Home Gym Essentials.

One thing I have realized in the short time the coronavirus has been an issue is the effect it is having on the strength training and fitness industry. With more and more gyms and training centers shutting down temporarily, more people are looking for a way to get their training done at home.

My basement gym circa 2007!

One of my clients in my online coaching program, currently living in NY, got to the gym Monday morning for his squat training session only to find the place empty and closed sign in the window. He just placed an order with Rogue for some gear for the basement.

After leaving work the other night (fortunately I am still able to keep the doors of my private training center open) I passed by Dicks Sporting Goods and saw three SUVs out front with people loading treadmills and other gear into them. I also heard from a reliable source that Peloton sales are doing very well.

I've always thought having some basic equipment at home was a good idea in the event that you can't get to the gym.

For around $1,000 you can get set up with enough basic equipment that will provide you with everything you need to not only weather the coronavirus storm, but allow you to permanently cancel that gym membership.

Here is a list I put together of gym equipment I found with a 10 minute Amazon search that will more than handle anything you will be able to throw at it. There is no need to pay top dollar for the big name manufacturers like Rogue, unless of course you want to. Don't get me wrong, all the equipment I have in my gym is from Westside Barbell, Elite Fitness Systems, Rogue Fitness, Legend Fitness and Promaxima MFG, but my gym is my full time business. I have to have durable equipment that can take a beating from some damn strong lifters and athletes. But for those of us who aren't training for the World's Strongest Man contest, the equipment I found on Amazon will more than suffice for a solid basement or garage gym.

Keep in mind, this was just a quick 10 minute search on Amazon, you can likely find even better deals searching places like Facebook Market Place, Craigslist, and consignment shops in your area.

The Essentials: $665-$970

Power Rack: $275-$500

The power rack is the cornerstone of any good strength program. Make sure to get one that has a pull-up bar and if you are lucky a dip attachment. I found many models that have these options that were all rated to 1,000 lbs or more. Power racks allow you to do squats, bench presses, rack presses and deadlifts, military presses, rows, pull ups, dips, arm work, and more. In addition they have spotter pins to ensure your safety when training alone.

Olympic Bar and Weight Set: $240

A barbell and weight set is a must have as this is what you will be lifting. I found a decent set with standard 7' barbell and plates that allow for up to 300 lbs. As you get stronger you will need to add pairs of 45 lb plates to accommodate your strength gains, and currently I have found most used plates to run about $0.75 per pound. Look on places like Facebook marketplace, Craigslist and consignment shops and you will likely find even better deals on weights. All you need to make up every possible increment of 5 lbs is a pair each of 2.5 lbs, 10 lbs, 25 lbs, 45lbs, and 2 pairs of 5 lbs plates. Again, as you get stronger you will just need to keep adding pairs of 45 lbs to accommodate for your progress.

Flat or Adjustable Bench: $100-$180

The adjustable will give you more options but plan to spend between $100 and $180 depending on which you choose.

Horse Stall Mats: $50

Horse stall mats will be needed for flooring. This will allow you to do deadlifts and protect the garage or basement floor in the event of dropped weights. You should be able to find two 4' wide x 6' long x 1/2" thick mats for around $25 each.

The extras: $164-$267

Kettlebells: $48-$116

Kettlebells are a great addition, particularly to add some conditioning exercises that are great for circuit training as well as strengthening generally weak areas like the low back, shoulders and grip. I found a 16kg kettlebell for $48 and a 24kg for $68.

Dragging Sled: $70-$100

Sleds are great for conditioning work and with an upper body strap will allow you to do any upper body or lower body strength exercise that can be performed with dumbbells or cables all while providing cardiovascular conditioning.

Loadable Dumbbell Handles: $36

A pair of loadable dumbbell handles will greatly increase the variety of your training. For $36 you can get a pair that will hold the same plates you will use on the Olympic bar as the collars are the same size. You will likely want to add multiple 2.5, 5 and 10 pound plates to give you more options for the dumbbells, but spending around $0.75 per pound or less is far better than shelling out $1,000 or more for a full dumbbell rack!

Jump Rope: $10-$15

An old school conditioning tool that provides and incredible bang for the buck. Jumping rope is a great way to train the cardiovascular system and build coordination simultaneously. There is a reason they are a staple in a boxer's training program.

There you have it, for $829 to $1237 you can have all the equipment you need to wait out the coronavirus quarantine and when the dust settles you will probable be loving the home gym so much you won't go back to the big box gym ever!

If you have any questions about setting up a home gym or are interested in any of my program design or consultation programs to help you set up a home-based training plan, email me at scott@eptsgym.com.

Stay Strong AND Healthy!
-Scott

My Thoughts on Healthy Eating

Before I get rolling here I need to clarify something - I am not a dietitian, I am not a doctor, and  I am not a nutrition guru. When it comes to nutrition I have a couple basic guidelines I stick to. First, as a vegan I eat a plant-based diet focusing on mostly whole and fresh foods. Second, I use common sense.

The amount of conflicting information about nutrition is enough to make anyone's head spin. It's downright painful. Particularly in the fitness industry where bodybuilder's and other physique athletes are looked at as icons of optimal health. Eat tons of protein, carbohydrates are evil, saturated fat rocks, it's all about macros bro, and on and on. It's ridiculous. If you eat enough healthy, whole foods to fuel your activity level you will get all the nutrition you need. You won't be protein deficient, you won't have to worry about your "macros", and your muscles will not atrophy.

Please understand, and to all my bodybuilding friends my deepest apologies, but bodybuilding is not a healthy endeavor. To be fair, neither is powerlifting or any sport taken to the extreme. Physical competition, regardless of the sport or discipline, is about winning and pushing the limits of human performance. Often what is required is far from healthy, both from a nutrition and training standpoint.

Now, am I saying don't compete in anything? Absolutely not. If you want to be an athlete or competitor by all means go for it! I think there are many things that you can learn about yourself as an athlete. Some people are driven to be the best and that is awesome. This article is not for you.

This article is for people who want to be healthy, who use exercise and nutrition to promote a certain lifestyle. This is for the people who have careers, high levels of stress, family responsibilities, and whose lives do not revolve around the gym and posting sweaty selfies in the bathroom mirror all day.

We have a huge problem in this country and it's namely our health. Sure, due to advancements in science and medicine we are living longer, but what is the quality of our lives? Are we truly living? What good is making it to 90 or more years of age if you are so unhealthy that you cannot take care of yourself and enjoy those years?

I have seen people in their 70s and 80s who were active, fit, healthy and looked half their age. On the flip side I have seen people in their 30s and 40s who can barely move and looked twice their age.

Lack of exercise, and movement in general, certainly contributes to this, but I believe it all begins with the fuel we put into our bodies.

First and foremost total calories matter, and there is plenty of research and data to back this up. Dr. Garth Davis points to many studies that demonstrated weight loss based on caloric intake regardless of the macronutrient breakdown in his new book. There was even a nutrition professor who lost a lot of weight on a predominantly junk food diet by keeping his caloric intake around 1,850 a day. However, being truly healthy involves a lot more than just weight loss. This is where I disagree with the "macros" crowd. I have literally heard some people say that your body, at the cellular level, does not know the difference between carbohydrates and fat from almond butter and apples and carbohydrates and fat from Oreos.

Now I like Oreos as much as the next person but you have to be kidding me. Remember what I said about my common sense guideline earlier? If our nutrition provides the building blocks for our cells would you prefer your body building itself with the nutrients from nuts and fresh fruit or processed cookies? Yes, when it comes to weight loss, for the most part, controlling calories is the most important thing but I'd be willing to bet the end result of a body built on fresh, whole foods is a little different in appearance to a body built on processed crap. This doesn't mean that you can't still be healthy and indulge in your favorite snack or dessert on occasion, just use a little common sense!

I honestly believe that every time you eat you have the opportunity to eat something that is health promoting or something that is not health promoting. This is where it can get a little muddy. I think we all can agree that cookies, cake, candy and other junk food is not health promoting, and that vegetables and fruits are health promoting. Well, you do have those whackos who say fruit is sugar and is no better for you than a candy-bar, but if you're one of those people I'm honestly surprised you're still reading this or even following my blog! Where it gets muddy for me is meat and other animal-based foods. I am in the camp that believes animal-based foods are not healthy. The research and ideas presented by professionals like Dr. Michael Greger and Dr. Neal Barnard have convinced me that animal-based foods are not health promoting.

That being said, nutrition is a personal choice and I know many people who justify their consumption of animal-based foods as healthy. The purpose of this blog is not to get into a vegan vs. omnivore debate. The purpose of this blog is simply to state that nutrition really doesn’t need to be anymore complicated than this - is what you are eating health promoting or not? Unless of course you are dealing with some sort of chronic disease or illness, if you are you should be working with medical and dietary professionals not reading fitness blogs.

Scott’s Five Simple Steps to Healthy Nutrition

• Is the food I am eating health promoting or not health promoting?
• Eat mostly health promoting foods (roughly 85-95%), fresh whole foods focusing mainly on fruits, vegetables, beans / legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, etc.
• Eat less non-health promoting foods (roughly 5-15%), processed and snack / dessert foods, soft drinks, etc.
• Drink mostly water, I’m fine with unsweetened coffee and tea as well, but mostly water.
• Stop stressing out about what you eat, forget about your protein addiction, hitting macros, counting calories, weighing your food, and just eat healthy, whole foods.

So there you have it, I honestly believe that nutrition does not need to be any more complicated than this.

Stay Strong AND Healthy!

-Scott

P.S. If you are sick of all the ridiculous fad diet and training information and want a simple and highly effective solution to health and fitness, check out my online coaching program. I offer both short and long term planning to help you fit healthy nutrition and training into your daily routine. Click here for more information and for feedback from people I've worked with through this program.