Hey T3hPwnisher, I’m starting a new job soon and that involves a 1 hour each way commute. Looking into my gym options for either 5am here in my city or 5:30 am in the city I work. Narrowed it down to 2 potential choices but am also considering setting up a home gym finally. Would have to be in my basement but I have space for it I think.
You have any advice for looking into this, or where to find equipment or suggestions on things to look at? I’m cheap so don’t want to drop a lot of money, and I’m not doing many lifts that I need heavy duty stuff right now. I’ve seen the Titan T2 rack thrown around a lot online as a decent cheap rack, running about $330 but it’s out of stock right now. 300 lbs weight set should run about $300 new if I can’t find it on facebook marketplace used.
Mainly right now I need a rack, standard 300lbs weight set, and a bench that can go from flat to incline to shoulder press. My basement isn’t tall enough for me to do standing overhead press so have to switch to seated. I’d like the option to put some cable system in someday but not sure if any racks have a good cable system to add on later.
Not sure if I’ll go with one of the two gym options or home gym. Depends on what these gyms have equipment wise and if I think I can be quiet enough to not wake up my wife at 5am.
Thanks Pwn, great answers - never really considered the difference in powerlifting and strongman in terms of the level of competition and weight selection. I can definitely see why strongman appealed more than PL!
This:
Was very much what I was thinking and in line with my thoughts, good to see someone who’s walked the path confirm it.
… Now I’m going to do a few curls and eat cheeseburgers and transform into a lean strong machine is a man!
@staystrong Good to hear from you dude. This is a helluva time to try to build a home gym: market is pretty much entirely picked over. I have used a cheap NewYorkBarbells/TDS rack since 2008 and have only recently bent the pins on it from a dropped 410lb squat, so a cheap rack can go pretty far. My incline bench is something I got from a garage sale. I’ve heard that the Titan 2.0 adjustable bench is good, but that the original was awful, so avoid that one. I’d say honestly, at this point, best bet is a commercial gym until the home gym scene gets a little less crazy.
@strongmanbrett and @oldbeancam Appreciate the alternate movement suggestions, but in this instance it’s the protocol I’m more referring to that isn’t explosive. I’ve already got that part sorted out: that power snatch/power clean conditioning workout I do. I was more just expousing on why I won’t be doing ONLY max rep for time style conditioning work. I can make log vipers and extensions move slowly too, haha.
@alex_uk Happy to help. It was actually Kalle Beck (used to post here as @Kalle ) that pointed out the difference at some point, and it made so much sense. It’s why I encourage so many dudes to compete. I’ve always gotten way bigger and stronger prepping for a comp vs just going at it alone.
And switch to hamburgers! You know: for your health. Haha. Get after it dude.
Thanks man. Yeah now isn’t a great time. I did see a bench/rack/weight set for $1000 and was considering it if it’s still available. Idk though. I hate going to new gyms, I always worry there’s going to be like 1 rack and I won’t be able to do what I want easily or someone is going to be using it or something.
I’ll see if anything pops up in the next few months.
GIANT SETS (weighted dips/DB press OR behind the neck press/dips-lateral raise-pull apart)
Weighted dips 95
1x12
1x11
1x9
Behind the neck press 115
1x10
2x8
DB lateral raise 15s
6x12
Band pull apart
6x12
Kroc rows 105 w/rest pause
1x19+5
CONDITIONING
Tabata rounds on BAS (16oz gloves, boxing)
Notes: 90 second rest between giant sets. No rest for first 5 giant sets of main work. Back to what has worked, with a few minor tweaks. Hard to see the press numbers so low, but coming in to the topset with significantly more fatigue allows me to trick myself a bit on it. Still really digging the dip/BtN press set-up: my whole upper body is blown up by the time it’s done. I highly recommend that pairing to anyone that is interested in my recommendations.
I’m “figuring out” the Kroc rows a bit: I need to bring my supporting arm closer to my hips so that I can create the torso angle necessary to get a really good stretch at the bottom. I’m getting better at giving it some effort. I still feel like I have more in me after a few minutes, but it’s getting closer to meeting intent. And given how back intensive the stone of steel was yesterday, it was good to make rows into something like this.
I’ve been focusing on the LDL part here and keeping this on the down-low, but I got some good news from the doc today and wanted to share it. After my LDL labs, my doc ordered a full metabolic lab and I showed up with elevated creatinine. My primary doctor ordered an ultrasound of my kidneys, and what showed up looked like a case of Hydronephrosis in both kidneys. This whole process took about 2 months, the whole time my family is on edge about it.
HOWEVER, my primary doc has not actually physically seen me. I’ve newly moved here, and with COVID, they’re limiting face to face interactions. He’s just been running a playbook. Got referred to a specialist, he walks in, looks at me, and goes “Yeah…we tend to see elevated creatinine levels in people with high amounts of muscle mass like…you” Just to be safe, he orders a 24 hour creatinine collection (I got to pee in a jug for a day. If you have an opportunity to do that: don’t) and another ultrasound.
I JUST got a call from the doctor and his words were “We have a certain amount of creatinine that we expect the average 34 year old to have, but given that you have significantly more muscle mass than the average 34 year old, those numbers don’t match up to you. Based off the lab results, your body is clearing out creatinine at the right rate, and the reason for the Hydronephrosis showing in your kidneys is because you keep very well hydrated.”
If I may take just a moment here please, my traps are so big I set off body scanners at the airport, I stay hydrated enough that I trick ultrasounds into thinking I’m dying, and I have so much muscle mass that I give standard testing false positives. The medical world can bite me: I’m the Juggernaut.
I’ve always wanted to compete in strongman, but I’ve heard countless stories of people tearing biceps with the stones. Though I did compete in powerlifting for many years and I suppose pulling with a mixed grip is roughly on the same scale in terms of potential tearing.
Does anyone pull sumo in strongman? I’ve never seen it, but given my leverages, I’ve had to switch because my conventional has always been a catastrophe.
@kdjohn I was the Juggernaut from post 1 of the log, haha. I just keep proving it.
@everybodygetsone Countless stories? You may hang out in different circles than me, haha. I’ve competed in over a dozen comps and never seen a blown out bicep from stones. I’ve heard stories about it, sure, but for every one story of someone blowing out a bicep on stones there’s a thousand stories of people doing stones and NOT doing it. It’s kinda like plane crashes: it’s a big deal when it happens, but business as usual when it doesn’t.
There are a lot of competitors that pull sumo in training, but sumo is rarely allowed in a competition. It’s not forbidden, since there’s no rulebook, but there’s a fair chance that 99.9% of strongman comps won’t allow it.
Of all your strange medical anomalies due to your severely jacked body, traps that make people think your smuggling something under your shirt is my absolute favourite. Quality
Glad to hear your health is a-ok. For other readers, supplementing with creatine or eating a high protein diet also tends to result in high creatinine levels. And strenuous exercise. It’s believed it has something to do with muscle damage.
Thanks man. Yup: read up on all of that as well. Kept bringing it up with my GP and he just blew it off. Even went out of my way on the second round of testing to limit strenuous exercise around the testing period and have kept protein in check, but still popping high. It was good to get confirmation that I’m still clearing it out. Doc’s words were “Don’t change anything”, so energy drinks are back to being a daily thing, haha.
@simo74 It’s definitely chuckleworthy, except when I’m running late, haha.
Mate I fly a bit for work (when we aren’t locked down) and I get stopped for the luggage drug / explosive test 9 out of 10. I either look like a terrorist or a drug addict!!