A look into the past

A look into the past

Facebook through a photo memory at me today that was too good not to share – it was of my first ever home gym. I worked 12 hour shifts in an insulation factory to save up for the basics I needed for training, as well as my first motorcycle. I don’t know that I would call it hard work, but it was pretty mind numbing and as a teenager wanting to quit and go play video games – thinking about training and riding my new babe magnet was what got me through a lot of shifts. Free pro tip: the motorcycle wasn’t a babe magnet, bikes basically get you the attention of other bikers, haha.

So here is my first home gym, in all it’s glory – I moved mums dining table out to the rumpus room while she wasn’t home to fit it in.

A look into Past

I had a Powertec rack, which served me well for years. It was basic, it had a few features that I would have changed, but it did the job. When I moved out with my girlfriend, it came with us. When my girlfriend started her physiotherapy business, it became part of her physio gym. When we upgreaded the physio gym, it went into storage for a little while before being passed on to a friend of mine to use in his home gym.

I bought a barbell/rubber weights package with about 180kg total weight (including the barbell). The bar was a simply, cheap economy barbell. I pulled my first 180kg deadlift on it, in that very room, and then excitedly messaged my friend in Newcastle on MSN Messenger (yes, that long ago). This barbell and those weights are still in use today as part of the physio gym. The barbell, despite being about as cheap as it gets, is still straight.

The final ‘large’ purchase for my original home gym was the bench. I bought an Ironmaster Super Bench because it had a great load rating – I weighed about 70kg when I bought all this stuff, and it could support me if I weighed 100kg and benched 200kg. I remember telling my Uncle this, and he laughed and said I would never bench 200kg (only 20kg away now!). I doubt he remembers that conversation, but I do! This bench has been a great workhorse, and still lives on today at Black Flag Barbell Club in Castle Hill.

I have so many great memories of this gym, and these pieces of equipment. This is, in part, why training is so important to me – it has been a large part of my life and my relationships, and still is today. I have met many wonderful people through lifting, and hope to meet many more.

#byliftersforlifters

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