The 3 Garage Gym Laws
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A Garage Gymer may not allow a human being to become injured or, through a sedentary lifestyle, allow a human being to come to harm.
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A Garage Gymer must do everything in his/her power to become a complete badass, except where such efforts would conflict with the First Law.
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A Garage Gymer must protect the existence of the garage gym at all costs as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.
The 8 Garage Gym Rules
1.) Clean It
- I must admit that I come to fault on this one. You are now the “gym owner”. Pick up your weights, sweep the floors, and don’t let it look trashy.
2.) Equipment Checks
- I recommend equipment checks every 6 weeks, especially if you have a lot of DIY equipment. You need to make sure your equipment is safe and ready for use. Every six weeks I like to check that all bolts are tightened and that there are no loose screws. Also check that you equipment is not rusting and do what you have to to make sure it is protected from the elements.
3.) Avoid Precarious Situations
- I developed this rule after I was laying under 285lbs. held by one screw on top of my plyometric box, ready to do floor press. I realized that if I failed to unrack the weight properly or if that screw gave out I would most likely end up with a crushed skull. Be safe and don’t put yourself in any questionable situations with a lot of weight and crappy rigs.
4.) Invite Friends, but don’t charge them
- Invite your friends to workout in your garage gym, but never try to get their money. Unless you don’t want friends anymore. I know a few stories of people, aspiring to own their own gym, have 5-6 friends working out in their garage so they want to charge a little bit for extra equipment. Dumb. Having a garage gym and starting a CrossFit Box are totally different. Decide what you want to do.
5.) Hold Yourself Accountable
- You are going to need something to help you train. You need to track your movements by recording yourself to identify your weaknesses. You will also need to track you progress. I am in the process of developing the ultimate tool to help you do just that. I will let you know when it is ready for release. Make a workout schedule and stick to it. Try to plan at least 6 weeks out.
6.) No 1 Rep Maxes Alone!!
- Don’t do it! Working out with a barbell alone is kind of like flying an airplane; 99.9% of the time you are going to be just fine, but if you encounter that .1%…the result will be catastrophic. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you are more likely to find the .1%.
7.) Learn to be a minimalist
- While you should not break the “Avoid Precarious Situations” rule you need to learn that you do not need a lot of equipment to be successful in a garage gym. For almost 6 months all I had was a barbell and some weight and I still managed to be pretty fit. I then decided to expand a little, but only because I wanted to. You don’t need fancy equipment or the latest shoe to be good at what you do. Don’t let the marketing of a brand tell you what to buy.
8.) Become an Expert
- This is a personal rule but it may help you too. Become an expert, learn, read, grow…You have to know what to do to make yourself better. If you even want to think about inviting someone in your garage gym to workout you should know what you are talking about. Always know the why, about everything that interests you.
Do you have any rules that you live by in your garage gym?