Garage Gym News

I think I am starting to get the hang of posting multiple pictures with the Blogger posting tool, we will have to see how they look when I am done. Below are the most recent pictures that I have of the garage gym which is making leaps and bounds compared to what it used to look like. I spent all weekend smashing the rest of the half rock floor apart and shovelling it out, I will be hauling the last pile of debris away this week. I took down the half asses shelves that were on the wall and took out any rusty old nails for safety reasons. There wasn't any light in there to start with but I ran some wiring around the place and nailed it down so that it will be easy to bring stuff in and hook it up. I installed three lights so far and a set of computer speakers for music. It is all ready to use, all you have to do is flip the switch and plug in your I-pod or whatever. I know I am forgetting other stuff I did but whatever, as long as we are on our way (and we are) it doesn't matter. I wrapped the single window in good old military style poncho liner material to keep out some of the cold and covered it with the flag. Let me know what you guys think.
This first picture is looking in from the garage door side, I posted some posters and reference stuff on the walls for quick references. Don't worry, the bike will eventually be hung out of the way. The weight stack I got for free which was a great find and very convenient, and now Rummy and Stonehenge have a loitering spot. There is an adjustable dumbbell that we can bring all the way to 80lbs or so which allows wods like Helen to be viable for PR shattering scores. The flooring in the center is made of three kinds of rubber mat for added padding when doing Olympic lifting. Eventually the floor will take care of this but for the time being it is nice to workout on something other than dirt. The pictures below show the sand weighted bar and the Olympic bar I have as well as the box for jumping (its definitely high as hell and super solid) .

This is a picture of the window and the weight tree up close. I have a tool on its way to help level the floor and a compactor to use before we put down our platform. I also have a good idea of what I want to do for the walls as well. I know that the place is kind of dingy looking but when I am done with it most people will be hard pressed to find something that makes it seem anything less than an Olympic class facility. It should be a place that can accommodate the most hardcore, dungeon seeking west-side barbell club lifter as well as make your mom feel like she could come train without choking to death on dust. So far everything has been free so it's not that bad considering I haven't really spent any money. The list of materials I am trying to acquire next includes stuff like plywood and 2x4's, things for general construction purposes. I did all the work so far with just a hammer and a pick axe, I kinda like having to McGuiver the hell out of this stuff.

I love milk crates and borrow them whenever I get the chance. They are good for keeping the bar off the ground when not in use so sand doesn't gum up how well the ends rotate. The sand weights are super useful for training the snatch and overhead squat because if you grip the bar wide so the outside of your hands touch the blue weights then you can push out during those movements (if you have started learning these things you understand, if this sounds weird then you just wait!) The pull-up contraption was supposed to just be until we get a real one installed but to be honest the fact that the handles rotate makes doing them much harder so I think I might keep this little set-up in addition to a regular bar. I also like that they are free hanging by themselves and I have actually been able to perform quite a few of the gymnastics movements that call for rings. Safety is always my first priority so I used a webbing strap that can bear more than 1000lbs, and double secured the release slide. The handles come right off a regular weight stack and are made of metal, and the beam isn't going anywhere. I am waiting for some more tools to take down the old metal box that houses the mechanical apparatus for the automatic garage opener, but it is coming down soon. I hope this gives everyone a good idea of what I have been toiling away at. Let me know what everyone thinks.