John Greaves III's Blog, page 19

Truck Stop Workouts with Damir Sarcev

Truck stop workouts are turning Damir Sarcevic into an Instagram legend! He’s only got 358 Instagram followers as I write this but he’s definitely someone who deserves more of the spotlight! Like I said when I used him for Weekly Motivation last week, @dmkdacho is a truck driver who’s decided to not let that turn him into a shadow of his former, athletic self! 

Damir, I’ve got to warn you that I’m going to have a lot of questions about your truck stop workouts because most people don’t really know about the truck driver’s life. First thing is, how did you start exercising in general?

Well, basically, pretty much all my life I’ve been in sports. Since I was a kid, I was born and raised in Serbia, and in Serbia water polo is like the national sport. And it’s really popular. Serbia, I think was nine times the world champion in the Olympics so it’s really popular and I was in that maybe six, seven years.

You have to be in really good shape to play that sport! Everybody I see on the Olympic team that does water polo is in really good shape especially their upper bodies.

Yeah it’s a really hard sport. Really rough. A lot of times it’s not fair.

I forgot who said it but it’s like rugby but in the water.

Yeah, pretty much. A lot of dirty play, especially when the referee cannot see it. We use a lot of tricks; put Vaseline on your body so you can always get away. Like MMA fighters who do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu put oil or something on the body so you can’t get holds but yeah! I was I think seven years training that and I was in high school and I was a bad student; I almost failed so my parents told me I couldn’t do water polo anymore; I needed to study. They wanted me to put more work into school. Actually later I was one of the best students, ha! So I replaced it and fell in love with weights. I was working out through all of high school and college. Then I came to the U.S. and started working here and after a year and a half in the trucks I didn’t work out at all! I was just driving. And I saw a big difference in my body—

You started getting fat?

Yeah, I actually lost a lot of muscle mass and I got a belly. So I got skinny fat, you know that bodytype? And I was talking with a friend of mine; we’re good friends now but at that time we had just met and she was telling me how she always finds time to work out and she knew a lot of stuff about training and I knew a lot of stuff about dieting. So we started talking more and more; exchanging ideas and we created a plan for us truckers that suits us. Because we don’t have a lot of time it’s not always the same time that you can work out. Sometimes it’s night, sometimes it’s morning and you can’t really eat clean in the truck. I mean you can but it’s really, really hard. So we basically started doing our stuff. What we do is, you know the squat everyday program?

Yeah, definitely! So you’re doing squat every day?

We’re squatting every day. This is how our day starts. You wake up and start squatting for like thirty or forty minutes and when you finish you do one muscle group in like a bodybuilding style. And after that just eat. We added some deadlifts and bench press but basically what you’re doing is for one hour you’re doing powerlifting training and then maybe half an hour focus on like a bodybuilding training like maybe it’s arms or like shoulders or something like that.

Okay so you said you started doing that with your friend?

No I was doing it by myself but we talked about it researching. We did research about diets, about workout plans and stuff so we actually were exchanging ideas and stuff like that.

Now, Damir where are you training? I know that there are gyms at truck stops and some truckers apparently have workout systems in their cab but it doesn’t look like you have any of that.

The stuff they’ve got in truck stops and not all of the truck stops but they’ve got some gyms but those gyms are just like treadmills and maybe a bicycle and that’s it. So for the stuff that I do it’s useless. I have a squat rack that I bought on eBay, I think it was like $70.

You mean your squat stands or is it a rack?

It’s just stands. So I got that, I got a regular bench, I bought an Olympic set with a bar and 300lbs of weight and then I bought some 45lb bumper plates too.  I use the chains for the tire to do pullups and dips. I also put them on the bar when I’m squatting. I’ve got two pairs of chains and each pair is 25lbs.

Now where do you put all of that when you’re driving?

I took out the passenger seat of my truck otherwise it wouldn’t fit. I took out the passenger seat. My truck is a Waller truck and it’s got cabinets above the driver and passenger side. So I opened those cabinets and just put the bar in those cabinets. All of my clothes and paperwork are on the top bunk, I’ve got two bunks in my sleeper and the rest of the truck is like, I can’t even turn around because I bought a fridge, I bought a grille so I can eat healthier.

I know other truck drivers might be wondering this so I’ll ask before I forget. Do you drive hazmat or doubles?

When I started, I was driving doubles but now I just drive general freight.

And how does your employer look at you taking the truck apart? Do they own the truck or do you own it?

I’m the owner of the truck so I can do whatever I want. But I was lucky, before I bought the truck I was working for my friend. So he was pretty much understanding if I needed time to workout. A lot of people are like push push, no you need to do this or that but I just told him I’m going to do my thing. Don’t worry, I’m not going to be late for deliveries but you need to give me my two hours for myself and that’s it.

That’s actually probably a pretty good deal for them because it keeps you healthy. Everybody takes breaks at truck stops anyway but what you do on your break keeps you healthy! So it’s basically you and your weights just driving around America!

Yeah, like everywhere because I drive all around the country! So when I’ve got time I usually work out at the truck stops. The best places are truck stops because I can get a shower right afterwards but sometimes I go to a rest area. Wal Marts are actually pretty good, I cannot shower after it but I can buy fresh food.

Ah! So you can workout at Wal Mart and then go right inside and get something to eat!

Yeah, Wal Mart parking lots, rest areas, even when I’ve got time. Usually on a pickup or delivery you spend thirty minutes but sometimes you spend like three or four hours so I always ask how long it’s going to take to load me up. If they say three or more I just take out the squat rack even if I’ve already worked out that day; I’m just going to use the opportunity because you never know if maybe tomorrow something’s going to happen and you won’t be able to work out.

How long does your workout take?

On good days, when I feel focused, I can finish my workout in under an hour. Because I need at least ten minutes to take everything out and set it up and when I’m finished, ten minutes to put it back. But if I feel lazy and sometimes you’ve got those days when you cannot focus and then it might take more than two hours.

Now what about sleep time? Because my friend who’s the truck driver says that during the pickup is when he tries to get some rest. So how do you handle not being too sleepy to drive?

That’s the thing. I’m pretty much a hyper person so even if I have time, I don’t sleep more than six hours even when I’m home and I’ve got all of the time in the world. I always consider sleeping a waste of time. I know that I need sleep especially for the muscle recovery but I just—

Yeah, because you don’t build enough testosterone if you don’t get enough sleep.

That’s true.

I started doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu this year. I just park the car and take an Uber to class.

But you’re used to being on a deadline so I guess I can understand that because I have a weird schedule too, I have to be up at different times to post on Instagram, make sure I’m interacting with people in different time zones for the sake of building my business, so I get it.

Yeah, the body will adjust!

I started doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu this year. When I’m off, my day is like squatting before noon and then at night I go do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. And when I’m in Illinois or Minnesota, I’ve got schools that if I’ve got time, I just go hang out with them.

So let’s say you come into town on a run, and class is about to start, you just pull in at a truck stop and go to a Jiu Jitsu class?

Yeah, I just leave the truck parked and take an Uber.

That’s outstanding.

I really go crazy not doing anything active. Eighty percent of the time when I’m driving I’m just thinking I need to be doing this, or I’m going to work out that. I’m just focused on that. Because it’s like jail.

Oh I get it; you’re basically stuck in a car all day!

Yeah and I just can’t wait. And plus, stress. People are crazy on the road! So you get stressed like crazy and you need to let it out.

So do you listen to podcasts and stuff to learn about exercise and keep from getting bored?

Yeah, I listen to Joe Rogan a lot.

I’ve heard Joe Rogan. I like the Mark Bell Powercast. That’s a good one. I usually listen to it when I’m up working on articles for the blog.

I listen to that.

Joe DeFranco has a very good podcast. You can also try HammerShed, that’s directly aimed at people who train at home. I’ll text you all of those links later so you can look them up.

I don’t know who you drive for but there’s a company called Prime Incorporated, apparently they have driver fitness coaches and they’re saying do at least fifteen minutes a day at a truck stop or even the pickup. But you’re looking at an hour how does that affect your ability to meet your deadlines?

I pretty much plan my day real good. If I see that I have a lot of time, I do the full workout. If I see that I’m not going to have a lot of time, then I just do squats because squats are the base of my workout, so that’s most important for me. You know sometimes you don’t have time for anything so yeah, business comes first. Got to put food on my table!

Now you say you drive all over the U.S., how far is your typical run?

For example, right now while we’re talking I’m doing the run from Chattanooga, TN to Denver, CO.

Oh really? Which way are you going?

I-70.

Oh you didn’t go through Georgia. I was going to say you can use my gym if you come this way.

Yeah, I’m in contact with a lot of people that are working out at home. If I have time, I park my truck and take an Uber and meet somebody and get a workout. I did it two times but I had the whole weekend. That’s only happens if you have the whole weekend. Otherwise it’s not really possible for me because I lose a lot of time. I would rather sleep.

I understand that!  With all of this exercising at truck stops have you ever gotten hurt?

Actually a few months ago I dropped the weight. I didn’t hit my head but it took some of the hair off my head. You know accidents only happen when you’re doing something sixty or

My deadlift and squat are about the same

seventy percent. When you’re doing your max, you’re focused. But I just casually picked it up from the stand and I was taking a step back and the weight started pushing me back. Usually what I’d do is just drop it. I don’t remember how heavy it was but I thought I could hold it up so I leaned it a little bit forward and the weight just rolled onto my head.

You mean it rolled over the front of your head? That sucks!

But I never got any serious injuries. That was the first thing I remembered when you asked me.

So obviously you don’t max out. Do you push yourself to failure?

Yeah I don’t have a spotter. And my last set is usually when I drop the weight. My max is 405 and I have as my goal 390. Sometimes if I don’t feel good I just drop it.

I can’t max out on bench

So you just drop it off your back onto the ground?

Yeah, but I don’t max on the bench press. I can’t.

I get that because if you get stuck it’s over! Anyway, I know that other guys are out there with you. Truck stops are usually pretty crowded. Do other people look at you crazy or are they used to seeing you do it?

Usually people are pretty cool. They approach me, take pictures of me. Talk with me and ask me what I do and what I eat. I kind of like the attention so if I see that somebody’s really serious I want to help. I don’t mind talking. Sometimes I have people who work out, not on the road but they do three to four days on the road and then come home for the weekend and they go to the gym. So sometimes people join me and we all just workout together.

Oh that’s cool! Tell me your measurements. How much do you weigh? You look like a lean guy how big is your waist now?

Bodyweight: I weigh around 170-176. That’s my usual body weight. I don’t know my waist size, I don’t care. I just use pictures. I don’t even use the scale. On my ID it says 176 so I just use that but I like to use pictures so if I’m losing or gaining. I’m pretty lean, my average is about 10% bodyfat but I can drop it pretty fast. One year ago I stopped driving trucks. I sold my truck and opened a business. I had my own restaurant so I was in the gym. In that time I was walking around at 6-7% bodyfat so I’m really lean but it’s not easy for me to gain.

How old are you? I’m going to be thirty soon.

You already told me your squat max is 405, what’s your max bench and deadlift?

Bench 242 or 110kg and deadlift is four plates, 405. My max squat and my max deadlift are the same for some reason. I’m probably not doing something right. I don’t know, it’s easier for me to squat than deadlift.

So let’s say another truck driver reads this, maybe at a truck stop, and he’s out of shape but he wants to get in shape. How would you advise him to get started?

The first thing is always to try something new. Like I was really into bodybuilding stuff then I discovered powerlifting. So everybody who’s driving; I mean, it’s really boring to drive a truck. So when you have free time you can just sleep or talk to other truckers about stupid things. If you really started, in the beginning it’s really hard of course just like in a gym, but then when you see the results it’s just an addiction. You can’t stop! I feel bad if I don’t workout one day. If I eat junk food for two days I just feel bad. It’s not that anything’s changing about me in those three or four days but I just feel bad. So if you just walk around the truck. Play with the spare tire.

I’m still working on it but I want to make a workout plan for truckers just using the tires because not everybody’s going to buy a rack. You don’t need the stuff that I use. You can just use two dumbbells or just do pushups anything. But I want to do a workout routine just with the spare tire.

[image error] Click this photo to follow Damir on Instagram

How much does the spare tire weigh? I know it’s a big tire but—

Trust me, I have no idea! It’s not that it’s too heavy it’s just like the size. It’s hard to manipulate. It’s kind of funny. I don’t even know what part of the body it works but I feel the burn so I would recommend that everybody just try something. You’re going to fall asleep easier. When I started working out it was just pushups on pickup and delivery. Just pushups, pushups, pushups.

Man this was one of the most unique interviews I’ve ever done!

Are you serious man?

I’ve never talked to anybody with your dedication who’s not making excuses but just finding a way to get it done! And I think that’s frankly awesome!

I’m really happy about myself, the decisions I’ve made in my life. When I get DMs telling me “Hey man, you inspired me to work out. When I see you I cannot have excuses, I have to go work out. I’m working out at truck stops. I kind of like it. My favorite part of the year is winter when it’s cold and freezing. That motivates me more than just going to a gym.

Well, we need to work something out if you come through Georgia! I’ll come to where you are and we can work out right there! Let me know ahead of time when you’re going to be in the Atlanta area and we can make something happen!

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D.I.Y. Plate Weight Rack (base) by Steve Bergman

D.I.Y. plate weight rack? What in the world is that? Gather round it’s DIY time again kids! To make space in the gym I needed to build some plate weight racks. I have a weight tree, but the footprint of it is rather large and it takes up a lot of space so by building smaller racks I can line  them up against the walls or tuck under and in between the equipment if I need to. When my plates are all scattered around the gym I feel like my brain is all scattered around the gym so being able to just take them off the machine or bar and throw them on a rack quickly helps a lot.

Simple material list

16 to 24 two and a half inch long screws (this only required one)
8 foot long 2 x 4 cost about $3

You can make these racks as big or small as you want  depending on the space that you have. Just make sure you make the footing wide enough so that they don’t tip over.

Be sure to subscribe to the Grindhouse Garage Gym YouTube channel to see our training. You should also check us out @grindhousenj on Instagram. Drop a comment below to let me know how this works out for you and what DIY projects you’d like to see next!

The post D.I.Y. Plate Weight Rack (base) by Steve Bergman appeared first on Garage Gym Life.

@mdwailes and The Gym Of The Winds

The Gym of the Winds is home to @mdwailes who is a Garage Gym Life original. Michael was one of the first people to follow @garage.gym.life on Instagram and one of the first to purchase a t shirt! This guy’s got a growing social media following and once you read his story you’ll see why he inspires so many.

The Legend In A Nutshell

Michael, I appreciate your consistent loyalty to my brand but most of all how you bought into my crazy idea to build an Instagram community of at home exercise hermits and cellar dwelling loners. I know a little bit about you from reading your posts but for the benefit of our readers, what is your story?

I’m a 40-something father of an 8-year-old princess. Along with her mother, we live on the Front Range of Colorado. My gym is located on my back porch with an unobstructed view of the Rocky Mountain Front Range. On a clear day I can see from Pikes Peak to well past the Wyoming border. I don’t have a lot of protection from the elements (except in the winter when I wrap it all up with some heavy tarps) so that is where the name Gym Of The Winds comes from. I work as a digital marketing consultant and web developer. I try to stay active;  I’m a high-school high jump coach and an amateur powerlifter. Despite my active lifestyle, I have a pretty serious heart condition.

About a year ago I had my third heart attack. The previous two were serious, but nothing compared to the third. I had what is commonly referred to as a “widow maker”. Fortunately for me, I knew the symptoms and was very near the hospital when it happened. I’ve made up a funny little saying, “I was lucky to be where I was or I wouldn’t be where I am!”

I was actually working out at the gym when the symptoms came on. Thankfully, the gym I was training at was about two blocks from the hospital. I was able to drive myself (not recommended) to the emergency room. I don’t have any memory of leaving the gym, but they tell me I walked into the ER, told the triage nurse I was having a heart attack, and then collapsed on the floor. My heart had stopped beating and it took the doctors almost 30 minutes to get it to beat with a sustainable rhythm.

my last day of cardiac rehab with my wonderful nurses and exercise physiologists

That’s quite the entrance! Walked into the hospital like “Hi I might be dying! How’s your day?”  Maybe I should call you Wolverine since you came through apparently unscathed!

Call me lucky and blessed! A testament to the power of prayer. I think a lot of the doctors and nurses had seen patients in a similar condition that didn’t pull through, but my family, friends, and church family were vigilant in their prayers. And like Forrest Gump, “that’s all I have to say about that.”

But back to the story. You collapsed in the hospital and then—

Because of the amount of time that had expired without a heartbeat, I was treated for cardiogenic shock. I was put under heavy sedation — not quite a medically induced coma — and my body temperature was lowered to just above 90 degrees Fahrenheit for about 48 hours.

That all happened on a Monday, I woke up on Thursday. I was beat up pretty good – lots of chest compressions left my thorax really bruised, had some burns from the defibrillator, and wires and tubes sticking out of me in all kinds of places.

Miraculously, I didn’t suffer any lasting brain damage, and my heart shows no sign of damage either. They tell me it was amazing that I survived, but that it was a miracle that I came through it basically unscathed. Although the lifting was most likely the catalyst for the heart attack, my cardiologist credits my lifting with my heart being so strong and able to fend off any damage.

It’s great that your heart attack didn’t leave any permanent damage because you lift but since lifting may have caused it in the first place, how do your doctors feel about you not only continuing to lift weights but compete in powerlifting?

There is an interesting debate about that. For the first two months, lifting was off the table. Then for another four months, my cardiologist wanted me to keep it low weight and high rep. I asked him about the Valsalva maneuver and if I would be putting myself at risk by building that kind of thoracic pressure. His answer was quite amusing and I love to tell it: Without lifting his head from his paperwork, he asked me, “Do you poop?” and continued, “then you are doing the Valsalva.”

When I was in rehab, one of the exercise physiologists basically told me that I was stupid for powerlifting – that that type of exercise really isn’t a benefit to anyone, let alone a man my age. I explained to her that lifting gave me so much more than physical benefits; it relieved my stress, it put drive and purpose back into my mundane lifestyle, and it pushed me to become a better version of myself. I further explained to her that I have a “team” of people supporting me and that she was welcome to be a part of it and help me learn how to do this while protecting my heart.

Obviously they would recommend that I discontinue powerlifting and move to a higher rep/lower weight program. But “we” (them and me) are moving forward cautiously. I don’t do a lot of bracing or Valsalva right now in my training. I also don’t currently train with a belt for that reason. I actually try to breathe through my movements to avoid building too much thoracic pressure. The downside is I don’t hit maximal weight, the upside is, I don’t blow a hose!

Why powerlifting?

Growing up, I always wanted to be a bodybuilder. I remember picking up Muscle & Fitness magazines in the ’80s and cutting out pictures of Tom Platz and Lee Haney and hanging them up on my wall. I used to dream about having quads like Tom Platz.

There was always a column or two in the back of those magazines dedicated to powerlifting – I remember reading some of the workouts and thinking, “Who would want to do that?” Fred Hatfield was a big name back them and I guess I was impressed by his 1,000 lb squat, but that type of lifting just didn’t appeal to me.

My lifting coach in high school would just chuckle when I told him I wanted to be a physique athlete; he would just shake his head and tell me that I didn’t have the genetics for it.

Even when I actually started strength training, I wasn’t thinking in terms of powerlifting. But when my gym totals started closing in at 1,000 lbs., my training partner suggested that maybe I should go to a meet and see how I could do.

He found a meet that was nearby and about 2-weeks out. I signed up and had a blast – hooked on my first squat.

my 400lb squat at my last meet in August 2016.

What are your best numbers in the gym and competition?

My best lifts in competition are:

Squat: 400

Bench: 255

Deadlift: 400

My best lifts in the gym are:

Squat: 405

Bench: 275

Deadlift: 420

How long have you been training? Where did you get your start?

My older brother always had weights and weight sets around, and so I’ve kind of grown up with weight training. The year he graduated high school (and I was going into the seventh grade) we bought an Olympic weight set and made some squat stands out old pieces of iron we found on the farm. I learned a lot from him that summer — proper form and some basic programming.

I lifted all through high school and got pretty serious after I graduated, but with college, beers, and girls, I let a lot of that slip.

I didn’t get serious again until after my second heart attack, and it happened in a roundabout way. I was trying to get my diet under control and started reading Steve Kamb’s Nerd Fitness blog. Steve is a huge proponent of the Paleo diet, and when I was reading a profile on a Paleo practitioner, the guy mentioned that in addition to the diet, he had also started working out with the Stronglifts 5X5. I was intrigued and began looking into that program. It appeared simple enough and so I jumped into with both feet.

I had never used a linear progression like Stronglifts, and I was amazed not only at how strong I was getting but also how quickly it was happening. And that was it; I was hooked on lifting heavy weights.

Garage Gym Set Up

I interviewed Bud Jeffries and he is a big believer in outdoor training as being healthier than training

indoors. My brother has a backyard gym and he wouldn’t trade it for an indoor gym for the world. Says he just

loves the fresh air even in the middle of winter. That why you put the Gym of The Winds outside?

Space really came down to it. We live in a tiny little farm house – I like to joke that we have 5,000 sqft of stuff in a 1,000 sqft house. I could have moved the gym into one of the outbuildings on the farm, but I was concerned about it being, “a drive” or “a walk/run” to get there. I wanted to remove all the excuses that keep me from working out.

We would like to build a new house on the farm and when I try to imagine how the Gym of The Winds might evolve, I just can’t picture it inside.

The biggest reason for having an outdoor gym is the view of the Front Range from my power rack.

What’s your favorite piece of training equipment?

Right now my favorite piece of equipment is my axle bar. It has exposed my serious lack of grip strength! While I should be doing my deadlifts with it, I really like doing front squats with it; it is much easier on my wrists than the standard barbell. It’s also a great bar to do curls with, but you have to be careful not to overdo it because it can quickly put some strain on the tendons in the lower arm.

What one piece (or pieces) of equipment land on your absolute never sell list?

Definitely my axle bar. There are a lot of axle bars out there, but mine is a true 45 lb bar — most of the bars out there are considerably lighter than that. Most everything else that I currently have would be fairly easy to replace if needed.

I agree. My axle is pretty light which makes it easy to use by multiple family members but I think it might be better to have two one light and one that’s a full 45lbs to cut down on the number of plates I use.

Garage gyms often start out barebones. I know mine did. I started with a set of 70lb dumbbells and a wooden box to use for bench and Bulgarians. What did you start out with?

I was pretty much in the same position: I had a box and my Bowflex dumbbells, and a couple of kettlebells. However, I was working out at a commercial gym too.

I had a set of those Bowflex dumbells. I wish I’d never bought them and I go into great detail why in this post. How did you like yours?

When I decided to start working out at home, I set aside approximately $1,000 to purchase equipment. That bought me a flat-bench, a half-rack/squat stands, a curl bar, a hammer/triceps bar, a landmine, a weight tree, a five-foot olympic bar, a seven-foot Olympic bar, 350 lbs of bumper plates, and 300 lbs of iron plates.

Garage gym set up is never done. What makes your teeth sweat when you browse online equipment stores?

I would LOVE a Rogue Monolift attachment for my rack! But right now I actually have my eye and budget on a safety squat bar.

Do you ever get stuff fabricated? How about DIY equipment?

I’ve got plenty of ideas of things I would like to get built but haven’t pulled the trigger on getting anything fabricated. I’ve made a core blaster/kettlebell with some black pipe, and I also made my plyo box. I have two railroad lines that run through my property and have collected some pretty heavy iron that end up getting utilized in my gym.

How do you stay motivated to train at home?

When I first considered building a home gym I worried (as I’m sure my wife did too) that I would be hyped for a week or two and then “life” would get in the way. I have definitely failed in the past at working out at home more times than I would want to count.

Having a dedicated space is huge. In the past, I’ve tried to incorporate “fitness” with other areas of the home: P90x in the living room, yoga in the bedroom, pull-ups in the laundry room. Sooner-than-later though, “life” gets in the way.

For me, consistency has been the real key to building and maintaining my motivation. Seeing gains and physical development has given me a tremendous amount of motivation. Knowing that it is consistency that is ultimately responsible for the changes makes it pretty easy to just go grind out one more day. Eventually, it becomes this beautiful cycle where the consistency and motivation feed off of each other.

So you tried the home gym lifestyle before but it didn’t take. What’s different about this time? What’s given you the consistency that you and I agree is so important?

I really think having that space that is dedicated to the work and knowing that it is always there.

What’s your favorite part about training in your home? 

Curls in the squat rack BABY!!!

Seriously, though, it would have to be freedom. I work from home. It is great to not have to “schedule” my gym time. That was the primary catalyst for me to leave the commercial gym — finding the time in the day and then sticking to it. When I worked in an office, it wasn’t too bad — I just went to the gym over my lunch hour.

I still try to keep a “schedule” but there are some days when I just can’t focus on my work, so I go outside and bang out a couple of sets.

I also read a lot from the great minds of weight training, and it is nice to just “step outside” and try a new grip, or stance, or …whatever!

What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking about starting a gym in their home?

Front squats with the axle bar. I’m NEVER selling my axle bar!

The first thing I would recommend is setting aside dedicated space — as best as you can.

For equipment, I would say don’t get too anxious to purchase something just because of a sale, limited stock, or just to check it off your shopping list. I initially purchased a half-rack/squat stand of lesser quality that I ended up replacing a few months later with a full rack that only cost about $125 more. I would have rather used that money to put towards another bar or even some more floor mats.

I wish I would have spent a little more time looking at benches. I love my bench, but I wish it had an adjustable incline.

Sounds like you’re going to be in the market for an adjustable bench soon, do you trade in your equipment when you buy a new piece or sell it on craigslist or eBay?

What do you do for conditioning?

Conditioning? Bleck!

I have a set of CrossRopes that I actually do enjoy working out with. I will often do a circuit with the weighted jump ropes, some pushups, kettlebells, dips, and pull-ups. I also recently purchased a heavy bag and a double-end bag that I’ve been having quite a bit of fun with.

How can people get in touch with you to follow your training?

Instagram: @mdwailes

Fitocracy: mwailes

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@xtina_geri_fitness single mom/superhero!

Single mom/superhero

@xtina_geri_fitness is a single mom/superhero. Her Instagram profile describes her as a self-love mentor and online fitness coach but I began following her because I LOVE watching her garage training videos showing her WITH her toddler Malakai.  Every session isn’t a perfect PR setting event and she can’t always go Beast Mode (whatever that really is) because she’s got to keep her little one safe. But that’s the beauty of this messy, awesome lifestyle of ours.  It creates indelible, teachable moments that build a legacy of health and strength in our family tree.  It’s not the school’s job to train our kids to be healthy, not the doctor’s job to make them disease resistant.  It’s ours. And that can be a burden and a blessing. I understand.

You Are Not Alone

I know that training in the garage by yourself is tough. You usually don’t have the camaraderie of other gym members to help push you.  That’s why I combed the web to find videos like this one that will help motivate you to keep striving to be your best.  Check out this video of Christina training with Malakai who exhibits perfect deadlift form by the way! She inspires me to make it work regardless of circumstances and Malakai inspires me to work on my mobility so my body doesn’t fight against itself when I’m trying to perform a basic human movement!

Follow her on Instagram and go here to sign up for her Hot 4 the Holidays online bootcamp.

Until next week, stay motivated and keep training hard until people want to post videos of you!

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Powerlifting: 25% Training, 75% Pre-Hab, Rehab, and Injury Prevention

Successful powerlifting is 25% Training, 75% Pre-Hab, Rehab, and Injury Prevention according to EliteFTS columnist Ken Whetham. He says, “If you think you’ll make it in this sport by pushing through your workouts even when you’re

Ken is a full time Firefighter and Rescue Technician with Oshawa Fire and is a Certified Kettlebell Coach and WKC Master Kettlebell Trainer

injured or suffering, you’re wrong”. Ken’s an experienced strength athlete in his own right and coach so he deserves a listen.

Garage Gym Life has some awesome contributors who make this site a great resource for home based athletes. But I freely admit that we don’t know everything. So I scour the web to find the best articles from yesterday and today (I’d get them from the future as well but the DeLorean is in the shop) and bring you the links here. Click the link to read more!

Source: Powerlifting: 25% Training, 75% Pre-Hab, Rehab, and Injury Prevention

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2016 USAPL Raw Nationals Championship: How Mike Parrott Stayed Motivated With No Chance Of Winning

Mike backstage with Steve Goggins and John Greaves III at 2016 USA Powerlifting Raw Nationals

USA Powerlifting is the largest powerlifting organization in the United States; the American affiliate of the largest powerlifting federation in the world, the International Powerlifting Federation. It’s Raw Nationals competition is the arena for hundreds of recreational and competitive lifters alike.  It’s easy to get lost in the crowd, to lose sight of why you started when you participate in an event of that caliber.

No Rookie

Mike “Bird” Parrott has been certified as a personal trainer and is currently studying as a strength coach. He provides nutrition counseling and exercise programming. Two of his  athletes have become National champions with numerous others achieving many National, American, and Military records while under his tutelage. Moreover, he has assisted with and facilitated over 10 powerlifting meets spanning a 5-year period. He is also a certified state-referee for USA Powerlifting. With only a few years of competition experience under his belt, he is a member of the U.S. Air Force Powerlifting team and is credited with a 245 kg/540 lbs. squat, 152.5 kg/336 lbs. bench press, and 275 kg/606 lbs.* deadlift for a (cumulative) total of 672.5 kg/1,479.5 lbs. with a bodyweight of 86 kg/189 lbs.

But he had no chance of winning in a stacked weight class. Like the champion he is, Mike went anyway. Read his first article for EliteFTS by following the link and find out why he says chasing other people’s achievements is not how to become a champion.

Source: Staying Motivated With No Chance of Winning the 2016 USAPL Raw Nationals Championship

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Get To Know @mouzuoo

@ mouzuoo has a passion for fitness! Also known as Menna Nosri, her motivation level is apparent from her Instagram posts and every email exchange that I’ve had with her. She lives in a part of our world not typically known for its devotion to fitness and health but she’s not letting that stop her! Rather, she’s taking up the challenge to spread the life changing knowledge of physical fitness to her entire culture and the world!  Find out how she caught the iron bug and why she thinks it’s so important to share it with everyone she encounters!

Menna, thanks for taking time to share your story. I have to admit that my knowledge of Kuwait is limited to the small section of Camp Victory I visited in 2004 so let’s start with some background information. How popular is fitness and exercise in Kuwait?

It’s currently booming in my opinion as more people are becoming aware of the importance of physical activity. I would still say the ratio of men who are into weight lifting and regular training is still higher than women here. Women here would prefer going to diet doctors and getting prepackaged meals from diet centers in order to lose weight rather than getting into the gym. I believe the main reasons would be they think they will get bulky and/or they don’t know what they are supposed to do at the gym except maybe using treadmills and elliptical machines. That’s why group exercise classes are very important to women when they join a gym. Zumba is very popular!

Do most people train in commercial gyms or are home gyms a normal part of life over there?

Most gyms in Kuwait if not all are gender-based gyms. Maybe a couple aren’t;  but most are gender based. So having to train around the opposite sex is not a reason for women not to join a gym.

being able to workout at home has helped me a lot in being consistent

Okay so why did you choose to train at home?

I believe gym memberships in Kuwait are expensive with prices ranging from a minimum of $170 and up per month depending on the gym equipment, location and trainers!  I believe this is one of the reasons why other women don’t join gyms there too. Secondly, being a mom of two and juggling a new career it’s a great time saver to train at home instead of driving somewhere. Kuwait is a small city but it is well known for its terrible traffic another reason women prefer to join a gym very close to their house.

Due to my husband’s job, we have to move a lot; almost every 3 years we change countries. In addition, there are frequent visits overseas visiting families or going on vacation. So being able to workout at home has helped me a lot in being consistent with my training and giving me that mental relief and feeling of accomplishment.

Your Instagram bio says that you are a certified personal trainer, nutrition & fitness coach.  How did you get your start in fitness and nutrition? Where did you train?

I started my fitness journey by only running on treadmills (it was to the extent that I purchased a treadmill everywhere I lived, I own 3 treadmills so far!) besides going on a calorie restricted diet. I sure lost weight but still I wasn’t comfortable with how my body looked.  It wasn’t until years later after I had my second child and Instagram became a thing, that I became more aware of clean eating, the importance of weight lifting for women and how it can transform their bodies. This happened through following a number of trainers and fitness enthusiasts. I ended up purchasing a program online and that’s when it all started.

I always had the nutrition awareness but seeing the changes in my body strength and shape as I continued weight training lit a flame inside of me. My mindset and my passion for training and nutrition grew bigger every day. That’s when I decided I wanted to learn more and so I researched and ended up applying for ACE Personal Trainer certification. My first thought was that I wanted to change people’s lives the same way my life changed. Being healthy and fit has helped me become a better mom, better wife and a better family member and caregiver.  I want that for everyone!

Two times CBBF national Champ, Mahmoud El Durrah, is a good friend of mine and I have been on several of his workout plans and I learned a lot from him. Michael Morelli, owner of Morellifit; his social media posts played a big role in increasing my awareness not just towards training but other mindset aspects as well. I joined his social media marketing course and that’s what pushed me to startup my Instagram account and start motivating people through social media.

I’m currently studying to get my CSCS and I’m very passionate about nutrition as well. My passion to learn has no limits. I am constantly applying for courses!  I visit the US almost twice a year as I have family living there and one of the first things I do when I get there is join a gym.  I love attending the gym classes and seminars they usually offer as it increases my knowledge and broaden my perspective. I am very passionate about what I do and I genuinely want to help people understand that it’s never too late to achieve any goal you have in mind especially fitness and weight loss goals.  I believe consistency and hard work is key to achieving goals and a strong and determined mindset would help you lead a happier, more productive life.

I visit the US almost twice a year and one of the first things I do when I get there is join a gym.

The CSCS exam was pretty tough when I took it in 1996. I never should have let that certification lapse but I thought I was done with the fitness industry as a profession! Oh well, shows what I know. I know you’ll do well at it. Why did you choose that rather than the NSCA-CPT though? Are you planning on training athletes?

I don’t know really but I made some research online and all the feedback came that the CSCS is one of the best certifications a fitness professional could get. I don’t have a specific plan to train athletes as well but I’m always open to new opportunities. I’m reading the book now and doing my best to learn as much as possible.

Here in the USA it’s normal for men to have a female trainer and vice versa. Kuwait is a fairly liberal culture and women have freedoms there that they don’t have in other Muslim countries. As a female trainer do you have mostly male, mostly female or a mix of both genders as clients?

I love attending gym classes and seminars to broaden my knowledge!

Most of my one on one clients are women so far. Middle Eastern women, like women everywhere are always looking for that perfect body although they prefer having curvy bodies to skinny ones. Thanks to social media I believe, they became more aware of how weight training can transform their bodies and help them lose fat faster.  This has helped me a lot getting clients as I offer the professional experience in addition to the convenience of going to their homes to workout or having them come to my home gym.

So your family moves every three years. Do you have to adjust how you train clientele when you move to other Muslim countries or does it not matter because you train only women right now?

As for training in Muslim countries it really doesn’t matter. Nothing different is done. I did some training in Egypt too in a mixed gym and it was no problem.

I think fitness is an international language that people around the world who like it and into it speak.

Do you plan to train male clients in the future and do you offer online coaching/training for men and women right now?

When I first started I thought that I wouldn’t attract male clients as their personal trainer especially Arabs; the funny thing is; now most of my online coaching clients are Arab males !

I don’t mind training men as well in the future (I have trained a couple of my guy friends and my husband so far).

Looking at your Instagram feed it’s hard to tell how often @mouzuoo trains at home. How do you balance training yourself at home and your clients elsewhere or is everything done in your home?

I work out in my apartment in my kids play room where I own a few pieces of fitness equipment like dumbbells, a barbell, jump rope, stability ball, a TRX, arm and leg weights, kettlebells and mats. I also have a gym in my building  which is very common in most buildings here. And that’s where I have access to the treadmills and elliptical machines in addition to some dumbbells. I would workout with my clients in both gyms.  When I got to my clients’ homes, I usually take my weights and equipment with me.

Healthy meals like this zucchini and meatball dish are a key to avoiding gaining weight when intermittent fasting like during the month of Ramadan

You had a very informative post on how to train during Ramadan when Muslims fast until sundown. Do you find that your clients struggle to combine their goals with that sort of intermittent fasting?

The annual month long Ramadan observance is indeed a version of intermittent fasting where Muslims abide from eating from dawn until sunset.  In addition to the religious reason behind fasting is raising awareness of how the poor feel, what they have to go through with no food or money to buy food and why it’s important to help  people in need constantly.

Unfortunately, most people tend to overeat during Ramadan and this month is well known for its delicious and special treats and desserts. It is also the time where there are a lot of family and friends gatherings over food, which may sabotage any diet.

People get lost when it comes to training in Ramadan due to fasting. Some people can’t workout fasted especially without water. There is lack of sleep as Muslims wake up in the middle of the night to eat before dawn and also shortage of time due to public prayers and family gatherings. In addition there are many misconceptions regarding training while fasted.

I love intermittent fasting and I believe it is a powerful tool in weight loss if done correctly!

What are your favorite pieces of home gym equipment and where do you purchase your equipment?

My favorite piece of equipment would be dumbbells and I believe they are indispensable. They were also the first things I purchased many years ago.  I always use coffee tables as benches, chairs and my kids’ bathroom step as my fitness step.

Amazon.com is very famous here and I guess this is where people would purchase their fitness equipment online.

I also got the TRX ropes from the US during my recent visit as I thought it would be interesting for my clients.

How can people get in touch @mouzuoo to take advantage of your services and how can they follow you on social media?

DM on Instagram or by filling out the contact form below to send me an email!

[contact-form]

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@dmkdacho Provides Weekly Motivation!

Who’s Damir?
click this photo to follow this guy on Instagram!

@dmkdacho, also known as Damir Sarcevic, is a truck driver who’s decided to not let that turn him into a shadow of his former, athletic self! His effort and hard work definitely got my attention and I’m using him as this week’s motivation!

Why? I know that training in the garage by yourself is tough. You usually don’t have the camaraderie of other gym members to help push you.  That’s why I combed the web to find videos like this one that will help motivate you to keep striving to be your best.  Check out this video of him defying the elements at a truck stop!

I interviewed him recently and the upcoming Garage Gym Athlete profile on this motivating guy is coming up! Subscribe today so you don’t miss it!  Mean time stay motivated and keep training hard until people want to post videos of you!

 

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Yoga For Powerlifters by Marisol Swords

Yoga For Powerlifters? Really? We all know the benefits of a good stretch. We have all seen the cool and sometimes unusual photos on Instagram, maybe even tried a few poses with both disastrous and hilarious results.  But what are the real benefits of yoga for a lifter?  What’s the quick and dirty, straight dope on how YOU, the everyday Garage Gym athlete, can benefit from this ancient practice?

The answer is both simple and complicated, just like yoga.  For one thing, you probably already practice some yoga asanas (poses) without realizing it.  Garland Pose for example is a deep squat. The practice benefits powerlifters in the many ways but here are four:

Yoga increases mental focus by perpetuating the state of inner calm that exists naturally within us all.
Dr. Kelly Starrett and Donnie Thompson calmly sitting in Garland Pose

A personal yoga practice develops the ability to focus in the moment.  This is not saying the mind will not wander or thoughts do not arise at all; it’s actually the exact opposite.  We learn to observe 50,000 thoughts a day and allow them to pass through us without grabbing on to them.  We begin to recognize that thoughts are not what disrupt mental focus. Instead, it is our inability to distinguish thoughts from facts. We gradually decrease participation in each wild and random thought that crosses our minds.  Yoga allows us to move physically through space while mentally stepping back into stillness to witness the beautiful noise inside, allowing it to become our background music rather than consuming our entire environment with dissonance.  Anyone who has tried to PR a deadlift knows this place.  From this place of calm is where we lift.  This is where we decide that this weight will break from the ground; this is where that last ounce of push comes from when you are gasping for air with one round left to go on your WOD.  Learning to exist in this state of perpetual calm is extraordinarily beneficial to lifters.

Yoga teaches the practitioner synchronicity of breath and helps to reinforce proper breathing.

No matter what activity you choose as a sport, knowing how to breathe is essential. Breathing is a passive activity most people are largely unaware of until they can no longer do so.  Yoga focuses our attention on the connection between mind, body, and breath, which helps us to notice the exact mechanism keeping us alive.  Physiologically speaking, we do not breathe.  Right now many of you have a cocked eyebrow.  The atmospheric pressure of the air surrounding us forces its way into our lungs, balancing the pressure between inside and out.  The physiology of the lungs enables us to take what we need from the air before it is expelled, momentarily restoring the original decreased internal pressure and repeating the cycle of breath.  Yoga, like powerlifting, requires the precise manipulation of breath to support the movement of the body.  Yogic breath comes in many forms, from passive to complex, and all teach us to manipulate the pressure differential of our abdomens either supporting the spine or not.  Practicing yoga regularly allows a lifter to master their breath, increasing the effectiveness of each brace for a deadlift, squat, or bench press.

Yoga increases range of motion, flexibility, and mobility, which improves your lift technique, strength, and squat depth.
Full tortoise pose probably won’t happen on day one

On the most basic level, yoga asanas are gymnastics, and achieving an advanced level practice requires a combination of strength, flexibility, and mobility.  However, all yogis start out either stiff as a board or weak as a soggy noodle, or some mixture of the two.  Just as few powerlifters enter the sport with a 300 pound squat, no yogi nails full tortoise pose their first time on the mat.

The practice of yoga continually pushes our physical body and mental capacities to the limits of its current mastery and teaches us to constantly return to that which challenges us.  Powerlifting is all about pushing the limits of the body and mind as well. But if that body is stiff and immobile, it won’t be pushing very much weight and will injure quickly.  This is where yoga and powerlifting shine as coupled activities.  Want to get ATG? Garland pose and pigeon pose.  Want to nail a handstand? Bench press and pull-ups.  Want a stronger spreading of the floor in sumo deadlift? Warrior pose and goddess pose.  How about that bench arch? Scorpion pose. These practices feed off of and into each other beautifully.

Yoga is the yin to the yang of powerlifting.  Yoga stretches us while lifting strengthens us.  Yoga calms us while lifting gets us pumped.  Yoga brings our focus inward, toward the dark stillness of our calmest selves; powerlifting draws that energy out, enabling us to shine performing magnificent feats of strength. So yes! Yoga for powerlifters. Here’s how to get started:

Three MUST DO poses for powerlifters whether you’re a Tinman (extremely inflexible), Human (average flexibility) or Stretch Armstrong (people already assume you do yoga)

Upper Body:

Tinman:  Thread the needle

Human:  Puppy pose (rest head on a block or hard pillow)

Stretch Armstrong:  Humble Warrior

Lower Body:

Tinman:  Supine pull on big toe (using a strap if necessary)    

Human:  Garland pose (can be done flat footed or with heels elevated and supported on a block or blanket)

Stretch Armstrong:  Mermaid pose (use a strap if necessary)

Don’t forget Savasana.  It is its own reason.
Savasana image courtesy of @healthy.kellie

Who doesn’t like to do nothing? If you haven’t learned the value of doing nothing, Savasana is your prime opportunity to do so.  That funny word you’ve been reading is Sanskrit for corpse pose.  It is that one pose at the end of every yoga practice that everyone looks forward to but no one truly understands.  Corpse pose is the most important pose of every and any yoga practice.  In the way we as lifters look forward to re-feed day to refuel our glycogen-depleted muscles after a heavy training day, Savasana is re-feed for the mind. We as human beings fail to realize our moments of rest are as equally important as our moments of work, and we must devote full attention and effort to those moments equally.  After a dedicated yoga practice, savasana is where we allow all efforts to stretch and soften our bodies to sink into our now pliable minds.  This is where the real work of yoga takes place; this is where we learn the importance of rest without guilt, both mentally and physically.  The semi-meditative state of corpse pose strengthens the mind-muscle connection.  Savasana allows us to mentally connect with all muscles as we relax into a state of physical and mental calm.  Corpse pose is the antithesis of the powerlifting ONE REP MAX or maximum effort; it is maximum surrender.  Ever notice how muscle definition pops after a day or two of rest, or strength increases after a deload week?  This is because rest allows the work we have done to take root into our minds and bodies; this is how we achieve results.

Want to learn more from Marisol?  Follow her on Instagram @mindfulyogithug

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Negativity Has No Place by Maranda Granger

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Happy Monday yall! We are a community of positivity and we support and encourage. Negativity has no place here.

I was a little MIA this weekend but even though big love for y’all it was a weekend filled with projects, family time, much needed down time with the hubs, and of course some Jesus! And even though Monday rolls around way too soon and we are back to our lives in separate states, it’s moments like this weekend that keep us humble.

Took a different run today and didn’t even know where I would end up but I just set out (hoping I wouldn’t get too far away from home) and enjoyed this beautiful day.

Negativity Has No Place

Lots of thoughts get examined when I’m out on my run. One that stayed with me was the message my friend @garage.gym.life had to say over the weekend. I actually saw it through another’s page and instantly fired away hell for leather thinking something negative was said directly to this person. Long story short, some comments were left somewhere along the way and @garage.gym.life threw up the foul flag and shut it down. Now, if you don’t know by now, negativity has no place in one’s life and especially when someone else tries to put it there. Lots of people need to learn the difference between being a coach and a critic. I am always open to someone’s suggestion or education about something I may be doing wrong. I have never had a coach or a trainer and a lot of what I do has been because of the support and or advice from my IG fitness platform. Yea, these negative things could be dismissed as “haters gonna hate” but y’all I’m 40 soon to be 41 and those words just don’t sound right coming out of my mouth.

What I will share is that just like the majority (if not all) of my IG fitness squad won’t stand for negativity, neither will I. Oh, and we probably not gonna get into a word war with anyone either. So whether it is “bless your heart” “peace and love” or a big delete and block, do what you need to do to stand up for what’s right. We are not all gonna agree but just because you don’t doesn’t give you a pass to be a jerk. Okay, stepping down now. Enough said, moving on. So if you’re at the end of this and rolling your eyes, well then smile because of my goofy post run selfie!

Find out Maranda’s inspiring story by reading Broken Chains here!

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