The Goal is Versatility

by Atomic Athletic on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 2:20pm

Distractions happen.  If you want to get strong, then you need to turn distractions on their head.  The very best way I know to do that is to turn that goal which you want to accomplish into the distraction.

Experiment with starting off small.  Maybe you have been skipping out on your grip work.  Put in a home gym.  More than that, because you love training outside, make your back yard into a gym.  I have a tree next to our drive way.  I hung a 1 inch diameter manila rope in it.  It has been there for almost four years and it is just starting to show some wear.  While it is too low to climb, it has seen a lot of L-Seat rope pull-ups.  I will easily do a set 4-5 times a week, just as I am passing by.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=ROPE09S

I also have a 25 Pound Stone Padlock that sits under a big tree-like bush.  Several times a week I will do several sets of random exercises with that stone padlock.  It also sits outside year round.  Heck, it's granite.  Except for having to hose off the occasional bird poop, it looks just as good as the day I got it.

Several customers have made a full size, permanent, Olympic weightlifting platform in their back yards.  The variations on platform construction run the entire gamut, from hard packed dirt with a log for a bench, to concrete pads with drainage and removable rubber inserts.  Of course, the outdoor power rack concept has seen as many unique variations as there are unique individuals to make them. 

Personally, I put most of my “home gym” ideas into action at the Atomic Athletic Warehouse Gym.  We train inside and outside at Atomic Athletic.  Jogging the six blocks to get there is hardly even a warm-up, but not a unique idea.  I know of several Olympic lifters who have done very well by renting a neighbor's unused garage or essentially abandoned warehouse spaces.  If you are concerned about not having heat in the winter, buck up little camper!  Stan Stanczyk won Olympic gold and did years of training in an unheated warehouse in Detroit, not to mention the training he did on the road during WWII.

The key to starting your home gym, indoors or out, is to start off small and with versatile equipment. If you think you need a machine, try to think of a way around it.  Instead of a leg curl machine, try out iron boots.  Adjustable barbells & dumbbells, ropes, basic benches, chin-up bars and dip stations are all a good way to start.  Don't be afraid of standard size plates.  While the cast iron may cost the same, the equipment that goes with them is certainly cheaper and more versatile.  Of course, if are getting into Olympic lifting, it makes a lot of sense to get some of the nearly indestructible solid rubber bumper plates.

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe