Home Gym Quarterly Winter 2021

HOME GYM WINTER 2021

QUARTERLY

JENNIFER THOMPSON 132 POUNDS OF POWER

3 PROGRESS KILLERS FOR OLDER LIFTERS

KEEP TRAINING IN THE COLD! 1

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HOME GYM

QUARTERLY

TABLE OF CONTENTS ON THE COVER

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Enter the Viking Cave with Erik Røen

The Road to Heavy Lifting at Home

Adapting Your Training To Colder Weather - pg 35

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The Best Ways To Heat Your Home Gym - pg 38 Staying Motivated When Training Alone - pg 52

by Shawn Donaldson

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How to achieve your goals in 2021 - pg 54 What Caught My Eye in 2020 - pg 57 Editorial Advisory Board

Motivation is a Myth

Who Can You Trust?

Roberta Greaves Naomi Greaves

Graphic Editor/Director: Kellie Kilgore Graphics, LLC

by Bailey Bryan

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by Heaven Duvall-Cox

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EDITOR’S NOTE We made it to 2021!

2020 was a tough year for us all and now it seems as if everyone has just been looking forward to 2021 to save us. I hate to be the killjoy but that’s how we looked at 2020 after what we saw as a rough 2019.

The lesson here is that simply changing the year doesn’t change anything. What makes one year better than the next is how we react to the events of that year. I mentioned to one of our contributors yesterday that every crisis presents an opportunity. Just think of all of the jobs that opened up because so many people were working from home, from shipping services needing more workers to restaurants switching to delivery services and even businesses focused on setting up and maintaining Internet service, 2020 was a boom year. I won’t even get into how Zoom went from something that we had to explain to all of our interview guests in 2019 to something that EVERYBODY was using by mid-2020.

For us in the home gym community, 2020 was a chance to welcome new members to our community and enjoy the influx of new home gym equipment manufacturers to the market, providing even more alternatives to the big brands that have dominated home gym equipment space for the past decade.

I’m not telling you that 2020 wasn’t challenging. I personally suffered shingles, a car accident and financial struggles this year. But I also was blessed with new opportunities for our business in the form of live streaming sports like powerlifting and strongman which accelerated our growth on YouTube.

In 2021 let’s keep an eye out for opportunities, even as we stay strong and support each other through the challenges.

Happy New Year.

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

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CONTRIBUTOR BIOS

HEAVEN DUVALL-COX

Heaven Duvall-Cox is the owner of The SandbagQueen, an online fitness coach, wife, and mom offour. Her mission is to help people take control oftheir health one choice at a time.

You can follow Heaven on Instagram @the.sandbag.queen on YouTube at The SandbagQueen and on Parler at The Sandbag Queen

SHAWN DONALDSON Shawn Donaldson is the founder of Morning Lifter, a site dedicated to empowering, inspiring, and educating individuals through Strength and Leadership. A former collegiate football player and current high school teacher, he has a vast background in coaching, strength training and leadership development. Shawn helps others ask the right questions of themselves and see others in a new light.Follow him on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram @morninglifter and find more articles, podcasts, and motivation on Strength and Leadership at morninglifter.com.

BAILEY BRYAN Bailey Bryan is a marketing and communicationsspecialist for Garage Gym Life Media who brings herexpertise with graphic and web design to theposition. She has a passion for fitness and helpingothers by sharing her weight loss journey as well asexercises and gym motivation.

Connect with her onInstagram at @baileybryan4 or in our DMs @garagegymlifemedia.

JOE GRAY Joe Gray, who goes by Gray Matter Lifting on the web, isa garage gym athlete who loves the Home GymCommunity. Joe is a moderator of r/HomeGym onReddit and the creator of the Garage Gym Competition. He’s married to a fellow garage gym athlete and afather of one in training. Follow his training onInstagram @gray_matter_lifting and see his equipmentreviews on YouTube at Joe Gray.

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CONTRIBUTOR BIOS

DAVE DENIS

David Denis is a pastor of a small Baptistchurch in central New Hampshire. He started building his home gym almost 4years ago, buying and selling usedequipment to keep the cost down. He now has an ugly but well-appointed space forpowerlifting that he shares with neighborsand friends who also want to get strong. Since starting his strength journey he hasgained 30 lbs, grown out of his suits, and left back problems behind.

BABATUNDE O. AWOYINKA Babatunde is a former collegiate rugby player, currently living Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife and daughter. While earning his master’s degree in Chemistry, he was drawn to the challenge of strength sports and powerlifting, which lead to the pursuit of building the best garage gym in Minnesota. Outside of training, he enjoys woodworking and building DIY garage gym equipment. Follow him on Instagram @babatunde.a

ADAM TRENT DOUGLASS Adam Trent Douglass has studied under whatsome would consider to be the greatestcoaching minds but he has stepped away from high profile exercise education groups andpublic gyms to provide effective, hypertrophybased home training, put in a languageeveryone can understand. His goal is for what he calls Bogan bodybuildingto be the “gold standard” for home gymhypertrophy education. You can follow him on Instagram @bogan_bodybuilding or join his Facebook group Bogan Bodybuilding.

MIKE “BIRD” PARROTT Mike “Bird” Parrott is an active duty member ofthe United States Air Force and a powerlifterwho competes primarily in USA Powerlifting.

Bird is a strength coach through ManiacPowerlifting and the founder of Garage GymRat, a brand that promotes a rugged mentalityof training anywhere with whatever you haveavailable. You can follow him on Instagram @dabird93, reach out for coaching at maniacpowerlifting. com and follow his brand @garagegymrat

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PERFECT FOR YOUR HOME GYM, THE SPUD INC. ECONO TRICEPS AND LAT PULLEY SYSTEM CAN BE USED FOR DOZENS OF EXERCISES TARGETING YOUR TRICEPS, BACK AND ABS.

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Enter the Viking Cave with Erik Røen 9

Winter is here in North America and a lot of home gym owners are bundling up and trying to figure out how to train when it’s cold outside. But lest we feel too sorry for ourselves, I decided to revisit an interview I did for our blog back in 2017 on Norwegian powerlifter Erik Røen who trains in an open shed at the foot of a snow covered mountain.

Check out this IPF champion’s perspective on cold weather training and what he does to stay warm and keep the gains coming!

JGIII: Erik it’s great to talk with you! Tell me, how long have you been training and competing in powerlifting?

ER: It all started with a dream to be a powerlifter and become among the strongest in the world. Four years ago I became a member of the Norwegian powerlifting federation. In July 2013 I went to my first meet, I weighed 106 kg/233lbs and squatted 165kg/363.8lbs , benched 100kg/220.5lbs and deadlifted 190 kg/418.9lbs, a 455 kg/1003lb total across all three lifts. Today I’m at 134 kg/295.4lbs bodyweight and almost at an 800kg/1763.7lbs total!

Things are moving forward.

JGIII: Let’s talk about what I call your Viking cave. What did you start with in there and why did you choose to train at home instead of joining a powerlifting club?

ER: Where I live is far from a gym so I started with what I had and that was one bar and some plates that I got for Christmas.

JGIII: Your gym is in a shed isn’t it? I still remember the first time I saw it with the snow outside and I put #vikingcave in the caption when I reposted the video! Why did you locate it in the shed?

ER: The only space available to set up a “gym” at my home was in an old shed/garage. The temperatures can easily get below -20 C in the weather where I live at almost 700 meters above sea level.

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JGIII: As a top level athlete, you have different training needs than someone who is just in a sport for recreation. How has this affected the type of equipment that you put in your gym?

ER: As time went by I got a few more bars and plates thanks to GYM2000AS who sponsored them to me.

I added a platform for my deadlift and a power cage for my squats.

JGIII: What are your best numbers in the gym and in competition?

ER: My best meet results so far are 317.5kg in squat, bench is 185kg and deadlift is 327.5kg. My best raw deadlift in training is 330 kg. My best equipped deadlift in training is 350 kg.

JGIII: How many championships have you won?

ER: In 2013 I won my first sub junior national championship. In 2016 I won my first national junior championship in +120 and this year I won it again. Last year I competed at the Nordic Equipped championship and became Nordic Equipped/ Classic champion in +120. Last year I also competed at the European Classic Cup Open and got third Place. This year I competed at the European Classic Powerlifting Championship and came in third. On

the 20th of June this year I go to Belarus to compete at the World Classic Powerlifting Championship. And it all started with a dream that everyone told me was impossible. I will continue to dream and get stronger!

JGIII: Have you ever thought about competing in strongman?

ER: I have never done strongman competitions and my main focus is on doing well at IPF powerlifting.

JGIII: You had a very inspiring video where you did lunges through waist deep snow with a training partner. Do you do that for mental toughness and how often do you do that sort of thing?

ER: My closest neighbor is The Mountain. So to get extra training for my powerlifting I became creative and started carrying my bar and plates up The Mountain. It helped me to use all those muscles I normally don’t use. It helped with my balance and definitely with my cardio! Even if I am 134 kg in body weight I believe in staying healthy and doing some cardio. The heart is also an important muscle!

I even tried to carry my bar up Norway’s highest mountain! Ha ha!

JGIII: I think I saw that and put it in the video that goes with this article.

ER: No, the video you posted is of my backyard ha ha! I will send you the picture of Galdhøpiggen.

JGIII: I can picture you up on a high mountain in a cave just lifting weights all winter then coming down in summer and smashing records!

So does your sister still train with you?

ER: Yes, my sister got motivated and started to train with me. She started at 14 years old! This year she did her first Norwegian record in squat for sub-junior!

She is also motivated to get stronger and compete in the years to come.

JGIII: What advice would you give to someone looking to start their own gym, especially if they live in a climate where it might be cold most of the year?

ER: To start a gym like mine isn’t something that I recommend. In winter there are no breaks between sets. Even if I wear extra clothes I need to be moving around because my body loses temperature very fast. In winter my training basically maintains the strength I already have. In summer is where I get my gains and temperature allow muscles to grow. I dress warmly but I find that I can’t dress to thick because it’s difficult to do the exercises.

JGIII I think I have a solution to your heating problem. It’s a cold weather survival tactic.

You need two large sheets of plastic. Hang them both at your door but leave a small space between them. Put a fire source, a barrel with fire in it would work, between the plastic sheets. This will warm your shed up a lot!

ER: I have tried to close my gym up with some plastic in front to stop the wind. The door on that old shed was broken long before i started using it. I have tried a heater but it doesn’t help much because the garage is in bad shape. The cold is back in November and I will let you know if this works.

JGIII: Is there anything you did when you 11

started training that you would change if you could go back and do it differently?

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ER: In Norway, there are few sponsors in powerlifting. It’s not like some other sports where people can make living of doing it.

ER: If I went back in time to change something about my training it would be to get help on technique. It was really terrible and it’s amazing I survived! It’s painful to watch my old videos!

JGIII: Where can people follow your training or ask your advice?

JGIII: Do you have any sponsors?

ER: If someone wants to follow my journey they can do so at my instagram: erik_roen or my Facebook: erikrøen.

The Road to Heavy Lifting at Home After Pain and Injury

by Shawn Donaldson During my college years I was a fairly strong athlete. I played on the offensive line at Kent State University. Playing college football, you are liable to come out with some injuries. I was no exception to that. A torn labrum, torn MCL, blown knee bursa sac and broken foot later, I was still lifting respectable weight given my situation.

These injuries lingered (and still do) years after my playing days ended. For the better part of 10 years I lifted in a maintained setting. I lost close to 100 pounds, got lean and wanted to stay in my new shape. As my children were born and I moved out of my commercial gym into a home gym I kept up the routine.

I’d still lift in the mornings with higher reps between 10-15, seeking the “leaner” sides of the weights. Over time I grew tired of that. I had an itch to get back to heavy lifting. Lifting at home has been an absolute blessing. The ability to have and do what you want when you want.

Lifting heavy at home comes with its challenge, especially when there are no spotters and no one to help motivate you. I’ve been lifting solo for over 10 years, so it’s become natural for me to be selfmotivated. Here are some of the most important keys I’ve learned through the process of gaining my strength back: Have Patience Working back into any strength building plan after injury or prolonged maintenance work will take time. Focusing on singular lifts at a time will help you concentrate on specific areas that you need to improve on. As I decided to start lifting heavy again, I started with the deadlift first. I focused intensely on improving it. It took more than a year for me to get to 500 lbs from consistent training. The road is long and no shortcuts will get you there any quicker. Have patience and stay consistent.

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Find Your Weak Points and Train Them To continue with my deadlift example, I trained many accessories and I trained them heavy. I researched and followed some of the best people around on social media to surround myself with the right vocabular, information, and technical skills. As I trained, I became more aware of my weak points and areas I needed to improve on. Lifts like rack pulls, deficit deadlifts, goodmornings, reverse hypers, back extensions and more became staples in my program.

Training those accessory lifts and training them heavy will help improve your main lift, and other lifts as well.

Isolate Your Sticking Points As your strength increases you will inevitably face plateaus and sticking points. Regularly changing your exercises every 4-6 weeks will keep your muscles guessing and keep you energized and focused on improving your lifts each week. Small incremental changes in weight will also help. You don’t need to increase 10-20 lbs. Instead, something simple as 5 lbs can make a huge difference – even more so when the weight gets toward your 1RM. Chains and bands are also great variable load options to help you get past a plateau.

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Heavy at Home May Include DIY Anyone with a home gym knows of the DIY experience. Equipment is expensive and when you are training at home, it can take years before you have sufficient equipment to do everything you need to do. Besides taking a loan out on equipment (which I wouldn’t advise), the next best option is either finding the used market or building equipment as a temporary solution. I have made several DIY projects that have served me very well.

My most used DIY equipment (outside of the lifting platform) is the power rack reverse hyper attachment. The reverse hyper is one of the exercises that produced a huge jump in my deadlift. I knew I needed the machine but didn’t have the money to fork over – nor do I have the space for it. A power rack attachment is perfect, and it’s storable. Until you can afford it, build it.

Stay Consistent If you have a partner pushing you through your home workouts it will be much easier to stay committed. Consistency will be the best thing for you. Even on your bad days, you’ll be happy you trained and got after it. Being consistent with your training will continue the positive habit loop of

discipline. As Jocko Willink says, Discipline Equals Freedom.

Do What You Can Of all the things I’ve learned through this process is that I can’t lift as “raw” as I used to. I need support.

My knees aren’t that great, my elbow is sore, wrists are tired and a permanently swollen ankle. These are all aftereffects of football. I’d still play the game all over again, but these are just things I have to work through. Your injuries and pain may not be as bad.

But for me, in order to lift heavy, I still needed more support.

For squats, I’ll use knee sleeves and I have a solid Pioneer Cut weight belt. I keep the safeties at a liberal height to protect myself and try to push myself within reason. Because I’m alone when I train, I can’t always go to failure.

Bench press is more difficult as with my repaired labrum, it still lingers with problems. I’ve moved to more of a full-time use of the Mark Bell SlingShot to aid me. On really heavy days, I’ll use a block

and I may wrap my bad elbow in a wrap for aided support for my shoulder. Find ways that allow you to lift while still enjoying it. If you aren’t lifting for a competition it doesn’t matter how you train. What is most important is that you do train and that you enjoy the time training.

Shawn Donaldson is the founder of Morning Lifter, a site dedicated to empowering, inspiring, and educating individuals through Strength and Leadership and Bare Steel Equipment, a brand founded to bring innovative new products to the home gym community. A former collegiate football player and current high school teacher, he has a vast background in coaching, strength training and leadership development. to help others ask the right questions of themselves and see others in a new light. For more articles, podcasts, and motivation on Strength and Leadership, visit morninglifter.com and follow on Instagram and Facebook @morninglifter and @baresteelequipment.

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3 Progress Killers for Older Lifters

by David Denis

I started my strength journey about three years ago at age 54.

I simply became fed up with semi-annual back tweaks that just kept happening no matter how careful I was. Most solution were just temporary. I couldn’t seem to find a way to prevent them.

Then I had an epiphany. The body is an adaptable organism, self-adjusting to accommodate the activities it needs to perform. So what if the problem isn’t that I work my back too hard? What if the problem is that I don’t work it hard enough? Can I make my back stronger by training it in a rational progressive manner?

Turns out, the answer is “Yes!” A book called Starting Strength showed me how to get started using a barbell. I started assembling a crude home gym, and I got to work. I’m now 57, and 16

I have not any significant back problems since about 6 months after I started training. I enjoy it so much that I continue to train. I’ll never be a top competitive athlete (and I don’t want to) but I am certainly above average strong for my age and I continue to get stronger.

I cannot say, however, that the pathway was straight or smooth. Getting started is always the hardest part, but once you get going the problem becomes how to keep it going. I have learned that continued progress relies more on your response to obstacles than on the obstacles themselves. Here are some of biggest challenges I have noted, and what I have learned about making continued progress in the gym.

Inconsistency I am no longer the young fella with more time than

money. I have a very full life – just as most men and women my age do. So, sometimes negotiating the path to the gym door is like dodging a mob of timesucking zombies. But if I give in to those zombies, pretty soon I’m spending more time out of the gym than in it. We all know that inconsistent work leads to inconsistent results.

Consistency happens when training becomes a rote automatic habit. It doesn’t happen by accident; it must be intentionally built, along 2 complementary axes: systems and rituals.

Systems A system is a way of organizing time and resources to reduce or eliminate obstacles. That’s the key idea – eliminating obstacles. Rather than going up to each time-sucking zombie one at a time, you build a pit that the zombies fall into so that you can focus on training.

For instance, block off training time in your schedule before anything else. Schedule appointments around training.

A coach is a powerful element of a training system.

If you know a coach is expecting me to do the work (and you are paying him to expect it!) it shifts the center of gravity of your decision making.

Pre plan your breakfast, your workout gear, your music – polish your routines to make them smooth and snag free. Of course, a home gym is a powerful part of this system. It simply eliminates a whole bunch of obstacles and excuses.

Ritual The second part of the equation is ritual. Systems are about how we organize our external world. Rituals are the building blocks of internal habits – kind of like emotional systems within us. When we carefully choose our rituals, we can intentionally install helpful habits. Rituals forge our habits. Our habits build our results.

So once you set up your systems, then commit to using them repetitively, over a period of time.

It won’t take long before the awkward becomes familiar, and the familiar becomes automatic. It is that automatic part that you want to achieve. That is what will carry you through on those days when you don’t feel well, but you go train anyway because it’s just what you do. It is a habit.

Systems smooth your rituals. Rituals build your habits. Habits are what guarantee consistency.

Consistency is what yields results.

Accumulated Fatigue Early in my intermediate phase of strength training, I went through a period of just feeling like I had been dragged-through-a-knothole. I didn’t know what to call it at the time, but I have since learned that it was the monster call Fatigue.

Vince Lombardi is famous for saying, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” Fatigue makes us feel like not training. Fatigue tempts us to take shortcuts in our training. I knew that if I did not address my fatigue, my progress would be endangered.

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This is a special issue for older lifters. As we get older recovery takes longer, and we have to adjust our plans to accommodate that. There is no use pretending otherwise.

So the first step is to set aside the ego and accept reality. It is like Donald Rumsfeld said during the buildup to the first Gulf War. “You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.” In the same way, we have to train with the body we have, not the body

used to have, or the body we wish we had.

The second step is to remember that your program serves you, you do not serve your program. Just because some guy at a computer threw a bunch numbers on a spreadsheet does not mean that you have to slavishly follow those numbers. Older lifter must make intelligent rational changes to program templates to adjust for fatigue and recovery.

The technical term is auto-regulation. Some lifters auto-regulate use an RPE scale for each lift. Others adopt an approach called Minimum Effective Dose programming, or Stress-Based programming. It boils down to paying attention to your physical state and adjusting training variables to create the margin your body needs for recovery. Don’t worry – that template you paid for is useful, but it is not Holy Scripture, and it does not know you. Programs and templates are made to be hacked. Don’t be afraid of Finally, make whatever changes you need to make to get enough food and sleep. I know, that’s 18

obvious, but I never said it was rocket science. The fundamentals are always fundamental.

Form Creep About 6 months ago I was in PR territory on my squat, but things were not going well. I was pushing up the weight but barely under control, and most important I was not hitting depth – the cardinal sin of squatting. I finally had to admit that my form was terrible. Somewhere along the line I had gotten off track. I needed to fix it.

So I called my coach and went down to his place for a remedial session. He watched me squat and he said, “Widen your stance and don’t bend over so much.” We practiced the changes a few times and he helped make sure I understand what he meant. Then I went back to my gym.

Night and day. I have formed a few bad habits that seemed right to me. As the loads increased, however, they were tripping me up and I couldn’t figure out why. That tune up visit with my coach changed everything. I am on track now to squat 405 in the next 3 weeks. That’s a big milestone and I’m super excited.

Form creep will kill your gains. The solution is to get a coach. If you can afford to hire one to work with you all the time – great. There are also excellent online options. Or, you can do like me and just find someone you can go to a few times a year for a tune up. Just make sure it is someone who knows how to coach your game.

Universal Truth That’s the big three: inconsistency, fatigue, and form creep. My game is strength training with a barbell. Yours might be CrossFit athlete, a runner, a strongman competitor, or a swimmer. It really doesn’t matter. These are the things every athlete has to deal with. And the same basic concepts apply across the board.

Don’t let these progress killers keep you from moving forward. Take action, keep moving, and continue to enjoy the benefits that your game brings to your life for years to come.

Who Can You Trust?

by Bailey Bryan

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How do you know that the people who are influencing you, your workouts and your nutrition are a trustworthy and quality resource? As a social media manager, I’m well aware that anyone can post content and just because someone “looks good” doesn’t necessarily mean they are providing valuable and true information.

First of all, ask yourself WHAT are you looking for?

Is there something you want to learn more about (a particular exercise, form of training, nutrition style)? Take that question and then start looking for the answer at a high reputable source. Yes, just like in school when you’re learning about creditable resources and writing that report on barn owls, check where it’s coming from: Wikipedia or the encyclopedia.

they’re doing something? How much experience do they have with this move? Is this something they dreamed up yesterday but haven’t fully tested to make sure it won’t cause an injury in three months? If the influencer cannot fully explain a move or its purpose, they probably aren’t as valuable a resource as you might think. Think of it this way-would you PAY to speak to this person or even pay to just FOLLOW their page? That may just answer your question.

Here are a few tips to help you decipher if you’re tuning into a profile that is fact or crap:

Read their bio

ONLY FOLLOW REPUTABLE COACHES WITH A PROVEN TRACK RECORD

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Who have they coached? Are they constantly fighting injuries or are their clients injured a lot? How many followers do they have? What does their bio SAY? Are they verified? Just these small clues are a good place to start. It’s important to know who you’re following and why other people follow them. Their bio also is their own personal summary on their purpose. Tell me this... who will provide better knowledge on glute training:

Scope them out

Person A: a verified resource with the bio “the glute guy...PHD with a book and link to said book on glute training” or…

Someone catch your eye? See a move you want to try? Go to their page... seriously go stalk their page a bit. Are they a consistent home gym user? Are they demonstrating and explaining what and why

Person B: the profile with a girl in a bikini with a wink and peach emoji in her bio plus a stream of pictures of her in different bikinis occasionally using a booty band?

Let’s be real... if you really want to know how to train for a specific area/type of training you will find a person who matches that style or has a reputation in that field.

3. Do they align with your goals?

Honestly when I start following someone it’s because they somehow align with my goals. Are they sharing a way to improve the squat that you want to add more weight to? Are they hosting a challenge that helps build strength to an area you also want to build? I find the most quality in someone who is sharing content in a space that I NEED more knowledge in. Obviously, I want to follow someone who is an expert in something I am not. Remember that’s the reason you are looking/searching/following in the first place.

4. How do they make you feel?

I work a lot off my gut. When I scroll through their page do I get a good feeling? Sometimes other people’s energy can cause more harm than good and even if they might have some valuable information, the rest adds a negative presence in your head.

Always choose positive and enlightening sources, and if there is something about them (i.e. their attitude, their beliefs, the way they speak or act) that do not sync with your personal day-to-day core values then move on-do not follow them. This also includes someone who has an awesome feed (what you think you’re looking for), but when you watch their stories and hear them/see them in their daily environment they do not match up to your expectations. Skip the stress and unnecessary mental weight.

If you can go through steps 1-4 and honestly check off all these boxes– then give them a follow.

• This person offers something of value to me • This person is someone I respect/agree with their lifestyle and beliefs • I don’t get any negative vibes or toxicity from them

or their page At the end of the day ask yourself: what is my goal and purpose? What do I want to achieve? Find people who can help you. People who inspire and motivate you. If you’re looking for something particular there are many educated and valuable resources literally clicks away from you. Feel them out and stay away from anyone who doesn’t line up with you. It’s your body, your lifestyle and your training in which anyone you follow can be a positive attribute that can help you grow or just as easily hold you back.

As a person who once trusted a few bad resources after a few conversations and advice that “sounded good” and had to learn the hard way by suffering some serious health issues and complications due to said advice... I do warn you to take your health, training and nutrition advisor more seriously than a few clicks or skim of someone’s content. I wish you luck on your searches and will note that if you’re looking for a particular resource feel free to shoot me or Garage Gym Life Media a message. We are happy to help you find reliable resources without the risk.

Reach out to Bailey Bryan with questions about this article on Instagram @baileybryan4.

INSTAGRAM PICS OF SOMEBODY FLEXING DOESN'T MAKE THEM AN EXPERT 21

JENNIFER THOMPSON 132 POUNDS OF POWER

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Jen Thompson is an 11-time International Powerlifting Federation World Powerlifting Champion, and she was inducted into the IPF Hall of Fame in 2019. We talked about what it’s like being a powerlifting celebrity, her tricks for benching more than any other woman at her weight in history and much more!

John Greaves III: Paul Carter talks about that as well. He believes in working up to a heavy single, and then coming back down because in your working sets will feel lighter. He has a book called Lift-Run-Bang and in it and other books he’s written, he called what you just described, “the over warm up”.

John Greaves III: You recently failed on bench with a weight that you’ve hit in training many times. How do you collect yourself instead of obsessing over that failure?

Jen Thompson: When I started doing meets, I used to do a heavy hold before I went out to hit my first attempt. I don’t do that anymore because I’m a little bit more mentally prepared and I realize that you are expending extra energy. You don’t need to, to do that.

But at the time, because of my mental state and I was so worried about things, it helped me go out there and hit those lifts by doing one first (laughs).

Jen Thompson: Any time I miss a weight, I try to think about what could be the reasons? I’m cutting some weight. Virtual learning and 50/50 has been so hard and stressful and it was a tough parenting week that week.

Jen Thompson: And just all these things that I attributed to why I probably missed it because I review the videos. My form was perfect. And I’ve done enough meets now where I hit my first opener and I know what kind of day I’m going to have. You know, first of all, you have to recognize where your weaknesses are and work on them., but then find different coping mechanism for them. At the last World Championships, I definitely won not because I was the strongest that day, but I was the better competitor that day.

John Greaves III: You talked about using 500 pounds static holds for 15 seconds to build your bench press. How many sets of that do you like to do and where in the session do you put it?

Jen Thompson: We do it on a bench and we do it on a squat. We call them heavy walkouts. I do five warmups and then I just hit it right after that, then I hit my working sets, three sets of five on bench. I always feel like it makes my sets feel lighter And I do it every other week, because one week I practice my max singles, so on the other weeks I do the heavy holds and work on just moving a lot of weight.

John Greaves III: I got you. Okay. So once every eight days and then you do an accessory day.

Was it tough for you to realize that you need that time to recover?

Jen Thompson: Definitely. I mean, I think I was in my 30s when we started doing that. The old school of thought is really, “the more you do it, the better, stronger you’re going to get”, you know? So, you just want to keep like doing it. And we were doing ridiculous things like doing all upper body one day, lower body another day, take one day rest and just keep going at it. And we were working out like three or four hours! It was terrible! But we could never maintain that workout. Like we would go maybe a month and we’d just be crushed and couldn’t go on anymore.

Jen Thompson: So, we started adding in more rest.

And this is one of the reasons I’ve been able to get to the levels I am is because I worked my tail off, really hard. Like I crush it every time during our workouts so much that after two days, I’m crushed, I need two days of rest before I can go back and do it again.

John Greaves III: So, if you had somebody who’s a novice lifter but who’s older, would you still advocate that they have that much recovery time, 23

even though they kind of need time to practice too?

Jen Thompson: It’s all about quality and not necessarily quantity, so I think if you have that good quality workout and you’re willing to commit the time it takes to do that, I think it’s good. I’ve been doing just a little bit of online coaching since the whole quarantine and I have a couple of young lifters and some older lifters. The younger lifters are on a four day a week workout and my older lifters are on the eight-day plan.

John Greaves III: So how are you able to stay in your weight class without doing a lot of cardio or without keeping your calories so low that you interfere with your ability to build strength and to actually recover?

Jen Thompson: I just make sure my carbs are like the carbs that are going to give my body good nutrition and recovery. It’s just a matter of cutting

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out the processed crap in your diet. And then you’ll feel better. There’s not as much inflammation in your joints and your bones and the cravings become less when you sort of reframe and change your relationship with food.

John Greaves III: In your opinion, what are key things that lifters need to do if they want to be successful? Like they’re training at home, but they want to be able to also compete.

Jen Thompson: We’ve only lifted in basement or garage gyms, so that’s all I’ve ever known or lifted in. We map out our workouts for our 10 to 12 weeks cycles. I know every week, every exercise, every set, every weight I that I’m doing for that 12 weeks.

So, you have a goal, you’re going into the gym and your goal is to hit these numbers for these reps. It’s important that you have a set plan that’s going to motivate you to do it. Now, obviously you need to record it so you can look back for previous weeks.

And so, there’s that. I think the other aspect is if

you’re lifting by yourself, it is much harder., and you know, I have to work out by myself once in a very blue moon. But when you do it, it’s hard! So, I think it’s important to have some sort of community, like we have our neighbors come lift with us. I mean, you don’t have to have like some high-level athletes come lift with you. A lot of times you just need someone in there with you to encourage you and say, “Hey, you’re high or, you know, whatever.”

Jen Thompson: I do. Like when we go to like the Arnold or the World’s, it’s pretty awesome that people want their picture with you. You just feel like it’s so great that so many people are so excited about you.

My family gets tired of it because they’re like, (laughs) “Mom, we’ll just meet you at the restaurant in an hour.”

John Greaves III: But if not, create a community, whether it’s through text stream or through Instagram or whatever, that holds you accountable for that.

Jen Thompson: They get so annoyed with it. By the end of the weekend, it gets a little tiring, but I don’t ever not appreciate it. But it is nice when you go home, you’re just back to being you. And more often, because I teach high school, it’s more like, “Oh, there’s Mrs. Thompson”.

John Greaves III: You’re well-known in lifting circles, but even though powerlifting is popular and it’s strange because it’s so popular, but then again, because it’s a niche sport, you get to come back after a competition and just go back to be the local high school math teacher. Do you like that?

John Greaves III: And then it seems like there’s going to always be people coming with their hands out. And social media especially is fraught with pitfalls. How do you separate the wheat from chaff ? Like, it’s okay to talk to this person.

Maybe I’ll stay away from that person. How do you filter through that?

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Jen Thompson: Well, I always do some investigation because ultimately like I’ve worked pretty hard to have the reputation that I have to accomplish what I have. I make sure I understand what the message is, who they are, who else they’ve reached out to, who their sponsors are, things like that. And I’m really careful about how I spend my time because you only have so much of it. And for me, the most important part is my family. So, I always make sure that if I’m going to give my time away from my family, that there’s some sort of benefit or good that’s going to come out of it.

John Greaves III: That’s a very good point. But there is something that I know you are excited about and that is the Women and Girls in Strength Conference. How did you get involved in that?

Jen Thompson: Dana Snow is the State Chair of USA powerlifting for the State of Washington. And she helped me a little bit when I was trying to get the Virtual Youth Festival going with USA Powerlifting.

So, she reached out and said, “Hey, would you be interested?” And it’s really a strength weekend. There is powerlifting in it, weightlifting also and strongman.

But focused around women. And it’s not just about lifting. It’s about being successful, being mentally prepared, how to get girls into strength sports, things like that. So, it’s really kind of like a seminar weekend.

You go for the whole weekend. Or you can just pick certain days that you want to come if you can’t come the whole weekend. But it’s something I’m looking forward to. I’m hoping by August, that everyone will feel safe to go meet up and share our knowledge.

John Greaves III: Is it a hard sell to get women and girls to believe that it’s okay to be strong?

Jen Thompson: Nowadays, it’s a lot easier. I started, strength sports in my twenties, which was 27 years ago. I remember back then, my father who was a very kind of old staunch guy said, “No, daughter of mine is going to look like a man. You are not doing that.”

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He was very non-supportive.

Jen Thompson: But I was a rebel enough to be like, “You can’t tell me what to do.” Ha ha! And now he’s like my biggest supporter. So, I feel like times have changed. People are changing. Social media definitely helps. But there always is that stigma, especially when you see in social media the opposite, where you do see women who are taking some extra “supplements”, we’ll say.

John Greaves III: You attribute a lot of your current upper body strength to taking the Marine Fitness class in high school— dips the Marine Corps style strict pull-ups, sit-ups, military style pushups, a standing broad jump and a 300-yard shuttle run.

Jen Thompson: Yeah.

John Greaves III: So, what’s going through your mind on day one of that class?

Jen Thompson: Well, you know, I had, well, I’d taken like the required PE and the Marine Fitness, coach, it was actually a coach— we went around other schools and competed.

John Greaves III: Oh, nice.

Jen Thompson: He happened to be in PE class that day and he walked right up to me and he’s like, “I want you in this class. You’re strong and you’re really good” Jen Thompson: Like I could look around and see that I was doing better than the other kids, you know? But I was still trying to blend in and not be noticed, so I was like, “Wow!” And I knew about [this class] because they actually would work out in the mornings, and it was like a community, it was like a clique, this Marine Fitness class.

John Greaves III: Okay.

Jen Thompson: And I think there was one or two

girls in it, and I was like, “Oh, I don’t know.” So, then I had one friend in high school, and she was like, “Let’s do it. I’ll do it with you.” So that got me into it.

John Greaves III: You get a DeLorean and talk Doc Brown into giving you a trip back to see your 14-year-old self. What do you tell her and what do you think she would say?

Jen Thompson: Well, I was pretty insecure about myself. My family life was not the greatest, so I was dealing with a lot of emotional stuff. Unless I was really pushed hard, I kind of was introverted. I mean, I would have a hard time just even going to a grocery store and grocery shopping and having to face the grocery store clerk.

Jen Thompson: But really when I met my husband, who was just a friend at the time, his strength and belief really made me start thinking past what I thought my limitations were.

Jen Thompson: I was afraid to go and order food for myself. Because life had beaten me down so much.

But I would make myself go do it. But I would have like heart palpitations and sweats the whole time I was doing it.

John Greaves III: Wow, okay.

Jen Thompson: But the more and more I did it, the more I got easier. And then I started seeing that if I just go do it, it’ll get easier. And then when I found weights, it really just created a whole new belief and self-worth. So, I think I would go back and tell myself, “You’re going to create your own wonderful family and you’re going to be okay”.

You can follow Jen Thompson’s training on YouTube at 132poundsofpower, on Instagram @jenthompson132 and on Twitch at jenthompson132. Her website is 132poundsofpower.com.

John Greaves III: Wow. Of course.

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WINTER IS HERE

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KEEP TRAINING IN THE COLD!

by Babatunde O. Awoyinka 29

Keep training in the cold!

Cold weather does not mark the end of your home workouts in the garage or shed. There are many solutions to combat freezing temperatures provided you prepare yourself before the cold weather arrives.

The goal is to keep your body temperature up and keep your hands warm while working out in the cold. Feeling cold can be distracting and cold or numb hands can limit your grip and overall feeling of strength through your training session. For the best training experience in winter time, your plans should focus on minimizing time in the cold and keeping your body and hands as warm as possible.

By evaluating yourself, programming, available tools, and gym space, you will be rewarded by a successful winter training at home.

You Layer your clothing. It sounds obvious and simple,

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but it is still important to consider how many layers you will need given the temperature as well as maintaining the flexibility to add or remove layers as necessary easily throughout your training session. As the weather gets colder, add a long sleeve t-shirt over the top of your normal training clothing, follow that with a crew neck sweatshirt, and as necessary, add a hooded sweatshirt. As for bottoms, move to fitted or tight long underwear, and jogger style sweatpants, followed by loose fitting sweatpants. Using this layering strategy has worked out well for me, allowing the addition or removal of layers as needed, and can be adjusted easily for the individual. Moving to your feet, thick wool socks are nice to keep your feet warmer on cold floors. I’ve even worn winter boots on days that didn’t require athletic shoes. Also remember to have a winter hat that will keep you warm and still be comfortable when you work up to a sweat, and to consider keeping a pair of mittens or

gloves nearby for in between sets.

Move barbells, kettlebells, adjustable dumbbells, cable attachments, etc. into a space inside your home.

This doesn’t have to be permanent winter storage; you can simply move the equipment needed for the day’s session inside even just a few hours before your workout (bonus points if you set them by a heat source). The goal is to warm up equipment that you need to grip for an extended period of time. By doing so, you will have a better time keeping your hands warm throughout the workout.

Time workouts for the warmest part of the day.

Provided you have the freedom to do this, monitor the temperature in your gym space throughout the day. You may find for example, that at around 3pm every day, your gym is at its warmest and therefore the best time to get out and train.

Take your rest periods inside. One of the simplest solutions provided your home gym is nearby a space warmer than your gym. Short breaks inside can make a huge difference on your body temperature and comfort level over the course of a workout.

Programming Complete your warmup and mobility activities inside the house after you’ve layered up. By doing this, you will be welcoming the cold air as you get to your gym.

Do your cardio and conditioning first. This will warm you up sustainably for your workout ahead. Be sure to keep in mind what your lifting session looks like to be sure you aren’t over doing it. This solution may not be best suited for everyone and is dependent on the goals you are carrying through the winter.

Limit your training to bare essentials. Another easy way to stay warm is to minimize your time in the cold as much as possible. You can still make progress by limiting your workouts to the main exercises that address your current goals. For example, I may only squat, bench, or deadlift in a training session. By cutting your training plan down to only compound movements you can continue making progress while limiting time out in the cold. This has the potential added benefit of reducing recovery needed between sessions depending on how hard you push.

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With added recovery, you may be able to train your compound lifts a bit harder than you would normally since you have saved some of your training volume from limiting or removing accessory work.

Modify your training to utilize supersets and circuits. By completing exercises one after the other with minimal rest, you will get your body temperature up and as a second perk, improve your work capacity.

This can even be ramped up and down depending on the time of year. For example, in late fall, or early spring it might be best to add in supersets to have you moving more than normal then moving to the coldest of winter, you could make your entire session a circuit to keep you in a constant flow to stay warm. As it warms back up, you could move back to supersets. There are many resources available online

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regarding supersets and circuits, I’d recommend doing your research ahead of time to find out what fits your goals and programming best.

Warming Tools Hand warmers. Throw these in your pocket or on your barbell to keep your hands warm. There are various forms of hand warmers, many gas stations and hardware stores carry disposable brands that last a few hours each. Other options include DIY heat packs filled with uncooked rice, corn barley, or even oatmeal sewn into a cloth pouch. These can then be heated in the microwave and brought out to your gym space to keep your hands or equipment warm.

If you choose the DIY route, be aware that these will not stay warm as long, so it is helpful to have a few

available for use.

Hair dryers and heat guns. These can be used to effectively heat up the equipment you will need to hold for your workout. A shop heat gun works faster than a blow dryer, but sometimes can leave your barbell or kettlebell a little too hot to touch! These can also be helpful toasting up the gloves you may be wearing between sets.

Heating blankets. A heating blanket can be used to warm your equipment or to drape over yourself between sets on the extremely cold days.

Recycle the heat from your vehicle. I am not recommending you leave your vehicle on or running in a closed or open gym space for heat, this would not be safe! If your home gym is in the same garage as your car you can take advantage of the heat the vehicle’s motor built up while driving around. A fully heated engine block can exceed 200 °F. When you’ve turned your vehicle off, the engine will warm up the space around it inside the garage while it cools off.

This can produce a noticeable temperature change depending on the size of your garage.

Gym Space Insulate your home gym. Properly installed insulation will keep the heat you are able to generate in your gym space and eliminate cold drafts. Covering up the smallest cracks and gaps can make a huge difference. The process is straightforward and requires minimal tools. You need to first determine what type of insulation you would like, the easiest and least expensive are typically using rolls of insulation batt. For this process, check online for the recommended resistance (R) value for your area of residence and application. You’ll then measure and purchase the insulation batts. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installation, typically requiring only personal protective equipment, a utility knife, stapler, and time. You will also want to be sure any doors, exterior and garage doors, are insulated.

Most hardware stores carry insulation kits for garage doors, or styrofoam can be cut to size and glued to the garage door. A final consideration for insulation is the ceiling. If you have open rafters to your roof, you may also want to insulate the ceiling to make the

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full project worthwhile. Heat rises!

Space heaters. There are a huge number of styles and heater types to choose from which are dependent on the size of the space you would like to heat, and whether it is already insulated or not (and if you plan to). The first decision you will have to make is if you want to heat your entire space, or just have a heat source nearby your workout area. If you are ok with just a source, a radiant or space heater should do well. This can be used to keep warm next to between sets, or keep a small, immediate area a little warmer throughout the workout. If you opt for heating your full space, you will want to determine the square footage of the area you’re heating. This information will help you to determine what size of a heater you will need. Be sure to pay attention to the requirements of the heater you end up picking out. Most require an additional power line to be run to where the unit will plug in. Some mounted units will also require a natural gas connection and exhaust vent. Other torpedo style will require a propane or kerosene fuel source. In all cases remember to follow manufacturer safety recommendations.

Relocate home gym inside. Moving your essential equipment to a temporary, winter space in your home will allow you to continue training without the effort

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of purchasing heating equipment, bundling up, or fighting through the cold. The tradeoff is that you may need to change your winter programming to smaller, portable equipment that fit inside your home.

Consider altering your programming in the winter to dumbbells, bands, kettlebells, bodyweight, or other minimal space and equipment styles of training. This could help to focus on areas of fitness improvement that could have otherwise gone unaddressed.

Bundle Up Prior to getting to the winter season, you should take the time to review your training plan and modify it appropriately to meet your requirement to stay warm. In all aspects of training, there will always be an element of embracing the suck, cold weather is just another layer. It is important to understand there will be times where you will have to mentally combat your discomfort regardless of how well you feel you prepared. Incorporate as many of these strategies as you can to maximize your training in cold weather months. Stay warm!

Contact Babatunde O. Awoyinka with questions about this article on Instagram @babatunde.a.

Adapting Your Training To Colder Weather Cold weather training presents different challenges than hot weather training. The body loses heat quickly through convective heat transfer from your skin, and it becomes difficult to maintain the temperature of your internal organs. You may feel sluggish and demotivated to train during cold weather, but below are some tips you can use when training during winter.

Stay Hydrated Hydration levels impacts on your performance both mentally and physically. However, during winter, you may not feel thirsty as you usually do during summer exercises. You may tend to go for longer training hours without water, not realizing that your body loses a lot of fluids when you breathe cold, dry air. Additionally, in winter, you may not sweat a lot because sweat turns into vapor, and it does not appear directly to your skin.

Keep in mind that your body’s need for water is the same all year round. To stay hydrated during cold weather, drink plenty of warm water and warm noncaffeinated drinks. Stay away from drinks such as alcohol, hot caffeinated drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, and carbonated drinks because they will dehydrate your body.

Warm-Up Before Starting Your Exercise A warm-up helps in improving performance and reducing the risk of injury. The main reason for warming up is to elevate your core temperature, which is difficult to maintain in cold weather.

The warm-up creates energy for your training by circulating blood, delivering oxygen to the body cells, and producing energy in the form of ATP for your upcoming exercise. It also prepares you physically and mentally, especially through the physical movements and music that stimulate your body.

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During your warm-up session, you can use dynamic stretches such as spot jogs, leg kickbacks, or brisk walking. The intensity of your training should determine the intensity of the warm-up. If you plan for a high-intensity workout, you can try activities such as strides.

If you are to train outdoors, warm-up indoors before heading out. You should also wear dry clothes to minimize the risk of hypothermia or frostbites. Dress warmly by adding a base layer, insulating layer, and a wind-breaking layer, then make sure that your hands

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and feet are warm. You can always remove the layers as you get warm.

Workout Outside to Burn More Calories We often associate summertime with getting lean and winter with bulking. But that’s because we typically eat more in the winter to help stay warm but with a few tweaks you can actually lose weight while everyone else is getting fat and sluggish on the holiday cookies. Simply training outside in the cold can help you burn more calories. The main priority

of your body is to maintain the proper temperature of your organs when exercising in cold weather.

Workouts produce heat, which your body must labor to stabilize. When exercising, you will burn more calories to regulate your normal body temperature.

You can lose weight if you maintain the same diet you ate during summer or outdoor training can offset some holiday party dietary indiscretions as long as you don’t go overboard on a regular basis.

Eat Healthy A healthy diet is not only crucial for keeping you nourished, but it can also help you lose weight.

However, during this period, people tend to overeat and consume unhealthy diets. In most cases, those who are less active, end up filling that gap by eating.

Besides, if they are suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), they could be tempted to seek comfort from calorie-dense foods.

If you are cold, it is recommended to take foods such as vegetables or broth-based soups because they have less calories. You can also consider tracking your

snacks and foods or be more active in the gym if you have winter blues.

Find Ways to Stay Motivated Some of the ways you can stay motivated are: • Finding a workout partner to hold you accountable • Investing in warm and stylish gym wear • Create a winter playlist of your favorite workout songs. Maybe even check out some of the motivational videos on YouTube. There’s nothing like seeing Rocky running in snow to fire you up to train!

Have A Consistent Schedule Schedule your workouts in a planner then set digital reminders. If you work out in the mornings, set one alarm and get up immediately. You can put the alarm or your phone across the room to ensure you wake up. You can also use an old-fashioned calendar to mark each day you work out. By using the plan, you will systematically see progress which in itself can motivate you to train.

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The Best Ways To Heat Your Home Gym Sticking to a workout routine isn’t easy, especially during cold weather. In winter, most people feel the need to hibernate, and getting out of bed can become a problem if you train early in the morning.

However, you should not quit exercising due to freezing temperatures. Below are some tips on how to keep your home gym warm and conducive for exercise as the weather changes- (whether it is a garage gym, basement gym, a spare bedroom gym and other types of home gyms) Insulate Take a look at your garage or basement gym and locate where the cold air is coming from then insulate those spots. Some of the areas that may need insulation are: • Gym doors are the first place to inspect for potential problems. You need to insulate the thin metal door to keep your gym warm. Check if the door covers the entire width of the door and replace 38

it if it’s worn-out or doesn’t fit. You should also check if there is an open space between the door and the frame. If there is a space at the top or on the sides of the door, call your local home improvement store to fix it for you.

• Windows can let in a lot of cold in the room, and most garage and basement gyms do not have insulated windows. Consider insulating the windows and covering them with plastic window films. This will be an effective and energy-efficient method of keeping your gym warm.

• Exterior walls aren’t always insulated. In fact, it’s common for garage and unfinished basement gyms to have at least one exterior wall that is not insulated.

Find any wall that is not insulated and fix it to prevent cold from getting into the gym.

Upgrade Your Floors One of the leading causes of cold home gym

floors is because they don’t have a barrier between the concrete and the carpeting, laminate, tile, or any flooring used. The solution to this is to apply a waterproof membrane and a floating subfloor system. Find a subfloor that is warm and watertight to prevent the growth of mold or rot. You can also have reliable and consistently warm floors by installing a radiant in-floor heating system. The system will involve a series of flexible plastic tubes that run across your flooring. Heated water will fill the tubing and bring your home gym floor to a comfortable temperature.

Heating Options Use a Forced-Air Heater You can install a forced-air unit to heat your basement or garage gym in winter. The heaters range in size and price, and they are cheaper than the infrared heating source. The heater can be connected to your home’s gas or propane line. These heaters will blast hot air in your gym as you train. The downside

of this heating method is that the forced air can blow debris and dirt around the room.

Get A Baseboard Heater This is a small, low-to-ground, out-of-the-way conventional heater for warming single rooms. It is cost-effective and ideal for home gyms that are not connected to the HVAC system of your house. There are a variety of top quality baseboard heaters that you can purchase for lea than $50 from your local store.

Install Heating Vents Around 84% of houses in America have an HVAC system. Although adding a new heating vent into your HVAC system may be more expensive than having a space heater. Its long-term convenience makes it a worthwhile decision. If you have a central system, installing one in your garage or basement gym will not have a significant impact on your electric bills.

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40

Should You Take Your Personal Training Business Online?

by Rob Brinkley

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Whether by choice or necessity, are you thinking of taking your personal training business online? I wanted to get us some real tips from real trainers that have transitioned to online training. So, I reached out to several trainers who I admire, and asked for advice based upon their experience.

All of our mentors have been very successful in person trainers before they transitioned to their online formats. Granted, getting in person experience during the COVID-19 pandemic may be challenging.

If you are able to recruit local folks that’s great. Be safe and be smart and be outside if you can. An alternative could be doing many “virtual” Zoom sessions for free or for a discounted rate.

When you switch to online, you cannot keep repeating, “No, no. Like this.” As you mime the exercise. Building your in person “critical eye” will help you know when/where to look. If a client isn’t getting it, or something doesn’t feel right to them you’ll have better troubleshooting options in your mind. You’ll know what angles you want to see, from your online clients and which angles you want to demonstrate to your online clients. Your in-person experiences, even through Zoom, are teaching you how people move; common faults in technique or safety; and allowing you to experiment with different cues to find which ones are successful.

A quick introduction to our mentors:

Karen says, “Trainers should still spend time training in person first. Seeing all different body types in person will help them become a better trainer before transitioning because when you transition to online you won’t be able to walk around your client.”

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Karen Smith, Master StrongFirst instructor, online training since 2013.

Anna Woods, SheStrength, online training since 2016.

Vinny Crispino, Pain Academy, online training since 2016.

Anna Woods is the founder of sheStrength and has been training clients online and in person since 2013. Her advice is, keep it simple and consistent.

“Most people who train online want repetition, ease of use, and accessibility. Stay consistent with your programming and marketing. Keep workouts to the point, make them easy to follow and make sure that it’s quick to login and logout.”

Remember That It’s NOT About You Your communication should be client focused. All of our mentors use social media in some capacity.

Afolabi Ajumobi, founder of bodybylabi, has been training clients online since 2019. He pointed out that it can be helpful and engaging to share yourself/your story to build your rapport/credibility/authority but remember the goal is not to boost your ego; it’s to connect to other humans. Humans that potentially, may want to become your clients.

Vinny says, “It’s not about you, it’s about them,”

Build your audience Kimberly Doehnert, is an IFBB pro, who has been providing online training since 2012. She says, “You need to have an audience online before you try to sell online— that means social media and email marketing.”

Resist the temptation to try to flood Instagram with your content in the beginning. Anna says, “You need to] narrow down your niche. Start small. Once you’ve narrowed down your target client, your niche, you can start building your audience.”

Building your audience doesn’t have to be complicated. “Think of one person that fits your audience and pretend you are speaking directly to them,” Anna says. People will be attracted to you as they see the value of your content. So even though it may not seem as if you’re getting anything out of it in the short term, stay the course. Vinny Crispino, founder of the Pain Academy, has been training people online since 2016, says, “Content is the game, but it takes time”.

“Provide as much value as you can up front,” she says.

And don’t be intimidated by how many other trainers or coaches there are out there. It’s a marathon not a sprint.

“Don’t be frustrated or intimidated by followers and flashy workouts. People trust consistency and value,” Anna says, “Be the authority and wisdom that shows up day in and day out.”

It’s Not Easy Brandon Cole, of livedefined.com, has been offering online training since 2016. “A big mistake online trainers make is thinking it will be easy,” he says.

Think of when you first started training in person.

It took time to build up your clients. You had an advantage when you went in person. You wore a uniform - people knew you were a trainer. You built your credibility and showcased your professionalism, or lack thereof in front of everyone. Online all those things are invisible to potential clients. You need to find ways to showcase those things to potential clients in the online world.

Brandon: “Understand that online training takes specific skills.”

Beyond personal training knowledge: You have to learn how to market your products and yourself online.

You have to learn how to effectively communicate your knowledge on an online platform. You need to be able to explain clearly but not overwhelmingly.

That could be through: live video, pre-recorded videos, writing, software you use, etc. Each of these mediums require additional skills beyond your Personal Trainer toolkit.

There are lots of little things.

Setting up the proper angles for yourself to be viewed.

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Communicatinting to your clients how to set up their videos for you to view them from.

Having and properly using the right equipment: mic, lighting, video recording device, space, etc.

Some additional questions you want to think about (we will briefly review each but decision is yours): • What type of online training will you do?

• How will you assess your clients?

• How could you scale the process?

• How will you handle nutrition?

• How will you handle liability?

What type of online training will you do?

Online training has become a generic term that encompasses a wide variety of styles.

You could: 44

• Email workouts in spreadsheets or pdf (2 of our mentors prefer this method).

• Use an app: Trainerize, ProCoach, Membership website (all mentioned).

• Some type of interactive aka “virtual”: Skype, Zoom, Facetime (all mentioned).

• Some sort of mix (a bit of each).

Whatever you provide, make sure your clients understand what they are getting. I am a strong believer that customer satisfaction is the balance of their expectations vs their experience. If their experience doesn’t match or exceed their expectations you’re in trouble.

How will you assess your clients?

Every trainer had some vetting process to see if a client was a good fit, and/or to determine how to program for the client (video chat, questionnaires,

online tutorial series). You want to know health history, pasy injuries, prior experience, and current skill level.

Ultimately, what does it take to be a successful online trainer? Our online mentors said the things that helped them were:

How could you scale the process?

Within your niche/target. Set up some templates that will help you streamline the process. We aren’t talking about a one size fits all approach, but whichever genre of online training you choose, have a working model you can sculpt for clients will make you more efficient.

Persistence, professionalism, knowledge, desire to learn the online stuff, and passion to help others.

Also, “Run fitness business like a business.”

How will you handle nutrition?

Brandon is a Precision Nutrition Level 2 certified and has a few nutritional credentials through NASM, and still acknowledges it’s challenging.

Brandon: “I’m confident in my knowledge of the subject. However from my experience this is ALWAYS the most time consuming.”

Brandon: “It’s valuable for a trainer to become professionally educated on the subject..” but he prefers to defer to a Nutrition coach.

Afolabi distributes a pdf of basic principles focusing on healthy habits.

Other online trainers will do both and charge accordingly for both services. Or you could team up with another person that does specific nutrition that you could refer clients to each other. You need to decide how you will handle nutrition. Be consistent.

How will you handle liability?

When training in person you’d typically get a type of liability insurance. Some policy’s cover both in person and virtual. Some don’t. When looking information up on getting liability insurance for online training, the information doesn’t seem to be consistent. Some sources advocate for it.

Others suggest waiver of liability forms will do.

Do what you feel comfortable with personally. I will encourage you to encourage your clients to communicate when things don’t feel right or something hurts.

On a final note, what if, we join together in a network?

We can learn from each other.

We cannot be everything to everyone.

What if we helped each other. If someone comes to me for online training, but I know one of our mentors is a better fit - I would gladly refer them.

Because I am confident that they would be in great hands.

Kim @Kimberlydoehnert Helps get women ready to step on stage and compete.

Karen @coachkaren Master at kettlebells and bodyweight exercises.

Anna @she strength Helps busy women, who want to feel better.

Vinny @painacademy Passionate about teaching people how to get out of pain and get back to enjoying your life.

Brandon @brandonkcole Beyond exercise knowledge, he is a Fascial Stretch Specialist level 3. Which can help with flexibility, sports injuries, and just feeling great, if it makes sense for your situation, he provides virtual sessions.

Afolabi @bodybylabi Helps athletes stay accountable. His enthusiasm is contagious and if you love challenges or obstacle races he can help you summon your best performance.

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MOTIVATION

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IN THIS SECTION...

MOTIVATION IS A MYTH STAYING MOTIVATED WHEN TRAINING ALONE HOW TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS IN 2021

MOTIVATION IS A MYTH

by Heaven Duvall-Cox

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Motivation is a myth! At least the way we think about it is. If you’re a new home gym owner, or you just started working out at home, the information in this article will be vital to your long-term fitness goals.

Let’s take a quick walk through a typical year and maybe you’ll see yourself somewhere in this timeline.

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January - I worked out 6 times this week!

February - I’m working out a couple of times a week. I’ve just been sooo busy.

March - Man, I really need to get back to the gym!

April through June - *Crickets* July - Once the kids get back in school, IT’S ON!

August - I went to the gym 4 times this week!

September - I’m working out a couple of times a week. I’ve just been sooo busy.

October - Man, I really need to get back to the gym!

November - I’m just going to enjoy the holidays and hit it hard in January.

December - Once New Year’s is here, IT’S ON! This is what I would see and hear on a consistent basis when I was a group fitness instructor in a public gym. I see the same thing across social media now that I’m a part of the home gym community.

Motivation is real, and we experience it as a feeling.

However, believing that we can use it to reach our goals, is a myth.

Back to the Timeline If we break down that timeline again, you’ll see the spurts of “motivation” that most people follow. We tend to wait until there’s a change in situation or circumstance to start doing what we should be doing all along. We think that motivation is the key to our success. It’s not.

What is Motivation?

Motivation is defined as “the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way” or “the general desire or willingness of someone to do something”.

Most people “lose motivation” because their reason isn’t strong enough to keep them disciplined. If we go a few levels deeper with our “why”, then our desire to workout, or eat right, or grow our businesses will most likely return, giving us the opportunity to build disciplined action into our lives.

my kids are being occupied, therefore I can go for a run or do a workout. I have “motivation” because there are no obstacles in the way.

But let’s say it’s raining, I’m sore from my last workout, I’m in a caloric deficit, and the kids have been crazy most of the day… Hello, obstacles! All of a sudden, there’s a huge lack of “motivation”. If my reason and habits aren’t strong enough, chances are good that a workout is not going to happen.

What if, when we face obstacles, we use them to further motivate us?

Why Do We Rely So Heavily on Motivation?

To put this another way, “why don’t I push myself when I’m feeling lazy?”. Here’s the deal, the reason most of us want motivation to never leave is that we get lazy. We do! It’s hard for me to admit that, as I’m such a driven person. However, even I have moments when I really don’t want to work out or eat healthily.

It’s during those times when I have to make decisions based on fact over feeling. I have to be disciplined. I have to decide to “do it anyway”. One thing I often tell myself is “Shut up and do it anyway.” Maybe that will help you, too! We can’t rely on feelings to get stuff done.

That being said, I do have one last piece of advice for those of us who desire to stay fit and healthy.

There’s a way to “hack” the feeling of motivation.

How Can We Cultivate Intrinsic Motivation?

What Does It Mean to “Be Motivated”?

Most people are motivated when there is a lack of resistance.

To get the most out of this question, I have to explain the difference in motivators. There are two basic ways we grab onto a desire that is strong enough to cause action. These two motivators are called INTRINSIC and EXTRINSIC motivators. To simplify this, intrinsic comes from inside of you and extrinsic comes from outside of you. Think: Internal and external.

Example: It’s a beautiful day, I’m not sore, I ate enough food,

Okay, here’s the fun part! A lot of us only use EXTRINSIC motivators, i.e., losing weight for a 49

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wedding, cruise, challenge, etc. Basically, the thing that is motivating us is coming from the external world. The problem with this, as I’m sure you know, is that as soon as the event is over, the “motivation” dies. This leaves us in a funk, unsure what to do next, and falling back into old habits. You know, the habits that got you stuck in the first place…?

Essentially, you bypass the feeling of motivation and use your brain to create disciplined habits. These habits will hold the strongest when they become identity-based habits.

In order to cultivate true motivation, the kind that holds your desire long after the feelings wear off, you have to learn how to create intrinsic motivation.

Example: I am a fit, healthy person. Because I believe this about myself, I am able to tie my REASON (intrinsic

The number one factor in successfully doing this is to tie your reason to your identity.

motivation) for working out, to an identity-based habit— I am therefore, I do.

Motivation isn’t something we find… it’s something we CREATE. It’s created through disciplined action because action fuels our “why”, our reason.

I’ve been a group fitness instructor for almost a decade (do you feel old when you say that too?). I quickly fell in love with being part of someone else’s fitness journey and it spurred a desire to incorporate personal training and eventually online coaching as well.

Having a background in group fitness gave me a unique look at motivation from an instructor’s perspective. It was literally my job to provide external motivation to my class participants. It was my job to help them work hard and move well, to not quit when they really wanted to, and to keep them coming back for more.

Time to Reframe Motivation Friend, there is no way to stay “motivated” all of

the time, at least not in the sense that you will always “feel like it”. You just won’t feel like working out all of the time. It’s a fact. When you don’t have the extrinsic motivation of the gym anymore, you may end up feeling lost and unmotivated. That’s when you should ask and answer these questions for yourself.

Find that deeper reason to work out regularly. Stay curious and creative. And above all, reframe what motivation really is.

Remember, motivation isn’t something you find… it’s something you create. It’s created through disciplined action because action fuels your “why”.

Heaven Duvall-Cox is the owner of The Sandbag Queen, an online fitness coach, wife, and mom of four. Her mission is to help people take control of their health one choice at a time.

Reach out to Heaven Duvall-Cox with questions about this article on Instagram @the.sandbag. queen.

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Staying Motivated When Training Alone

by Mike “Bird” Parrott

Training in a garage gym has many advantages; convenience, no waiting for equipment, as well as no need for childcare if you’re a parent. However, a few shortfalls exist when training in a garage gym. One of them is the lack of sufficient training partners. Of course, not all garage gym rats feel this pain; it seems much more ubiquitous among exclusive strength athletes who participate minimally in popular social circles. Athletes who train alone may soon discover 52

that finding the motivation to get in the gym and push through a tough session may actually be more challenging than the workout itself. Working out alone is seldom fun; when I’m training at home, I have to be lifter, coach and training partner all at the same time. I have developed techniques to help get me through those rough days where I really didn’t feel like doing anything. Those days when I am tired from working all day and people are driving me nuts.

Those days when I would rather take a nap than put my body through so much stress that when I do sleep, I fall into a coma-like state!

Anger and Hate Now I do not consider myself an angry person.

But I do view myself as an average athlete, with average numbers and average performance and I hate it! Before each session I remind myself that champions are above average, and champions do not skip training days— so I get in the gym. Before each lift, I’m reminded how average lifters train with the weight that I train with. I imagine how “easy” other lifters, with their training partners and cool equipment, must have it and I hate it! So, I smash through training in a pissed off state. All this may sound a bit over the top, but it works. Visualizing something and becoming pissed off at it can really get the adrenaline flowing— fight or flight!

My Kids I do not go into every session pissed off. Sometimes I actually have a good day and need to lean on other factors to get me going. My kids help to fill the void that hate fails to reach. My little monsters help coach my lifts, judge and even spot me on those max efforts lift from time to time. I certainly

cannot lose focus with them in my corner! Serving on active duty already keeps me away from home for a substantial amount of time. Throw in twohour long training sessions, 4-6 days a week and I barely have enough time to help with homework.

However, my children understand my predicament and as athletes themselves, know what it takes to be a champion. Not to mention they view me as dad, coach, Superman, Spiderman and Batman all-in-one.

With standards this high, how could I let them down by not training hard?

My Own Goals and Aspirations One thing that military service has taught me is that you will achieve very little without hard work and a laser focus. Get rich quick schemes or 7-minute abs routines rarely helped anyone, and I never forget that nothing beats determination, hard work, sweat and some occasional blood. So, the message to all my fellow solo garage lifters, and all others in-between, is to use all elements to help keep you moving forward. Never allow yourself to view your training as mundane and a second priority.

Follow Mike Parrott on Instagram @dabird93 , reach out for coaching at maniacpowerlifting. com and follow his brand @garagegymrat.

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HOW TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS IN 2021

BY ADAM TRENT DOUGLASS Most fitness related resolutions fail because of lack of planned progression and lack of logic rotation.

Without planned progression, things might go great for 3-4 weeks. At that point adaption would have kicked in. This kills progress, and it’s no surprise that most new year’s resolutions don’t last longer than three to four weeks. Another mistake made through lack of planned progression is “backing yourself into a corner”.

I think we’ve all heard of someone going into a fat loss journey with the plan of eating next to nothing and doing cardio five times a week. That is a great example of “backing yourself into a corner because once adaptation kicks in, you don’t have anywhere to go. So, what’s the answer? Minimum effective dose.

(MED) 54

Intake of food is a great example for MED. Let’s use the fat loss goal again. If you are burning fat at 2000 calories per day, eating 1000 calories isn’t going to burn twice as much. Actually, it’s most probably going to burn less! Same goes for a muscle gain goal. If you’re eating 5000 calories when you only need 3000 to grow, that growth phase isn’t going to last long. Training stimulus is no different. As far as stimulus goes “you can only progress from the stimulus that you can recover from” Speaking of stimulus, that brings us to the rotation of logics. This is all about manipulation of all five of the pathways to muscle growth: • Strength

• Hypertrophy • Volume • Frequency • Metabolic All five pathways can be broken down into three phases, but I’m going to recommend a fourth one: Neurological.

Let’s look at each phase in greater detail: Neurological Neurological phases are very important for physique enhancement. Physique enhancement training is very dependent on quality contractions and strength, in that order!

A neurological phase is a great time to focus on contractions and strength. It’s important to remember that the strength aspect of this phase isn’t to simply move more load. The point is to increase the amount of tension that you can create in an intended muscle, or muscle group. If you focus on moving load, the human body will use whatever it can to move that load. This will actually reduce the amount of tension in that intended muscle, or muscle group.

Neurological phases are very stressful on the central nervous system. Remember that (CNS) Muscle recovers faster than the CNS itself, so your muscle may feel recovered, but your CNS most probably isn’t. Keep the workouts relatively short, with longer rest times, and keep the training frequency at once a week.

Hypertrophy Most people’s preferred phase. Rest time comes down, workout time increases, and so “may” frequency. This phase is very much about the accumulation of volume. That volume will restrict the load used, but people still tend to love this phase, and what’s not to love? Load is still pretty high most of the time. Extended sets, and intensified sets tend to pop up from time to time. (super sets, drop sets, cluster sets) massive pumps generally come along

for the ride, it’s a great phase. It can have its faults though. The greatest fault of the hypertrophy phase is most probably it’s popularity! People tend to stay in this phase forever! Most even think “bodybuilding” is just hypertrophy training. If only it were that simple!

All five pathways to muscle growth suit the logic of the hypertrophy phase but that doesn’t mean you should use all of them at once. Have a clearly set, logical goal for your hypertrophy phase.

Metabolic Metabolic training is the king of energy expenditure!

Rest is extremely low, output is extremely high, reps can sometimes be high. Supersets, Tri-sets, giant sets, extended sets and intensified sets are all appropriate for a metabolic phase. If your goal is fat loss, this is where your progression should peak. CNS stress is low, cellular swelling and lactic acid are high. The logic is simple: Do more work in the same or less time.

De-load De-load phases are important to ensure stress management. To ensure you don’t “burn out”. They are boring and most people can’t stand them because of that. Make no mistake, de-load phases are just as important as any other phase.

I understand, sometimes it’s hard to take your foot off the gas. Please understand that you can’t go at 100% all of the time.. The main priority should be de-loading from high load and/or high volume.

That’s the priority for many reasons. Joint health and stress management being the two most important.

This is basically a time to set yourself up for when you put your foot back on the gas.

My Recommendations for Reaching Your 2021 Goals Have a clear goal and a plan to achieve it Intentionally plan each phase to be harder than the previous phase.

Get weight management DNA testing which isn’t 55

as expensive as it sounds (mine cost $50). DNA testing isn’t perfect, but it gives great insight into your genetic makeup.

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Follow Adam Trent Douglas on Instagram @ bogan_bodybuilding or join his Facebook group Bogan Bodybuilding.

What Caught My Eye in 2020

by Joe Gray

2020 was the biggest push in the home gym market since CrossFit opened people’s garages, booted the cars and brought in the bars. COVID taught the rest of the world what we already knew: Home Gym = Best Gym In Town!

In 2020 we saw Prime Fitness, one of the worlds highest quality and most innovative commercial gym equipment manufacturers, add to their line of equipment tailored to the home gym market. We saw industry pioneer, Williams Strength, push out their Quick Ship imitative which was 100% built for the COVID-19 lockdown crisis of gym equipment for home lifters. We saw Torque rebuild their Tank Sled specifically for home gym users with a lower price tag, more manageable storage, but still keeping the majority of what made it one of the coolest sleds on the market.

The number one thing I saw this year was major players in the equipment business, finally look at us, the home gym community, as a viable, sustainable market and customer base. That means more cool stuff, more affordable stuff, all designed specifically for us, coming down the pipeline.

With that, lets take a look at the Top Three Items from 2020 that caught my eye.

The Ultimate Dip Attachment from Mutant Metals You may not have heard of Mutant Metals… yet. It is the brain child of Christopher Mosley. He is a 700lb squatter, who trains entirely out of his garage and

has a background in physical therapy. Chris recently started making gym equipment specifically for the home gym crowd (including a project he’s working on for the publisher of the magazine you’re reading right now).

His first big offering is The Ultimate Dip Attachment which is already showing up in gyms across the US that pay an enormous amount of attention to detail.

Expect to see these beauties next to some Chrome Ivankos, Stainless Steel Rep Racks, and more. The Ultimate Dip Attachment has custom powder coat finishes, UHMW all over, removeable fully stainlesssteel knurled handles (can be used for soft tissue, Hatfield handles, pull-ups, you name it), and then he even worked some BUILT IN storage solutions to the unit. The handles are adjustable to fit smaller athletes (say, your kids), to bigger athletes. This is a one and done item that will fit the entire family for a multitude of applications.

Chris’s Ultimate Dip Attachment makes my list because I think he literally has the best dip attachment available. He didn’t just clone something else, he reinvented it and brought it new life. You’re going to want to keep an eye on this brand because he’s going to drop some BIG stuff on the market in the near future. Count me in as extremely excited. I own a pair of his Hatfield handles, a custom stainless steel fully knurled wrist roller, and a bench dock from him. All awesome. So I might be a little biased when I say that I’m most excited about what he is doing than potentially any other manufacturer out there. He has a website in the works, in the meantime follow him on Instagram.

Phoenix Rack w/ Custom J Cups from Bridge BUILT One of the keys to building the home gym market, is making equipment accessible to everyone. Companies like Rogue brought power racks, benches, and bars to the home gym community at a rate and price not seen before. Now we have PRx Performance and Bridge BUILT pushing the limitations on space 57

constraints introducing folding racks, folding benches and more.

For those not familiar with Bridge BUILT, they’re a Cincinnati, Ohio based manufacturer founded by former Division 1 collegiate football player, Patryk Bielawski. The Bridge BUILT Phoenix Rack makes my list because of the high-quality custom work, the quick break down and build up of the rack itself, and the simple fact that it is an actual squat stand instead of a folding wall rack.

This means you can have a legit powerlifting set up with almost zero dedicated space. Apartment lifter?

Store it in the closet! Home owner’s association doesn’t allow parking on the street/driveway? Put it in the corner and pull the car in!... It’s portable so you can take it outside... It’s beautifully made down to some outstanding custom powder coat finishes... and those custom clear UHMW JCups are just amazing. It is the kind of thinking we need in the home gym community— people looking at problems and solving them in unique and awesome ways. In an ocean of equipment clone companies importing rebranded equipment, Bridge BUILT stands out.

ATX Chrome Powerlifting Plates If you are an American lifter you might not know

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the name ATX. Unfortunately for us, they are solely serving other countries. Earlier in 2020 they launched their Chrome Competition Powerlifting Plates. Never have I ever seen so many comments on one post asking for a company to come to the US. People were trying to figure out how they could order a literal boat load of them and resell here. These things are GORGEOUS! I think they got reposted by just about every home gym page, including myself, just out of shear hope we could encourage ATX to finally come on over. No luck.

ATX as a whole seems to make some seriously legit stuff for the home gym space. They have a lever gym unit with a built-in stack that I’ve drooled over before. They have rack attached neck machines, belt squat units, combo racks, and tons of other stuff. It looks beefy, bold, and built for some heavy lifts.

If you are outside of the US, check them out. If you are inside the US, check them out anyway so you can help me bug them to come on over.

Reach out to Joe Gray on Instagram with any questions about this article or to watch him squeeze a few more notches out of his lifting belt.

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