GarageGymAthlete

ThePracticalGuidetoTraininglikeaPro,UnleashingFitnessFreedom,andLivingthe

SimpleLife

ByJerredMoon

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ArchangelInk

Copyright©2016JerredMoonPublishingby:

www.EndofThreeFitness.com

ThiseBookislicensedforyourpersonalenjoymentonly.ThiseBookmaynotbere-soldorgivenawaytootherpeople.Ifyouwouldliketosharethisbookwithanotherperson,pleasepurchaseanadditionalcopyforeachrecipient.Ifyou'rereadingthisbookanddidnotpurchaseit,oritwasnotpurchasedforyouruseonly,thenpleasereturntoAmazon.comandpurchaseyourowncopy.Thankyouforrespectingthehardworkofthisauthor.

Dedication:

NothingIdowouldbepossiblewithoutmywife,Emily.Iloveyoumoreandmoreeachday.SicParvisMagna.

Tomysons,youaretwoincrediblehumanbeings.Pursueyourpassionwithanunrelentingworkethicandyouwillfindhappiness.Don’tchaseshinyobjects;yourhappinesswillcomefromthepursuititself.

Disclaimer:Thisbookprovidesmultipledo-it-yourself(DIY)projects.Aswithanydo-it-yourselfproject,unfamiliaritywiththetoolsandprocesscanbedangerous.Projectsinthisbookshouldbeviewedasentertainmentonly.EndofThreeFitnessandthecreators,willnotbeheldresponsibleforanyinjuryduetothemisuseormisunderstandingofanyDIYproject.AllDIYprojectsarepurely“atyourownrisk.”Ifyouareatalluncomfortableorinexperiencedworkingonprojectsyourself(especiallyprojectsinvolvingdangeroustools),pleasereconsiderdoingthejob

yourself.ItisverypossibleonanyDIYtodamageyourproperty,createahazardouscondition,harm,orevenkillyourselfor

others.

Allinformationinthisbookisforeducationandentertainmentpurposesonly.EndofThreeFitnessanditsemployees(EndofThreeFitnessEnterprises,LLC.),aswellasanypartneringwebsites,arenotliableforanydamagesthatariseoutofyouraccesstoourbooksorwebsites,whethertheybedirect,indirect,special,incidental,consequential,orpunitive.

indirect,special,incidental,consequential,orpunitive.

InformationandrecommendationsgivenbyEndofThreeFitness,andthecreator,(EndofThreeFitnessEnterprises,LLC.)arenotintendedasasubstituteforthemedicaladviceandtreatmentofadoctor.Thecontentofthisbookisintendedforgeneraluseandisnotdesignedtodiagnoseortreatmedicalconditionsortoreplacemedicaladvice.

NotefromtheAuthor

Heythere,GarageGymAthlete!JerredMoonhere,founderofEndofThreeFitness,awebsitedesignedtomakeyouabetterhuman.EndofThreeFitnesshasbeenawardedmultiple“TopFitnessBlog”titles,hasbeenfeaturedinmagazines,andhasamassedmillionsofvisitorsfromallaroundtheworldsinceitslaunchattheendof2011.

Sinceitsinception,thebackbonetoEndofThreeFitnesshastrulybeenalltheinformationandarticlesaboutgaragegyms,andhelpingpeoplesucceedinthisarenahasbeenanamazingjourney.Iamexcitedyouareconsideringjoiningthisrevolution.

GarageGymAthletewillprovideyouwithacompleteguidetocreatingyourowngaragegym.ButIwantittodowaymorethanthat.Iwantthisbooktofireyouup,toshowyousometipsandtricksI’vegatheredfromcoachingovertheyears,andtogiveyoumoreautonomyinyourhealthandfitness.

Ifthisbookdoesitsjob,thenIwillbelookingforwardtomeetingyouatGarageGymAthlete,the#1GarageGymcommunityintheworld.

Wehaveworkouts,programs,courses,andmoretohelpyoucrushthiswholegaragegymthing.Signuptobeapartofourcommunityat:

GarageGymAthlete.com

FormoredetailsaboutGarageGymAthleteandyourspecialgiftforpurchasingtheGarageGymAthletebook…readbelow:

GarageGymAthleteismadeupofthreecomponents:

1.DailyWorkouts

2.AThrivingCommunity

2.AThrivingCommunity

3.TrainingPrograms

GarageGymAthleteprovidesthehighestqualityprogrammingatthebestpriceyouwillfind,anditis100percentcateredtotheminimalistgaragegymexerciser.Joinourcommunityandgetstronger,fasterandhardertokill!

GarageGymAthleteSPECIALforGarageGymAthletereadersONLY:

Foralimitedtime,weareofferingaHUGEdiscounttoyouonaGarageGymAthleteMembership.Tojoinnow,clickhereandenterpromocode:

‘REVOLUTION’:andlet’sstartthisrevolution!Areyouready!?

Well,areyoureadytogetextremelyfit,athome?Areyoureadyforagaragegym?Itistimetotakeastand.Itistimegetridofallthesupplementsthatdon’tworkandthatyoudon’tneed,timetotradeinthecrazy-expensivegymmemberships,andthrowawaythefitnessmagazinesthatpushuselessproductsandprogramsdesignedforpeoplewhoaren’tyou.

Itistimetostartmakingsomedecisionsforyourself,anddecisionsaffectingyourhealthshouldnotbetakenlightly.ThomasJeffersonputitthisway:“Leavealltheafternoonforexerciseandrecreation,whichareasnecessaryasreading.Iwillrathersaymorenecessarybecausehealthisworthmorethanlearning.”

Goodluckonyourgaragegymjourney!

TableofContents

SectionOne:FitnessFreedom

Chapter1:WhatisaGarageGymAthlete?

Chapter2:WhyBeaGarageGymAthlete?

Chapter3:TheGreatMistakes

Chapter4:Ammunition:HelpingOthersSeetheLight

Chapter5:ThePreamble:CancelingGymContractsandSavingMoney

Chapter6:YourFirstStep:TheBigPurchase

Chapter7:YourSecondStep:GettingReady

Chapter8:YourThirdStep:DIYorDecide

SectionTwo:TheSimpleLife:DIYProjects

Chapter9:DoitYourself—DoitSafely

Chapter10:HowtoBuildaPlyometricBox

Chapter11:BuildYourOwnPowerRack

Chapter12:DIYWallball

Chapter13:HowtoBuildParallettes

Chapter14:HowtoBuildaSloshPipe

Chapter15:HowtoBuildJerkBoxes

Chapter16:HowtoMakeaDIYProwlerSled

Chapter17:DIYPull-upBarin10Minutes

Chapter18:HowtoBuildaMiniDeadliftJack

Chapter19:HowtoBuildaKettlebellin36Seconds

Chapter20:HomemadeSquatandBenchPressStand

Chapter21:BuildYourOwnRings

SectionThree:TrainlikeaPro

Chapter22:APrimeronProgrammingandBeinganAthlete

Chapter23:SaveYourTime:BlockProgramming

Chapter24:AProKnowsHowtoTrainAlone

Chapter25:AProKnowsHowtoWakeUpEarly

Chapter26:AreYouReadyforFitnessFreedom?

BonusChapter1:BodyweightRoutines

BonusChapter2:HowtoAutomateShoppingforGarageGymEquipment

BonusChapter3:BarbellBuyers’Guide

Chapter27:TheRevolution

GarageGymAthlete

PleaseReviewThis!

AbouttheAuthor

SectionOne

FitnessFreedom

Chapter1

WhatisaGarageGymAthlete?backtotop

Ifyouhaveabody,youareanathlete.

—BillBowerman,Nikeco-founder

So,you’rethinkingaboutstartingagaragegym?Goodidea!

Seriously,thegrassrootsmovementthatisgaragegymsisexplodingforanumberofreasons,andIamtrulyexcitedforyoutobeginyourjourney,solet’sdiverightin.

Areyousickofallthatisinvolvedwithgettinginshape—withbecomingstrongerandfitter?

Trainingandgettinginshapecanbeachoreattimes,butisitreallythetrainingyoudon’tenjoy?Withalittleobservation,orself-analysis,youmayfindthechoreisoftennotthetrainingitself.Ofcourse,youmaynotlovetoexercise,butisitreallythatbad?

Theworstpartaboutfitnessisallthatcomeswithit:alongcommutetothegym,crowdsofpeople,occupiedequipment,hygieneconcerns,monthlyfees,andmuchmore.Youhaveajob,family,andalloflife’schoresandtaskstoworryabout.Whowantstostartorendtheirdaywithwhatfeelslikeanotherchore?Atriptothegyminvolveschangingintoappropriateclothes,driving,waiting,moredriving...andtheroutinesimplytakesyoufromoneclimate-controlledbox(work)toanother(thegym)withyouronlychanceforfreshaircomingfromwalkingacrosstheparkinglot.Nottomentionthateverydayyou“justdon’tfeellikeit”anddecidetoskipthegym,itcostsyoumoney!

Commercialgymsaredesignedforthemasses—TVs,isolationmachines,anda

bunchofstuffyoudon’treallyneed.Itmaymakeyoufeelbettertohave“gonetothegymtoday”butwouldn’t’tyourathertraineffectivelyandefficiently?Yourheadshouldbenoddingatthispoint.

Perhapswhenyouthinkofagaragegym,youthinkofRockyBalboachasingchickensandliftinglogs.Ormaybeyouthinkofaversionofyourcommercialgymstuffedinyourgarage.

Therealityissomewhereinbetween.Agaragegymcanbeaneffectiveandefficientworld-classtrainingfacility.Itisbuilttosuityourperformance.Someofthefittestpeopleintheworldtrainingaragegymsregularlybecausetheyknowthesecret:lessequipment,fewerisolationexercises,andlessjunk;butmoreefficienttraining.

Thethoughtthatwilleventuallycrossyourmindis,“Idon’thavethemoneyortimetomakemyowngaragemygym.”Whilecertainlynotdirtcheap,youcandoitforaslittleas$500,whichistheequivalentofaboutayearandahalfofthecheapestgympass.Ifyouuseyourgaragegymforjusttwoyears,youwillhavemademoneyontheinvestment.Inaddition,itonlytakesabouttwoweekstocomplete.Andthat’sifyoutakeyourtime.AndnowisthetimetobecomeaGarageGymAthlete.

Inthepast,itwasnearimpossibletohaveagaragegym.Nottoolongagoyouwouldn’tbeabletofindastorethatsoldakettlebell,andtoorderoneonlinewouldhavecostyouafortuneinshippingfees.Nottomentionanylargerandheavierequipmentyoumayneed.

Currently,itisveryaffordable.Luckily,thepopularityofCrossFit®andthesportofweightliftinghaveexplodedinrecentyears.Thispopularityhasmadegettinghigh-qualitybarbells,plates,andotherequipmentmuchmoreeconomical.Thereareplentyofstoresandwebsitesthatofferfreeshippingandeasyavailability.

Inthefuture,itwillbecomeevenmoreaffordable.Andjustapredictionhere;whenthesupplyofCrossFit®gymsexceedsthedemandincomingyears,you’llpotentiallyseeCrossFit®gymsgoingoutofbusinessleftandright.Now,whileIwishnothingbaduponanygymowner,ortheirlivelihood,itwillmakeforanopportunityforyoutosnaggreatequipmentathugediscounts.

Inspiteofaffordability,youhavetobealittlecrazytowanttopursuefitnessoutsideoftheconventionalgym,right?

Well,Idon’tthinktheGarageGymAthleteiscrazy,IconsidertheGarageGymAthlete“other.”AtermIliketousealotisthe“otherguy(andgal)”todescribethosewhoareinterestedinbecomingaGarageGymAthlete.Neverbeaverage,alwaysbeother.

Theotherguyisnotaverage;heisadoer.Ifitcanmakehimbetter,he’lltryit.Ifit’stooheavy,he’lllearnhowtoliftit.Ifit’stoofar,he’llstillruntoit.Hewilltakeonmanychallenges,iscomfortablewiththefactthatthingswillneverbeperfect,andwillgooutknowinghewasneveraverage.

LifeHappens.

Maybeyougotstuckinadesk.Maybeyourschedulegotfilledtothebrim.Maybeyoufeellikeanaveragelife,foryou,islikefittingasquarepegintoaroundhole.

Well,ifyou’rereadingthis,there’sagoodchanceyouwouldliketomakesomechanges.You’dliketoseehowstrongyoucanactuallybecome,howfastyoucantrulyrun,andhowmuchbetteryoucanactuallybe.

That’swhyEndofThreeFitnessexists!Andtoembracebeing“other”istobeaGarageGymAthlete.

Chapter2

WhyBeaGarageGymAthlete?backtotop

Now,perhapsIamstartingthisbookoffalittletoophilosophicalforsomeofyou,butI’veseenalotofpeoplegothroughthisprocessandfail.

I’mtrulypassionateaboutmakingthisstickinyourlife!Tomakesomethingstick,wehavetostartwithwhy.

Whyareyou,ordoyouwanttobe,aGarageGymAthlete?Whyworkoutinthecold,inhot,orinconfinedspaces?Whydoyouwanttoachievewhatyouwanttoachieve?

Thatisaveryimportantquestion.

Andoneyouhavetobecrystalclearon!Tobehonest;tonotanswerthatquestionwilleventuallymakeyoutheguywhoissellingyourgaragegymequipmentforpenniesonthedollartotherestofuswhodidanswerthatquestion.

Letmesharemystoryandperhapsitwillhelpyou.

Yearsago,IdecidedtobreakupwiththeglobogymsoftheworldandpassonCrossFit®boxes.Ifyouarescratchingyourheadontheterm“globogym,”it’sessentiallyatypicallarge-sizedgymintoday’sworld.

RightafterIgotmarried,mywifeandIwererunninguphillfinancially.Let’sputitthisway:strappedforcash,nosavings,andlivingwithmywife’sparents.

IwasgoingtobeanofficerintheAirForce,buthadtowaittillmyactivedutyordersstarted.Tomakethingscrazier,mywifeandIstarteddayoneofourmarriage$100,000indebt!Longstoryshort—Iwasstressedout.

Iwasworkingoddjobs,makingthingswork,andtryingtosqueezefitnessinto

Iwasworkingoddjobs,makingthingswork,andtryingtosqueezefitnessintothemix.Icouldn’taffordaglobogym,andaCrossFit®gymwasoutofthequestionbecauseinmostcasesaCrossFit®affiliateismoreexpensivethanaglobogym.Iconvincedmywife(she’sawesome)toletmeusesomeofourweddingmoneytobuyabarbellandrubberizedbumperplates.

Inusingourweddingmoneyforgymequipment,therewereonlytworealisticpotentialoutcomes.

Outcome#1:Ispendthemoney,Iusetheequipmentreligiously,andeveryoneishappy,becauseinthelongrunIamsavingusmoney.

Outcome#2:Ibuytheequipment,theexcitementfades,Istopworkingoutinthegarage.MywifethinksI’manidiot,andIwouldbeanidiottospendwhatlittlemoneywehadandwasteit.

Rightfromthestart,my“why”wastoshowmywifethatIamthetypeofmanthatstickstohisword,whospendsourmoneywisely,anddoesn’tquitanything.

Ididnothavetheforethoughtatthattimetohavea“bigwhy,”butIluckilystumbledintohavingagigantic“why”whenIstartedmygaragegym.

Maybethatsoundscrazy,butmywhywastoshowmywifethetypeofmanIam.Thebestpartisthat“why”turnedintoahabit.

–Extremeheat—Igotafan.

–Freezingcold—Iputonsweats.

–Nospace—Iwentoutside.

–Notenoughequipment—Imadeitwork.

The“why”tomewassobig,therewasnoquitting.Therewasno,“Idon’tfeellikeit,”andthathasmadethiswholeGarageGymAthletethingreallystick.

BelievemewhenItellyouithasnotbeeneasy.Iamnotwritingthisfromtheperspectiveofsomeguywhohasallthetimeintheworld.

WhenIreallykickedthingsupinthegaragegym,IwasgoingthroughpilottrainingintheUnitedStatesAirForce,whichhasoneofthemostdemandingtimetablesintheU.S.military,andthingsneversloweddown.Overtheyears,Iworkedcrazyhours,mywifeandIhaveaddedtwochildrenintothemix,andtobehonest,attimes,Idon’tknowhowIfititallin.

I’llsayitagain,asafamilymanwithrealtimeconstraintsithasbeenchallengingovertheyears.Mymotivationhasgoneonrollercoasterrides,myprogramminghasjumpedallovertheplace,andIhaveseenmyprogressnotonlystall,butmovebackwards.

Itwillhappentoyou,andit’sokay.Lifewillhappenandyou’llgetsidetracked.Someeventwillcomeandknockyourightoffyourfeet.

Buttheonlythingthatisgoingtokeepyoucomingback,embracingtheelements,andworkingyourbuttoffistohaveagigantic“why”thatwillseeyouthroughanystruggle.

Now,it’syourturn.

It’sprettysimple.Justanswerthefollowingquestions:Whatisyourgoal?

–Isittolift2½timesyourbodyweight?

–Isittorunamarathon?

–IsittocompeteinaCrossFit®competition?

–Isittoloseweight?

–Isittogainmuscle?

Whydoyouwantthat?

–Whyareyou,ordoyouwanttobe,aGarageGymAthlete?

–Whyworkoutincold,hot,orconfinedspaces?

–Whydoyouwanttoachievewhatyouwanttoachieve?

Remember,thebiggerthebetter!

Onceyou’vedonethis,youcanmoveontothenextchapterandwewillcoverthegreatestmistakestoavoidinbeingaGarageGymAthlete.

Chapter3

TheGreatMistakesbacktotop

Myfirstgaragegymwasmiserable!

We’retalkingdangerouslyhot.

Butitwasincrediblyfun!

MostofmygaragegymwasDIY,andsoweremyprograms.Imayhavebeenhoninginmyskillsasacarpenter,butthebiggestskillIwasrefiningeachdaywasbecomingaprogrammer.Whenyouheartheterm“programmer”inthisbook,itsimplymeansstructuring,writing,andplanningworkoutprogramsandschedules.

Pre-garagegym,Iwasalreadywritingprogramsandworkouts.However,withagaragegymandminimalequipmentIhadtobecomeevenbetterat

programming.Ihadtolearnwhatwasneeded,whatwasn’tneeded,andmostimportantlywhatactuallyworked!

ButI’mgettingaheadofmyselfhere.Inthischapter,Iwouldliketolayoutmistakesyoucanavoid,andthenumberoneprincipleyoucanapplytoseeresults.

Ifyoudidtheexerciseinthelastchapterthenyou’resuperclearonwhatyouwantinbeingaGarageGymAthlete,includingyourbigwhy.

Now,thebigquestionishowcanyougetthere?Howcanyouachievethegoalthatyou’veset?Letmestartbygivingyouacompletelynon-fitnessrelatedgoal.

I’lltellyouupfrontoneofthebestlessonsIhaveeverlearnedis:StartandStick.Meaningjustfreakingstartandstickwithit!

ImentionedpreviouslythatwhenmywifeandIgotmarriedwecollectivelyowed$100,000.Yes,$100Kindebtrightontheveryfirstdayofourmarriage.

Itwasn’tstupiddebt.Wehadtwocars,thuswehadcarloans.Wehadjustfinishedschoolandhadstudentloans,andonelittlecrazyincidentwithourdogandwenowhadmedicaldebt—yes,fromadog.

Andthegrandtotalwas$100,000.

MywifeandIhaddecidedthatshewouldbeastay-at-homemom,butwehadalsodecidedweweregoingtocommit,anddowhateverwehadto,togetoutofdebt.Itwaspainful,stressful,andchallenging.Afterwecommittedweslowlystartedtoseeourdebtcomedown.Eachmonthwewereabletobreathejustalittlebitbetter.BybreatheImeanourfirstbudgetgaveusseventeendollarsofwiggleroomeachmonth.Nomistakesallowed.Butwemademistakes;weweren’tperfect.Wedidstartandwedidsticktoourgoal.

Guesswhat?Injustunderthreeyearsaftergettingmarried,withatonof

disciplineandwithmysalaryasamilitaryofficerwepaidoffallofourdebt!Andwearenowdebtfree!

WhydoIsharethis?BecauseI’veachievedfitnessgoals,businessgoals,andfinancialgoals,andthissimpleprincipleappliestoallofthem.

StartandStick!

Now,backtogaragegyms.Aslongasyouknowstartingandstickingwillbethebiggestthingsyoucandoinagaragegymthenwecanmovetothesmallermistakes,whichcanstillderailyourprogress.

Mistake#1:Toomuchemphasisonthe“right”equipment.

Ifyouthinkalackofequipmentisholdingyouback,you’rewrong!Istartedwithabarbell,someplates,andIbuiltasetofDIYringsandaplyometricbox.Ionlyusedthoseitemsforalongtimeandsawgreatresults.

ThinkingyouneedtostartwithaGHD(GluteHamDeveloper)machine,ReverseHyperextensionmachine,andConcept2roweristhewrongtrainofthought.Ifyou’vegotthemoney,goforit!ButIdidn’tsoIbuilteverything.

IwouldsaveuptodooneDIYprojectatatime.IslowlybuiltupanarsenalofDIYequipment,garagesalefinds,andothergoodies.Thiswasmygaragegymattheendofyearone:

Youcanmakeitworkwithalotless,andinalotlessspace,whichbringsmetomistakenumbertwo.

Mistake#2:Gettingdiscouragedaboutyourspace.

Beinginthemilitarygavemeauniqueopportunitytohavearoundfivedifferentgaragegymspaces:

–Somewerefreezingcold.

–Somewerecrazyhot.

–Somewereoutside.

–Somewereoutside.

–Somedidn’tgivemeenoughspacetopressoverhead.

–Somewerewiththegroundtooslantedtoliftwithgoodform.

I’vetrainedinallofthem.SometimesitsuckedandIwouldgetfrustrated,butIwouldmakeitwork.

IfoundwaystoshoveabarbellinaHondaAccord.I’vetraveledwithkettlebells.I’vedoneOlympicliftingingrassanddirt.I’vehungringsontreesandunderbridges.Thetakeaway:Makeitwork!Ifyoucan’tchangethespaceyouhave,findawaytomakeitworkinyoursituation.Letmeerasethatexcusefromyourheadrightnow.Youcanfindthespace.

Mistake#3:Tryingtodoeverythingbyyourself.

Look,whatIhaven’ttoldyouisthewholetimeIwasstartingandusingagaragegym,Iwasmakingahugemistake.SometimesIfallpreytosuperherosyndrome.EssentiallythatmeansIthinkIcandoitallaloneby

–BuildingDIYprojects

–Doingmyownprogramming

–Tryingtomotivatemyself

You’llonlygetsofarthatway.I’vefollowedthatpathandthingshaveprobablybeentwotimesashardandtakentwotimesaslongastheyshouldhave.Youneedaccountabilityanddirectionfromsomeonewhohasbeenwhereyouaretryingtogo.

Iknowthegaragegymcanbealonelyplace,butsomethingassimpleassharingworkoutswithafriend(inadifferentpartofthecountry)andcomparingtimesattheendofthedaycangoalongway.IknowbecauseI’vedoneit.

–Whoishelpingyou?

–Whoisholdingyouaccountable?

Ifyouransweris“noone,”thenstopandgogetsomeonerightnow.It’svitaltoreachingyourgoal.WealsohavemassivecommunityatEndofThreeFitnesswithgarage-gym-mindedpeoplelikeyourselfwhowouldbewillingtobethataccountabilitypartnerandyoucanfindusatEndofThreeFitness.com.

IsharethosecommonmistakesasapersonwhohasmadethemandasresultofsurveyingthousandsofgaragegymathletesatEndofThreeFitnesswhosaytheyhavetheexactsameproblems.

Saying“avoidthosemistakes”iseasiersaidthandone.Iknowmostpeoplebelievetheycandoitallthemselves,andthengetdiscouragedabouttheirspaceorfocusonthelackofequipment.NomatterwhatIsay.SoIhavesolutionforyou.

StopactinglikeyouareanaverageJoeandstartactinglikeanAthlete—yourshiftinperspectivewillbehuge.

–AnAthleteisseriousabouttraining.

–AnAthletefollowsrealprogramming.

–AnAthletehasaccountabilityfromtheirteamandotherathletes.

–AnAthletehasstandardstheyfollowandstrivefor.

–AnAthletegetsitdone,knowsthingsaren’talwaysfair,andstillkeepsmoving!

–AnAthletestartsandsticks.

Pitypartiesaren’tfun,andexcusesareuseless.Ifyouwanttoseesuccessinyourgaragegymthesolutionissimple.Startactinglikeanathleteandquittreatingyourselfasanaveragehumanbeing.StartandStick!

Now,Ifeellikewehavegaragegymscoveredfromtheshouldersup,sonowlet’sjumpintosomeofthemoretechnicalstuff.

Chapter4

Ammunition:HelpingOthersSeetheLightbacktotop

Doyouwanttoworkoutinyourunderwearandsave$15,000intheprocess?

Ihaveworkedoutathomeinmyunderwearoncebefore...ok,maybetwice...alright,alright,maybeitwasafewtimes.StillnotsureifIamproudofthat,butnonetheless,ithashappened.

Now,Iknowbuildingagaragegymisnottheeasiestthingtodo,andoftentimesitmayhavenothingtodowithmoneyorequipment.Thebiggestchallengecanbeaspouse,roommate,parent,etc.

Thischapterexistsjustforthatreason.Inthischapterwejustifytoyourspouse,parents,orwhoever;thatspendingmoneyonagaragegymisworthit.Itmayevenhelpyouifyouneedalittleextraconvincing.Itcanbeanuphillbattle,butyouhavetotaketheapproachthatitislikeinvesting;spendmoneytomakemoney.

First,youhavetoknowIamabouttodropasizableamountofinformationonyou,butstickwithme!Wearegoingtostartwithsomedollarsigns,percents,andalittlemath.Don’tworry;Idothemathforyou.

Unfortunately,therearenotlargestudiesdoneonthereturnoninvestment(ROI)forgaragegymersorhome-gymexercisers(Iknow,weird,right?).ButthereareatonofstudiesontheROIforcorporatewellnessprogramsinstitutedatlargecompanies.I’llsaveyoutheheadacheofreadingallthatjunk,becauseIdid,andhere’stheaverageIcameupwithafterreadingwaytoomanypages:

–TheaverageROIforevery$1spentwas$3to$5;and$1to$13inextremeoutliers.

Toexplain:Acompanyspends$1onyourhealthbyprovidingagymor

wellnessprogramandyougarnerthem$3to$5bybeingmoreproductive,nottakingsickdays,etc.

Furthermore,inotherstudies,asimplehealthandfitnessprogramcangenerate

–Anout-of-pockethealthinsurancesavingsof27percent.

I’mthinkingofacooltagline...27repscouldsaveyou27percentonhealthinsurance,ormore.NowallIneedisacomputer-animatedgeckotomakeitstick.Thatprincipleisprettysimple.Ifyouarefitandhealthyyoucanloweryourhealthinsurancecostsby27percent.

Alright,yougotthosenumbers?Let’stakeittothegaragegym—breakingdownthatinfointoafamilysituation.Healthcareistoocrazyandeverchangingtogiveyouaperfectexample,soletmegiveageneralexampleandyouestimatefromthere.

Ifafamilyoffourhasanaverageout-of-pocketspendinginhealthcareof$5,000annually—meaningtheymaxedoutanannualdeductible,notjustmonthlypremiums—withsmallthingslikeprescriptions,perhapsaminorsurgery,checkups...Boom...maxedoutat$5,000.

–Usingthatexampleifyouweretoimplementoperationgaragegym(gethealthy):$5,000deductibleat27percentsavings=$1,350

Next,youhaveacurrentgymmembership—mostlikelyoneyouaregoingtogetoutoftopursueagaragegym.Keepingwithourexample,forafamilymembershipyoumaybeaveraging$200/monthandthatisconservativeconsideringsomenortheasternCrossFit®gymscharge$200/monthperperson.

–Nogymmembership:$15/month-$200/month=$180–$2400/year

Iputthe$15/monthinthereforthosewhopursuesomethinglikePlanetFitness.Buttobehonest,ifPlanetFitnessisyourcupoftea,agaragegymmostlikelywillnotworkforyou.

willnotworkforyou.

Iknowthenumbersaregettingprettydeep,butjustonemorething.Let’ssayyoumakethepurchaseofacompletegaragegymforaround$2,500(higherend).Assumingyouuseitregularly,yourhealthshouldincreaseandyoushouldbemoreproductiveandfreeupmoretimetoearnmoremoney.Consideringthecorporatewellnessstudies,wewilltakeanaverageandsayforevery$1youspendonyourgaragegym,youwillget$5backinyourearningpotential.

–ROIfromgaragegympurchaseof$2,500=$12,500

BOOM!

ThenexttimeyouaregettinghassledforwantingtobuyexpensivegaragegymequipmentortodoaDIYproject,justtrytheoleevery-dollar-I-spend-will-come-back-5-foldargument.Workseverytime!Ok,maybenoteverytime.

Thegrandtotaltherewouldbe$16,250(soIactuallyroundeddownfrom$15,000)youjustsavedbydecidingtoworkoutathome!That’shardtobelieveanddefinitelyinnowayscientific,anditiscompletelydependentonyourpersonalsituation.Iknowsomeofthosesavingsmayoverlap—timeinthegymistimeawayfromwork,etc.

BOTTOMLINE:Beinghealthysavesyoumoney!

Andwearen’tdone.

Inanattempttomakethisthemostcomprehensivebookeverwrittenongaragegyms,Ihavetogoonestepfurtherinweighingtheoptionsofgaragegymsvs.commercialgyms.Notonlythat,Iwouldliketocompareexpensivegaragegyms,DIYgaragegyms,andcommercialgyms.

Let’scomparean“AllOut”garagegym,aDIYgaragegym,andacommercialgym.

Definingthegyms...

–“AllOut”GarageGym:TheGarageGymAthletewhoreallyhasnolimitwiththebudgetandwouldprefertopurchaseeverything.However,wearenottalkingaboutarich-guygaragegym;allestimatesarestillfeasibleandonthelowend.

–DIYGarageGym:Fortheathleteonabudgetwhopreferstobuild,unless

itisnotfeasible;i.e.noDIYbarbellsorplates,buteverythingelseisfairgame.Youlearnhowtobuildeverything.

–CommercialGym:Theglobogym!Yourbig-timerslikeLAFitnessandLifeTimeFitness.

First,wewilllookatstartupcosts.

–“AllOut”GarageGym:Asolidequipmentpackagefromahigh-qualitymanufacturerwillcomeinatjustover$3,000.

–DIYGarageGym:Icreatedmyfirstgaragegymfor$871,butwithallthenewknowledgeupdatedinthesepagesyouwillbeabletodoitfor$500,orless.

–CommercialGym:Generally,ifnospecialsarerunning,youwillenduppayingasignupfeeandyourfirstmonthlydues.Thisleavesyou,onaverage,atabout$100.

Winnerinstartupcostsgoestothecommercialgym.Next,wehaveabigone;yourtime.

TimeConsiderations

–“AllOut”GarageGym&DIYGarageGym:Aftertheinitialcosts,alotoftheconsiderationsforthesetwoareexactlythesame.Withagaragegym,yourtimeisgoingtoincrease.Youdon’tneedtomusteruptheenergytogetupextremelyearlyorintheevening,andscroungetogetheralltheitemsyou“need”forthegym.Wakeup,rollintothegarage,andgetfit!Note:Ifyouwanttogetreallytechnical,factorintheDIYtime.

–CommercialGym:Commercialgymsareatimesuck!Youhavethecommute(5to20+minutes),thecheck-in-put-my-stuff-away-and-get-to-the-exercise-equipmentdance(10minutes),thewaiting-on-randoms-doing-

the-exercise-incorrectlyshowdown(10minutes),thehi-I-see-my-neighborconversation(5minutes).Dosomeofthatinreverseandweareatoveranhour—withoutfactoringintheworkout!

Overallthewinner,byalandslide,willbethegaragegym.

Butwhataboutinthelongrun?

Five-YearCumulativeCosts

Iamnotgettingintoahugedebateonhowtobreakdownthecostshere.IwentthroughaccountingandfinanceincollegesoIknowtherearemorebusiness-appropriatewaystolookatthis,butthat’snotwhatwearedoing.Wearegoingtolookatitverysimply.Howmuchdiditcostmethisyear?Thenextyear,askyourselfthesamequestion,andsoonandsoforth.

–“AllOut”GarageGym:Youhavetheexpensivefirstyear,andthenyoushouldreallyneverhavetofactorinanyothercosts,especiallyifitishigh-qualityequipment.

–DIYGarageGym:Sameasthe“AllOut”GarageGym,yearoneholdsallthecosts,andthenit’ssmoothsailing.ConsideringitisDIY,anddependingonyourcraftsmanship,yourDIYgaragegymequipmentmayhavea5to10yearshelflife.AllofmyDIYequipmenthasmadeitpastthe5-yearmarkeasily.

–CommercialGym:Thisjustkeepsgoingupandup.Itisbasicallythebuyorleaseargument.Aleasehasyoupouringmoneyintoaservice,moreorless,withnoownership.YoukeepshellingoutmoneyandyourROIisyourhealth.

Thatmeansinthe5-yeartimelinetheDIYgaragegymwillbethewinner.

ResaleValue

Thisisaminorfactor,butitisworthamention.

–“AllOut”GarageGym:Youwillbeabletorecoupsomeofyourinitialcostsbyresellingyour“AllOut”GarageGymequipment.

–DIYGarageGym:Evenifyouareanawesomecarpenter,youcouldonlysellyourDIYequipmentforafewbucksoncraigslist,atbest.Youmayhavetoactuallypaysomeonetohaulitoff.

–CommercialGym:Absolutelynoresalevalue.

ThisgivestheAllOutgaragegymtheadvantageinresalevalue.

OtherConsiderations

–“AllOut”GarageGym:Safety.Installationmistakes.Shippingtime/costs.

–DIYGarageGym:Safety.DIYmistakes.

–CommercialGym:Travelexpenses—commutingaddsup.Theglobogymscansuckyouinwiththeir$9eggsand$7proteinshakesmoothiesthatyouknowyouwillfallpreytoatleastafewtimes.Peoplearealwaysafactorinacommercialgym(notgaragegym)settingandyouneedtodecideifyoulikethepeople,ornot.

Intheend,youhavetodecidewhatworksbestforyou.

Chapter5

ThePreamble:CancelingGymContractsandSavingMoney

backtotop

Now,someofyoudon’thaveagymmembershiporagaragegym,whichmeansyoucanjuststartfromscratch.Luckyyou!Forthoseofyouwithagymmembership—whatareyougoingtodo?

Honestly,ifyouareatamajorglobogymitwillbetough.Theyhavenearironcladcontractswithaseaoflawyersbehindthem.Itwillbeanuphillbattle,butthatdoesn’tmeanitisnotworthatry!

GettingoutofaGymContract

–First,checkyourcontractandseeexactlywhatitsays(keepthisinmindformyfourthpoint)!

–Second,talktoasalespersonorclientmanageratthegymwhilekeepingyourcoolaboutgettingoutofthecontractearly,andyouroptionsfordoingso.

–Third,isitayearormorecontract?Ifso,somestateshavelawsthatassertifyouareinacontractof1to2yearsyoucangetoutofitwithwritten30-day’snotice.

–Fourth,whatdidtheypromiseinthecontract?Isthereaserviceinthecontracttheyhavenotbeendoing?Findingadiscrepancycouldhelpyougetout!

–Fifth,areyoumovingorhaveyourecentlylost/changedyourjob?Sometimesifyoureasonablyexplainalegitimatesituationyouarein,theymayactuallybecoolaboutit.

Ifnoneofthatworks...

–Cansomeonetakeoveryourmembership?Alotofgymsallowthis.

–Willitbemorecosteffectivetocancelandpayaterminationfeeortellthemyouwanttocancelandpaytheremainderofthemonthlypayments?

–Areyouabletosuccessfullyfakeyourowndeath?Okay,I’mkiddingaboutthisone.

Lastly,whetheryouareleavingabigorsmallgym,don’tlookback!Welcometothestartoffitnessfreedom.

You’reonestepclosertoworkingoutinyourunderwear!

Onceyouareoutofyourdysfunctionalgymrelationshipyoucanstarttheotherprep-work.

Therewillbeatransitiontimeformostwhereyoumaynothaveagym.Duringthistimeyouwillneedtosavemoneyforyourgaragegymandmoveyourbody,alsoknownasbodyweightworkoutsandwehavesomelistedinthebonuschaptersofthisbook.

Garagegymscanbeexpensive,buttheydon’thavetobe.

Thisiswhatmyfirstgaragegymcameouttobe:–Barbell,Plates,Kettlebells,andClamps=$600

–InitialDIYProjects=$241

–Miscellaneous=$30

–Total=$871

For$871,Inowhave:

–(1)-45lb.OlympicBar

–(3)-Kettlebells(35lb.,55lb.,and70lb.)–(2)-45lb.bumperplates–(2)-35lb.bumperplates–(2)-25lb.bumperplates–(2)-10lb.bumperplates

–(2)-5lb.plates

–Apowerrackwithpull-upbar

–Parallettes

–Weightrackstorage

–Rings

–Plyometricbox

–Medicineball

–Tirefordraggingandoddobjectlifting

–Squat/Pressstands

–Benchpressstands

–Bench

–Reversehyper

–Speedrope

ThefunnythingisIdidn’tevengothecheapestroute.IfyouareinthesameboatIwas,herearesometipsforscroungingupsomemoneyforthatgaragegym.

QuickTipsforSavingMoney

–Createabudget.Tooeasy,right?Allofyourmoneywillgosomewhere;beincontrolofthatdirection.Determinehowmuchyourgaragegymwillcostandhowmuchyoucansaveeachmonthtowardsthatgoal.

–Getoutofdebt.Thisisabigone.MywifeandIbarelyhadanyconsumerdebtwhenwegotmarried,itwasprettymuchstudentloansthatwerekilling

debtwhenwegotmarried,itwasprettymuchstudentloansthatwerekillingus.Evenifyouonlyeliminateonesmalldebtoracreditcard,thatisextramoneyinyourpocketeverymonth.

Now,ifitisgoingtotakealittlewhiletosaveupforagaragegym,hereismychallengetoyou.Saveatleast$50(eatouttwotimeslessthismonth)tobuildtheplyometricbox,theDIYkettlebell,andlastly,thequickandeasyDIYpull-upbar.AllofthoseprojectsarelistedintheDIYportionofthisbook.Next,useacombinationofthatequipmentandthebodyweightprogramprovidedinthisbook.Thosetwoactionsshouldgetyouingreatshapeandkeepyoubusywhileyouaregym-lessandsavinguptheneededcash.

Don’tstartworkingoutinyourunderwearyet—you’renotready.Theunderwearisanearnedprivilege!

BOTTOMLINE:Takecontrolofyourmoney,saveforagym,andfocusonworkoutsyoucandoRIGHTNOW.

Alright,areyoureadyforagaragegym?

Chapter6

YourFirstStep:TheBigPurchasebacktotop

Itistimetostarttakingthestepstohavingyourveryowngaragegym.Let’sgetstarted!

Step1:Thebigpurchase

Thebigpurchasehastobethefirstthingyoudowhenyouarestartingaseriousgaragegym.Itmeansyouarefullycommittedandthebigpurchasewillhelpkeepyouaccountable.Thisisthestuffyoucannotbuildyourselformaybetoochallengingtofindused;i.e.barbells,plates,kettlebells,etc.

Anotherreasontodothebigpurchasefirstisbecauseitcantakeuptotwoweeksfortheordertocomein,dependingonthecompanyyouuse.Thiswillgiveustimetosetupshopinthegarageandgetreadyforsomeserioustrainingoncetheequipmentisdelivered.First,youhavetodecidewhatyouneed.

–Doyouwantorneedrubberizedbumperplates?

–Doyouwantonlyironplates?

–Doyoucareifyouhaveneworusedequipment?

Ididn’tgotheleastexpensiveroutewhenIfirststartedmygaragegym.IboughtitallnewandIboughtthecolored,rubberizedbumperplates(expensive).IfyoubuyplainblackorgotheusedrouteyoucangetitallformuchcheaperthanIdid.Youdon’tneedallbumperplatesforagarage,andwewillcovermoreonthisinthebarbellbuyer’sguidebonuschapter.Now,let’smakethebigpurchase.Youhavefouroptions:

1.Craigslist

Craigslistisfullofpeoplewhothoughttheymayenjoyagaragegymatone

pointintheirlife,butnowtheirequipmentisjustjunkthatclutterstheirgarage(don’tbethatguy!).Thedealsyoucanfindoncraigslistareinsane,peoplesellingthousandsofdollarsworthofweightsforpenniesonthedollar.It’scrazy,andgoodforyouandme.Ifyouliveinabigcity,ornearabigcity,youwillhaveatonofgooddeals.TheonlythingIhavefoundisthatbumperplatesarenoteasytocomebythesedays.Ithinkthetypeofpeoplewhobuybumperplatesarerelativelyseriousaboutworkingoutandarelesslikelytogetridofthem.Ifyoufindanyonesellingbumperplatesbelowindustryaverage,don’thesitate!Ihavefoundthatsomepeopleselltheirweightsetscheapandalmosttreatyoulikeatrashhaulawayservice.ImadethemistakeofnottakingagreatdealbecauseIdidn’twantalotofthisguy’s“othercrap,”buthewouldn’tsellanyofitindividually.Ifitisagooddeal,bethetrashservice,andthrowotherstuffawayandkeepwhatyoucamefor.

Tipsforcraigslist

–Don’tgetmurdered(besafe)

–Alwaysnegotiate(lowball‘em)

–Bepatient

Ifyouaregoingtogothecraigslistroute,besuretoreadmybonuschapteronhowtoautomateyourgaragegymshopping,whichwillmakethisabreeze.Next,youcangotraditionalandshopinstore.

2.Instore

Therearetwostoresthatyoucangocheckout,oryoucanevenorderfromthemonline:AcademyandDick’sSportingGoods.

Imentiontheseoptionsmainlyfortheplates.Theyhavegoodpackagedealsthatcomewithalotofironplatesandabarbell,anditisveryaffordable.

However,Irecommendevenifyougetoneofthesepackagedealsonlyusethe

However,Irecommendevenifyougetoneofthesepackagedealsonlyusethebarbellasyour“extra,”asthebarbellstheyhavearelowquality.

Ithinkyoushouldorderagoodbarbellusingtheguidelinessetoutforyouinthe“BarbellBuyer’sGuide”chapter,andnotrelyononefromanin-storepurchase.Abarbellisthenucleusforthegaragegym;youdon’twantittobeapieceofcrap.

Backtoonlineshopping.Whatcan’tyougetonAmazon?

3.Amazon

Amazonhasalotofgooddeals,buttheyarenotalwaysavailable.Iliketoshoparoundforsetsofbumperplates.IhavefoundthattobuyindividualplatesonAmazonisjustlikebuyinganywhereelse.

However,theydohavealotofgooddealsonsetsofbumperplates.Alsotheirbarsareprettyaffordable,butasIsaid,youwantagreatbarbell.Thekeyhereisthatyouarelookingforanythingwithfreeshipping.

4.Thebigboys:equipmentretailers

Thereareafewequipmentretailersouttherewhichhaveextremelyhigh-qualityproducts,andsomeevenmadeintheUSA.

Tobuyallofyourequipmentattheseplaceswouldbealittlepricy,butcertainlyworthitwiththeirguaranteesandqualityproducts.

Ifyoucanaffordit,goforit.Ifyoucannotaffordit,Iwouldrecommendatleastgettingyourbarbellfromoneoftheseplaces.Theyhaveawidevarietyofbarbellstochoosefrom.

Butthereisastrategytoshoppingwiththesevendors.Tolearnmyrecommendationsonshoppingfortheirequipmentpleasevisit:

www.EndofThreeFitness.com/equipment

HopefullyIhavepointedyouinagooddirection.Noworderyourweight,package,barbell,orwhateveritistodaysowecanmoveonandstartyoursecondstep.

Seriously.Gomakeyourbigpurchase,thencomebacktothisbookandmovetoStep2.

Chapter7

YourSecondStep:GettingReadybacktotop

Youhavetoembracetheideaofstreetparking!Meaning,yes,thecarmaynolongerfitinthegarage.It’sokay.

Whenitcomestogaragegyms,therearetwooptions.

–Optionone:youcanhaveagaragewithagyminit,or...

–Optiontwo:youcanhaveagymthatisintheshellofagarage.

Inotherwords,youcaneithermaintainagarageforstorageandallyourhouseholditems,oryoucanfullydedicateyourgaragetobeingagymandnothingelse.Themoreviableoptionformostwillbeoptionone.Eitherwayyouareprobablygoingtohavetodeclutter.Organizationandstorageareyourtwoprioritiesatthispoint.

StorageIdeas

Ifyouarenotanorganizedperson,itistimetochange—ifyouwantagaragegym,thatis.Ifyouhavealotofstuffthatyouneedtokeep(yes,gettingridofstuffisarealoption),youwillhavetogetcreative.Quicksuggestions:

–Hangstoragecontainersfromtheceiling

–Haveadedicatedwallforstackablecontainers

–Movethingstoastorageunit(notideal,duetothemonthlycostthatyou’retryingtosavebydoingthisinthefirstplace)

–Throwthingsaway

–Garagesale

Ifyouhavealotofstuffinyourgaragethatyouwouldnotmindgettingridof,haveagaragesale.Thisdoestwothingsforyou,obviously:Thefirstthingisit

haveagaragesale.Thisdoestwothingsforyou,obviously:Thefirstthingisitgivesyouroomforagaragegym.Thesecondawesomethingagaragesalecandoforyouisitmaycompletelypayforyourequipment!Nowyoureallyhavenoexcuse.

Bottomline:Youdon’tneedatonofspace,butyouwillneedadedicatedportionofthegarageforliftingweights.

Cleanup,cleanout,andkeepitclean.

Youwillhavetogetcreativeandorganized.Irecommendhavingonesideofthespacefor“garage”items,andonesideforgymitems.Howeveryoudoit,justmakesurethereisenoughspaceforyoutoworkout,whichrequiresalittleplanning.

Luckily,theplanningforthisgymisaseasyasreadingthroughalltheDIYprojectsweareplanningtobuildinthenextsectionofthisbook.

Makesureyouhaveenoughspacefortheprojectsyouwanttobuild.Youcancherry-pickwhichprojectsyoulikeanddonotlike.Onceyouhavemadeupyourmindyoucansketchitonpaper,drawitonawhiteboard,oreventapeitoutonyourgaragefloor.

Themorerealisticyoucanpictureit,thebetteroffyouwillbe.Thiswaywedonotworkourselvesintoacornerhere.Donotskipplanning—makesureyouhaveagoodideaofwhereabsolutelyeverythingwillgo.

Oh,andifyouaremarried,likeme,besuretorunallthisstuffbyyourwifeorhusband.Maybethatshouldhavebeenstepone...oops.

Afterthegarageisemptyandyouhaveaplan,itwouldbeagreatideatogetyourflooringsituatedbeforeanyequipmentarrives.

Youdonotneedtocompletelyredoyourgaragegymwithaspecifictypeofflooring.Allyouneedisenoughtowhereyourweightswouldhittherubberand

flooring.Allyouneedisenoughtowhereyourweightswouldhittherubberandnottheconcrete,orjustenoughforyoutostandon.Buyingitonepieceatatimeisperfectlyfine.Flooringwillmakeliftingsaferanditwillprotectyourgaragefloorandyourweights.Bothofwhichwedonotwantdamaged.

Andmoreimportantly,itwillabsorbtheshockwhendoingdeadlifts.Takeitfromme,afterdoingthousandsofdeadliftsonconcreteandpayingthepriceinmyneck,Inowdeadliftonrubberizedflooringonly.

Hereareyouroptionsforflooring:

Onceuponatime,IrecommendedgettingflooringatHomeDepot,Lowes,sportinggoodsstores,orevenAmazon.However,Ihavefoundthattheflooringfromtheseplacescanbeabittoosoft,whichmattersifyouaregoingtoliftheavyweight.

YoubestbestisTractorSupplyCo.

ThisoptionreallyonlyworksifyouhaveaTractorSupplyCo.inyourlocalarea,butalotofpeopledo.Youcancheckouttheirwebsitewww.tractorsupply.comandtypeinyourzipcodetofindastorenearyou.Youarelookingforhorsestallmats.Theyaren’tsupercheap,butyouonlyneedoneortwopiecestouseasyourliftingplatform.

Youcanexplorefurtheroptions,butthesematsaretypicallyveryheavyandwillkillyouonshippingifyouorderonline.Ifyoufindfreeshippingonline,doit.

Alright!

Areyoureadytobuild!?

Chapter8

YourThirdStep:DIYorDecidebacktotop

Everythingyouhaveeverwantedtoachieveinfitnesscanbedoneinyourgarage;wearefirmbelieversofthis.However,itwilltakededicationonyourpart.Ifyouwanttojointhegaragegymrevolutionyouhavetwooptions,inmyopinion.

–YOUCANBUILDIT

–YOUCANBUYIT

Now,thenextpartofthisbookwilllayoutnumerousDIYprojects.Butinthischapter,IwillhighlighttheitemsIrecommendbuilding.Youcertainlyhavetheoptionofjustbuyingeverythingforyourgym.Toreallymakeityours,however,andtosavesomecash,youcanbuildafewpiecesofyourown.Irecommend,buildingthesefourprojectstostart:–PlyometricBox–PowerRack

–MedicineBall–Parallettes

Thesefirstfewitemswillhelpyougetstartedwithacoregaragegym,andyoucouldgetitalldoneinonededicatedweekend.

PlyometricBoxThefirstprojectisaplyometricbox.Onesheetofplywood,sixcutstosuitthesizeyouneed,someglue,screws,andyouaredone!Aplyometricboxcanbeusedforboxjumps,dips,step-ups,boxsquats,andanyothercreativeexerciseyoucanthinkof.Itisaveryquickandeasyproject.Itwillonlycostabout$20,takeyouabout30minutes,andisnotverydifficulttocomplete.

PowerRack

Thesecondprojectisalittlemoredifficultandtimeconsuming:apowerrack.However,ifyoubuildthisproject,andtakecareofit,itwilllastalongtime.Itwillalsogiveyouagreattrainingcapability.Youwillbeabletosquatwithsafetybarsandmakeuseofapull-upbar.Youcanmakeanymodificationyouliketosuityourneeds.Ifthisprojectistooadvancedforyou,Irecommendsomecementbucketsand4x4s(alsolistedinthisbook).

MedicineBall

Thethirdprojectisveryquickandeasy:amedicineball.Justcutopenabasketball,fillitwithpoolsalt(notsand)andpatchitup.Nowyouhaveamedicineball!Amedicineballisgreatforwallballshots(squattingwithandthrowingtoatarget10feetaway),weightedsit-ups,medicineballcleans,andmanyotherexercises.Itisamustwhenstartingagaragegym.

Parallettes

Thefourthprojectisalsoquickandeasy:parallettes.Parallettesaregreatfordeficitpush-ups,L-sits,dips,pass-throughs,andmanyotherexercises.ThisprojectjusttakesafewcutsofPVC,somePVCcement,andyouaregoodtogo.Veryeasyandagreatadditiontoagaragegym.

Theseprojectsarejustthestart,butwithasolidfoundationandthesefewitems,youwillhaveenoughequipmenttohaveaverysimpleandeffectivegaragegym.

AsyoubecomemoreexperiencedandlearnmoreabouthowyouoperateinagaragegymyoucanslowlyexpandyourDIYarsenalorpurchasetheadditionalitemsyouneed.

Aswithanydo-it-yourselfproject,unfamiliaritywiththetoolsandprocesscanbedangerous.IfyouareatalluncomfortableorinexperiencedworkingonDIYprojects(especiallyprojectsinvolvingdangeroustools),pleasereconsiderdoing

thejobyourself.ItisverypossibleonanyDIYtodamageyourproperty,createahazardouscondition,orharmyourselforothers.

Becareful!

SectionTwo

TheSimpleLife:DIYProjects

Chapter9

DoitYourself—DoitSafelybacktotop

Thissectionofthebook—TheSimpleLife:DIYProjects—doesnotreadlikeatraditionalbook.AsIamnottellingastory,butrather,providingyouwithareferenceguideonhowIbuiltmyveryfirstgaragegymwiththeseDIYprojects.

Therearebetterways,saferways,andoverallmanydifferentwaystoassembleagaragegym.ThisissimplyanaccountofhowIdidit.

Projectsinthisbookshouldbeviewedasentertainmentonly.EndofThreeFitnessandthecreators,willnotbeheldresponsibleforanyinjuryduetothemisuseormisunderstandingofanyDIYprojectorthemisunderstandingofwhatthissectionofthebookwasdesignedfor.

IfyouliketheseDIYprojectsandwanttoseemorethanwhatiscontainedinthisbook,andtoseeupdatedversionsoftheseprojects,orforafulllistofDIYprojects,pleasevisitthefollowingsite:

www.EndofThreeFitness.com/DIY

BeforewestarttheDIYsection,wemuststartwiththelawsandrulesofthegaragegym:

GarageGymLaws

1.AGarageGymAthletemaynotallowahumanbeingtobecomeinjuredor,throughasedentarylifestyle,allowahumanbeingtocometoharm.

2.AGarageGymAthletemustdoeverythinginhis/herpowertobecomeacompletebadass,exceptwheresucheffortswouldconflictwiththefirstlaw.

3.AGarageGymAthletemustprotecttheexistenceofthegaragegymatallcostsaslongassuchprotectiondoesnotconflictwiththefirstorsecond

laws.

GarageGymRules

1.CleanIt:ImustadmitthatIcometofaultonthisone.Youarenowthe“gymowner.”Pickupyourweights,sweepthefloors,anddon’tletitlooktrashy.

2.EquipmentChecks:Irecommendequipmentcheckseverysixweeks,especiallyifyouhavealotofDIYequipment.Youneedtomakesureyourequipmentissafeandreadyforuse.EverysixweeksIliketocheckthatallboltsaretightenedandthattherearenoloosescrews.Also,checkthatyourequipmentisnotrustingandmakesureitisprotectedfromtheelements.

3.AvoidPrecariousSituations:IdevelopedthisruleafterIfoundmyselfunder285poundsheldbyonescrewontopofmyplyometricbox,readytodofloorpress.IrealizedthatifIfailedtounracktheweightproperlyorifthatscrewgaveout,Iwouldmostlikelyendupwithacrushedskull.Besafeanddon’tputyourselfinanyquestionablesituationswithalotofweightandcrappyrigs.

4.InviteFriends,butDon’tChargeThem:Inviteyourfriendstoworkoutinyourgaragegym,butnevertrytogettheirmoney.Unlessyoudon’twantfriendsanymore.HavingagaragegymandstartingaCrossFit®Boxaretotallydifferent.Decidewhatyouwanttodo.

5.HoldYourselfAccountable:Youaregoingtoneedsomethingorsomeonetohelpyoutrain.Youwillalsoneedtotrackyourprogress.

6.NoOneRepMaxesAlone:Don’tdoit!Workingoutwithabarbellaloneiskindoflikeflyinganairplane;99.9percentofthetimeyouaregoingtobejustfine,butifyouencounterthat.1percent,theresultwillbecatastrophic.Don’tputyourselfinasituationwhereyouaremorelikelytofindthe.1

percent.

7.LearntoBeaMinimalist:Whileyoushouldnotbreakthe“AvoidPrecariousSituations”ruleyouneedtolearnthatyoudonotneedalotofequipmenttobesuccessfulinagaragegym.ForalmostsixmonthsallIhadwasabarbellandsomeweightandIstillmanagedtobecomeprettyfit.Ithendecidedtoexpandalittle,butonlybecauseIwantedto.Youdon’tneedfancyequipmentorthelatestshoetobegoodatwhatyoudo.

8.BecomeanExpert:Thisisapersonalrulebutitmayhelpyoutoo.Becomeanexpert;learn,read,andgrow.Youhavetoknowwhattodotomakeyourselfbetter.Ifyouevenwanttothinkaboutinvitingsomeonetoyourgaragegymtoworkoutyoushouldknowwhatyouaretalkingabout.Alwaysknowthewhyabouteverythingthatinterestsyou.

Alright,aspiringGarageGymAthlete.Ithinkyouarereadyfortheprojects.

Let’sbegin!

Chapter10

HowtoBuildaPlyometricBoxbacktotop

WhatYouNeedtoKnow

Cost:Around$20

Time:30minutesDifficulty:MediumThisisoneoftheeasiestandmostimportantDIYbuilds.Theplyometricboxwillservealotofdifferentpurposesinyourgaragegym.Whenusingaplyometricboxbesuretodoboxjumpscorrectly;jump,land,fullhipextension,andlandorstepdown.

Inthisprojectyougetathree-in-oneboxsinceitisarectangularprism.Buildingarectangularprismwillgiveyouthreedifferentsidestojumponwhichwillbethreedifferentheights.Thisisgreatfordifferentworkoutsandoverallfunctionality.

MaterialsNeeded

–(1)-Pieceofplywood(Igotthecheapplywoodgenerallyusedforflooringbecauseitistough.Getanyplywoodyouwant,solongasitis¾inchx4feetby8feet)–(1)-Boxofscrews

–(1)-BottleofGorillaWoodGlue

Now,answerthisquestion:

Whatkindofboxdoyouwant/need?Typicaldimensions(andtheonesusedforthisproject):–L=30″

–W=20″

–H=24″

AfterminewasconstructedIwishIhadmadethelength40″sinceIliketodoreallyhighboxjumps.Youneedtodeterminewhatyoucanhandleandwhatyouwant.Youcanmakeitastallorasshortasyoudesire.

Step1:Let’sstartcutting

Youwillneedthefollowingdimensionscut–Twocutsat30″x22½″

–Twocutsat30″x20″

Trickiestpartoftheproject

–2x18½″x22½″(thiscutwillbethesidesandwillfitwithintheotherpiecestomakeastreamlinebox)Step2:Gluingandscrewing—whatallDIYprojectsneed

Nowthatyouhaveallyourpieces,simplyputthemtogether.(Refertothepictureoftheboxabove—itisprettyself-explanatory.)Anywherewoodwillbetouchingwood,putathinlineofGorillaWoodGlue.

Irecommendstartingwiththebaseandtwosidesalltouching.Thiswillgiveitimmediatestabilityandyoucanletitdryasneeded.

Whileputtingittogether,Iwouldputascrewspacedevery2to3inchesaroundtheentirebox.Itendtooverkillthingswhenbuilding,buthey,ifitfallsapartyoucanonlyblameyourself,somakeitsturdy.MinehaswithstoodalotofjumpingandIhaveevenuseditasanapparatusforfloorpresswithnearly300poundsrestingonit.

Easy!Getthisonedone!

Chapter11

BuildYourOwnPowerRackbacktotop

WhatYouNeedtoKnow

Cost:Lessthan$100

Time:2to3hoursDifficulty:Medium

Yourequipmentarsenalisnotcompletewithoutapowerrack.

Ididalotofresearchinbuying/makingapowerrack.Ifoundalotofgooddesignsforhomemade,butIfoundalotofthemwereoverdoneandtooexpensive.Samewithbuyingapowerrack—wayoverpriced.Hereishowyoubuildone:Step1:Buythefollowingsupplies

–(7)-8'2x4s

–(4)-8'2x6s

–(1)-43”galvanizedpipe

–(2)-flanges

–(28)-5”–6”boltswithwashers

–(1)-box3½”woodscrews–(1)–boxflatscrews

–90-degreeflatbracket

–(1)-Woodpencil

Chancesareyoumayhavesomeofthisstufflyingaround.Asyoucanseefromthefirstpicturethedesignisverysimple.

Step2:MakesureyouboughtallDIYpowerrackmaterialsThisoptionisstillwayyyyycheaperthancommercialalternatives.

Step3:Gettowork(buildyourframes)

Therackcanbescaledtothespaceyouhaveavailablesincethedesignissosimple.Ikeptminesimplewithminimalcuttingsoitwasalittlebitbiggerthanithadtobe.Ididnotwanttomesswithcuttingpipeandhavingtorethreaditsomyframeswerebuiltaroundthepipe.

–First:Layoutyourtwo2x6s,andthencutyourtwo2x4s.Whatyouarecuttingistheuppersupportbeamandthesquatsafetybar.Keepinmindifyouhavealowceilingyouwanttomakesureyourfacewon’tslamintoitwhendoingpull-upssokeepingyour2x6sat8ft.isuptoyou.Also,sinceImademysquatsafetybarpermanent,youwanttomakesurethatitislowenoughforyoutogoallthewaydownonyoursquatwithoutanyproblems.

–Icutmytopsupportbeamandsquatsafetybarat43inches.

–Mytopsupportbeamissecuredbytwoboltsdrilledthroughoneachendat45-degreeangles.

–Mysquatbeamisonlysecuredbyoneboltateachend.

–Second:Cutyourbottomsupportbeam.Mineextendswellbeyondeachsideoftherack.Theywerecutat56inches.Theextralengthaddssupportduringnormalandkippingpull-ups.

–Thesetooaresecuredbytwoboltsoneachendsat45-degreeanglesfromoneanother.

–Atthispointyourframesshouldbebuiltandyou’realmostdone.

–Third:Yourbasicframeshouldbebuilt.Youmaywanttostandthemupandseeexactlywhereyouwanttoplaceyourflangesforthepull-upbar.IdeterminedIwantedthemprettyclosetothetopwithjustenoughspaceformychesttobeabovethebarandstillhaveabout5inchesbeforemyheadwouldhittheceiling.

–Afteryoudeterminethis,youcanaddyourflanges.Mysuggestionistosecureaflangetooneside,andthenscrewinthepipe.Next,screwtheflangeontheothersideofthepipeandthensecureittoyoursecondframe.Ifyoudoitinanyotherorder,youareaddingunnecessarywork.

Alookattheframes:

Step4:Puttheframestogether

–Putthestructuretogetheronthegroundstartingwiththepipeasstatedabove.Afteryouhavedonethis,youcanaddthebacksupportbeamasseeninthepicture.Itshouldbecuttowhateverlengthmeasuresbetweenthetwo56-inchbottomsupportbeams.

–Iknowwhatyouwanttodonow.Youwanttouseit!

DONOTdopull-upsonthisstructureyet.She’snotready.

Atthispointyoushouldhaveyourbasicstructureerectedandallthebasicframingdone.Allthatisneededfromhereisafewextrasupportandbracebeamsforaddedstructuresupport.

Step5:Addsupport

Allthecuttingfromhereonisatyourdiscretion.HereiswhatIaddedformoresupport.

–Two45ish-degreebracesrunningfromthebacksupportbeamtothemainverticalstructure.

–Twotopsupportbeams.Onemimicsthebottombacksupportbeamjustatthetop.Theotherwasputintoconnectthetopofthestructurefrominsidetoinside.

–Next,Isecuredmystructuretomywallstuds.ThismeansIcankip,swing,

andgocrazywithoutthestructuremoving.

–Lastthingistoaddyourbarholdersforsquats.Icutmineabout10inchesandsecuredthemwithtwoboltsat45-degreeangles.Makesuretheyaretighteneddownreallywell.

Withouttheuseofglue,Isimplysecuremyboltsonceamonthandmakesuretheyaretight.

Thisrackshouldlastalongtime,andbethecenterpieceofallyourequipment;ifsomethingfailsonitIwouldcertainlytakeaSaturdaytobuildanewone.

Chapter12

DIYWallballbacktotop

WhatYouNeedtoKnow

Cost:$12

Time:20minutesDifficulty:EasyAprojectlikethisonemakesitreallyhardformetobelievepeopledonothavethetimeormoneytoworkoutattheirhome.Thiswasasimple,affordable,andfunequipmentbuild.

MaterialsNeeded

–Rubberindoor/outdoorbasketball–Tirepatchkit

–40poundsofsaltpellets

Step1:Makeincision

IstartedwithanX-cutandthenendedupmakingasquarelikeshapewhereIcouldfitthebottleinthetop.

Step2:FilltheballwithsaltpelletsWHYSALTPELLETS?WHYNOTSAND?

WHYNOTSAND?

–SaltpelletswillNOTleakifyoudamageyourballafterrepeateduse;sandwill.

–Saltpelletswillfullyfillyourbasketballforbetterbalance;sandwillnot.

–Saltpelletsarejustalittlebitcheaperthansand.

–Saltpelletsareeasytoworkwithandtocleanup.

Iusedthebottleforfillingtheball98percentfull.ThenIhadtoshakeitaroundtogetthatlastpoundofsaltinthere.Imademinealittleovermygoalof20pounds,butIleftmineataroundthisweightbecausemyscalekeptfluctuatingandIfiguredI’dratherbealittleoverthanalittleunder—20poundswouldbeoptimal.

Step3:ThiswallballisnogoodwithholesUsethetirepuncturekit—thelargestsize—andfollowthedirectionstopatchupyour

ball.

Chapter13

HowtoBuildParallettesbacktotop

WhatYouNeedtoKnow

Cost:Lessthan$35

Time:30minutesDifficulty:Easy

Parallettesaregreatforgymnasticsworkouts,oranyworkoutforthatmatter,andareagreatadditiontoyourgaragegyminventory!Youcanusethemforhandstandpush-ups,push-ups,L-sits,andmanyotherworkouts.

MaterialsNeeded

–(1)-10′x1½″PVCpipe–(1)-CanPVCcement

–(4)-1½″90-degreeelbowjoints

–(4)-1½″T-joints

–(8)-1½″PVCcaps

–(1)-Pieceofsandpaper(optional)

Nowasyoucanseeinthepictureabove,Ialreadyhavemy10-footPVCpipecutdownintopieces.ThereasonbeingisbecauseIaskedtheguyatHomeDepotifhewouldcutitforme,andhedid!Thatishalftheprojectrightthere.Whetheryoucutitoryougetsomeonetocutit,hereiswhatyouwillneed.

–(12)-6″pieces

–(2)-24″pieces

Asyoucanseethatisalotofcutting.Also,theguydidn’tcutmineperfectlystraight,butthatisnotahugedealinthisproject.Nowthatyouhaveeverything,let’sgettowork.

TomakesureeverythingfitsproperlyyouaregoingtohavetotakeapencilorpieceofsandpapertocleanalltheedgesofthecutPVC.

AnotheroptionalstepistoroughthefirstinchofeachpieceofthePVCpipe.Ithelpsthecementstickalittlebetter,butitisnotnecessary.

Step1:Cleanuptheedges

Everythingshouldbecleanedupandreadyforgluenow.

Step2:Mainhorizontalpiece

Thenextthingwearegoingtodoisbuildourmainhorizontalpiece.Allofthis

Thenextthingwearegoingtodoisbuildourmainhorizontalpiece.Allofthisgluingandpiecingtogetherisprettyeasy.Theonlythingyouneedtoworryaboutismakingsureyougeteverythingstraight.Youcanusealevelifyouwant.Iusethegroundandmyeye.Forthemainhorizontalpieceputsomeglue/PVCcementontheinsideofthe90-degreeelbowjointandontheoutsideofthehorizontalpiece.Onesideatatime!

Onceyouhavebothsides,laythepieceonthegroundandmakesurethatbothelbowjointsareeven,andthatitwilllayflatontheground.Don’twaittoolongtodothis.Thecementgivesyouaverylimitedamountoftimetoadjustanything.

Step3:Makingtherestofthepieces

Afteryougetthesepiecesyoucangoaheadandstartmakingallthepiecesyouwillneedfortherestoftheproject.

–Gluecapsonto8,6-inchpieces–Glue4,6-inchpiecesintothe90-degreeT-joints–PutthecappedpiecesinsideoftheT-jointsHereistheprogression:

Everythingtothispointhasbeenprettyeasy,anditreallydoesn’tgetanyharder,butifyouaretheguywhotrulylovesprecision,thenyouaregoingtowanttobustoutyourlevel.LikeIsaidearlier,Ijusteyeballit,butthatseemstobotheralotofpeople.

Step4:Puttingitalltogether

WhatwearegoingtodonowistaketheT-jointlikeinthepictureandconnectittoyourmainhorizontalpiece.Ifyouscrewthisup,youjustwastedalotoftime.Nobodywantswobblyorcrookedparallettes.HereiswhatitlookedlikeafterIeyeballedit.Ijustusedthegroundtomakesureitwasstraightandlinedupthe6-inchpiecewiththe24-inchpieceandmadesuretheylookedright.Dothisforallsides(4total)andyoushouldhaveyourselfanicepairofparallettes.

Goodluck!

Chapter14

HowtoBuildaSloshPipebacktotop

Haveyoueverheardofasloshpipe?Well,let’stalkabouthowtobuildasloshpipe!

AsloshpipeissimplyaPVCpipefilled2/3,orless,withwater.Theterm“slosh”isusedbecausethewatersloshesaroundinsidethepipe,whichmakesthisapparatusverychallengingtomovearound.

TheDIYsloshpipecomesinatoneofthequickest,cheapest,andeasiestDIYprojectsyoucando;Ihighlyrecommendit—becauseyouwillgetthebiggestbangforyourbuckwithaDIYsloshpipe.

Thispuppyhastheabilitytochallengeeverymuscleinyourbody,andalotofmusclesyoudon’tevenknowabout,orrarelyuse.Personally,Iamnotahugefanoftraditionalsit-upsandcrunchesforstrengtheningmycoreandpreferstabilizationexercisestogetthejobdone.

Thesloshpipewilldojustthat,andmuchmore.Itcanworkonstabilizationmusclesinthecore,yourarms,back,chest,etc.Basically,youcanusethesloshpipeforanyexerciseyoucandowithabarbell.

HowtoBuildaSloshPipe

Myamazingwhiteboardartwork(above)breakstheentireprojectdowntoshowhoweasythisprojectactuallyis,butthereafewthingsIwanttotalkabout.

WhatYouNeedtoKnow

Cost:$25–$30

Time:Onehour(includingtimeforPVCtodry)Difficulty:Easy

First,decideonwhatsizeyouwant.Ibuilt(andrecommend)aPVCpipethatis4inchesindiameterand10feetlong.Itmakesiteasybecauseyoucanbuythatexactsizeandavoidanycutting.

Dependingonyoursizeandstrengthyoucouldalsodoa3-inchdiameterpipeandvarylengthsat6feetor8feet,etc.Iknowsomepeoplewhogoevenwider

indiameter—itreallyisuptoyou.IlikethesizeIhave,anditisverychallengingtouse.Youcanalwaysaddortakeawaywaterinthepipetomakeitharder/easiertouse.Nomatterthesize,theinstructionsarethesame.

GotyourDIYsloshpipematerials?

MaterialsNeeded

–(1)-4″x10′PVCpipe

–(1)-4″PVCendcap

–(1)-4″rubberadjustableendcap

–(1)-PVCprimer/cementcombopack–Water

Step1:Applyprimerandcement

Nothingtrickyhere.Followtheinstructionsonthebackofthesetwocansandyouwillbejustfine.

Step2:Seattheendcap

MakesurethatyougetthePVCallthewayseatedinsidethecap.Standingthepipestraightupwillprovideenoughpressuretomakesureitisfullyseated.JustwatchoutforanyspilloverfromthePVCcement.

MakesureyouletthePVCcementfullycurebeforeyoustarttoaddwater.

Step3:Addwater...therightamount

YouwaitedlongenoughforthePVCcementtodry,right?Good.

Now,addwater.

Howmuchwatershouldyouadd?

Keepinmindyouonlywantthisthingtoweighroughly40pounds.Iaddedtoomuchwateratfirstanditwassomewherearoundthe55-poundmarkand,letmetellyou,a55-poundsloshpipedancedmeallaroundmyfrontyardandupanddownmystreet.Iletsomewaterouttogetitto40poundstotalweight.

Keepitsimple.JustweighhowmuchyourPVCmaterialsareandthenafterthateachgallonofwateryouaddwillbeanadditional8.34pounds.Formysloshpipe,thatcameouttoaroundfourgallonsinsidethepipe.

Theweightofthepipeissignificantlydifferentifyoumadea10-footsloshpipeasopposedtoan8-footpipe.Justplaywithituntilyougetitright.Forme,a10-foot,4-inch-diametersloshpipeweighingroughly40poundsisperfect—nottoo

easyandnottootough.Optional:addafewcapfulsofbleachtomakesurethewaterdoesn’tgetgross.

Step4:Addtheadjustableendcap

MakesuretherubberisseatedandflushonthePVCthentightenitdown.

Next,itistimetousethisthing!

DIYSloshPipeinAction

Asloshpipeisnowalkinthepark,especiallyifyouarenotaccustomedtostabilizationexercises,orifyouputtoomuchwaterinatfirst,likeIdid.

Corestabilizationishuge!Beingabletoproperlystabilizeyourcorecanaidininjuryprevention,improveyourbalance,andevenreducebloodlactatelevelspostworkouttohelpyourecoverbetterandreducesoreness.

Itreallydoesn’tmatterwhatyouaredoingwithasloshpipe—ifyoudon’twanttodropit,youwilllearntostabilizeeverymuscleinyourbody.Littletiny

muscleswillscreamatyouafterfirstuse,andreallylargemuscleswillbesorejustfromtheconfusionofallthis.

Youcandoanythingwithasloshpipe;youcanbenchpressit,overheadpressit,squatit,deadliftit,lungewithit,orjustwalkwithitonyourback.It’sallgood,butthenumberonethingIrecommendisaZercherwalk.

TheZerchersloshpipewalk.

ThepictureatthebeginningofthischapteristheZercherwalk.Cradlethesloshpipeinyourarmsandjusttalkastrolldownthestreet.Honestly,youwilllookalittlelikeadrunkpersonwhenyoufirststart,asyoumaystumblearoundquiteabit,butdon’tworry,itgetsbetter.

Chapter15

HowtoBuildJerkBoxesbacktotop

DIYjerkboxes—aprojectforthededicatedintrainingandDIY

WhatYouNeedtoKnow

Cost:Around$200(myexactcostwas$236,butIboughttoomuchwood)Time:Probablytwoweekenddays—ifworkingalone(Ihadapartner)Difficulty:Medium

Beforewejumpintohowtobuildtheseheftyboxes,let’stalkaboutafewthings.First,whatisajerkbox?AfterIfinishedthisDIYproject,oneofmyneighborsswungbymyhouseandsaid,“What’sthatyoubuilt?”andIsaidthey

werejerkboxes.

Shesaid,“Oh,sowhensomeoneisajerkyouputtheminthatbox?”

Ofcourseshewaskidding,butbythesametoken,shedidn’tfullyunderstandthepointofjerkboxes.Letmebrieflyexplain.

Jerkboxesservetwoprimarypurposes:

–Jerkboxesgiveyoutheabilitytoliftatdifferentheightsandpositionsofaspecificlift;forexample,snatchingfrombelowtheknee(andmanyothercombinations)–Jerkboxesalsoallowyouto“jerk”heavyweightoverheadandbringitbackdowntotheboxesasopposedtothegroundoryourback.Thisallowsforhigh-repjerksandheavyjerkswithouthavingtore-rackorriskhittingyourspine.

Obviously,dependentonyourstyleoftraining,theycanbequiteuseful.Whilethatistheprimarypurposesofjerkboxes,Ihavebeenusingthemforalotmore,andyoucantoo.

WhatI’vebeenusingjerkboxesfor:–Basicallyeverything.

–Squatsandpresses.

–Ihaveevenusedlowboxestoactasmy“safetybars”whengoingreallyheavyonsquat.

–Ihaveusedthemforheavyjerks.

–Highboxjumps.

–Dips.

–Andmore!

Jerkboxesareprettyawesome.

Thesethingswilltakeupquiteabitofspaceinyourgarage;youhavebeen

warned.

Theseboxesaresturdy.Ithoroughlytestedthemat285poundsoverheadanddroppedmanytimesontheboxes.Ialsodidsomelighterhigh-repstufftomakesurethetopscouldtakeabeating.Sofar,thejerkboxesareholdingupgreat.

Step0(preparationphase):EndofThreeFitnessDIYjerkboxespluscoffee

Thejerkboxesconsistof,intotal,bothstacksofboxes:Allboxesare36″x20″—thenheightsare...

–4x11¼″

–2x7¼″

–2x5½″

–2x3½″

–2x4½″Tops

Thiswillputyourboxessomewherebetween43¼inchesand44inchesdependingonhowwelltheystack.Anotherthingtonoteisthe3½-inchboxcanbeviewedasoptionaldependingonhowtallyouare.Ifyouarefivefeeteleveninchestallandabove,buildit.Belowfivefeeteleveninchestall,itisoptional.

Ohasforthe“pluscoffee,”whateversourceofartificialmotivationyouuse--itmaybetimetoloaduponyourfavoritebeverage;thisisquiteaproject.

Step1:BuyDIYjerkboxmaterial

Thepictureaboveisalittlemorewoodthanyouwillactuallyneed.Iexperimentedalittlebitandtriedtomakeitthestrongeststructurewhileusingtheleastamountofwood—akamoney.

Basicallybuyacraptonofwood.

–(1)-Sheetofplywood,½″

–(6)-2x12x10

–(3)-2x8x10

–(3)-2x6x10

–(7)-2x4x10

–(1)-2x2x10

–(3)-1x4x10

–(3)-Boxes3″drywallscrews

–(1)-Box1½″drywallscrews

Step2:StartbuildingyourDIYjerkboxframes

***Iamonlygoingtoexplainhowtodothisonetime,aseachframe/boxmeasurementandconstructionwillbethesame,justusingdifferentwoodsize.***

Toclarify,youwillfollowSteps2to4forallboxes;meaningallfourofyour11¼-inchboxes,bothofyour7¼-inchboxes,bothofyour5½-inchboxesandboth3½-inchboxes.Step5explainshowtobuildthetops.

Let’sbegin.

Makethefollowingcutsonthe10-footboards:

–Cuttwo33-inchpieces–Cuttwo20-inchpiecesThosewillbasicallybeyourframepieces.

Putyour33-inchpiecesand20-inchpiecestogetherusingthreetofive(dependingonboardlength—seemainpicture)3-inchscrews.The33-inchpiecesgoontheinsideofthe20-inchpieces,whichwillmakeforaperfect36-inchx20-inchframe.

Note:Since3-inchscrewscanbehardtoworkwith,allholesforthisprojectwerepre-drilled.

Nowthatyouhaveyourframe,youwillneedsupportsthatwillgoontheinsideofthisframe.

Step3:InsertingsupportstoyourDIYjerkboxframes

Morecuts:

–Cutthree17-inchpieces(perbox),whichwillbetheinsidesupportsWood

isnotperfect,sotheinsidepiecesshouldallbe17inches,butthatisnotalwaysthecase.Youcaneasilymeasure,afteryouputyourframetogether,andiftheinsideofyourframeis16¾inches,thencutthree16¾-inchpieces.

Theseinsidesupportpieceswill(andshouldbe)aprettytightfit,andalittlewranglingmaybeinorder;asseeninthehammerpictureabove.

Theinsidesupportsshouldbeevenlyspacedandplaced:–Measureaspotevery8¼inches,whichiswhereeachofyour17-inchpieceswillgo.

–3screwsforeverysupport

Step4:AddinglipsandhandlestoyourDIYjerkboxes

The“lips”willholdtheboxesfromslidingaroundwhenyoudroptheweightontopofit.Therewillbetwolipsperbox,exceptforthetops.

LIPS:Cutandattach

–Cuttwo15-inchlipsforeachbox;usingthe1x4x10wood–Attachwith5–7,1½″screws

–**Makesureyoualternateinazigzagpatternlikeabove(twoscrews).If

–**Makesureyoualternateinazigzagpatternlikeabove(twoscrews).Ifyouputallthescrewsinastraightlineonthelip,itwillmovearoundtoomuch.

HANDLES:Cutandattach

–Cuttwo6-inchhandlesforeachbox;using2x2x10wood–Attachwithtwo3-inchscrews

–Measuretobeincenterofthebox.

BONUSTIPS:

Hereareafewtipsthatshouldhelpyouwhileyouarebuildingboxes:–Buildframesontopofframes.AsIstatedearlier,woodisnotperfect.Ifyoubuildframesontopofotherframestheywillfitsnugglywithverylittlegaps.Ifyoubuildthemontheperfectlylevelgroundtheywillnotfitaswell.

–Pre-drillallholes

–Buildoneentirebox—lips,handlesandall—seehoweverythingworks;thenyoucanprettymuchstartanassemblylineprocessfortherestofyourboxes.Itgetsaloteasierandfasterafteryoufullyunderstandhowoneboxworks.

Step5:Buildingthetopstoyourjerkboxes

TheEndofThreeFitnessDIYjerkboxtopsaredoubleplywood,2x4supportedtops.Youwillseealotofjerkboxeswithrubberpaddingontoptohelplessentheamountofnoiseandtohelpabsorbsomeoftheimpact.Wedecidedtoskip

theamountofnoiseandtohelpabsorbsomeoftheimpact.Wedecidedtoskiptherubberpadding,asitisnotnecessaryandwillonlyaddtoyourcosts,butthechoiceisyours.

Thetopismadeoutof2x4sandplywood.

Foronetop,youwillneed–Two33”2x4s–Two20”2x4sPutthosepiecestogetherlikethepreviousframes.

Cutplywood

–Two36″x20″

–AttachonesheetofplywoodtothetopoftheframeCut2x4supports(willgoinsideframe)

–Four30″2x4s

Theinsidesupportsneedtobeevenlyplacedlikeinthepictureabove.Therewillalsoneedtobea1½-inchgaponeachshortsideofthetops.Thiswillmakethe“lips”fromtheotherboxesfiteasilytothetops.

Complicatedpartofproject:Putonyourthinkingcaps!

Now,youwillneedtoevenlyaddthefour30-inchpieces.Whatwedidwasevenlyplaceallthe2x4s.Wethentookanextra2x4andlightlydrilleditintheboxtoholdallfourpiecesinplace(showninpictureabove).Afterthat,juststandtheboxupanddrill1½-inchscrewsthroughthefirstsheetofplywoodintothe2x4s.Yourstructureisalmostcomplete.Afterall30-inch2x4saresecure,addthesecondsheetof36-inchx20-inchplywoodtothetopoftheotherpieceofplywood.

Younowhaveacompletedtop.

Now,buildanotherone.

That’saboutitforthisproject.Itisalotofcuttingandscrewing,butfairlysimple.

CompletedStack

OtherConsiderations&PossibleIssues:

Ididnotaddwoodstopstothetopofmyboxes.Myboxesareprettylevel,andtheweightdoesn’trollofftheboxwhenIplaceitontop.However,forsafetyreasonsorifyourgaragehasaslightgrade,screwsomepiecesonthetop—bothfrontandback—andthatproblemwillbetakencareof.

IthoughtthiswouldbeaproblembecauseIhaveheardofothershavingthisproblem.Somepeoplesaytheirjerkboxes“bounceallovertheplace”whentheyslamheavyweightsontopofthem.Iamnothavingthatproblematall.Our“lips”keeptheboxesfrommovingfronttoback,butIhaven’tevenreallyhadsidetosideproblems.Ifyourboxesdonotendupaslevelasyouwouldhavelikedandtheydobouncesidetoside,justaddmorelipstothesidesasyoudidtothefrontandback.Problemsolved,ifitisaproblematall.

Goodluckinbuildingyourjerkboxes!

Chapter16

HowtoMakeaDIYProwlerSledbacktotop

Wanttoexpandyourrepertoireofhandymanskillsandgetinthebestshapeofyourlifeallatthesametime?Thenyou,myfriend,needtomakeyourveryownDIYProwler.NeverheardofaProwler?Letmetellyouwhatsortofworkoutyou’vebeenmissingoutonfirst,andthenI’llshowhowyoucanmakeyourownwithsome4x4s,pipe,andbrackets.

WhatIsaProwler?

AProwlerisbasicallyasledthatyoustackweightonandpusharoundforexercise.ButtheProwlerisn’tjustanotherpushorpullworkoutsled.ThedifferentvariationsandworkoutcombinationsyoucanperformwithaProwlerarealmostendless,makingitanamazingstrengthandconditioningtool.

Dependingonwhichvariationsandmovementsyouuse,theProwlerisgreatforconditioningandenduranceworkoutsorforstrengtheningyourcore,arms,andlowerbody.Therearen’ttoomanyconditioningtoolsthatexistinthisworldthathavethepowertoworkyourwholebodyliketheProwler.Afewquickintervalswiththisthingandyouwillfeellikeyouranfivemilesandcompletedaloadofheavysquats.

TheProwlerwasmadepopularbysomeoftheworld’stopstrengthtrainingcoacheslikeDaveTateandLouieSimmons.Thesecoacheslearnedthatanyliftingprogram,ifnotcoupledwithappropriatemuscleconditioning,preventsathletesfromreachingtheirfullpotential.Athletesthatwanttocompeteatanelitelevelwillneedanelitelevelofconditioningtogetthroughtheirtraining.

WithCrossFit®explodinginpopularity,wehaveseenahugeshiftintheworldoffitness.MovementsandliftsthatwereoncereservedforOlympiansandpowerliftersarenowbeingperformedbyyouraverageCrossFitter.Andequipmentthatwasonceusedonlybyeliteathletes(liketheProwler)isbeingincorporatedintothefitnessregimensofmoreandmoreaveragefolks.

Theproblemwithsomeofthiscoolnewfitnessequipmentisthatitcancostyouanarmandaleg.Forexample,buyingaheavy-dutyProwlerwillrunyouanywherefrom$250–$800atmostfitnessstores.Butwithaninvestmentofjustfiftybucks,youcanbuildyourveryownthisweekend.

Alright,enoughchitchat.Let’sstartbuildingyourProwler.

Step1:Goshopping

Now,beforeyourunoutandbuyeverythingonthelist,makesureyoureadthroughthisentirechapterfirst.Ileftsomethingsoptional.Thiscouldmakeyourprojecteasierorcheaperdependingonyourspecificsituation.Theitemsontheequipmentlistwithastarhaveoptions.

MaterialsNeeded

MaterialsNeeded

–(2)-8'4×4s

–(1)-10'metalconduitpipe-1¼”indiameter*(orotherpipeoptionsthatdonotinvolvecutting)–(10)-5/16”lagscrews6”(1extrajustincase)–(1)-Boxofflatedgescrews1–1½”

–(1)-2'PVCsection4”diameter*(otheroptionsavailable)–MasonrycircularcutoffbladeforcuttingmetalandPVC*(onlyifyouplantocutthepipeyourself)Brackets

–(2)-6”flatbrackets

–(2)-Hurricanebracketstraps–(6)-90-degreebrackets

–(4)-45-degreebrackets(adjustableangle)

Step2:Cuttingthe4x4s

First,wewillbecuttingthe4x4sforthebasicpieceswewillusetomakethesled.Thisstepincludesamajorityofthe4x4cuts;however,therewillbemore

sled.Thisstepincludesamajorityofthe4x4cuts;however,therewillbemorecuttinglater.

Cutthefollowing:

–(1)-43-inchpiece(usedforT-shape)

–(1)-36-inchpiece(usedforT-shape)

–(3)-7-inchpieces(usedforthe“runners”onthebottomofthesled)–(2)-8½-inchpieces(usedforsupportontopofthesled)Step3:Boringholes

We’llbeboring1½-inchholesinthe4x4forourpipe.Todothisjob,you’llneeda1½″holeboringdrillbit.

Borethefollowingholes:

–Inthe36-inchpiece:2holes.Eachholeshouldbe7-inchesfromeachend.

–Inthe43-inchpiece:1“halfwayhole.”Holeshouldbe29inchesfromoneend.DONOTDRILLALLTHEWAYTHROUGH!

–Inthetwo7-inchpieces:Boreaholehalfwaythrough,directlyinthecenter.DONOTDRILLALLTHEWAYTHROUGH!

–Inthetwo8½-inchpieces:Boreahole2inchesfromallthewaythrough.

Step4:Pipecutting

Wow,fire!Don’tbescaredofsomesparks.However,ifyoudofeeluncomfortablecuttingpipeyoumaywanttobuythepre-cutgalvanizedpipe.Yeah,Icutitinthedarkforacooleffect.Don’ttrycuttinginthedarkathome!

Afewnotes:ThepipeIusedisa1¼-inchconduitpipethatcomesin10-footsections.It’seasytocutandsupercheap.It’splentystrongforthisprojecttoo.Ifyoudon’twanttocutpipe,youcanbuythesmallersectionsofgalvanizedpipe,butitwillcostmore.Youcanpurchaseaskillsawbladefortwotothreedollarsthatcutsconduitpipe.

Cutthefollowing:

–(2)-43-inchpieces

–(2)-43-inchpieces

–(1)-18-inchpiece

Step5:Puttingitalltogetherandbracing

Nowwetakeallofyourpiecesandputthemtogether,andaddbracketsandsomewoodenbraces.

First,wewillseatthepipesthroughallthewood.Taketwo43-inchpiecesofpipeandthreadthemthroughbothholesonthe36-inchandtwoofyour7-inchwoodpieces.Thismaytakesometappingonthepipetogetitthrough.Ifso,useapieceof4x4ontopofthepipeandthenuseahammerontopofthewood.Thiswillkeepthepipefromgettingdamaged.

Next,putyour18-inchpipethroughthe“halfwayhole”onyour43-inchpieceof4x4(Seearrowonmycompletedsled).Thisiswheretheweightwillbeheld.Oncetheprojectiscomplete,Irecommendputtingatennisballorracquetballontopofthepipeforsafety.

Next,wewillsecuretheT-shape.ThetopoftheTisyour36-inch4x4.Placethe43-inch4x4perpendiculartothe36-inch4x4toformtheT-shape.Fastenthetwobeamstogetherwithtwohurricanebracketsandtwo6-inchboltsasshownabove.Onehurricanestrapgoesontopandtheotherwillgoontheoppositeside

above.Onehurricanestrapgoesontopandtheotherwillgoontheoppositesideandonthebottom.ThiswillsecureandminimizeanytorqueontheT-shape.Theboltswillbe45-degreeanglesfromoneanother.Note:Pre-drillaholethenscrewinthebolt.

Nowwehavethebasicstructureanditistimetoaddbraces.Youwillneedtocuttwo24-inchpiecesof4x4atananglethatwillfityoursled.

Aftercuttingthetwobracebeams,securethemwithbolts.(Note:Inthepictureyou’llnoticeIhavethebracketsscrewedon.ItookthispictureafterIcompleted

theproject.Wehaven’tgottentobracketinstallationyet.)

Nowsecurethethird7-inchrunnerpiecetothebottom43-inch4x4towardstheend.Screwina90-degreebracketoneachsideofthe7-inchrunnerpiece.Note:Pre-drillhole.

Here’swhereandhowthethree7-inchrunnerpiecesareplacedonthebottomofmyProwler.(IgnorethePVCpipe.We’llbeaddingthatinabit.)

FlipyourProwlersoit’srestingontherunnerpieces.Slidean8½-inch4x4downthepipe(outlinedinorange)Addaflatbrackettoconnectthe8½-inchand36-inch4x4s(Arrow#1).Adda90-degreebracketbetweenthe8½-inchandtheangled24-inch4x4s(Arrow#2).Adda45-degreeadjustableanglebrackettoconnectthe36-inchand24-inchangled4x4s(Arrow#3).Repeatontheotherend.

Yoursledisbasicallycomplete.Allweneednowisasurfaceforittoglideon.

Step6:PVCcutting

IusedPVConmy7-inchrunnerpieces,andithasworkedoutgreat.However,Ionlyusemysledongrass.IlikethePVCbecauseit’seasilyreplaceableifitbreaksorgetsworn.Youcanreallygetcreativehere.Youcoulduseabucketcutinhalftosecuretothebottomoryoucouldusethosehardplasticfurnituremovers.IamcurrentlyusingPVCandamenjoyingit,butImaytrysomeothermaterialinthefuture.Justkeepthatinmind.

Putthe4x4attheedgeofthePVCtomeasurethewidthforyourcut.AddtickmarkswherethewoodmeetsthePVCedge.DrawaperfectlystraightlinedowntheedgeofthePVC.Thesewillbeyourcutlines.

Afteryouhavethecentercutout,youwillthencutthePVCintothree7½-inchpieces.

TakeyourthreePVCpiecesandslidethemonthewoodrunners.Pre-drillaholeinthePVCandintothewood.SecurethePVCtothewoodwithflatscrews,thelongerthebetter.(Seearrow.)

Nowyouhaveafullyfunctionalsled!

NowGoUseIt!

Chapter17

DIYPull-upBarin10Minutesbacktotop

First,alittlebackstory.

MyfamilyandImovedfromTexastoFloridaandI,ofcourse,hadtodisassembletheDIYpowerrackforthemove.

Whenwemovedintoournewhouse,Iwasitchingtostartusingmygaragegymrightaway,butIdidn’twanttotakethetimetoreassemblethepowerrack,which,coincidentally,istheonlywayIcannormallydopull-ups.Thiswasmytemporarysolution,averyquickDIYpull-upbar.

WhatYouNeedtoKnow

Time:10minutesorlessCost:Free(dependsonwhatyouhavearoundthegarage)Difficulty:InsanelyeasyAfewmorethingstonote:

–Thisisnotagreatsolutionforkippingpull-ups.

–Thisisagreatsolutionformuscle-upsandringdips(asshownbelow).

–ThisreallyonlyworksifA)YouhaveatticaccessandB)saidatticaccessisinyourgarage.

Step1:Gather/buymaterial

Gatherthefollowing

–(2)-Rings(optional)

–(1)-1″galvanizedpipe(lengthdoesnotmatter)–(2)-Ratchettie-downstraps–(1)-Barofsomesort

Alittleexplanation:

–Ringsareoptional,whilethispull-upbarisonlyatemporarysolutionforme,thisismypermanentsolutiontomuscle-upsandringdips.

–Barofsomesort.Iactuallyuseablackpipe(asseeninpictureabove)thatgoesinmyattic.YoucanbuyagalvanizedpipefromHomeDepotorLowe’s,orifyouhaveanextrabarbell,youcanusethataswell.IchosetousethebarbellintheDIYpics,simplybecausemostpeoplelookingtodothisprojectwillhaveabarbell(Ihope).

Step2:Openattic&placebar

Clearoutyourcrap.

Placebar.

Placebar.

Tips:

–Usealongbar.Youwantthebartorestonasmanyhorizontalsupportbeamsinyouratticaspossible.Doingsowillensurethattheweightisdistributedacrossmultiplesupportbeams,andthatyouwon’tenduponthefloorofyourgaragewithhalfyouratticontopofyou.Abarbellisabout7feet,andtheblackbarIuseisabout8feetandreachesmanysupportpointsinmyattic.

–Besafegettingthebarintheattic.Getafriendtohelpyouifyoucan.Ifnot,justmakesureyouarestable.Igotituptherebymyselfnoproblem.

Step3:Hangstraps/bar/rings

Measureoutthelengthyouwillneedtobeabletodopull-upswithoutsmackingyourfaceintotheceiling.Youcanalsodopull-upstowhereyourheadisgoingintotheatticeveryrep.

Ifyouwillbeusingthissetupformuscle-upsandringdips,itismoreimportanttogetthelengthofthestrapsrightforthemuscle-upsthanitisthepull-ups.

Step4:Useit!

Thebestwaytouseitistohalfclosetheattic.

OptionalStep5:Employinfanthelper

Littlemanwasoutinthegaragefortheentireproject(withmotherlysupervision),whichreallyjustgoestoshowyouhowquick,easy,andsafethisprojectis.

Chapter18

HowtoBuildaMiniDeadliftJackbacktotop

Youknowwhat’snotfair?Thefactthatwhenyoubenchpress,strictpress,squat,anddomanyotherlifts,yourbarbellrestsnicelyonarack,makingremovingweightandaddingweightabreeze.

Whatabouttheotherlifts?

Youknow,theonesthatstartfromtheground?

Whydoesithavetobesohardtoloadandunloadthebarbell;it’snotfair.

Ok,ok,it’seithernotfairorweareallinherentlylazy—evenwhenworkingout.Eitherway,let’seventheplayingfieldwiththesefrom-the-groundlifts!

PleasewelcometheminideadliftjacktoyourDIYarsenal!

Thisprojectalmosthappenedonaccident.Iendedupintheplumbingsectionof

Thisprojectalmosthappenedonaccident.Iendedupintheplumbingsectionofahardwarestore,startedlookingatsomepipeandwithin10minutesIhadprettymuchassembledthisprojectinthestore.

It’suptoyoutodecideifmakingyourloadingandunloadingofabarbellalittlebiteasierisworth$30,butit’safunandeasyproject.Ihavefoundthislittletoolveryuseful,especiallywithreallyheavydeadlifts.

WhatYouNeedtoKnow

Time:10minutes

Cost:Around$30

Difficulty:Easy.Ifyoucan’tdothisone,thereisnohopeforyou.

Step1:Buyminideadliftjacksupplies

–(1)-¾″x12″galvanizedpipe

–(4)-¾″galvanizedT-pieces

–(4)-¾″x2½″galvanizedpipe

–(2)-¾″elbowjoints

–(2)-¾″elbowjoints

–Optional:Ducttape(youprobablyalreadyhavethis)Ducttape:Thisisoptionalbecausetheminideadliftjackis100percentuseablewithouttheapplicationofanysortoftape.However,itdoesn’ttakearocketscientisttorealizethatmetalrubbingonmetalisnotusuallyagoodthing(that’swhywehaveoilinourcars).So,overtime,withoutthetape,theminideadliftjackwillrub,scuff,andscratchyourbarbell.

Step2:AssemblemainminideadliftjackstructureAfterwritingthis,Irealizethetextcanbemoreconfusingthannecessary.Justlookatthepictures,itisextremelysimple.Puttingitintowordsmakesitmorecomplexthanitseems.

CompletetheFollowing

Connectyour12-inchpieceintoaT-piece.

ConnectanotherT-pieceontheoppositeendofthe12-inchpipe,withthetopT-holefacingupanddown.

Connecta2½-inchpieceintothepreviouslystatedT-piece,pointeddownward.ConnectyourfinalT-pieceontotheendofyour2½-inchpiece,andmakesurethatitisparalleltotheT-pieceattheendoftheminideadliftjack.Iftheyarenotperfectlyparallel,andtight,itwillmakeforawobblyminideadliftjack.

Adda2½-inchpiecetothetopoftheupwardfacingT-piece.

Nowwehavethemainstructurefortheminideadliftjack.Makesureallofthepiecesareextremelytight.Also,I’llsayitagain,makesurethetwoT-piecesthataretouchingthegroundareverytightandperfectlylevelwitheachother.

Step3:Constructtheminideadliftjackweightholder

Veryeasystephere:TakeaT-pieceandattachbothelbowjointssothattheyaretightandparallel.Next,connectyourlast2½-inchpiecesandscrewthemintotheelbowjoints.

Simplyscrewthispieceintotheminideadliftjackmainstructureandyouareprettymuchdone.Ifyouwanttoaddthetape,itiseasiesttoaddthetapebeforeyouscrewitontotheminideadliftmainstructure.Thatwillleaveyouwithafinishedproductasseenbelow.

Step4:Useyourminideadliftjack!

Itisveryeasytouse,butherearesomethingstoknowbeforeyoutryitout.

Placetheminideadliftjackfirmlyonthebarwheretheelbowjointand2½-inchpiececonnect,andthenontheground.

Carefullyapplyforcetotheleveranddonotgetyourfingercrushedunderthisthing!Inormallyguidethebarbellwithmyotherhandbyputtingitonthesleeveofthebarbell,justtomakesurethereisnocatastrophicfailure.Sofarsogood.

Note:Sincethereissuchawidegapinthebarbell-holdingpieceofourminideadliftjack,thebarwillslidefromthetoptothebottom.Don’tbealarmed!Thisiswheretheducttapereallycomesinhandy.Itslowsthebarfromslidingandwillmakesurethebarissafe.

Lastly,evenupthescorewiththoserackedpositionlifts!Easilyaddandremoveyourweight.

Thereshouldbejustenoughclearance,nomatterifyouhavebumperplatesoriron.

Ifyoujustwantanalternative.Yes,rollingyourweightontoa2.5-poundplateworkswellforrackingandunrackingyourweighttoo.Butit’snotnearascool.

Chapter19

HowtoBuildaKettlebellin36Secondsbacktotop

WhatYouNeedtoKnow

Time:36secondsCost:$20orlessDifficulty:InsanelyeasyAwhileback,Itrainedmyparentsonline.Theyhaveminimalequipmentandaren’treallyinthemarkettobuyanythingserious.

Idesignedaworkoutforthemthatinvolvedkettlebellswings.IknewtheydidnotownakettlebellsoIrecommendedusinganoldmilkjugfilledwithsandorevenalaundrydetergentcanisterfortheswings.

Theyusedthelaundrydetergentbottle,buttheysaiditwasn’tgreat.

Sotherehadtobeasolution—DIY!

First,letmesaythisisa“simplekettlebell,”designedforkettlebellswingsonly,andontopofthat,primarilyRussiankettlebellswings.

IfyouareinterestedinPavelTsatsouline’skettlebellworkouts,IsuggestbuildingthemoreelaboratehomemadeKB’sorevenpurchasingyourown.Thisversionisquick,easy,andaverycheapwaytothrowkettlebellswingsintoyourtrainingimmediately.Aslongasyouknowwhatthisversionshouldbeusedfor—wecannowgetstarted.

Step1:BuymaterialBuythefollowing

–(1)-1″galvanizedflange

–(1)-1″galvanizedT-shape

–(2)-5″longx1″diametergalvanizedpipepieces–(1)-6″longx1″diametergalvanizedpipepieces–(2)-1″galvanizedendcaps

Allmaterialsused.

Step2:Putitalltogether

Getreadytostartyourstopwatch!Also,don’tblinkoryoumaymissit!

In36secondsorless,herewego:

Startwiththeflange.

The6-inchpiecescrewsintotheflange.

T-shapegoesontopofthe6-inchpiece.

The5-inchpiecegoesintoT-shape(1).

The5-inchpiecegoesintoT-shape(2).

Endcapsgoon5-inchpieces.Kettlebellcomplete!

Stoptime!Howlongdidittakeyou?

Step3:Removebottomflangeandaddweightplatesofyourchoice(5pounds,10pounds).

Step4:Swing.

Step5:Getinshapeknowingyouarenotpartofthefitness“norm.”

Notes:

–Ifyoufeelthisistoowideforyourlegs,orhands,youcanbuysmallerpiecesforyourhandles.

–Ifyouneedtoaddmoreplatesbutdon’twantalargerplatesize,justbuya

longerverticalpipeandstackmore.

–Plateswon’tbeasnugfit.Useducttapetowidendiameteranddampenthenoise.

SuggestedworkoutswithyournewKB

Recruit

3roundsfortime

–10reps,kettlebellsumodeadlifthighpulls–10reps,kettlebellswings

Established

3roundsfortime

–400-meterrun

–1.5poodkettlebellswingx21

–Pull-ups,12reps

Competitor

Fortime(ifyouhavebuiltourotherprojects)50-40-30-20and10-reproundsof–Wallballshots,20-poundball–Boxjump,24-inchbox

–Kettlebellswings,1.5pood

LikeIsaidtherearemoreelaborateversionsyoucouldcreate,butthisisquick,easy,andcheap.

Chapter20

HomemadeSquatandBenchPressStandbacktotop

WhatYouNeedtoKnow

Cost:$31

Time:2hoursDifficulty:MediumEquipmentforSquatting,Benching,andPressing

MaterialsNeeded

MaterialsNeeded

–(3)-5-gallonbuckets–(3)-50-poundbagsofQUIKRETE(fastsetting)–(2)-8-foot4x4s

Step1:GotoyourlocalhardwarestoreandpickupyouritemsAtHomeDepot,theywillmaketwocutsforfree.Ihadthemcutthe8-footpieceat5feet,whichgavemetwo5-footpiecesandtwo3-footpieces.Takeintoaccounthowhighyouwantyourstands.Ioriginallyhaditat60inches(or5feet),butdecidedIwanteditalittleshorterafterIstartedtheprojectsoIhadtomaketwomorecuts.Iendedupwithtwo3-footpiecesandtwo55-inchpieces.Iamfivefeeteleven.

Step2:MakeyourV-cuts

Ifyouhaveaskillsaw,putitat45degreesandmakethecut.Thisstepwasfarmorecomplicatedthanitneededtobe,butifyoumessitup,youarescrewed.IfyouareunsurehowtomakeaV-cut,pleaserefertotheimagesinthischapter.Ifyouareusingahandsaw,justdrawaVandcutaccordingly.

Step3:Cementwork

Therearenotasmanypicturesofthesestepsbecauseitisalittlemessyandinvolved.

TherearedirectionsonthebackofQUIKRETEforsettingafencepost.DONOTusethosedirections.Mixallofyourcementinyourthirdbucket;thatiswhyyouboughtit.

CementTips:

–Mixsmallamountsofthebagofdrycementwithwater,untilyoueventuallyusethewholebag.

–Donotmixmorethanonebagatatime.

Putyourfencepoststogether.Iduct-tapedthemtogetherandplacedtheminthebucket.Onceyouhaveitmixedaccordingtotheinstructionsonthebackofthebagyoucannowpouritfromthemixingbuckettoaroundyourfencepost.Ithelpsifsomeonewillholdthepostwhileyoupour.Youdonotwantanycement

helpsifsomeonewillholdthepostwhileyoupour.Youdonotwantanycementunderthepost—thatiswhyitgoesinfirst.

Recap:

–Duct-tapesmallerandlargeposttogether–Putinoneofthedrybuckets

–Mixcement

–Pourmixedcementaroundpost

–Letdry

Usealeveltomakesureitisstraight.Thecementshouldbethickenoughtoholdituprightwithnoassistance.Justmakesureyoumakeitstraightbeforethecementsets.

That’sit!IhadsomeoldspraypaintIwantedtogetridof,soIaddedthatinattheend.

Chapter21

BuildYourOwnRingsbacktotop

MaterialsNeeded

–(16)-½″45-degreeelbowjoints–(1)-5′PVCpipe½″diameter

–(1)-Rollofgorillatape

–(1)-CanofPVCcement

–(3)-Canistersofheavy-dutyLiquidNails(optional)Step1:

–Cut(16)-2-inchpiecesofPVCoffyourlongPVCpipe.

–PutPVCcementontheinsideofa45-degreeelbowjointandontheendofoneofyour2-inchpieces.

–Buildtheringsintohalvesthatlooklikethis:

OptionalInstructions:

–Filltheinsideofeachhalfwithheavy-dutyLiquidNailsandletdryfor10minutes.

Step2:

–PutthetwohalvestogetherwithPVCcement;letdryfor20minutes.

–WrapGorillaTapearoundalltheconnections,andthenaroundtherestofthering.

Nowyouhaveyourownrings!

Iconnectminetotie-downstrapsusedfortrucks(thebigonesthatcanbecrankeddownfordifferentlengths).

Theyworkgreat!Nowgogetsomemuscle-ups!

SectionThree

TrainlikeaPro

Chapter22

APrimeronProgrammingandBeinganAthletebacktotop

Inthefirstsectionofthisbookweopenedyourmindtogaragegyms,beingaGarageGymAthlete,andstartingyourjourneydownthispath.

Inthesecondsection,IgaveyouadozenDIYprojectsyoucouldusethatcouldquiteliterallychangeyourlife,andifyoudidn’tDIY,youatleastgotagoodideaofwhattobuy.

Now,inthethirdsectionwetalkabouttraining,ormorespecificallywetalkaboutprogramming,whichissimplyhowyouputyourprogramdesigntogethertomeetyourgoals.ButfirstIhavetosayonething:Ihatecrappyprograms.Mygoalforthepastdecadehasbeentofigureouthowtocreatetheperfectprogram.Buthere’swhatI’vefound—itdoesn’texist!

Ispendhourswriting,calculating,andplanningmyownprogrammingeachmonth.Ineedittowork,tokeepmeinterested,andithastobefun!WhileIhavefoundtheperfectprogramdoesn’texist,Ihavealsogainedanewskillthatservesmeextraordinarilywell,andservesthosewhoIcoach.Thatis,Iknowhowtoprogrammyowntrainingverywell.

Inthissectionofthebook,Iwanttoatleastgiveyouanideaofhowtobeyourownprogrammer,andleaveyouwithsometrainingandideastogetyoustarted.

InthelastcoupleofyearsIhavecoachedhundredsofathletestomeettheirgoals,andIamfindingwhatIhavebeenworkingonworksforalotofdifferenttypesofpeople:

–CrossFit®competitors

–Stay-at-homemoms

–Stay-at-homemoms

–Enduranceathletes

–Specialoperators

–Obstacleracers

–AndGarageGymAthletes!

InthenextchapterIwillshowyoutheprogrammingframeworkIcreated,whichmakesprogrammingworkforanyone!Soon,you’llbeonyourwaytoacquiringsimilarprogrammingskills.Ittakestime,effort,andplanningbutacquiringtheprogrammingskillwillserveyouwellfortherestofyourlife.

Remember,Iwantyoutosucceedinthelongrunandnothavesomethree-weekspurtofmotivation.

Becausedoyouwanttoknowthetruth?Youmayneverreachthatgoal.Why?Well,therealwhycomesdowntosomethingassimpleastime.Youdon’thaveenoughtime,youdon’tusethattimeproperly,andyouknowhowlifegoes.It’shardtosetahugegoalandseeittotheend.

Peoplejumpfromprogramtoprogram,orneverseeaprogramtotheendandonlyeverseeafractionoftheresultstheytrulywant.

Butitispossible—toreachyourgoal.I’mlivingproofthatyoucangetanabsurdamountofamazingtrainingdoneinlessthan60minutes.Honestly,Idon’thavealotoftime.Iputtimewithmywifeandkidsaheadoffitnesseveryday.Sometimesthatmeansaworkoutdoesn’thappen.

It’sbeenyearssinceIstartedmygaragegym.It’sbecomealifestyleforme.It’sprettyfunnytoseethelookonpeople’sfaceswhenItellthemIrunafitnessbusiness,butIhaven’tbeentoagyminyears.Butithasn’talwaysbeenalifestyle.Andhonestly,itwashardtofigurethingsoutatfirst.Rightoffthebat,Iwasalotofthings:

–Iwasmyowncoach.

–Iwasmyownaccountabilitypartner.

–Iwasmyownnutritionist.

–Iwasmyownprogrammer.

–IwastheengineerbehindallmyDIYequipment.

–Iwasthejanitor.

–IwasEVERYTHING!

Atthebeginning,Iwasalsotransitioningfromthebodybuildermindset(benchonMonday,legsonTuesday,etc.)tobecomingastrengthandconditioningathlete.Thetransitionwaslikedrinkingwaterfromafirehose.Therewassomuchtolearn!Now,fast-forwardtotoday:Ifeelthereisalwaysmoretolearn,butIfinallyfeellikeIknowwhatIamdoing.

WhatamIdoing?I’manathlete!I’mnotaprofessional,I’mnotonateam,butIamanathlete.Howdoyoubecomeanathlete?

Thequickestwaytosucceedinhealthandfitnessistoactlikeanathlete.Actlikethisstuffisanactualpriority,letyourfriendsandfamilyknowitISapriority,andgetserious.

–Followprogrammingformorethanthreeweeks.

–Takeyournutritionseriously.

–Getserious!

Workingoutinyourgaragemakesyoumoreseriousthanmost,soactlikeit.

Becominganathletehasdonealotforme:

–I’vebeenabletorunamarathon,rideina100-milebikerace,andIcompletedaSpartanBeast.

–I’vegonewellbelowsub-6onamile,anddeadliftedthreetimesmybodyweight.

Butmostofall,actinglikeanathletehasgivenmethemotivationtokeepatitdayafterday!

Andwehavenowassembledacommunity,aroundthissingularidea.GarageGymAthleteisourfullycomprehensivetrainingsystemandcommunitytomakepowerfulandathletichumanbeings.Ifyouknowyouwanttobeanathlete,butfeellostwhenitcomestoprogramming,thisistheperfectfit.

Itislikejoiningaproteam.Thereisaheadcoach.Anordertotheprogram.Interaction.Demos.Literallyeverythingyouneed.Thisisn’tjustabunchofrandomworkoutsthrowntogether.It’sasystemthatwilltakeyourtrainingtothenextlevel.

No,youdon’thavetojoinourcommunity,andhonestly,Iamgoingtotryandteachyousomeofmysecretsinthissectionofthebook.Butitmayjustbeaperfectfitforyou.

Now,let’sgetstartedonhowtotrainlikethepros.

Chapter23

SaveYourTime:BlockProgrammingbacktotop

LetmeshowyoutheprogrammingtechniqueI’vebeenusingtofullyoptimizemytimeandthetimeofnumerousathleteswhoareona“timebudget.”

Thechallengeinanyworkoutprogramisdoingeverythingyouwanttodointhetimethatyouhave.

Iknowoneofthebiggeststrugglesformostpeopleisfindingthetimetotrainandworkout.

Orifyouhavethetime,notbeingabletoexecuteeverythingyouwantinthattimeframe,whichistypicallyanhour,orless.

Sowhatareyouroptions?

Youcouldworkfastertogetitalldone,youcouldhavesomeonehelpyouprogrammoreefficienttraining,oryoucandowhatIdo.

Programyourtraininginblocks.

Programyourtraininginblocks.

Programmingandplanningyourworkoutsinblockswillleadtomoreefficienttraining,helpyougetmoredone,andyouwon’teverstressoutfromhavingaworkoutlasttoolongor,worse,havingtocutaworkoutshort.

WhetheritisCrossFit®programming,strengthprogramming,CrossFit®andstrengthprogramming,enduranceprogramming...itdoesn’tmatter.

ProgramminginblocksstealstheideafromtheZonedietwhereone“block”isequivalenttoacertainmeasureofprotein,carbohydrates,orfat.

Inourdiscussiononprogramming,ourblocksareourtime.

Specifically,oneblockisequalto10minutes.Butlet’sstartwithwhy.

Whyprograminblocks?

Idealtrainingiskindoflikeeatingallyourfruitsandvegetableseveryday.

Youreallywantto,youknowthebenefits,andsometimesyouevengetitdone.

Butalotofthetimesitjustdoesn’thappen.Right?

Let’slookatidealCrossFit®programming:Becauseideally,asidefromthemainpartsofyourtraininglikestrengthandconditioning,youshouldalsobedevelopingskills,workingonweaknesses,doingmobilitywork,havingathoroughwarm-upandcooldown,etc.

Butisthereenoughtimeforallthat?

Butisthereenoughtimeforallthat?

Notreally.

Unlessyouprograminblocks.

Programmingyourdailyworkoutsin10-minuteblockswillhelpyougetasclosetoidealtrainingaspossible,andwithoutleavinganyelementsout.

HowtoPrograminBlocks

Aprogrammingblockisequalto10minutes.

So,sayyouhaveanhourtoworkout;thatmeansyouhave5blocks.

No,Ididn’tjusthaveamathematicalstroke.

–Youhavefive10-minuteblocks,whichequals50minutes.

–Andyouhaveone10-minuteblock(foreveryhouroftraining)calledthe“invisibleblock.”

Theinvisibleblockisnotyoursfortraining.Itfactorsintransitiontime,rackingweight,gettingoutequipment,briefrests,etc.

Youhavetofactorinoneinvisibleblockforeveryhouroftraining.Trustme.Ifyoumakea6-blocktrainingscheduleforanhour,itwilltakeyou1hourand10minutes.Tryme.

Likewise,ifyouwanttotrainfortwohours,youhave10trainingblocksandtwoinvisibleblocks.

twoinvisibleblocks.

Nowyou’vegottheconcept.Next.

Whatdoesablocklooklike?

Ablockisanythingyoucanfitinto10minutes,whichisoneofmostthings.

Ifitwouldtake20minutes,that’sobviouslytwoblocks.

Exampleblocks

–Youcouldmakeyourwarm-upandcooldowneachhalfblocks(foratotalofoneblock)–Workingsetsofstrengthwouldbeaboutoneblock–Volumeworkinstrengthwouldbeoneblock–Ametconwouldbeoneblock,andoccasionallytwoblocks(20minAMRAP)–Amobilitysessionisoneblock

–Onemilerunisaboutoneblock

–Murphis3–5blocks

–EMOMliftingshouldbeaboutoneblock–Alongrunis3–5blocks

Isthismakingsense?

ItwillmakesensewhenIshowyouanexampleday.

Solet’sdothat...

ExampleBlockedTrainingSession

Remembertherules!

–1block=10minutes

–1hour=5trainingblocks+1invisibleblockThatmeansIhave5blocksoftimetogetsomestuffdone.

WhatcouldIdo?

Hereisa5-block(or1-hour)trainingsessioninwhichwegetatonofworkdone,andwon’tgoasecondover60minutes:BlockedTrainingSession:

[HalfBlock1]

–Generaldynamicwarm-up

Snatch[Block2]

–12setsof2reps@60%1-repmax,performingrepsevery45secondsonthesecondClean&Jerk[Block3]

–12setsof2reps@60%1-repmax,performingrepsevery45secondsonthesecondAccessory[Block4]

3rounds(oneroundevery3minutes)

–Airsquat,25reps

–Snatchpull,5reps(heavyweight)

–Toestobar,10reps

–Toestobar,10reps

GeneralFitness[Block5]

–Zercherwalks(heavy)–10setsofa10-meterwalk[HalfBlock1]

–300secondsinthefront-leaningrestpositionAndthat’sit!

Programminginblockscanbearealgamechanger.Ifyoufirststartwitheverythingyouwanttoaccomplishinaweekandthenbreakitoutintoyourblocks,youhaveaveryeasywaytoplanyourtrainingweek.

Thebestpartisyouwillgetitalldone,youwon’trunoverontimeorhavetocutworkoutsshort,andyouwillaccomplishsomereallyefficienttraining!

Chapter24

AProKnowsHowtoTrainAlonebacktotop

AGarageGymAthletewilloftentrainalone,andtotrainaloneistodevelopaskill,oranart,anditisnotsimple.

Anybodycanwalkaroundtheblockorgothroughthemotionsofaworkoutalone.

I’msureyou’veheardthepopularquote,“Eightypercentofsuccessisshowingup.”

Butjustshowingupisnotenough.

Itbuildsahabit,butdoesn’tyieldthegreatestreturn.

Doyouknowhowtopushyourselfwhentrainingalone?

Icantellyouthis.

It’snotaseasyassaying,“Pushyourself!”—andmagicalworkoutleprechaunsandunicornsgetyouthroughit.

No.

No.

Butyoucanputpushingyourselfonautopilotwithafewsimpletechniques.

Inthischapter,Iamgoingtogiveyouseventechniquesyoucanusetopushyourself.Puttheminplaceandyouwillseetheresultsyouwantwhenyoutrainalone.

LikeIsaid,showingupisnotenoughandyouwon’tgetanygoldstarsfrommeforjustcompletingaworkout.

Youreadthatright.

Maybeyoufeelgoodbreakingalightsweatandburningafewcalories,butIcallthatbeingahumanbeing.Ifyouwanttobebetteryouneedtolearntopushyourselfwithoutacheerleader,withoutyourfavoritemusic,andwithoutareward.

Alright,doIhaveyourattention?

IestimatethatIhaveworkedoutinmygaragealonewellover1,000timesinthelastfiveyears.

AndIwon’tnegatehavingatrainingpartner;theyhelptonsandIrecommendhavingapartnerifyoucan,butwhenyoucan’t,here’swhatyoudo...

1.SetMeterGoals(onceperweek)

Iloveintervaltraining.

Ithinkitisoneofthebestandmosteffectivewaystoimproveyour

Ithinkitisoneofthebestandmosteffectivewaystoimproveyourconditioning.

Thereisjustoneproblem.

I’vetestedthisasacoach.IfIgiveanathletemanyintervalsof30secondsofworkfollowedby30secondsofrest(withnofurtherinstruction),thefinalintervaliswayyyyyofffromthefirst.

Peopletendtogoouttoohardandlosefocusovertime.

Unlesstheyhaveagoal,butwhatshoulditbe?

Here’swhatyoudowhenplanninga30/30intervalwhichwillhavemanyrounds:Takeyourgoalmiletime—sayitis6minutesflat.

–6min=360seconds

–Mile=1600meters

–m/s=4.44

–4.44x30secwouldsetyourminimumdistance@133metersper30secondsofwork.

Ifit’stooeasyyouaren’tdoingenoughintervals.Youcanalsobaseitoffyour400-meteror800-metersprintspeeds—italldependsonwhatyouaretryingtoimprove.Youcandothisallthewayupto5K-racepacewithlongerwork/restintervals.

Itworkswithrowing,Airdyne,biking,etc.

Dothisonceaweekandsticktoyourmetergoal.

Ifyoudon’tmeetyourgoalyouwillapplypenalties,whichwewilltalkaboutinaminute.

Next,wetalkaboutthetruemotivator—MONEY!

Next,wetalkaboutthetruemotivator—MONEY!

2.PutYourMoneyWhereYourFitnessIs(onceperquarter)

Thisoneismysecondfavorite.

I’veneverdoneitbutIhaveafriendwhodoes.

Writeacheckfor$500(orwhateveramountyouwant,butmakeithurtalittle)andgiveittoatrustworthypersonwhowon’tlistentoyourcryingandwhining.

TheRulesareSimple

–Setagoal:Howmanymilesyouwillrun,poundsyouwilllose,aweightyouneedtosquatwithin3months,oratimeyou’dliketorun,etc.

–Option#1:Writethechecktoyourfriend/spouseandtellthemtokeepthemoneyifin3monthsyoudon’tachieveyourgoal.

–Option#2(thebetteroption):Writeachecktoacharityyouhate,putitinanaddressedenvelopewithastampreadytosend,andtellyourfriendtosendthemoneyifyoudon’tmeetyourgoal.

Rememberthisisaboutpushingyourself.Pickachallenginggoal—liketaking15secondsoffyourmiletime,oradding10poundstoyoursquat.

Makeithurt.

Andifyoufail,don’tcheat!Themoneyisgone!

3.BenchmarkYourselfFrequently(oncepermonth)

Now,youneedtoembraceyourcompetitivenature.

Weallhaveacompetitiveside,andyouwillbecompetingagainstyourgreatestenemy—YOURSELF!

Ifyouworkoutalone,oftenyouneedtopushyourselfmorethananyoneelsebecauseitistooeasytogetcomplacent.Ifaprofessionalisprogrammingforyou,thenI’mokaywithtestingbenchmarkseverycoupleofmonths.

Ifnot,youneedtobebenchmarkingyourselfindifferentareasonamonthlybasis.

Whatbenchmarks,youask?UsetheEndofThreeFitnessbenchmarksinthepicturebelow.Thatisagoodplacetostart.

Youshouldknowyourmaxesandliftoffaccuratepercentages.

Ifyou’rescaredtomaxout,getoverit.

4.SticktoaFreakin’Program(atleast12weeks)

Ifyou’renotseeingresults,Icanalmostguaranteeitisbecauseyouaren’tstickingtoaprogram.

Andifyouare,youaren’tstickingtoitlongenough.

IstucktotheEndofThreeFitnessOneManOneBarbellprogramfor8MONTHS!Withouttheslightestdeviation,Istucktotheprogramandadded

170totalpounds,acrossthreelifts,tomymaxes.

Stickingtooneprogramfor12weeks,6months,orayearisgoingtopushyoumorementallythanitwillanythingelse.Itcanbechallengingbutintheenditisworthit.

5.StartaMentalToughnessHabit(daily)

Weshouldhavestartedhere.

Becauseinallhonesty,everythingIamtalkingabouttakeswillpower.

Ifyouwanttobuildthegreatesthumanstrength,youcan!Willpowerneedstrainingjustlikeanythingelse,butitneedstobehabitual.

Itrytodoonethingthatpushesmementallyeachday;somethingIdon’twanttodo.Forme,it’snormallyacoldshower.Somemorningsafterworkingout,Ijustdon’twanttotakeacoldshower(seasonallydependent).

I’llevenstartwithhotandthink,Ijustdon’twanttomakethiswatercold.AnytimeIfeellikeIdon’twantto,it’salmostasifI’vetrainedmyhandtoadjusttheknobbeforeIcanfinishthethought.DoingthisdayafterdayhasincreasedmyabilitytodothingsIjustdon’twanttodo.It’smademebetter.

Whenyouwakeupinthemorning,youaregivenanotheropportunitytopushyourself,tobebetter.

Don’tsquanderyourtimebeingmediocreoraverage.

6.EpicPenaltyProgramming(onceperweek)

6.EpicPenaltyProgramming(onceperweek)

Penaltyprogrammingissimple,andyou’veheardofit.Butittakesalotofself-discipline,whichyoushouldbebuildingwithyourmentaltoughnesshabitabove.

Example:

–Takingmetergoalsfromabove,youcouldseta1-burpee-per-meterunderyourgoalpenalty,anddothemattheendoftheworkout.

–Soifyourgoalwas133meterseachinterval,andintwointervalsyoudid126metersand130meters,youwoulddo10burpees.

Getit?Now,let’smakeitepic.

Itworksforabit,butasyougetbetteratintervalsyouneedtomakethingsalittlemoreepic.

EpicPenaltyProgrammingisthis...

Iwasgettinggoodatintervalsandwouldnevermissmygoals.SoIkeptincreasingmymetergoaltillIcouldjustbarelymakeit—andthenIincreaseditalittlebitmore.

Then,Isetmyepicpenaltyata1-MILERUNpermetermissed.

Thereisnothingliketackingona3-to5-milerunattheendofataxingintervalworkouttomakesureyouarepushingyourself.

Ionlydothistomyselfonceperweek.

Ionlydothistomyselfonceperweek.

Thetrick:COMPLETEthepenaltiesnomatterwhat!Buildyourwillpower.

7.TheIronMile(oncepermonth)

Thisismyfavorite.

Asidefromcoldwater,Idon’tknowofabetterwaytopushyourselfmentallythantheIronMile.

Thepointistowalkawayfromyourstartingpointhalfmile,andthenwalkback.Thatwaythereisnoquitting.Onceyoumakeitoutthereyouhavetocomeback,pushingyourselfisbuiltintothisworkout.

Here’stheworkout:

THEEO3IRONMILE

FORTIME…

Walk1Mile

Thecatch—putsomethingonyourback,whetheritisanemptybarbell,abarbellloadedto185,orempty(orloaded)yoke,butmakesureitismetal.Nosandbags,medicineballs,oranythingcomfortable.

Abarbellorayoke.That’sit.

Why?

You’llknowwhyabout400metersin.You’llwanttoquit.You’llstartlookingforexcusestoquit.You’llstartblamingmeandthestupidityofthisprogramming.You’llfeelthepaininyourshouldersandupperback,andhey,youmaynotevengetthattired,butyouwillbepushed.

Onceyougetpasttheself-pityandblamingeveryonebutyourselfforlackofmentaltoughness,you’llknowwhy.

Itwillbeworthit.

Weightisuptoyou!Challengeyourself.

Havefun!

Chapter25

AProKnowsHowtoWakeUpEarlybacktotop

BeingaGarageGymAthleteandturningprowillrequiredisciplineinyourtraining;whichcanmeanwakingupearly.

HowtoPassYourFirstTestoftheDay

ItissaidthatChinesericefarmersusedtotelloneanother:“Noonewhocanrisebeforedawn360daysayearfailstomakehisfamilyrich.”

I’vealwayslovedthisquote.

Inlife,wepushourselvestobebetter.Wewanttobebetter.

Weoftenthinkofbigthingswhendiscussingthismatter.

Topofmindformost:thegoalofamarathon,themudrunandobstaclerace,orthegoalofliftingmoreweightthanyoueverhavebefore.

Goalsaregreat,butifyouaregoingforthe“completeoverhaul”toachieveyourgoal,youcanforgetit.

However,thereisamark,ameasure—well,let’scallitatestthatwilldetermineyoursuccess,orfailure.

It’satestyoumostlikelytooktoday,andatestyoutakeeveryday.

Thereisnogradescale,nonearlypassing,noexcelling,orextracredit.

Thetestispassorfail.

Hereitis—whatdoyoudowhenyouralarmclockgoesoffinthemorning?

–Doyouspringup,putyourfeetonthefloorandtackletheday?

–Ordoyouchoosecomfortoverachievement?

It’sthatsimple.Here’swhy...

Disciplineequalsfreedom.–JockoWillink

Soundscontradictory,doesn’tit?

Butitistrue.Disciplinedoesequalfreedom.

–Ifyouaredisciplinedwithyourmoney,youhavemorefreedomandoptionswithyourmoney.

–Ifyouaredisciplinedinhealthandfitness,youhavemorefreedominlife.

–Ifyouaredisciplinedwithyourtime,youwillhavethefreedomtodomorethingswithyourtime.

Butdoyouneedtostartintroducingdisciplineineveryaspectofyourlife?

Notreally.

Youneedtointroducedisciplineinonemajorareathatwillhelpeveryotherareaofyourlife.

Doyouknowwhatakeystonehabitis?

Doyouknowwhatakeystonehabitis?

Akeystonehabitcanbethehardesthabittoform,butwillaidineffortlesslydevelopingnumerousgoodhabits.

Ifyouaresuccessfulinimplementingjustonekeystonehabit,youwillbecomeadangeroushumanbeing.

It’stheleaddomino.

Theonethingyoucandotomakeeverythingelseeasier.

Quickexample:IfIwakeupearly,Iwillworkout.WhenIworkoutIamhappier,IammoreproductivethanIamonthedaysIdon’ttrain.Also,mydietisbetterbecauseIwanttogainfromatrainingsession.Iwillbesuretodrinkmorewater,etc.

It’sachainreaction.

Icouldskirtaroundtheissueandsay,“Wakingupearlyisnotforeveryone.”

Butasidefrommedicalissuesorcrazyshiftwork,there’snorealreasonyoucan’twakeupearly.

Formostofus,itisthekeystonehabitweneed.

Don’tlookforforty-sevenwaystochangeyourlife.Findtheonethingthatwillhavethebiggestimpact.

Wakeupearly.

Thatisthekeystonehabitthatcanchangeyourlife.

HowtoPasstheTest(WakeUpEarly)

Wanttoknowhowtopassyourfirsttestoftheday?

It’sverysimple.

Haveareason.Justdoit.

ThereareafewstrategiesIamabouttocovertohelpthosewhohaveanincrediblyhardtimegettingoutofbed.

Buttherealansweris

–HaveaReason

–JustDoIt!

Gettingupearlyforthesakeofgettingupearlyiskindofweird.Butgettingupearlyforareasonismotivational.

Withthatinmind,ifyoudostrugglewithleavingthecomfortsofbed,I’vegotyoucovered.

Hereareyourtips:

–Easeintoit:Setyourgoaltimeandworkbackwardsin30-minuteincrements.Ifyouwakeupat7a.m.nowandyou’dliketostartwakingupat5a.m.—that’llberough.Choppingtwohoursoffasleepcyclewillmakeyouhateyourlife.Instead,wakeupat6:30foradayortwo,then6:00,etc.untilyougettoyourgoaltime.IamahugefanoftheBand-Aidapproach(ripitrightoff)tomostthings—soifyouwanttomakeadrasticchangeandhavethementalfortitudetodoso—doit!

–Gotobedearlier(duh):Itshouldgowithoutsaying,butjustincase,don’tthinkIamsayingwakeupearlierandsleepless.Idon’tthinkingsleepinglessbuildsmentaltoughness.Sleepinglessbuildspoorhealthnottoughness,andmakesyouasuboptimalhumanbeing.Instead,youshouldgotobedearlierinordertowakeupearlier.Let’sfaceit,youprobablywastethelasthourortwoofyourdaydoingfrivolousactivities.

–Don’tthink:Yourbiggestenemywhenwakingupearlierwillbetherationalsideofyourbrain.Whenyouareinbed,warm,andstillalittletired,anyexcuseyourbraincomesupwithwillbeagoodone.Don’tletthathappen.Don’tstayinbedlongenoughtothink.Thinkingwillcrippleyou(inthiscase).Getupandgo.

–Alarmatadistance:Thisisperhapstheeasiesttacticyoucanuseonyourself.Putyouralarmasfarawayfromyouinyourroomasyoucanget.Adistancethathastobewalkedto,notreachedto,andsetthealarmloud.Now,inordertoturnthatsuckeroffyouhavetogetupandwalktoit.Ifyouarealreadyupandhavewalkedtotheothersideoftheroom,you’reup!Ifyougetbackinbedatthispointthereislittlehopeforyou.

–Nosnooze:Ah,thesnoozebutton.Oneoftheworstinventions/ideasmankindhasintroduced.Whatpurposedoesthesnoozebuttonreallyserve?Ifyousetatimetogetup,thatshouldbethetimeyougetup.Whywouldyoubuildinanhourofsnoozing?Interruptedsleepisbadsleep.Ifyoufeellikeyouneedasnooze,thenputtingyouralarmontheothersideoftheroomisabetteroption.Butdon’tsnooze!Getup!

Alright,that’sit!

Butremembertherealwaytostartwakingupearly:–HaveaReason

–JustDoIt!

I’llleaveyouwiththis...

Areyoupassingyourfirsttestoftheday?

ThenyoumayjustbereadytotrulybecomeaGarageGymAthlete.

Chapter26

AreYouReadyforFitnessFreedom?backtotop

Areyouready?

Readytoembracetheunderwearfreedom?

I’vedoneeverythingIcando.

Youarenowreadytoworkoutinyourunderwear!

Well,I’llleavethatoptional,andifyoudecideto,youmaywanttokeepthegaragedoorclosed.

Assomeonewithafamilywhohasworkedoutsolelyinmygarageforyears,herearemybestpartingshotsforkeepingyourfitnessfreedom.

–Makeitalifestyle:Getthefamilyinvolvedandmakesureeveryoneisonthesamepage.Fitnessshouldnotbeviewedasan“ifIhavetime”activity.Itisamust.Themoreyoutreatitlikeanon-priority,thelessitbecomesapartofyourlife.I’vealwaysbeenconfusedbypeoplewhotreathealthlikeit’soptional.Justbecauseyouarenotforcedtodosomething,doesn’tmeanyoushouldn’tdoit.

–Setahardschedule:Ifyouleaveyourscheduletooopenanddonothaveasettimeyouworkouteveryday,itwillnothappen.Itisthatsimple.Setyourworkouttimeanduseyourworkouttime.

–Trainwithapurpose:Thisgoesbacktogoals.Whyareyoutraining?Itisgoingtobesomethingalittledeeperthan“lose10pounds”?Becausethatsimplywillnotlast.Itisnotintrinsicenough.Areyoutrainingforyourfamily?Foryourhealth?Findyourreason!

Afewmoretips

–Findaprogramandsticktoaprogram.

Therearealotofeffectiveprogramsoutthere,buttheireffectivenesshasa100percentcorrelationwithyourabilitytostickwithit.Ifyoudon’tknowwhatyouaredoing,don’tactlikeit!Youwillbewastingyourtime.Pickaprogramandsticktoit.

Musthaves

–VideoCamera:Thisisamust,especiallyifyouarejuststartingout.Agoodsmartphonewillwork,especiallyifyougetanapplikeCoach’sEye.Youcouldwatchaninstructionalvideo100timesanddowhatseemsandfeelsright,butafteryouwatchyourselfonvideoyourealizeyouaredoingalotofitincorrectly.Taketimeandlearnthemovementscorrectly.

–WorkoutLog:Youhavetokeeptrackofyourprogress.IalwaysrecommendEvernote.IthelpsbecauseyoucanusethesearchfunctionandfindouthowyoudidonworkoutXYZtwoyearsago.

–TrainingLibrary:IfyougetintoEvernote,itwouldbeagoodideatohaveahugebankofprograms,exercises,andresourcestohaveaccessibleatalltimesorsimplyhaveafilededicatedtothisonyourcomputer’sharddrive.

–Goals:Ifyouandatrainersteppedintoagymandyouaskedyourtrainer,“Whatarewedoingtoday?”andhesaid,“Ehhh,let’splayitbyear,”whatwouldyousay?Setshortandlongtermgoalsandholdyourselfaccountable.

–Abilitytotellyourselfyousuck:Ifyoucannottellyourselfyousuck,gettingbetterisgoingtobedifficult.Ifyoutakeavideoandyousay,“Wellit’snottoobad,”andyouthinkyou’refinished,you’rewrong.Youneedtocritiqueeverylittlethingyoudo—rightandwrong.Don’tbeatyourselfup,anddon’tconstantlybenegative,butholdyourselftoahighstandardandbehonest.

Andthat’sjustgettingstarted!

BOTTOMLINE:Takethetimeandefforttolearnhowtocoachyourself,oryouwillbewastingyourtime!

Youarenowfree!

BonusChapter1

BodyweightRoutinesbacktotop

Thirty-oneofmyfavoriteall-bodyweightworkouts:1.Walkinglunge400meters2.150burpees,fortime3.4rounds–Run400meters

–50squats

4.100-75-50-25reps–Sit-ups

–Flutterkicks(4count)

5.Crouchingtiger–50squats

–25push-ups

–50pistols

–25fingertippush-ups–50sidelunges–25knucklepush-ups–50walkinglunges–25diamondpush-ups6.Fortime–50flutterkicks

–50sit-ups

–Run400meters

–100flutterkicks

–100sit-upsRun

–400meters

7.4roundsof–50push-ups

–50sit-ups

8.Asmanyroundsaspossiblein12minutesof–10push-ups

–15sit-ups

–20-meterwalkinglunge9.21-15-9repsof–lunges(eachleg,halfrep)–sit-ups

–burpees

10.5roundsof–50mountainclimbers(4count)–25sit-ups

11.5roundsof–100jumpingjacks

–100mountainclimbers

12.Theprisonworkout–20-19-18...3-2-1

–Burpee

–Walk25meters

13.50roundsof–1squat

–1push-up

–1sit-up

–1superman

–1tuckjump

14.5roundsof–30secondisometricsquathold–20squats

–30secondsisometricleaningrest–20push-ups

15.Fortime–50jumpingjacks

–50push-ups

–50tuckjumps

–50sit-ups

–50mountainclimbers(50eachleg)–50squats

–50jumpingjacks

16.10rounds–30secondshandstand–30secondsisometricsquat–Scoreiscumulativetime17.Playingwithpush-ups–Run100meters

–20push-ups

–5burpees

–15clappush-ups

–5burpees

–10chestslappush-ups–5burpees

–5fingertippush-ups–Run100meters

–15push-ups

–5burpees

–10clappush-ups

–5burpees

–10chestslappush-ups–5burpees

–5fingertippush-ups–Run100meters

–10push-ups

–5burpees

–10clappush-ups

–5burpees

–10chestslappush-ups–5burpees

–5fingertippush-ups18.Fortime–Run400meters

–Burpeebroadjump25meters

–Walkinglunges25meters–Burpeebroadjump25meters

–Bearcrawl25meters

–Burpeebroadjump25meters

–Walkinglunges25meters–Burpeebroadjump25meters

–Bearcrawl25meters

–Run400meters

19.Deckofcards(corevariation)Takeadeckofcards;shuffle.Facecardsare10,acesare11,numberedcardsasvalued.Flipeachcardandperformthemovementandthenumberofrepsspecified.Cyclewholedeck.

–Hearts:burpees–Diamonds:mountainclimbers(act)–Spades:flutterkicks(4count)–Clubs:sit-ups

–Jokers:run400meters

20.Fortime–50burpees

–75flutterkicks(4count)

–100push-ups

–150sit-ups

21.5roundsof–10burpees

–20box/benchjumps

–30push-ups

–40squats

–50lunges

22.4roundsof–50walkinglunges–50squats

–Run400meters

23.Fortime–Run5kilometers

–Every2:00,do20push-upsand20squats24.3roundsof–50push-ups

–50sit-ups

–50squats

25.5roundsof–50walkinglunges–15handstandpush-ups

26.Fortime–80squats

–10handstandpush-ups

–60squats

–20handstandpush-ups

–40squats

–30handstandpush-ups

–20squats

27.4roundsof–25lunges

–50squats

28.5roundsof–100squats

–20lunges

–35push-ups

29.5roundsof–50squats

–30handstandpush-ups

30.2rounds–Maxpush-ups2:00

–Maxsit-ups2:00

–Maxflutterkicks2:00

–Maxsquats2:00

31.3roundsof–30-yardbearcrawl

–30-yardinchwormpush-up

–30-yardburpeejumps

BonusChapter2

HowtoAutomateShoppingforGarageGymEquipment

backtotop

Whatisthebestwaytoshopforhome-gym/garage-gymequipment?

Agaragesale?Theinternet?Sportinggoodsstore?

WhatifItoldyouthatifyouimplementthesuper-simplesystem,laidoutinthischapter,youwouldbeabletofindgreatdealsongaragegymequipmentwithnorealeffortatall?

Seriously,take10minutestotrythisstuffout,sitback,andletthegooddealscometoyou.

Unlessyougetluckyatagaragesale(verytimeconsuming),yourbestbetforfindinggreatdeals—Imeanpenniesonthedollartypedeals—willbecraigslist.

Therearejusttoomanypeoplewhothoughtthewholegaragegymthingwasforthem,butthentheyjustdidn’tlikeit,probablybecausetheyneverfoundagreatcommunityofpeoplelikehereatEndofThreeFitness.

Buttherearetwomajorproblemswithcraigslist:time&timing.

–Time:Becauseyouhavetospendalotoftime,dayafterdaycheckingtoseewhatthelatestdealsare.Thenyoumaystretchyoursearchtosurroundingcities,andcitiesyouhavefriendsin.Youcouldspendhourssearchingfortherightdeal.

–Timing:Next,thereisthetimingissue.Mostofushavelives,sowecannotconstantlycheckcraigslistforthelatestandgreatestdeal.So,saytheperfectdealcamealong,butyouarethesixthpersontocontactthesellerandtheitemisalreadygoneorthepricehasgoneup.Fail.

Wheredoesthatleaveus?

Maybeyougetfedupandjustdecidetopurchaseyourgaragegymitemsforquadrupletheprice,oryoucouldjointhetwenty-firstcentury.

Let’stalkaboutIFTTT.

IFTTTstandsforIfThisThenThat,andhelpsyouautomateyoure-world.Checkouttheirsiteifyouareunfamiliarathttp://www.ifttt.com/.

Well,todayIFTTTofficiallybecomesthebestwaytoshopforgaragegymequipment!

Step1:JoinIFTTT&userecipe

SignupforanIFTTTaccount,ifyoudon’talreadyhaveone(youshould),andsearchfortherecipe:craigslistsearch.Prettysimple,andit’sallfree.

Step2:Searchcraigslist

Now,gotocraigslistanddoasearchfortheitemyouwant.Makesureyouareintherightgeographicalarea(duh)andyoucanevensetthepricepointsifyouwouldlike.

Onceyouhavedonethesearch,copytheentireURLfromcraigslistthatisinyourbrowser,andproceedtoStep3.

Step3:LetIFTTTworkforYOU

HeadbacktotherecipeatIFTTTandenterthecopiedURLintothedesignatedspace.Renamethee-mailsubjectlinetosay,“GarageGymDeals,”andclick“userecipe.”

BOOM!You’redone;IFTTTisnowshoppingforyou.

Yep,youwillgetane-mailanytimeyoursearchparametersaremet—aka,when

thatperfectdealrollsaroundthatyouhavebeenworkingon,youcangetitrightaway.

Step4:Repeat

Setupasmanyalertsforasmuchgearasyouneed.Now,youjustsitback,relax,andwaitforthedealstocometoyou.

Granted,thereisalwaysthechanceofthespecificdealyouwantnevercomingaround,butifyouliveinabigenoughareachancesarethiswillworkforyou.

Giveittime—getwhatyouwantforthepriceyouwant.

BonusChapter3

BarbellBuyers’Guidebacktotop

Howonearthcanyoubreakabarbell?

ThatwasthequestionIwasaskingmyselfwhilestandinginmydrivewaywith,well,abrokenbarbell.

Yearsago,whenIpurchasedmyfirstbarbell,Ididn’tputmuchthoughtintotypeorquality.Theyarejustbarbells,right?Thatthinking(orlackthereof)ledtomyfirstbarbellbreakingwithin24hoursofpurchase.

Well,withbrokenbarbellinhandIdecideditwastimetouncoversomeofthebasicsastowhatmakesagood,durablebarbell.WhatIfoundwasthattheycanrangefrom$200to$2,000,andtheyarealittlemorecomplicatedthanyouraveragesportinggoodsstorewouldhaveyoubelieve.Abarbellservesasthefoundationoftruestrengthtraining.Youcangetbywithoutalotofthings,butyoucannotgetbywithoutabarbell.

Buyingtherightbarwillhelpyoutoavoidbigissues—theycanwarp,bend,rust,andbreak.Themostcommonbarmishapsarebendingfrommissedlifts,andsleevespoppingoff,frommoreorless,cheapmanufacturing.Today,Iwanttomakeyouaninformedconsumerofthebarbell.

BarbellBasics

Beforeyoucantrulymakeaninformeddecisionyouneedtoknowexactlywhatabarbellconsistsof—its“anatomy.”

Acommonlyusedbarbellhasa28-to29-mmdiametershaftformen,and25mmforwomen.Barbellscomeinallshapesandsizes,butthestandardlengthis7.2feetformenandabout6.5feetforwomen.Theyweighabout44poundsformen(20kg)andabout33poundsforwomen(15kg).

First,youhavethebaritself,orshaft.It’sputthroughamachiningprocesstogetittotherightlengthanddiameter.Ontheshaft,youhavewhatiscalledknurling.Knurlingissimplytherough,cross-hatchedpatternyouseeonabarbell.Knurlisveryimportantandismainlyforgrip.Itismachinepressedandcanbeextremelyroughorsmooth,dependingonthemanufacturer.Itisimportanttofeelthebartogetanideaofwhatyoulike(unlessyoubuyonline—inthatcase,lookatreviews),butmosttop-endbarmanufacturershaveagoodknurl.Whereknurlingcandiffer,evenontop-endbars,iswheretheknurldoesanddoesnotexist.Somebarshaveknurlingthatextendsallthewaytothesleeves,andsomebarshaveagapofnoknurlingwherethebarmeetsthesleeves.Sometimesbarswillhavecenterknurlingandsometimestheywon’t.Youhavetodecidewhatyouwantandwhatyouaremostcomfortablewith.

If,say,youlikeOlympicliftingandyoupreferawidesnatchgrip,Isuggestgettingabarwithknurlingthatextendstothesleeves(ifthatsentencemadeno

sense,thendon’tworryaboutknurlinggoingtothesleeves).

Ifyouareoftenshirtlessordohigh-repfrontsquatsandpresses(CrossFit®anyone?),youmaywanttogowithnocenterknurling.Ifyouregularlysquatheavyweightsandneedthebartogriptheback,getthecenterknurling.

Furthermore,themarkingsontheknurlindicatewhichtypeofbaryouareusing.Irecommendadual-markedbarforgeneralpurposeuse.However,theoutermostmarkingindicatesanOlympicliftingbarandtheinnermarkingindicatesapowerliftingbar,andwe’lltalkmoreaboutthoseinaminute.

Itcomesdowntohowitmeetsyourneedsandstyleoffitness.

Next,wehavethesleeves.

Thesleevesaresimplywhereyouputtheweights.Theyarecreatedfromdrawnovermandreltubing,amachineprocessthatmakesthesleevesstraightand

strong.Thebiggestthingyouarelookingforinthesleevesistherotation,orhowthesleevesspinontheshaft.Thedifferenceinbearingsorbushingsisn’tthatimportantunlessyouareextremelypickyoraprofessionallifter.Bushingsarealow-frictionmaterialplacedbetweentheshaftandthesleeve—theyaremoreaffordable,andtheyarewhatyouwillfindonmostbars.Needlebearingsspinmoresmoothly,andareactualbearingsbetweentheshaftandthesleeve.Generally,bearingsareonthehigh-endbars.Bushingswillsaveyoualotofmoney,andworkperfectlyfine,withouthavingtogohigh-end.But,ifyouwantthepremium,thengobearings.Bearingsarebetter—youaren’tpayingmorewithoutreason—butthedifferencewouldonlybenoticedattheprofessionalandelitelevels.

Sleevesarealsoconnectedbyboltsorsnaprings.Iwillmakethisoneveryeasyforyou.Snapringsonly!Stayawayfromboltsonabar!Bolts=brokenin24hours.

Also,knowbarbellscomeinmanyfinishes—chrome,zinc,blackoxide,unfinished,andevenstainlesssteel—butalsoknowthatthefinishisprimarilyanaestheticpreference.Althoughstainlesssteelprovidesanadvantagebecauseitisrustandcorrosionfree,forever.

BarbellStrength

Atthispoint,youalreadyknowmorethanyouraveragegym-goer,butlet’smakeyouatruebarbellconnoisseur.

Thestrengthofabarbellisveryimportant.YouneedtoknowthetermsIamabouttogoover,becausewhenyoushopforabarbell,thisistheinformationmanufacturerswillgiveyou.Ifyouhavenoideawhatthenumbersarereferringto,howdoyouknowwhattobuy?

Barstrengthisreportedinthreeareas:tensilestrength,yieldstrength,andtest.

Tensilestrengthisthemaximumloadyourbarcansupportwithoutfracturingor

Tensilestrengthisthemaximumloadyourbarcansupportwithoutfracturingorbreaking.Sohightensilestrength=goodbar.Thiswillbeyourprimarydeterminingfactor.

Yieldstrengthisbasicallyhowmuchweightthebarcanhandlebeforeitwillbecomedeformed—thatis,itwon’treturntoperfectstraightness.Breakinganddeformationareverydifferent.Unfortunately,youwillbehard-pressedtofindamanufacturerthatprovidesyieldstrengthinformation.

Thereisalsotest,meaningthebarhasbeenloadedandtestedwithweightsatwhichtherewasnobendingorbreaking,sothehigher,thebetter.It’sbestifyoucanfindamanufacturerthatwillgiveyouatensilestrengthrating,whichisreportedinpoundspersquareinch(PSI).

Nowyouknowtheterminology,butwhatisa“good”rating?Hereisastartingpointforthemostimportantfactor—tensilestrengthratings:

–<150,000PSI=Eh

–150,000–175,000PSI=Good

–175,000–200,000PSI=Better

–>200,000PSI=Best

Abarinthegoodrangeisperfectlyacceptableandwilllastaverylongtime.Consideringcostandquality,mostpeopledonotneedmorethanthe“good”levelbar.

Ifyouaregettingintosportweightlifting,therearedifferencesinOlympicliftingbarsandpowerliftingbars:

–Olympicweightliftingbarshavemoreofawhip,orspring,toaccommodatethesport.

–Powerliftingbarsareverystiff,aspowerliftersprefernosurprisesormajorfluctuationsduringabiglift.

fluctuationsduringabiglift.

BarbellPlates

Next,youhavetothinkaboutplates.Unlessyouplanoncompetingattheprofessionallevel,platequalityisnotasvitalasthequalityofyourbarbell.

Pricecanvarygreatlywithplates.Youcanget300poundsofironatagaragesalefor$30oryoucanspendover$3,000onacouplehundredpoundsofcertifiedcompetitionbumperplates.

Themostfrequentlyaskedquestioniswhethertopurchasebumperplatesoriron(metal)plates,andthatdependsonthetypeofliftingyouplantodo.Ifyoulikepowerlifting(squat,benchpress,anddeadlift),thenyouwillbejustfinewithironplates.IfyouaredroppingthebarfrequentlyduringCrossFit®workoutsorpracticingthesnatchandcleanandjerkinOlympicweightlifting,you’llneedbumpers.

Personally,Ipreferablendofironandbumperplatesinmyarsenal,andI’llexplainwhyandsomeconsiderationsinjustaminute.First,let’stalkbumperplates.

Whenitcomestobumperplates,whatyouarepayingforisthethicknessoftheplateandhowmuchtheybouncewhendropped.

Hereisaquickbreakdownoftheircategories:

–Blackbumpers($):Thickwithabigbounce

–Coloredbumpers($$):Thickwithlessbounce

–Olympictrainingbumpers($$$):Thinanddeadbounce

–Competitionbumpers($$$$$$$):Thinanddeadbounce+certifiedweighttothegram

Theyallshouldbe450-millimeterdiskswitha50-millimeteropening.Economyblackbumperplatesaregoingtobegoodenoughfor95percentofpeople;4.9percentwillwant/needcoloredbumpersorOlympictrainingbumpers,and.1percentwillneedcertifiedOlympiccompetitionbumpers.Coloredplatesgenerallyfollowacolorcoding,andsomecompaniesfollowthecolorcodeoftheInternationalWeightliftingFederation,butnotalldo.TheofficialcolorcodingcanbefoundattheIWFwebsite.

Iliketohavearound300poundsofcheapironplatesalongwithanothercouplehundredpoundsofblackbumpers.IusethebumpersforwhenIamgoingtobedroppingtheweight,andIuseacombinationofironandbumpersifIamdoingaheavybacksquat.

You’llbehard-pressedtofindbumperplatesatagaragesale,soyouwillneedtoorderthemonline,butironplatesareacompletelydifferentstory.

Foriron,here’swhereyouusethepowerofCraigslisttofindalotofweightfor

penniesonthedollar.Peopleareconstantlymoving,givinguponat-homefitness,andlettingplatessitintheirgarageandrust.That’sawinforus.

Conclusion

Mostpeoplearelookingforageneral,high-qualitybar,andthereareplentyouttherethataresuitableforalltrainingandthatwilllastforalongtime.So,unlessyouareplanningonbecominganOlympian,Iwouldstayawayfromthe“Cadillac”bars.Youcangetagoodbarbellthatwillmeetallofyourneedsforaround$250,andthenear-perfectbarforaround$500.

Thatcanseemlikealotofmoneyforabarbell,butitistheheartofyourtraining,andyouwillbeusingitdayinanddayout.Don’tgetabarthatwillbendorfailwhileyouareusingit.

Getabarthatwilllastalifetime.Itisaninvestmentinyourfitnessandyourhealth!

Andthat,isallyouneedknowaboutplates,weights,andbarbells.

Now,let’sstartyourstorydifferentlythanmine.

Howonearthcanthisbarbellwithstandthisabuse?

Thatwillbethequestionyouareaskingyourselfwhilestandinginyourdrivewaywith,well,anamazingbarbell.

Chapter27

TheRevolutionbacktotop

Icouldn’tthinkofabetterwaytoendthisbookthantoshowyouhowcrazyItrulyambysharingapoemIwrotein2011,shortlyafterIstartedmyowngaragegymandEndofThreeFitness.Theworkisbasedon“TheRevolutionWillNotBeTelevised”poemandsongbyGilScott-Heron.

TheGarageGymRevolution

Youwillbeabletostayhome,brother.

Youwillnotbeabletoplugin,turnon,andcopout.

Youwillnotbeabletoloseyourselfinaseaoffitnessmachines,Skipoutonrealworkbytalkingtoyourfriends,Becausetherevolutionwillnotbetelevised.

Therevolutionwillnotbetelevised.

TherevolutionwillnotbebroughttoyoubyNikeIn4partswithoutcommercialinterruptions.

TherevolutionwillnotshowyoupicturesofprofessionalsDrinkingaproteinshakewhilewearing“their”shoe.

Therevolutionwillnotbetelevised.

TherevolutionwillnotbebroughttoyoubytheProducersof“easy”tryingtomakefitnesswhatitisnot.

TherewillnotbeanightanddaytimevitaminadshowingApictureoflifethatisnon-existent.

TherewillbenotelevisionscreensattachedtorobotsProducinganendlesscycleofrepetitions.

cycleofrepetitions.

Therevolutionwillnotuseacreamtogetridoflovehandles.

Therevolutionwillnotbebottledandtakentwicedaily,becauseTherevolutionwillnotbetelevised,Brother.

Therewillbenosecretsand“authorityfigures”pushingJillianMichaels’latestDVD.P90Xwillfallondeafears.

TherewillbenotelevisionnetworktellinguswhoisthewinnerAndwhoistheloser,reportednationallyto50millionviewers.

Therevolutionwillnotbetelevised.

Therevolutionwillnotbeheldoncablesandpulleys,yetRatherbystonesandcastironshapes.

Youwillnothavetoworryaboutwhowastherebeforeyou,Asweatstain,oradisinfectantwipe.

TherevolutionwillnotgobetterwithyourfavoriteTVshow.

Therevolutionwillnotbeprogrammedintoyourheartratemonitor.

Therevolutionwillnothaveasharebutton.

Therevolutionwillputyouinthedriver’sseat.

Therevolutionwillnotbetelevised,willnotbetelevised,willnotbetelevised,willnotbetelevised.

Therevolutionwillbenore-runbrothers;

Therevolutionwillbelive.

ThinkI’mcrazy?

MaybeIamalittlecrazy.

MaybeIamalittlecrazy.

Butmaybeyouarealittlecrazy,too.

Welcometotherevolution.

Welcome,GarageGymAthlete!

GarageGymAthletebacktotop

GarageGymAthleteismadeupofthreecomponents:1.DailyWorkouts

2.AThrivingCommunity3.TrainingPrograms

GarageGymAthleteprovidesthehighestqualityprogrammingatthebestpriceyouwillfind,anditis100percentcateredtotheminimalistgaragegymexerciser.Joinourcommunityandgetstronger,fasterandhardertokill!

Wehaveatonoffreeresources,projectsandworkoutsyoucantakeadvantageoftoday!

TosignupgotoGarageGymAthlete.comandfollowtheinstructions!

PleaseReviewThis!

backtotop

IhopeyouhaveenjoyedthisPracticalGuidetoTraininglikeaPro,UnleashingFitnessFreedom,andLivingtheSimpleLife.

Ifthisbookhelpedoratleastentertainedyouinanyway,allIaskinreturnisthatyoutakeamomenttowriteanhonest,sincerereviewofthisbookonAmazon.Itwillonlytakeafewminutes,anditwouldhelpmeoutmorethanyoucanimagine.

AbouttheAuthorbacktotop

Layinginbed,$100,000indebtandrecoveringfromaninjurystemmedfrompullingG’sinahighperformanceaircraft,JerredMoonrealizedhisdreamofbecomingafighterpilotwasover–sohereturnedtohispassionforfitness.Withnomoneyandstillrecovering,hestartedtosketchouthowhecouldbuildagymandabusinesstofullyfollowhispassionoftrainingandcoaching.OneDIYprojectatatime,hebuiltafullgyminhisgaragethenstartedusingequationsfromhisaerodynamicsandaviationbackgroundtodevelophighlyeffectivestrengthandconditioningprograms.Yearspassedandhisprogramsgainedrealtraction,hisgaragegymwentfromwoodenDIYtosolidsteel,andhebuiltabusinesswhichhashelpedthousandsbecomebetterversionsofthemselves—andhelpedhisfamilycrushtheirdebt.

JerredisaStrengthandConditioningCoachandcreatorofEndofThreeFitnesswhichspecializesinsimple,effectivebarbell-centricfitnessfortheotherguy.He’saformerPhysicalTrainingLeaderandFitnessProgramManagerwithinU.S.AirForceSpecialOperationsCommand,andhe’sbeenfeaturedinWODTalkMagazine,SweatRXMagazine,LifeHacker,TheHuffingtonPost,TheArtofManliness,andmore.Hecurrentlycoachesandprogramsforhundredsofathletesfrommilitaryoperatorstostay-at-homemom’s.Youcanconnectwith

Jerredbyvisitinghiswebsite,EndofThreeFitness,atEndofThreeFitness.com.