issue and as usual, the closer we get to publishing the more amazed I become at the talents of the crew we’ve assembled to make this brand possible.

That’s especially true now that we’re in full quarantine with mandatory travel restrictions in place that make it impossible for us to meet and collaborate in person. A lot of brands had to scramble to figure out how to make things work when suddenly their workforce is being told to stay home. For us, it was a blessing to say, we’re running business as usual.

Yes, we’ve faced setbacks. We earn revenue by live streaming strength sports on our YouTube channel.

So having all five of the live stream events we were contracted to do from February – April be cancelled or postponed indefinitely was a serious financial gut punch.

But we were able to pivot and focus on doing great interviews with awesome people for our YouTube channel. And start selling apparel to keep people motivated to continue to pursue their fitness goals. That’s a serious blessing for me as a small business owner and one that’s only possible because of my hard-working staff.

A lot times, it’s better for me to get out of my people’s way and let them work, whether that be when Naomi is crunching numbers to keep us on budget or making travel arrangements for us, when Casey and Juaquin are setting up for a live stream broadcast on our YouTube channel, when Juaquin or Suzy are getting photos to go along with articles or when Kellie is doing her thing to lay out the magazine. My job is to make decisions and once those decisions are made and our course is communicated to our people, I get out of the way and let them create free of oversight.

When I interviewed Chris Duffin last year for YouTube, he said, “If you have to stand over your people to make sure they’re working, you shouldn’t have them working for you in the first place!” I agree with that statement 100%.

I’m grateful for everyone who has joined with us to make this journey possible, whether behind the scenes or by contributing to the magazine. Most of all, I’m grateful to God and to our readers, who spend a few minutes with us each quarter to celebrate being owners of the Best Gym in Town.

My utmost for His highest, John Greaves III Editor/Publisher

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CONTRIBUTOR BIOS KYLIE FRAZIER Kylie Frazier is a Hoosier at heart who currently resides in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband and five daughters. Though raised in a family of athletes, Kylie didn’t find her love of competition until after the birth of her fourth daughter when she discovered Crossfit.

After three years of finding a love for fitness in Crossfit, she happened upon the Scottish Highland Games and found her competitive home.

Much of her time is spent homeschooling her girls, writing as a freelance journalist and of course, training for the Highland Games

ROB BRINKLEY Rob Brinkley will celebrate his 10th year as a personal trainer this year. He began his fitness quest in a Mid-West basement circa 1993, starting with calisthenics, then moving to bodybuilding, powerlifting and more recently, he has adopted kettlebell training. Although Rob has done bodybuilding competitions, five half marathons, and a strict curl competition – mostly, he prefers to keep fitness simple. Rob helps busy people simplify their fitness in person in Fort Worth, Texas and at www. simplify.fitness with online personalized training.

STEPHANIE MCNEAL Stephanie is a personal trainer, bodybuilding specialist, and Global Bodybuilding professional athlete who trains both online and from her garage gym. Stephanie is an Air Force spouse and mom to teens along with being an avid dog lover. She finds pleasure in and wants to further inspire people to find balance within their lives, careers, family, marriage, and personal health. You can find her on Instagram @stephaniemcneal

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DERRICK CLARK, SR. NASM-CPT Derrick Clark, Sr. is a Philadelphia based personal trainer who trains primarily in his basement laundry room. Derrick is the host of Busy Dad Meal Prep on the Garage Gym Life Media IGTV Channel. He also regularly contributes videos to Technique Tuesday for Garage Gym Life Media on IGTV. You can follow him on Instagram @mr.clark_sr.

JOE GRAY Joe Gray is the founder of Gray Matter Lifting, a blog and YouTube channel where he reviews home gym equipment, posts DIY projects and his training diary. Joe is also a mod on r/HomeGym on Reddit, an online forum where home gym owners can post questions about equipment, see home gym builds and read monthly AMAs which feature professionals from industries that serve the home gym community.

Follow him on Instagram @gray_matter_lifting and subscribe to him on YouTube at Joe Gray.

June 10 - June 28 th

Online Co-Ed Individual Competition

3 Weeks Long 2 workouts every week 2 Divisions

CLICK TO LEARN MORE

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W HEN T HIS SI N GLE M OM N EEDS A N EW GA R A GE DOOR , W I LL SHE FI N D Y OUR A D I N H E R FA V OR IT E M A GA ZIN E , OR WILL SHE FIND ADS FOR YOUR COMPETITORS? Email john@garagegymlifemedia.com to discuss rates

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Picking The Right’Dumbbell Set for your Home It doesn’t have to be rocket science. Picking the right dumbbell set for your needs comes down to the amount of space you have, your budget and the primary way you’ll be using the dumbbells. If you’re just starting out, especially if you plan to train alone, then the right dumbbell set for you is a simple pair of adjustable dumbbells. That’s because, when you’re starting a home gym, you need to focus on bang for the buck, and you’ll get a lot more mileage out of a barbell set and plates than a rack of dumbbells. If you’re someone who primarily trains with kettlebells, but you’d like a dumbbell set to give you more options, I’d still recommend a simple adjustable set, if for no other reason than to save space.

But let’s say you’ve got the basics and you’re looking to expand your home gym In that case, picking the right dumbbell set means grabbing a set of hex head dumbbells. In my mind, pro-style dumbbells are a pain. They seem to always loosen no matter how much Loctite you put on them,

and when I worked in a commercial gym, I’d spend a significant part of every shift tightening dumbbells back up. Worse, lifters would often have to re-tighten the dumbbells between sets, which is no bueno when you’re talking about a fifty pounder or above. (picture ten-pound plates coming loose and dropping onto your face one after another).

Hex head dumbbells do have their cons I learned that at the same commercial gym when a 70lb dumbbell came apart during one patron’s set of dumbbell pullovers and half of it smashed him in the face. Granted, he’d made a habit of dropping them despite yours truly constantly asking him not to do that. Didn’t matter, that incident was a major factor in management deciding to switch over to pro style and adding Daily Dumbbell Tightener to my job description. But the pros of hex head dumbbells: if you’re sensible about how you treat them, and get them from a reputable source, far outweigh the cons in my mind.

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• They don’t roll away - this is a big deal if you train in a garage. Most garages are designed with a slope to guide water away from the house, so having dumbbells that roll would get fairly annoying, especially if you’re doing one of those short interval, Tabata workouts where all you want to do between sets is pray for the Rapture. Having hex head dumbbells eliminates this problem, and for me, makes it easier to set them back on the rack.

• You can get them rubber coated - this will help if you don’t have mats on your entire gym floor.

Having rubber coated dumbbells cuts down on how

many you can store on a dumbbell rack, but it frees you to take the party out into the driveway if the weather’s nice without worrying about chipping your dumbbells.

• They’re a good middle of the road pricing option.

The best dumbbells I’ve ever used were Iron Grip Urethane dumbbells. They have a solid shaft that’s drilled down into the dumbbell head making it less likely that they’ll come apart, but they are pricey.

That’s something on my wish list for way down the road, right now my rack of hex heads is doing just fine.

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SPRING Your Strength Program

by Rob Brinkley Jr., NASM P.E.S., SFG 1

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In the last issue we focused on building your muscle mass. This time you’ll focus on building strength. Ninety-five years ago, in his book, Secrets of Strength, Earle Liederman wrote, “I have found that the cultivation of muscle is an easier matter than the creation of strength” (p154). He simplifies building muscle by telling us it “requires only time and concentration; whereas the building of strength requires these two things plus the judgement which comes from experience” (p154).

So, before we get to your quarterly routine, I’ve compiled you a list of four critical elements for you to maximize your strength practice, from the experience of four strength professionals.

The 4 Critical Elements 1. Your Technique In 7 Mistakes I Made so You Don’t Have to, Andy Bolton cites “Mistake #1 [as] not focusing enough on technique” (p5). He reminds us that practicing good technique every set, even warmups, is safer and will lead to faster, long term strength gains. He warns us not to “just sorta lift the bar” (p5), even during warmups. Andy gives us a comparison between the skill of strength and the skill of golf. He says, “You don’t see Tiger Woods hitting sloppy shots on the driving range” (p5). You are developing your skill of strength. Think of all your lifts as rehersals of strength. Think of what good technique requires. It may help to write it down. Condense the information into bullet points. Practice your technique with conscious competence.

• Brace your midsection for a punch • Prison defense (to squeeze the butt)- this cue is from Chris Duffin • Squeeze your armpit (back/lat) • Push your feet thru the floor • Pull up your knee caps (quads) • Zip up the back of your legs (hamstrings) • Crush the handle Tension is a skill. Like any skill you must practice it. Don’t try begin with all the cues at once. Start by focusing on 1 or 2 cues from the above list to focus on as you practice your lifts with good technique.

When you are ready, rotate to another 1 or 2 cues to impliment into your practice. The goal isn’t to master squeezing/tensing one area. Your goal is to continually improve your overall tension generation, which will allow you to express more of your strength.

2. Develop your skill of Tension Along with rehersing and automating your technique, to get the most out of your strength potential, you must develop your tension skills. Pavel Tsatsouline preaches tension. Every book of his I’ve read, and all the StrongFirst Seminars I’ve attended – tell us, “Tension is strength.” By adding the skill of tension to your practice of good technique, you will be able to squeeze more strength out of your body. Here’s some cues for tension I’ve found helpful: 11

3.Proper weight selection Getting strong is exciting. It is human to want more, more, more. But you need to check your ego. Resist the temptation to max out during your practice. In his book, Tribe of Mentors, Tim Ferriss asked The Ed Coan, “When is it ok to max out with a lift?”

Ed told a story of agreeing with some Russian lifters that, “You only have so many max attempts in your body over your lifetime. Why waste them in [practice]” (p 315)? During practice you want to improve your strength, not drain it. Besides not maxing out too often, you also don’t want to go too heavy. The heaviest Andy Bolton pulled in practice, prior to deadlifting 1,003 lbs, was 750 lbs for 3 reps (From Deadlift Dynamite p 125). Yes 750 lbs is a lot of weight – but in perspective, it was less than 75% of his max. Furthermore that was 2 weeks before his competition. The first week of that training cycle, his top set was 485 lbs for 5 reps. With that knowledge, I believe that gives you permission to push your ego aside and select reasonable, difficult, but manageable weight for your practice; and allow yourself to build up, don’t try to force it.

4. Recover Mindfully To reap the full benefits of your strength practice you must recover mindfully. In last quarter’s issue we went over the importance of sleep and learning to relax; we also mentioned food. When your goal is strength, you need good food. But I don’t believe you need the quantity that you’d want if bulking was your target. It’ll be summer before you know it. No more need for winter insulation. To end our mindul recovery and our critical elements for strength – let’s fall back on the wisdom of Earle Liederman. At the end of Secrets of Strength, he tells us, “Above all, and this is the last piece of advise, don’t forget to build up your energy – reserve by the right kind of food, plenty of sleep and the avoidance of overexertion” (p 198).

General Program Notes: This program is NOT a circuit On each day start with the standing press. Warmup.

Then complete the called out repititions, taking 12

breaks between every comma, and breaks between cycles (when applicable). After completion of the first exercise, move on to the deadlift. Repeat. When done do your slow roll outs. Take breaks between sets as needed. If you add on the deadstop swings take as long as you need between sets (45-90 seconds should be a good target).

Proper weight selection The weight you use needs to be heavy enough that you have to respect it, and take it seriously. But you also don’t want to have to stimulate your fight or flight response for every set. You may be able to work up to 70-75% of your 1RM (one rep max); you may have to go lower. Don’t let your ego restrict your gains. If you have no clue of your 1RM, no worries – start lighter than you think and add weight each workout until you find your “just right” weight.

Do I change weight between sets?

After you get your warm up out of the way, use 1

weight for your presses. And you’ll use 1 weight for your deadlifts. Example if you are using 50 lbs for your presses. You’d press 50 lbs 1 time in your left hand. Set it down, take a short break. Press 50 lbs with your right hand. Break. Press 50 lbs 2 times with your left, break. Press 50 lbs 2 times with your right, break. Press 50 lbs with your left 3 times, break. Press 50 lbs with your right 3 times. Then repeat if Thursday or Perform 3 cycles if Saturday.

When should I increase the weight?

As needed. A newer lifter could probably increase a little each week. An experienced lifter may wish to make bigger weight jumps every couple of weeks.

Exercise Notes Standing overhead press –You could use dumbells or kettlebells. Whatever you have. Don’t allow your lower back arch to become exaggerated during press;

practicing your “prison defense” should help.

Deadlifts – You could use conventional, sumo, or trap bar. Just pick one and stick with it.

Ab Wheel – If you don’t have one, you can often pick one up for $5 - $10. Don’t allow your low back arch to exaggerate. You aren’t doing many reps – practice tension. Before you start your slow rollout, brace your midsection for a punch. Then rollout slowly, only rollout as far as you can control. Pause, hold that brace – then return. You may find the resetting up for each rep can help keep them good and tough. If you quickly rollout 25 reps – you are cheatting yourself.

Dead stop swings - Video link = https://youtu.be/ e1Y1lYBtqw8 Happy practicing!

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Your Weekly Routine Warm-up: Before Standing Presses, 1 or 2 sets of: • 5 halos in each direction • 20 Head nods Then 2 sets of 5 reps, somewhere around 50% of your guessed max.

Before Deadlifts, 1 or 2 sets of: • Slow dying bug legs (5 each) • Floor Bridges 8 reps (prison defense!)

Then 2 sets of 5 reps, somewhere around 50% of your guessed max. *If you feel you need more of a warm-up, do what you need to be ready.

TUESDAY Standing Single Arm Presses Set 1: 1x1 rest 2-3 minutes then Set 2: 1x2 rest 2-3 minutes then Set 3: 1x3 rest 2-3 minutes Take 2 to 3 minute breaks between sets.

Deadlift Set 1: 1x1 rest 2-5 minutes then Set 2: 1x2 rest 2-5 minutes then Set 3: 1x3 rest 2-5 minutes Slow Ab wheel rollouts 5 x of 1-5 reps (depending on your skill level) *Optional Dead Stop Kettlebell Swings 3 x1-5 reps

THURSDAY Standing Single Arm Presses Set 1: 1x1 rest 2-3 minutes then Set 2: 1x2 rest 2-3 minutes then Set 3: 1x3 rest 2-3 minutes 14

After completing your reps of 3, take a break then start over and repeat.

Deadlift Set 1: 1x1 rest 2-5 minutes then Set 2: 1x2 rest 2-5 minutes then Set 3: 1x3 rest 2-5 minutes After completing your set of 3 reps, take a break then start over and repeat for another cycle of 1, 2, 3.

Slow Ab wheel rollouts 5 x 1-5 reps (depending on your skill level) Optional) Dead Stop Kettlebell Swings 5 sets of 1 to 5 reps SATURDAY Standing Single Arm Presses Set 1: 1x1 rest 2-3 minutes then Set 2: 1x2 rest 2-3 minutes then Set 3: 1x3 rest 2-3 minutes After completing your reps of 3, take a break then start over and repeat until you achieve 3 complete cycles.

Deadlift Set 1: 1x1 rest 2-5 minutes then Set 2: 1x2 rest 2-5 minutes then Set 3: 1x3 rest 2-5 minutes After completing your set of 3 reps, take a break then start over and repeat for another cycle of 1, 2, 3 until you achieve 3 complete cycles.

Slow Ab wheel rollouts 5 sets of 1 to 5 reps (depending on your skill level) (Optional) Dead Stop Kettlebell Swings 7 x1-5 reps

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Getting Started: How to Train for the Scottish Highland Games (According to Two World Champions)

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Scottish games. Highland games. Heavy athletics. It’s a unique sport that carries several names, but only one goal: throw far.

Many Highland athletes follow a similar path. Perhaps you’ve attended a Scottish festival and spectate the athletic events. You think, “I could do that!”. So, you do a little digging on Facebook and find a local group to meet for practice. So far so good.

Then, you pick up the implements. You try the footwork. You attempt to handle the whittled tree they call a ‘caber’. After a few falls and some disappointingly short distances, the first thought is clear: this is harder than it looks. It’s the second thought that defines your athletic endeavor. Some may decide it was a nice try, but spectating is the way to go.

The rest of us think, “I’m going to get better at this!”

And finally, the third thought, “How?”

The 2013 Master’s World Champion Kerry Overfelt and five-time Women’s World Champion Adriane Wilson give some insight on how to get started with training. Those who have been around the Highland scene long enough have likely heard of or had the pleasure of meeting these phenomenal athletes. Overfelt’s a boisterous spirit with an

impressive athletic resume. A games participant since 1998, he came from a background in high school and college football with teen bodybuilding sprinkled in.

Within the highland games, he holds multiple North American Champion titles and a National Champion title on top of his Master’s World Champion title.

According to Overfelt, being a formidable thrower comes slowly.

“You get what you put into this sport,” he said.

In other words, work hard, see results.

Wilson, who has been in the sport eleven years, began throwing shot put and discus in the 7th grade. This eventually led to a collegiate career that ended with Wilson earning a NCAA Division II All American not once, but thirteen times. She continued training professionally in field events and went on to compete in the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Olympic trials. Aside from winning her first World Championship in 2010, she credits one of her most cherished Highland accomplishments as being the first athlete (professional man or woman) to throw the heavyweight over 50 feet.

Now it’s tempting to think these athletes probably have access to incredible equipment and years of experience to guide their own progress, unlike the average thrower. And that may very well

On

Getting All in Mel Avan's Business 17

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be true. for actually tossing a caber. Getting familiar with

However, one of the most fascinating things dynamic movements like the Olympic lifts or jumps about the Highland games is that nearly anyone can are important as well.” learn to throw. In fact, any new thrower who talks to

Overfelt’s advice began with a quick story.

Overfelt will undoubtedly hear that anything a new

“In 1999 after my first year, I was horrid athlete throws, he’s probably thrown worse. So how with the caber,” he said. “I drove a Honda Acura would Overfelt and Wilson encourage the average at the time with a hatch back. I drove to Glasgow, person to get better at this sport?

Kentucky, which was 1.5 hours away from my house,

“Get time with the implements,” said and picked up a used games caber and drove it back Overfelt. He advocates starting with one-turn throws to Bardstown, Kentucky. That caber ran through the in the distance events, and spending repetitive time hatch and under my glove box and it road that way all acclimating to some of the awkward positions the the home.” events require. Don’t have a heavy or light weights

Continuing, Overfelt made his point. “In life to throw? Use kettlebells. No hammer? Practice with we deem what’s important to us. If being good at the a medicine ball. No stones? Get out in nature and caber is important to you, you will find a way to get pick up a few! As for the sheaf toss, there’s little access to one. Ask an AD (athletic director) if they replicating this throw without a pitchfork and a sheaf. have an old one or build one out of 2x16s.”

Overfelt’s bottom line: just get out there and throw.

Of course, it is many new throwers reality that they

Wilson offers more specific drills and are not quite ready to invest in the implements used mobility in order to set a firm foundation. Casting in the games. As noted by Wilson, some athletes may drills and line drills are important for the distance just need to start with the basics anyway. Plenty of events. new throwers have access to typical gym equipment

“Too often throwers have poor placement within their home or garage but aren’t quite sure of the weight upon entry,” she said. “Line drills are where to begin. necessary to create consistent feet patterns and low “Squat, deadlift, and press,” she said. “Throwing is points.” primarily a lower body dominate sport and uses the

Furthermore, she encourages T-spine upper body as the final extension of the implement. mobility drills prior to practicing the sheaf toss and Strong legs, core, and back will support all the heavy warming up the hammer with multiple wind drills. events. New throwers should be comfortable with

As for weight over the bar and stone throws, single leg work and double leg exercises. Deadlifts she echoes Overfelt’s sentiment. Just throw. Create or hinge exercises are replicated in a number of a repeatable set up and teach your body to become the events. Pressing includes shoulder mobility and familiar with the feeling of each event. Nearly any accessory movements with triceps or grip work.” drill for this can be set up at home, in a garage, in For those ready to dive in and get their hands on a side yard, etc. While the goal is to throw far and some implements, there are many group practices high, technique work is a necessary evil that can be organized throughout the country that typically practiced anywhere. provide implements for the entire group to use. An excellent resource for connecting with throwers in Caber is a more complicated event to navigate your area is the Facebook group NASGA (North without actually having a caber.

American Scottish Games Athletics). It’s also a great tool to find businesses who make the implements if

“This is a tough one for new throwers,” said you’re ready to obtain your own.

Wilson. “I recommend a ton of core work to prepare If there are no groups near you, not to worry. Social for the throw. Anti-rotation exercises, breathing media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube drills, and back work will all aid in the preparation offer a plethora of free advice and videos showing 19

what drills to do and how to do them with several different pieces of equipment. The best thing about this sport is the incredible willingness of experienced throwers to cheer on and encourage the beginners.

Seek out an athlete you admire and ask them to critique your throw. The chances are, they’ll be happy to help however they can. This nearly familial quality is what makes getting started in the Highland games as easy as it sounds.

DO THIS THE DAY AFTER SQUATS!!!

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“The Highland games has some of the best athletes in the world,” said Wilson. “The community is supportive and very knowledgeable. I am still learning from other throwers and love that I can contact them for help. Sending a video for critique or encouragement is too easy. Travel. Meet people.

Enjoy the journey.”

And, as the Highland athletes say, throw far!

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All About VetWOD with Sebastian Paz

By John Greaves III 22

Sebastian Paz, the co-founder of VetWOD is a true physical culturist, relishing the opportunity to try any physical challenge while modeling health and fitness to his kids and his community.

A veteran of the United States military, Sebastian is balancing a civilian nursing career with being Chief Operating Officer of VetWod, an organization that’s touching the lives of countless veterans around the world.

our veteran and first responder communities.

And so now it’s just a really cool movement of veterans, civilians, fitness, and community coming all together in a really supportive community. It’s been a lot of work. You know, only Kate and I know how much work we put into it, especially, especially starting from zero. We are a really awesome platform that provides people with a healthy outlet in fitness and also access to a healthy community.

JGII: Hey, Sebastian, thank you so much for carving out some time to talk to me! Man, you’re my brother in Christ, you’re a fellow veteran so, I really do appreciate it. You’ve got so much going on, I’m amazed you have time to talk, so thank you.

SP: Yeah, for sure. So, pleasure to be here, honestly.

JGIII: You know, a lot of guys take off their pack, [after leaving the service] and I really think that contributes to some of the PTSD symptoms that people have. All of a sudden you feel like you’re not part of anything and you feel really like nobody needs you. So, I think it’s important that you found other ways that you are needed.

SP: Right.

JGIII: So, talk to me about Vetwod, what’s up with that?

SP: Vetwod is a project that Kate Shumaker, she goes by Weezy, and I started. We are a nonprofit that promotes fitness and community to support those that deal with PTSD, suicide and other issues.

For our very first event, Weezy and I decided to run an online-based fitness competition in which athletes would register and complete three workouts, one per week. Each workout could give athletes up to 100 points depending on placement. At the end of the three weeks, the top three would get a prize pack put together with the help of our amazing partners. It was a total success— getting a lot of people to sign up and raise a lot of funds that are very necessary for

JGIII: Tell me about the sorts of activities VetWOD does to support veterans.

SP: We host online competitions and other events such as: challenges, rucks, giveaways, etc. We partner in the community with other organizations to help them raise funds to continue to do great work. We provide sponsorships for gym memberships and/or equipment for veterans and first responders in need, along with programming. That way they have fitness as an outlet and they have access to a community.

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SP: We promote community engagement by encouraging members to workout and be in supportive relationships with others. No need to suffer alone, we are better together. Everything we do is surrounding physical activity and supportive community.

JGIII: Although we have social distancing in place because of the coronavirus, (and home gym owners tend to like staying at home in our caves anyway), competition seems to be a fundamental human need. I know that you personally do the Garage Gym Competition on Instagram. Is VetWOD involved with any online competitions?

SP: Yes, I love supporting Joey and his competition!

We will help and participate in the Garage Gym Competition. We host three to four online competitions and also other events to give people more avenues to compete, stay motivated and engage in the community.

JGIII: You guys had to postpone Strength Through Struggle because of the current quarantine measures in place due to COVID-19.

Talk about the impact it has had on your organization and the athletes who signed up to compete.

SP: A lot of states are imposing measures in response to COVID-19, and that includes gyms that are hosting out competition, as well as our competition being a partner event that requires competitors to be around someone. The safety and well-being of our supporters and athletes is a priority for us. We delayed the competition until May. We feel it’s what’s best for our athletes.

JGIII: Veterans tend to self-isolate but living in community is how human beings were designed to thrive. What are some ways that VetWOD helps veterans to be more social?

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JGIII: How can people get involved with VetWOD? SP: Participating, sharing about us, donating, or any way that people can think of. We like to be open and willing to help. We are always here if anyone is struggling or has a need. Find us on Instagram @ vetwod or our links are on: https://linktr.ee/vetwod.

Learn to Refurbish Plates Like a Pro

By Joe Gray

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I’ve refurbed well over 2000 pounds of plates at this point, along with a couple of machines, plate trees, dumbbell racks, several bars, and a few other items. Certainly not a record by any means, but more than enough to set me up as someone with some experience. I’ve been called the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) by a few. I’ve tried everything from wire wheels on a drill, hand brushing, power washing, CLR, paint stripper, several types of paint, paint pens, foam brushes, you name it. And there is one process that seems to give me the best, most consistent results, with the least amount of effort.

The following assumes you want to clean and then paint plates. If you aren’t doing both, this process might not work.

- If foam brushes, you need paint. Typically, I buy a sample can from the paint store.

• Nice clear sunny day (painting works better when it’s clear and warm) Note: If you plan to paint in a garage, or simply have a bad reaction to anything that smells like chemicals, or just don’t like the thought of your lungs being painted and covered in rust, invest in a mask of some kind. I often wear a mask, goggles, and some thick reusable painter gloves. This makes clean-up a snap (no more scrubbing paint off my hands and arms) and I feel better knowing I didn’t just inhale everything I cleaned off of the plates.

Prep - Cleaning and Vinegar Baths White Vinegar, a natural cleaner, likes to remove pretty much anything from everything given the right amount of time and environment. Yet it seems to keep the things you want intact— a very nice alternative to some of the harsher treatments available. My last two plate refurbs, both sets of hundred-pound plates went through the following process: 1. Spray down the plates with a hose and then lightly scrub with a brush. We are simply removing the first layer of dirt and grime that falls off easily.

Tools Needed • Brush (any kind will work) • Hose (ideally with a power wash setting) • White Vinegar by the gallon (the more plates, the more vinegar) • Large plastic tub (kiddie pools are awesome) • Large shop towels (these are going to get rust, vinegar, etc. on them - probably get tossed afterwards) • Paint - Rattle Cans (Rustoleum Painter’s Touch is the best I’ve found) - As a frame of reference, if you are doing a common set of pairs of 45s, 35s, 25s, 10s, and 5s - You will likely need 2 to 4 cans, depending on how good you are.

• Paint Pens or Foam Brush (optional for lettering) 26

2. Take the biggest plastic container you have (the prior mentioned kiddie pool works wonders here), and start setting up your plates. You want to place the plates on something like small pebbles so they are just slightly off the ground, the small pebbles keep the plates fully surrounded by the solution, instead of one side potentially being completely flat on the bottom of the kiddie pool, but you don’t want whatever they are on to lift them too high or to have too much surface contact with the plates.

3. If using a kiddie pool, fill the kiddie pool up as high as you can. Use one gallon of white vinegar with normal hose water will be your solution (just do some basic math here to estimate whether you need more or less vinegar to water in your mix.) If you have cats, dogs, children, or its hot outside, I

probably recommend you put a tarp over the kiddie pool to avoid evaporation or drinking.

4. Let the plates sit overnight in the solution (so if you started this around 5PM, they should be ready by the time you wake up, eat breakfast, and get moving the next day. Longer is fine, just don’t rush it).

5. The next day, pull the plates out and place them on some clean rock or other area that will drain.

Hose them off well, brush them down slightly, and then wipe them down with your towels. Depending on how bad they were originally, and how long you let them sit, you may need to rub with a little elbow grease. You aren’t trying to remove every imperfection or rust spot. You are trying to remove anything loose that the paint will adhere to and then fall off.

6. Let the plates air dry. Depending on how hot it is outside, they might air dry by the time you finish cleaning up your towels. If you have more plates to do, repeat the process. Otherwise, it’s time to paint.

Prep is vitally important and should be done correctly. But remember, you are painting these, so save the perfectionism for the painting.

Painting The basic process is paint one side, let it sit, flip, then paint the other. Take your time while painting.

Even strokes from side to side, keep the can the recommended 12 inches or so from the plates, and dab at and clear any spots as needed.

1. Start with the backs of the plates up, resting on some cardboard (other material is fine, just keep it clean, no dirt or dead grass, etc., and nowhere that overspray will annoy you). Paint the back of the plates and as much of the sides as you can on all plates. As much as you can, try and look at the plates from ALL angles to not miss anything. You can use the pebble trick from before to raise the plates just a tad which can help keep the plates from sticking to whatever they are sitting on, as well as help get the sides covered.

2. Let them sit for a few days. Seriously, 48 hours is the minimum. I normally do a week to make sure when I flip them they aren’t sticking to the cardboard and ruining my paint job. If you can, let them bake in the sun. It seems to provide an almost powder coat finish and protection in a lot of ways. If you live where it is windy, I highly recommend this be done INDOORS if possible for the first few hours. You do NOT want wind throwing dirt, grass, weeds, and whatever else on your newly painted plates.

48-72 Hours Later 3. Flip the plates and spray the front and sides.

4. Again, let them sit for at least 48 hours, maybe a week. Then check them out for any spots you missed.

Common culprits are on the lips of the sides and inside the plate. Paint the final touch-up, let it sit, and then check again.

48-72 Hours Later (yes, again) 5. You can paint the plate holes if you want, or not.

Either way, the paint will likely wear away fast sliding on and off your bars. I recommend oiling the holes occasionally to reduce rust and keep things moving and grooving.

6. Last step, which is 100% optional, is lettering.

Depending on the make of the plates and the style of the lettering, you’ll either want paint pens or a foam brush and a can of paint. For example: Ivankos have fatter, bolder lettering. The paint pens seem to simply not work well on these. I’ve done several hundred pounds and had less than stellar results. However, paint pens worked great on my current vintage plates with thinner lettering. A foam brush with the smallest amount of paint possible will do wonders on the Ivankos, but be a horrible mess on the skinnier scripted plates. Depending on how careful you are, you might want a piece of cardboard or even Q-Tips and nail polish remover for the accidental paint runs.

After lettering, let them dry again and then do one final pass for any touch-up work.

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That’s it! It’s a lot of work, but personally I love lifting on something custom, on something that I DIYed myself, something that I paid a fraction of the actual value for, and something that I know was lifted for 20+ years (I own vintage plates) and will last another 80+. If you ever need to touch up the plates(I’ve used mine for 2-3 years so far and see very little signs of wear - BECAUSE I TOOK MY TIME AND DID IT CORRECTLY!!!) you can typically buy a small can and use a foam brush to hide small imperfections. Much easier than taping and spraying.

If you decide to go down this journey, make sure to post pictures of your results and tag us: @ gray_matter_lifting and @garagegymlifemedia on Instagram.

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Video of Paint after 1 Year of use : https://youtu. be/yEZdgIy3a5Q For some more comments and discussion, check out these Reddit threads: https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/ comments/6qjd6w/refurbed_some_plates/ https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/ comments/4k5zqm/refurbished_vintage_plates/ https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/ comments/3q7rny/my_recent_olympic_plate_ refurbs/

I created a bodybuilder’s gym in my garage

By Stephanie McNeal

The gym was my second home. I had my basic garage gym set up and a bike for cardio, but I do bodybuilding-style workouts. Machines are important for isolation, and I was leaving my home every day to drive to a gym. When the Air Force dictated that it was our time to move (again), I decided to look for a home based mostly on my ability to build my dream gym. And I did just that. We were lucky to end up back in our home state of Georgia, and I found a home with the perfect detached garage. My She-Shed, as my husband jokingly refers to it. This garage was screaming my name!

It was unfinished upstairs and downstairs, with a fully finished bathroom right inside of the garage so it was perfect for potential clients! Once we put in an offer on that house, I started slowly accumulating my equipment. Remember that bodybuilders are NOT powerlifters! Mind to muscle is everything. As an example, I only have a leg extension/leg curl combo machine for hamstrings, but as a bikini competitor,

my glute-ham tie in is important to dial in. I use the seated leg extension to stand at and do standing leg curls. I use the plate loaded cable machine with ankle straps for lying leg curls. I saw great growth in my glutes with a donkey kick machine at the gym, but I can do a single leg press lying slightly on my side in order to get that same movement and perfect isolation. Smith Machine Linda Squats are some of my favorite, but without a Smith Machine, I can use my Landmine and lean backwards against the plates that I load onto the barbell, allowing for the same movement and glute activation.

I went with plate-loaded everything because it saved space and money. For example, I got my leg extension/curl machine and my lat pulldown from Amazon for less than $200 each.

Bumps in The Road When I was in the beginning phases of building my gym, I saw a Stairmaster for sale for $800 just down 29

the road from my new home. There was nothing I could do to get it. I was in the process of moving and I do not use our family money for gym purchases. I knew it was a fantastic deal, it looked to be in great shape, but I simply could not make the purchase.

Months later I ended up finding one for $1,000, the condition was not as good, and it was a 2-hour drive from me. I learned my lesson there, and once the garage gym was open for business, I stockpiled cash, watched Facebook marketplace, and scored over 1100lbs in pro style dumbbells for under $300 simply because I was prepared for a purchase like that. I knew I needed heavier dumbbells and I was ready to buy them.

Buyer’s Remorse No matter what amount of research you do, you may come across something that you just have to have. I wanted a commercial squat rack. Our rack was just from a sports store, and while it performed well, I wanted something more heavy duty. A local gym was selling one and I LOVE old school equipment, so I jumped at the chance to get it! Unfortunately my old squat rack had weight storage; this one did not. My 30

old one had a pull-up bar, this one did not. My old one was on the ground and allowed for bench press inside of it, this one was on a platform and does not allow for safe bench pressing. The holes were bigger on the commercial one, it’s a BodyMasters so accessories are hard to find, and it wasn’t exactly the best deal. I sold my squat rack for the same price I bought this one for, but it cost me so much more in the extras I had to buy. Planning properly and having patience will allow you to think through all of the potential issues, but if you happen to make a poor purchase like I did, then you can fix it! Just find that patience you lacked in the first place! For now, I have bought everything I need in order to still do bench, pull-ups, and something to hold my weights.

One bonus is that my new squat rack isn’t as wide as the old, so I have more space that I quickly filled with the extras I needed. My future plan is to sell the BodyMasters and purchase a Rogue rack that will allow for a lot of work using attachments. That will save even more room in the future.

My original plan was to keep garage floors and add stall mats where needed, but I got lucky in Charleston and found a fitness studio selling their barely used rubber flooring. That Charleston trip was my most productive in terms of equipment. I met some likeminded people and ended up with a free commercial elliptical, treadmill, 325 lb. tire, (great for box jumps, belt squats, and general heavy flipping) and many accessories, like battle rope and heavy-duty resistance bands.

My favorite road trip was when my husband and I

headed down to Pensacola, FL to pick up a leg press/ hack squat machine. We gained a high-end piece of equipment for pennies on the dollar, plus visited friends and went to the beach!

I was on a mission to spend the least amount of money possible and create the best space that I could.

I believe that I have done just that. My husband and I did the walls and ceiling thereby saving ourselves thousands. It’s not perfect, but it works well for us.

We recently finished the upstairs for group fitness, and while we hired out the drywall work, we did vinyl plank hardwoods ourselves.

I moved into this home late May 2019, and by Feb. 2020 I had over 40 clients training here.

overhead, I am able to lower my prices for training and take on clients who may not otherwise put their training as a priority. I found some amazing deals, made mistakes along the way, but worked hard to create an inviting space. I am currently training bodybuilders and lifestyle clients from my little slice of heaven in middle Georgia.

My next garage gym adventure: replacing some home gym equipment with pin loaded commercial equipment!

Wrapping it up Creating this garage gym has changed the lives of my family and my clients. I am able to keep overhead very low when it comes to business expenses Plus, I am home more. My family can use the equipment or just hang out and because I don’t have much

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BE WILLING TO TRAVEL Unless you live in the mecca of home gym bodybuilders you will not find the greatest deals in your local area. Expand your search for equipment, be willing to travel a couple of hours. This can allow you to have a nice road trip with a friend or family member and give you a weekend away from the grind. It can also save you some major moolah on good pieces of equipment! When I visit friends, I look in their areas. I went to Charleston, SC to help a friend move. While I was there, I got some of the best deals and FREE equipment. I ended up having to rent a U-Haul to bring everything back.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF BUDGET Money isn’t your biggest asset to budget. It’s your space. Typical garages are not designed to hold all 15 machines you want to use to create a monstrous back.

You can’t have one machine per muscle. This doesn’t mean that you can’t isolate each muscle individually, however, it just means that you will need pieces that have multiple purposes. My favorite is a landmine.

You can work back, shoulders, legs, glutes, chest, etc. with one piece of equipment that will cost under $30.

When you are dealing with space issues and fewer pieces of equipment to train you’ll also need to keep an open mind. Remember that bodybuilders ARE NOT powerlifters! All you need is weights and the mind to muscle connection is everything.

BUY WHAT WORKS FOR YOU AND YOUR CLIENTS I am not claiming to be a bodybuilder. I am a bikini competitor, and I require less weight in my gym than a 300lb bodybuilder. Nonetheless, I have bigger men who come in and have no issues getting a good workout by using the smaller pieces like leg extension/curl machine and the lat pulldown for hypertrophy only. I believe that my set up would work well for anyone in bodybuilding, however you will want to buy more heavy-duty equipment in order to lift heavier weights safely. If used commercial equipment is out of your budget then I would suggest getting your heavy compound lifts in and using your machines for hypertrophy work.

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Your comfort levels may be different from your clients, so make sure that you are giving them the best workout you can! I can work out in cold or heat, however many of my clients prefer a comfortable temperature. To provide that at a low cost I turned to portable heating and air conditioning, as well as fans to help with air circulation.

ALWAYS KEEP CASH ON HAND Good deals come and go quickly. If you are serious about growing your basic gym into one that allows you to isolate muscles then you’ll need to have the cash on hand to do so. Don’t rush into a purchase but know what you are looking for and have the cash ready to go when you find it.

Stephanie McNeal Stephanie is a personal trainer, bodybuilding specialist, and Global Bodybuilding professional athlete who trains both online and from her garage gym. Stephanie is an Air Force spouse and mom to teens along with being an avid dog lover. She finds pleasure in and wants to further inspire people to find balance within their lives, careers, family, marriage, and personal health. You can find her on Instagram @stephaniemcneal

Stall Mats: A Need Not A Want Horse stall mats are designed for exactly what you’d think. To cushion the floor of horse stalls for horses. As such, they must be durable enough for a thousand-pound animal to stand on and move around. But what’s that go to do with you?

Simple really, stall mats are there for if you drop dumbbells or kettlebells by mistake and for when you drop deadlifts on purpose. All it takes is one dropped weight to start a crack in your garage or carport floor that will create headaches down the road.

Where to Buy Stall Mats My advice? Grab brand new stall mats from Tractor Supply or your local feed store.

You might also be able to find mats on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist in the sporting goods section, but be aware that some people will try to sell

you foam mats as fitness flooring and that is flat out a waste of your money.

Learn More About the Different Types of Stall Mats in this Video: https://youtu.be/noHPC65P8ls Besides the fact that puzzle mats trap moisture underneath unlike stall mats which have grooves on the bottom, I’m just not keen on interlocking puzzle mats. They always seem to come apart; they’re flimsy and too thin. See my previous comment about dropped deadlifts and picture a foam mat being your floor’s only protection.

If you’d like to put flooring over your entire workout area, a la a CrossFit box, you might want to go with a rollout flooring solution. Or you could save money by putting carpet under cardio equipment, then put stall mats just where you’ll be lifting.

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The Garage Gym Competition is back for its third year, and we are pulling out the pre-workout and nose torque to take it up a notch!

Whether you are brand new to the competition, or a seasoned veteran, you can expect this year to be the best one yet.

With big sponsors such as Rep Fitness, Body Solid, Kabuki Strength, Fringe Sport, Vulcan Strength, and a bunch more totaling close to $10k in prizes from bars and racks to shirts and banners, there is a lot to like here.

For those new to the competition or just in need of a refresher, here is a quick overview of what to expect.

The competition opens from May 10th to May 17th, where anyone who lifts in a home gym (garage gym, basement gym, barn gym, etc.) can perform, record, and upload a 1 Rep Max Attempt at a Squat, Bench, and Deadlift. Use the hashtag and make sure to record your lifts in our lift tracker, and you are 34

entered! You can perform your lifts on any day, or days, during that week. You can invite friends over, or join a friend at their garage gym. Whether you total 100 pounds, or 3000 pounds, the vast majority of prizes are handed out based on an Open Raffle, so everyone has an equal shot at the big-ticket items all the way down to the shirts and supplements.

Expect to see a huge support from the community as everyone congratulates each other on new PRs and celebrates their hard work.

From now until May, we will be posting FAQs, training tip videos from athletes and coaches, announcing additional prizes and sponsors, and much more on our Instagram page @ GarageGymCompetition and you can find full details, results from last year, and much more on our website https://garagegymcompetition. wordpress.com/

The Mass Dungeon: Building Strong Bodies and Stronger Families

By Vincent Masone, Sr

The Mass Dungeon is the not so secret lair of IFBB pro bodybuilder Vincenzo “Mass” Masone.

But it’s his dad who really caught our attention!

Granted, Vincent Masone Sr is one of those men who may come to be known because he’s the father of someone special. I found out about Vincenzo on the Animal Pak Forvm.

A lot of times we cellar dwellers alienate our families because of how much time we spend in our caves. The Masones turned training into a family affair that led to a career for one son and a lifetime of memories for their entire family.

There’s a lesson in this for us all. Biceps get flabbier, one rep maxes decrease over time. But family is family forever. Read Vincent’s explanation of how they did it in his own words below: The Evolution of the Mass Dungeon Our home gym is in our basement with equipment that I’ve had for many years. We’ve added to it.

There’s nothing like the workouts me, my son and a couple of buddies have at home. More concentration, more closeness and no distractions that you tend to run into out at a commercial gym. We have a nickname for the gym called the “Mass Dungeon”,

and we have people that come to workout. Some of whom never come back. But for the loyal friends that routinely come, mostly on Saturdays, it’s a heck of a time that we cherish.

My son, Vincenzo, is going to go far in this field; he’s come such a long way since he started working out at fourteen. We push each other and have a super time as father and son; this keeps a bond going with us that I wish all fathers and sons could experience.

As long as God gives me the time and strength to do it, we will keep this going. The happiness that we have experienced by working out together is something we can’t put in words. But the feeling is incredible.

You can follow Vincenzo on Instagram @vincenzomasone He’s also available for training and diet consultation at massarmy1@gmail.com.

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From Couch Potato to Primal Athlete

By Phil Bennett

I started in the fitness game late. I wasn’t a student athlete. I wasn’t from a fit family and in all honesty, at the time couldn’t care less about general health, let alone training hard.

I’m an artist in every sense of the word- A painter, a designer, a musician, a writer. I embodied all that the fitness industry despised. Drinking, severely lacking in quality sleep, smoking and a diet that would make most cringe. I’d love to say there was an inciting moment for change, but there really wasn’t.

I simply woke up one day tired of being tired, tired of being skinny and tired of being unhealthy.

I joined a gym, played around on the weight machines, lifted some weights and generally hated every moment of it. The vapid nature of the guys who went there- the selfies, the chatting, the social element and the lack of hard work never kept me around for long.

Instead, I did my research and came across who I consider to be the godfather of the garage gym- Ross Enamait. The simplicity of his words spoke to me.

His approach and attitude were all that I assumed the gym going experience would be— not the mess I saw in the commercial gym. Without finding his work, I probably wouldn’t have continued to where I am now.

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I trained bodyweight, with a sandbag and kettlebells and physically and mentally thrived. During this time, I was introduced to martial arts, first boxing, then Muay Thai and submission grappling.

Adding The Human Movements My skill set in the arts increased, and the “unconventional” training I was doing complimented it perfectly. I took my training outside and became my own coach. Nature was my lab and I was the mad scientist. I based the training on the human movements- squat, hinge, push, pull and carries.

It worked. I made leaps and bounds in fighting and the quick progress was noticed. I rapidly had my own collective of fighters I coached in my mad outdoor methods. You see so many gifted athletes in the fitness industry and I can honestly say I am the furthest example from one of them. I’m a normal guy.

• Carrying and squatting logs, stones, sandbags and each other • Jumping, crawling, sprinting, throwing, climbing • Hammering the basics- push-ups, pull-ups, rows, hand walking, tumbling • Having frequent challenges to keep the mind hardened and the body sharp On Dan John’s recommendation, the carry was the most important, followed by the squat, then the hinge, pull and push last- The opposite of conventional gym wisdom.

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Mammoth Strength Challenge IV

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The Arnold’s Cancelled!

Now What?

CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO

The 2020 Arnold Fit Expo was cancelled due to Corona Virus concerns. How does a small brand survive such a huge financial hit to one of the biggest revenue producing events of their fiscal year?

We traveled up to Columbus, OH to interview Greg Santarsiero, founder of G Code Nutrition at the G Code Nutrition #Weightsmania event to get this interview. Besides catching up with the few brave 40

souls who were able to make the trip, I had a great conversation with Greg, who is a husband, father and home gym owner. Greg spoke candidly about what his small supplement brand did to make the best of a difficult situation and why it mattered so much that they didn’t just pack up and head back home when they got the news of the Expo’s cancellation.

Busy Dad Meal Prep

Beef and Spicy Broccoli Works well as: Lunch/Dinner This is a great recipe for you steak lovers out there!

Ingredients: Top round braciole steak or any other lean cut of steak 113 grams 190 calories 9 fat 0 carb 21 grams of protein Steamable Broccoli pack frozen or fresh 150 grams 54 calories 7 carb 0 fat 1.8 protein Seasonings Pepper Salt Steak seasoning Oh My Spice! Spicy fajita seasoning

Total macros per serving 244 calories 22.8 protein.

9 fat 7 carbs Directions Prep time 10 to 20 minutes Pre heat pan On high Once pan is hot, place steak in pan and season with salt and pepper.

While steak is cooking place broccoli in the microwave for around five to ten minutes.

Once steak is seared, turn heat on medium and let it cook to your preference. Once steak is almost done, add steak seasoning. Once broccoli is done open bag and place in a container and add fajita seasoning.

Shake until broccoli is covered. Let both broccoli and steak cool for ten minutes, and you’re done!

Pro Tip: You can also add some Jasmine rice with this if you would like to add some extra carbs!

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Busy Dad Meal Prep

Ground Chicken Broccoli and Sweet Potato

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Works well as: Lunch/Dinner This meal is loaded with micronutrients and is a great spin on the typical chicken and sweet potato recipe.

The sweet and spicy combo adds great flavor!

Ingredients: Ground chicken macros cooled 100 grams 176 calories 1 carb 10 fat 25 protein Sweet potato 150 grams 130 calories 31 carbs 0 fat 3 protein Spicy steamed broccoli 150 grams 54 calories 7 carbs 0 fat 1.8 protein Salt Pepper Cinnamon

Minced garlic Ranch kernel seasonings Oh My Spice! Spicy Fajita seasoning I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray butter Cooking spray Total macros per serving 361 calories 29.8 protein 39 carbs 10 fat Directions: Prep time 25 minutes Add water to pot.

Heat to a boil.

Add sweet potatoes and cook until soft.

Use a fork to check the softness. Once it’s done, split sweet potato in half, spray cooking spray and add cinnamon.

While sweet potatoes are boiling preheat pan.

Spray pan with cooking spray.

Once pan is hot place chicken in pan.

Salt pepper to taste add ranch seasoning once chicken is no longer pink.

While chicken and potatoes are cooking dinner place broccoli in microwave for 5 to ten minutes. Once done, place in container, add fajita seasoning and shake.

Let everything cook for 5 to 10 minutes and eat!

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Embracing my madness.

Losing myself in the dust of this place.

The cold bar in my calloused palms.

I’m so sore, but I can keep going.

When you feel the weight of the world caving in, it’s ok to over do it in something that instantly allows you to forget about the problems outside these safe walls. Thank you Jesus for this dirty iron hole.

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One of the all-time classic strength feats is to lift a 45lb plate by the hub. This was definitely a test of strength in the “olden days” and there’s no reason why you can’t learn how to do it too. Let’s look at what the feat entails and outline a program that can help you get there.

First things first To begin your quest to lift the 45lb plate by the hub, you need to assess where you are. By that I mean you need to first start with a 25lb plate and see if you can lift that. If you’re successful with the twenty-five then you need to graduate to the 35lb plate. If you conquered the 35lb plate, you should be feeling pretty good about yourself at that time.

If you have done a 25lb and 35lb, by all means, have a go at the 45lb plate! It may budge, it may stay welded to the floor. Whatever the case may be, let’s look at different ways to train to help you conquer this feat. And make sure to train each hand!

How to get it done It is imperative that you have the plate well chalked and also that you have chalk that works well for you. There are many different brands of chalk and everyone seems to have a different preference of chalk. I like Hand Armor chalk. Experiment with different types of chalk yourself and see what you like. I would train the hub two times per week. One day I would use a plate loaded hub system like the Ironmind hub or the Barrel Strength Systems Dub Hub. The other day of hub training I would practice lifting only plates. Using the idea of a twelve week system, I would first start off with finding your max on the plate loaded hub system that you’re using be ii the Ironmind hub or the Barrel Strength Systems hub. Once you know your max on that hub and you know what kind of plate you can lift, that makes the job a lot easier and figuring out the weights that you would use. The table below outlines a program that may help you lift plates by the hub using a loadable hub trainer and a series of plates that you can hub.

Remember, if the plate is too easy by itself, microload the plate with a series of small plates around the edges of the plate that you are picking up.

Where do you get plates to lift by the hub?

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