Creating the Perfect CrossFit Home Gym: Equipment, Stories, and Family Fitness

Transcript

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All right and we are back, and my brother Blake just dropped this on me.

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I think this is a great topic.

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So if you're talking about equipment and not necessarily in like a and it's funny too, ironically like in a commercial box space, it can even say it like commercial box.

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Well, yeah, I mean, but what we're talking about is like your must-haves.

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If you're not going like full crossfit gym but rather a full crossfit workout, whether it's in your, your home gym because I know you've got an outstanding home gym and a detached garage behind your house we've got a crossfit gym in our basement level that opens onto the patio, but it doesn't have, uh, ceiling height.

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So I built uh, I actually pirated the uh, the castro rig from rogue.

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Oh, yeah, and this was too, because, you know, we we came on the scene just a minute before rogue did, hence you know how we ended up building our own uh gear.

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So what I did, though, was I called rogue directly before I built this and I said hey, let me run something by you.

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I said I think I already know the answer, but I love the idea, the concept of the castro rig, particularly if I'm going to put it outside.

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It comes in like a 12 foot variation or a 15 foot variation, and I think it's like I called it like a trawler arm, um, but I was like no, what I would have done there was I would have put the four posts maybe two 12s and two 15s and then across the two 15s like a single bar that I would have rigged a 15 foot rope on right, you know, for stability and all that, and I know it would have worked, you know, anchor it to uh concrete and so forth, but, um, I was like, you know, and I was watching uh I think it was, um some video that dave put out at his place in arizona, and I'm like man, beautiful, like it's, it's outside and you can leave it.

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So now we're not Arizona right, that's true.

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And Rogue is in Columbus, so I know they speak the same language, right.

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And I was like, let me run this by you.

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I'm in Pittsburgh, what are the odds, you know?

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I mean, I know it's drilled and it shouldn't.

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And even if I drilled a couple more pilot holes, like on the bottom, like to let water, you know, flow out after snow and whatever gets in it, I was like, what are your thoughts?

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And the guy I talked to was very cool.

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He was like, well, you know, all of our equipment is powder coated and he's like, but outside is outside, you know, really, no telling, no guarantees as to how long that would last, you know, and then maintenance would become a thing you know.

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So what I did was I built one in my back end.

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I would have had to have dug and poured concrete pylons anyway to anchor it to.

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So what I ended up doing was I just dug, I rented an auger and this is, I don't know.

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Not many people know this story, but it's going public.

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This is so messed up.

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Um, we had a dog, uh, that it was just a great dog, rescue dog, beautiful, beautiful, and this thing was like.

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You remember when we, uh, painted the origin, our last space.

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Yeah, we painted that.

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So sherwin-williams is right up here where we are now, and we were right down the street.

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So I was going back and forth picking up paint Like I'd coach the 530, go to Sherwin-Williams, get some paint, come back.

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And every morning when the Animal Rescue League was right across the street from where we are today, the volunteers would be taking dogs out for a walk, right?

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So I see this one and he is just cool.

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There's just something about him.

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He's just something about him.

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He's just like it looks like he's got it all figured out, you know.

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So we rescue him, we bring him to the house and he was just, he was my dog, you know like.

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He'd stay with me and just like right, wherever I'd be working, he'd be right there beside me and hang out.

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When I bring him to the gym and he'd just hang out with me.

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And we had him for um, I don't know, maybe a year or so and no idea what, because he was a very well-behaved dog, had great personality, loved the kids.

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All of a sudden, this one particular Sunday, he's like kind of not restless, he's like lethargic, you know, and he's like laying in his bed beside me there in the family room, I'm like, hey, buddy, what's going on?

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And he'd perk up, you know.

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And I'm like, all right, you know.

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So before we went to bed I made up my mind.

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I'm like, all right, we're coaching the 530 tomorrow morning.

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If he's no better when I get back, I'm taking him to the vet.

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Well, evidently he had gotten hold of something and like something plastic and chewed on it and I guess it cut him up low into his, you know, like intestinal tract and he bled out overnight I mean internal, you know, just bled out overnight.

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And I'll tell you what I.

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That messed me up pretty bad like.

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I was like, oh, you gotta be kidding me, you know.

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So, um, he would sleep in a crate, like we I don't even remember if we kept the door on, but that was like his space, like in our, in our bedroom, you know, and he had this, uh, pittsburgh steeler, uh, fleece, but that was like his space, like in our bedroom, you know.

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And he had this Pittsburgh Steeler fleece blanket.

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That was like his favorite blanket, you know.

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So I wrapped him up in his fleece blanket, I put his favorite Kong in there with him and I'm like I'm not taking him away.

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I'm not putting him anywhere.

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Like, I dug the hole myself in a spot in the backyard that he used to like to sit under this pine tree right.

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So I put to like to sit under this pine tree right, so I put him there.

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Great, you know, perfect, I know exactly where it is.

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I even had like a little little stone, like not marker carved or anything, but I had like a little, you know, I knew it was his spot.

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So, subsequent to that, we have the pine trees taken down because they're starting to break and bad winds and all that, and I'm like okay, and they're getting sap over everything and they're blighted.

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So we get the pine trees cut down.

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Great, so I go to dig the holes to plant these posts to build my own Castro rig.

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And Jen said isn't the dog buried around there?

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I go, he is, but he's right here, like I know where he is.

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He's right in the middle.

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He's fine.

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Super Fourth hole out of four.

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I'm like.

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I lift the auger, all of a sudden the piece of the blanket comes up and the rest of the blankets attached to it and michael was outside with me and he was like he wasn't even.

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You know how old is that rig?

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It's pretty old now, but I'm like, hey, buddy, um, go get mom, I'm gonna need her advice on something.

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Okay, off he goes.

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I'm like, so, yeah, we had to um, what's it called disintern and like re-intern, champ, you know.

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So that was not cool, man, that was not cool, but we salvaged it.

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We were able to get like everything a little blanket and all that, and I'm like, oh, my god, my buddy, sorry dude, but yeah, but anyway, um, so, having said that, right, so you got, like you know, a great home gym, and I know this from like old, old, um, uh, what do you call it?

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Like old health club lore.

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I guess studies and statistics and all of that have shown like people that have gyms in their home are more apt to use it if they also train somewhere else, as opposed to like, oh no, I don't need a gym membership, I have a Peloton, a treadmill or whatever.

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And I don't mean like by the brand, I don't mean it like by the brand, I don't mean it like that.

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But oftentimes what tends to happen is that thing becomes a piece of furniture and you'll hang laundry from it or you'll use it as whatever, maybe once in a while.

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But I guess the philosophy is hey, I have to train at home, today, I'm not going to make it to the box and you're going to use it more, or even, you know, augment your workouts with.

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You know, get up in the morning and I'll do part a, and then I'll come into the box this evening and do this.

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But I guess that's what, and I think that's a great idea.

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So you don't have the space, you don't have the height, you don't have the need, for you know triplicate, you know multiple, multiples.

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So, in your opinion, what would you?

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What would you start with?

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well, I think, um, probably the thing right now that I use the most are my dumbbells.

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So I have, I'm, I'm, you know, I don't necessarily know that this is necessary for everybody, uh, but we have dumbbells from, uh, from five.

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Actually, technically, we have dumbbells from three to three to forty in five pound increments, and then I don't have a set of 45s but I have a set of 50s and, uh, you know, I utilize my dumbbells probably more than anything.

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Um, you know, because I am a former meathead and I do like to lift heavy things every once in a while.

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You know, like I like to bench heavy, I would like to get more dumbbells, but again, like you said, space becomes an issue.

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So, like you know, eight pounds through, you know, through 50 pounds.

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Essentially, it's really only what?

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One through 50 pounds, essentially it's it's really only what that's like nine sets of dumbbells, so they fit conveniently into a small rack area.

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Um, you know, but I can do everything that I need with that.

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Uh, I think it's it's very, uh, very important to have a place where you can do pull-ups, you know and having some sort of rig.

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Uh, we were talking before, before we started recording.

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Um, and you know, those foldable racks are nice, but like if it were, you know, I mean, it is me, I built one like a home gym, but, um, I would never unfold it you know what I mean?

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like it's like, yeah, just be like oh, here I'll do that.

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No, that extra step isn't ever gonna right, isn't ever gonna happen, and I think the funny part too is, as I said it right, because I think the the the point I was getting to was like before we remodeled our, our lower level, we had a um, like half of the house, maybe maybe even like two-thirds, was a garage, so it was like a two-car garage, but it was the entire like depth of the house.

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So it was nice, it was big, but it had a finished eight foot ceiling, so you really don't gain anything height wise.

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Um, and we, we converted that into an in-law's apartment, you know, when we moved my mother in.

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So I wouldn't have changed that for anything, but what we ended up doing.

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And again, this, this stuff happens right.

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A picture came up in my facebook feed today of when, you know I was okay, we've got some stall mats, four by eight plywood sheet.

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I did like the diagonal Navy blue paint on one corner, you know bright, bright yellow.

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You know, in the next set it up with a like an incremental you know squat rack and in the, in the picture I remember, there's like just the foot of a dumbbell rack to the other side and what I ended up doing there we had um, one pair, fives to fifties.

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I guess the intent was always like, hey, if I need heavier, we'll get them.

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But what I actually ended up doing was I bought a pair of rogue uh handles you know the, the Olympic dumbbell handles and then with that I ended up buying um well, I had like a ton of cast iron from you know, our first gym.

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I mean, if you remember, we first opened up we didn't even have bumper plates right like we had a ton of cast iron and really, you know, we made do until we placed our first, uh, first bumper plate order, you know, but actually like those and I wouldn't even think, or fives and two and a halves and tens, like are they still they're not considered change plates.

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I mean, change plates are like the small, like one pound, three quarter pound I guess it all depends on who you talk to.

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Yeah, but yeah, I mean that you know, I mean, if you have enough of those that, that still weighs weight, right, exactly.

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Well, and the thing is this too, though, because the 10-pound cast iron is probably as big as you want to go on those Rogue, what are they?

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The handle.

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Yeah, like the Olympic with the Olympic collars.

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Like if you're benching, your range of motion is here before, like you're like.

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Ah, I just put two 45s on here but that was just crazy, because you know four tens is a 55, because the bars weigh, uh, 15, okay, yeah, so you're like okay, so just stack up on some tens, some fives, and you can, you know, you can build them as you go.

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Now I wouldn't be doing drop sets, you know it's not practical to go.

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Okay, you strip them off, put them on right, but um, cost wise was one factor, but then space was another.

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I was like I'm running out of room to have, you know, 55s to 100, you know.

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But, um, yeah, dumbbells, absolutely, I mean there's so and I think sometimes too, I know, within the crossfit we do use them quite a bit.

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Obviously, dumbbell snatches cleans yesterday's workout or Monday's workout this week, heavy emphasis on dumbbells, which is great.

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But I also, one of the things I loved when we first started was and I paid the price for this I don't think I had rhabdo, but I got into this.

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I don't think I had rhabdo, but I got into this, I don't think I had rhabdo.

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You probably you'd know it if you did, I mean if you don't go to the doctor.

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You never know.

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You know what.

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That's right.

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That's exactly.

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That's the way I that's why we're friends, man.

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But I ended up and I think it was too it was out of enthusiasm that I was getting so immersed in kettlebell training that I would do my three-on-one-off of CrossFit.

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Then, on my rest day, I'm like well, I'm not really working out, I'm just going to practice.

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You know, was it Iverson?

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We're talking about practice.

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Right, we're talking about practice.

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And that's what I did.

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I would practice.

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But's what I did.

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I would practice.

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But let me, let's face it, you start to get into it and you're really having fun.

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And you remember Jeff Martone, right?

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I mean I was, uh, I knew who he was and really was, just like I'm watching everything he's putting out.

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Then we went to a train up.

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I had already been on our project at the agency for about two years, okay, and we finally got enough replacements in the pipeline that we're like, okay, no kidding, now we need to make a concerted effort.

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Like everybody goes through the selection that's been approved for new hires.

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We're going and we did.

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Some of us were home on leave, so to speak, so we attended the first go.

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And who do they hire as our combatives instructor?

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But Jeff Martone.

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So right away, you know, I introduced myself and hey, how you doing?

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All right, you know this and this, and we're just talking about like every spare minute, we're talking about training.

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You know a funny story too, and this is a fact.

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And he was here in Pittsburgh a few years back for a kettlebell clinic or certificate course, and where was it?

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We didn't host it.

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We didn't host it, but he ended up staying at our place and I think what he did was he came in Friday evening to our place and did like a clinic, but the course was, I want to say, maybe CrossFit Mount Lebanon the next day and Mike Lamana went to the course.

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So he tells me on Monday he goes oh my God, man, he's like I knew you, I knew you knew Jeff, I knew you guys were friends.

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But he's like he told a story that was so damn funny and I'm like, oh God, what was that?

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And he said, yeah, you all were at a train up Because I told the story to everybody.

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I'm like, no, I saw it, I was there, I saw it.

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It's basically a combatives course but you have the bad everybody that you know.

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The students and the bad guys are all dressed in like the uh, like the red man suit.

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Okay.

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So like basically soft body armor on everything boxing gloves or you know, like MMA gloves but you know like everything's padded, covered, protected, encaged, and it's scenario driven.

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So all you get is a briefing.

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Like you're the student, you get the briefing.

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They usually do it in a cqb house right, okay and they're like all right, here's the deal.

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It's a passive environment.

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So far as you're aware, you're just going to enter through this door, walk through the building and come out the other side.

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Roger, that right.

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So as you're walking around and it's not like, oh, there are role players, but they're all just in, like T-shirts and jeans.

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They're not going to jump you because if you're going to defend yourself, they're not protected.

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So, like everybody's in red man gear.

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And you've got guys doing like clerical work.

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Like you know, there's no paper but there's like metal filing cabinets in the office space or whatever.

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So, long story short, and you don't know if anybody's armed or not, and if they're armed, obviously it's the munitions, right?

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So as this particular scenario unfolds, jeff's the instructor, so he's clearly out of bounds, Not out of bounds, he's off limits, right?

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So he's wearing like a ball cap and you know polo shirt and you know, I mean, he's clearly don't touch this guy.

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So he's walking the building as this scenario is unfolding and one of the attackers has a pistol In addition to all his gear.

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He's got a pistol.

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So his cohort attacks the student, the student starts throwing everything he can think of.

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I mean, he's doing pretty well and I can say this with all certainty that I saw it because I was up on the catwalk with the other instructors.

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I'm watching this thing develop.

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And you're like oh, that's nice, right, While this is happening, the other bad guy comes in, takes a swat at the guy, kicks whatever, pulls his pistol.

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As he pulls his pistol, now they're moving all over, like the student had the wherewithal to actually use the other bad guy as like a shield, you know.

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So he grabs him, kind of like, uses him, throws him towards A shot, goes off just as Jeff walks through the door.

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All right, he catches the damn round, catches it, but not like you know, some fictitious, like ha ha, you know, but I guess you know.

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And then, when I told the story, I was like no dude, that's being aware, right, I mean, I'm not even saying well, he saw from the angle of the this or this, it was reflex, it was timing and it was just like you know.

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His hand came up and he actually ended up catching the round in his hand.

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And well, he tells the story and he goes yeah, he's like you know.

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Now mike tells the story that I caught this round.

00:18:53.622 --> 00:18:58.633
He goes I didn't really, you know, you know how he did, I didn't really catch it.

00:18:58.633 --> 00:19:11.016
Now, and I I respect this, though, and maybe I used the wrong verbiage Like he goes, I didn't, I didn't catch it so much as you know, like I think he saw you know, like a, a flash, a, whatever.

00:19:11.016 --> 00:19:25.741
And as his hand comes up, he's like I didn't so much catch it, as it hit my hand and I'm like all right, your story, my story hand.

00:19:25.741 --> 00:19:27.229
I would argue like if you went like this and it hit here, it hit your hand.

00:19:27.229 --> 00:19:28.433
Yeah, it ends up in your hand and you have positive control.

00:19:28.453 --> 00:19:33.871
if it were me, I'd be telling everybody you know, I'd have shirts made yeah, and I wouldn't even say, I wouldn't even say it was simunition.

00:19:33.951 --> 00:19:37.106
I'd be like, yeah, I caught, caught a, snatched that right out of the air.

00:19:37.106 --> 00:19:40.603
See, what you have to understand about force on force is when physics dictates.

00:19:40.603 --> 00:19:42.807
Now he's uh, he's a cool dude man.

00:19:42.807 --> 00:19:44.830
He is a very, very uh.

00:19:44.830 --> 00:19:53.362
But I think too, you know that's, that's something that he's got a unique style, but he's, you know, that's that's how you get to be a subject matter expert.

00:19:53.362 --> 00:20:20.065
You know, he's been around kettlebell training for so long that it's like, you know, when you start to master movements and then kind of it becomes well, like you said yesterday I actually used that with an on-ramp last night the um, I have to go to the gym, or I get to go to the gym, right, yeah, I have to work out, or I get to work out two totally different mindsets and I think he's kind of taking it to that level where he's worked at it so much.

00:20:20.965 --> 00:20:35.487
You've got to love it to be that immersed in it right but then my opinion and watching him and learning from him, I'm like he takes it to a point where now it's fun and hence my you know, like hey, three on one off, three on one off.

00:20:35.487 --> 00:20:41.145
And those one-offs were I'm literally I'm out in my backyard and I'm like juggling and practice.

00:20:41.145 --> 00:20:49.184
Well, all of a sudden I'm like I'm not sure what's wrong, but literally everything hurts.

00:20:49.184 --> 00:20:57.846
I, the only thing I didn't have and I don't know if this is bad or I don't know if it's good or bad I didn't have the, the coca-cola colored urine, right, you know.

00:20:57.846 --> 00:21:07.984
But I felt like I had been really like beat up, like when I was a kid, like in a college, in the navy, when I was boxing like, especially if you'd have a like a battle.

00:21:07.984 --> 00:21:20.028
Um, I remember, you know, there's like a pain that you get like in the, in your lower back, that's like from being like body punched, like kidney shots, if, and I'm like that's probably not good at all, you know.

00:21:20.068 --> 00:21:24.525
So I just you know when I you know what I ate a little bit of yogurt.

00:21:24.525 --> 00:21:30.207
I drank, drank some water and I did more CrossFit Right, and I healed myself.

00:21:30.207 --> 00:21:31.130
Yeah, you know.

00:21:31.721 --> 00:21:33.046
That's what happens when you're younger right.

00:21:33.066 --> 00:21:33.307
That's right.

00:21:33.760 --> 00:21:36.990
You do stupid shit and your body recovers and you're good and then you get older.

00:21:37.220 --> 00:21:38.402
Take a knee, drink water.

00:21:39.022 --> 00:21:44.092
You're like oh man, I can't do this this morning because my hips are tight or my back is tight or whatever.

00:21:44.271 --> 00:21:45.173
That's for sure.

00:21:50.920 --> 00:21:57.712
Now, with your extensive knowledge and friendship with Jeff and stuff, what emphasis on kettlebells would you put on a home gym?

00:21:57.732 --> 00:21:58.375
Oh, absolutely.

00:21:58.375 --> 00:22:13.065
I think it's a great tool and, you know, think about this too, like just some of the primary movements we do as CrossFitters, and there's an upside and then more of an upside for certain things.

00:22:13.065 --> 00:22:17.869
For example, you're teaching someone what in the wide, wide world of sports?

00:22:17.869 --> 00:22:24.692
Oh my gosh, this is going to be funny.

00:22:24.692 --> 00:22:28.269
This is just.

00:22:30.891 --> 00:22:34.009
For those of you at home, we're watching the kids right now and they're working on their handstands.

00:22:34.009 --> 00:22:38.211
That was Logan that did it right.

00:22:38.251 --> 00:22:38.432
Yeah.

00:22:38.644 --> 00:22:51.678
So my son's down there and if you paid any attention whenever he was here, right, he is not the person that looks like he should ever be up on his hands.

00:22:51.678 --> 00:23:06.157
He does not look like he would do that, but he's been practicing handstands for the last couple months and he's officially, at nine years old, better at handstand walks than I am.

00:23:06.178 --> 00:23:06.538
Look at that.

00:23:06.986 --> 00:23:07.346
Absolutely.

00:23:07.346 --> 00:23:07.647
He's better.

00:23:07.647 --> 00:23:15.262
Now I'm jealous, and this is the best and this is the best, the best part try and make him pick up a 400 pound bar later and be like, see, you can't do that face like well, can you dad?

00:23:15.262 --> 00:23:19.594
I was like well, we're not talking about me here, we're talking about you.

00:23:19.614 --> 00:23:25.031
I think the coolest part about this, though, is the kids class has given us the opportunity to get together and talk.

00:23:25.031 --> 00:23:26.974
Oh for sure, crossfit, but.

00:23:26.974 --> 00:23:31.192
But what's wild is being able to see it, and I don't think it's a distraction at all.

00:23:31.192 --> 00:23:35.436
It's a privilege to be able to see them on the monitor and watch.

00:23:35.436 --> 00:23:39.430
I mean, again, that's right there, I get to go to the gym.

00:23:39.730 --> 00:23:40.232
Oh, for sure.

00:23:40.313 --> 00:23:51.108
Right, like when our kids were that age, like my cousin's kids, right there, when our kids were that age, it was amazing, like, hey, are we going to go to the gym?

00:23:51.108 --> 00:23:52.490
Right, you know.

00:23:52.490 --> 00:24:00.795
And they would have like their own little area set up and when they were old enough to start training, like you know, little kids was awesome.

00:24:00.795 --> 00:24:09.321
But to answer your question, like sumo, deadlift, high pull, the way we teach it, right, it's a great movement.

00:24:09.321 --> 00:24:23.420
But think about this though it's also and how many times I know we've been around this issue, you and I One of the easy target criticisms of our thing is well, some of those, you know, you do some of those movements.

00:24:23.420 --> 00:24:28.212
I don't like CrossFit because if you do some of those movements wrong, I love that.

00:24:28.212 --> 00:24:29.419
If you do some of those movements wrong, you can get hurt.

00:24:29.419 --> 00:24:30.242
I'm like, all right, stop, rewind.

00:24:30.242 --> 00:24:30.744
Highlight.

00:24:30.744 --> 00:24:33.113
Select passages from that statement.

00:24:33.113 --> 00:24:37.815
If you do some of those movements wrong, you can get hurt, right.

00:24:38.035 --> 00:24:53.326
That's true, yeah you can Just like you do anything wrong.

00:24:53.326 --> 00:24:54.310
You're going to get hurt, highly likely.

00:24:54.310 --> 00:24:55.474
But um, from a, from a, like an application, uh, piece.

00:24:55.474 --> 00:24:57.763
You know, as we're taught, as it's instructed, as any coach worth anything would teach the sumo deadlift, high pull.

00:24:57.784 --> 00:25:14.904
It's not an upright row right right, you generate that momentum with the hips and you facilitate the movement of the bar to the peak and then back down and you go.

00:25:14.904 --> 00:25:23.414
You're never going to master the barbell on the sumo deadlift high pull if all you use is a kettlebell, right, but at the same time, for the sake of a workout for someone who's just not getting it right now, hey, you know what.

00:25:23.414 --> 00:25:26.230
Set the barbell aside, blake.

00:25:26.230 --> 00:25:36.453
You use the barbell I have Mike, since he can't get it, because you know, as you know, if you don't hit the sweet spot on that barbell, it becomes like a whitewater kayak adventure, you know.

00:25:37.135 --> 00:25:37.616
And I agree.

00:25:37.616 --> 00:25:47.096
I think that that's useful, like I know in my situation we have, you know, so primarily it's Jess and I that use it.

00:25:47.096 --> 00:26:07.425
Now I do still have a few personal training clients, uh, so you know a little bit different, but I have a 26 uh 26 pound, a 36 pound, a 53 pound and a 72 pound kettlebell, so I have kind of like the full range of kettlebells right now.

00:26:07.367 --> 00:26:08.414
Obviously, again, it's just, for the most part, one person using a kettlebell at a time.

00:26:08.414 --> 00:26:08.692
So I have kind of like the full range of kettlebells right now.

00:26:08.634 --> 00:26:26.646
Obviously, again, it's just for the most part, one person using a kettlebell at a time so I don't need to have multiples, but I think you know it's nice because they are literally, they fit on a, on a piece of matting that is maybe 18 inches by eight inches and they sit under stuff and they're like they're out of the way.

00:26:26.646 --> 00:26:47.338
But you know, there's, like you know, being able to do kettlebell swings and if you want, you know and you know, okay, hey, we're gonna do an american swing, we're gonna go overhead, we're gonna keep our core tight, we're gonna work on that aspect or I really want to work on hip power and you have somebody that's, you know, a smaller athlete, whatever you're like, okay, well, you normally use a 36-pound kettlebell, we're going to use a 53 today.

00:26:51.204 --> 00:26:53.835
I just want you to come chest level, you know, eye level, whatever, and you know.

00:26:53.835 --> 00:26:56.386
So I think those are infinitely better than like dumbbell swings.

00:26:56.386 --> 00:26:57.111
I know are a thing.

00:26:57.111 --> 00:27:01.392
Do I trust myself doing dumbbell swings?

00:27:01.392 --> 00:27:01.633
Sure.

00:27:01.933 --> 00:27:02.808
Right, do I trust?

00:27:02.828 --> 00:27:09.628
somebody else trying to hold on to the head of a dumbbell and swing it Because, cause, you know, ultimately you're like hey, look, you're holding onto the dumbbell.

00:27:09.628 --> 00:27:12.348
It's awkward, I just, you're probably going to be sweaty.

00:27:12.348 --> 00:27:13.231
I mean, it's my garage.

00:27:13.231 --> 00:27:14.871
It's 95 degrees outside.

00:27:14.871 --> 00:27:18.775
You know, no matter how many fans I put in there, it's still hot, right.

00:27:18.775 --> 00:27:21.875
So it's like hey, don't go any higher than your chin.

00:27:21.984 --> 00:27:32.571
And the next thing you know, they, they're trying to swing it overhead and then you have all kinds of craziness, but with kettlebells you do have that safety concern, or not as much of a safety concern.

00:27:32.833 --> 00:28:06.334
Exactly right, and I think too it's funny because I'm a sucker for history just hours or communities or whatever, but one of the things that I remember first learning about, like the Eastern European Olympic, like from our youth you know, like the former Soviet Union, like the Eastern Bloc countries, produced some of the most skilled, talented Olympic lifters, right, and the story goes and it's all cultural.

00:28:06.374 --> 00:28:08.515
It really is Like Olympic lifting was a huge part of Eastern European culture, right, and the story goes and it's all cultural.

00:28:08.515 --> 00:28:11.459
It really is like Olympic lifting was a huge part of Eastern European culture, right?

00:28:11.459 --> 00:28:17.752
So you'd have young people, young athletes would gravitate to these gyms like I want to be an Olympic lifter.

00:28:17.752 --> 00:28:18.756
I want to be an Olympic lifter.

00:28:18.756 --> 00:28:22.511
Right, juxtaposed, there's like a friend of mine.

00:28:22.511 --> 00:28:47.596
I've had a few friends over the years who between deployments they lived in Thailand and former team guys who would live in Thailand off of deployment at the agency, and a lot of huge duh Thailand Thai boxing, like their birthplace, and so a lot of them would start to train at Thai boxing gyms and they're like man, the story is the same across the board.

00:28:47.563 --> 00:28:48.433
They're like, yeah, I'd like to train at Thai boxing gyms.

00:28:48.433 --> 00:28:49.018
And they're like man, the story is the same across the board.

00:28:49.018 --> 00:28:50.319
They're like, yeah, I'd like to train here.

00:28:50.319 --> 00:28:54.736
You know, the grizzled old coach is like all right, great Hands him, a jump rope.

00:28:54.736 --> 00:28:56.391
And he's like, you know, no shoes.

00:28:56.391 --> 00:29:01.511
Right, t-shirt, shorts, no shoes, all right, going over there and jump rope until I tell you to stop.

00:29:01.511 --> 00:29:03.777
Super.

00:29:03.777 --> 00:29:15.628
And I think too, there, super, and I think too there's an appreciation that you have to have sometimes, man, you know, put this way like I wouldn't have risked my life, for my entire adult life, if I didn't love this country, right.

00:29:15.628 --> 00:29:28.278
But sometimes I think a big downside is we want everything yesterday, right, we are like the microwave jiffy pop, uh, instant cup of soup, right where, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:29:28.278 --> 00:29:29.461
You know, I want to do that thing.

00:29:29.461 --> 00:29:34.433
I saw this where it was on the games, and I want to do right, let's get you there.

00:29:34.433 --> 00:29:37.749
Matter of fact, you know what, let's get you right up to the podium.

00:29:37.769 --> 00:29:44.107
We'll just dispense with all the training you have somebody come through your doors and they're like so I saw, you know I was watching the games and they had the pig.

00:29:44.107 --> 00:29:44.951
Do you have a pig like?

00:29:44.951 --> 00:29:45.614
No, I don't have a pig.

00:29:45.614 --> 00:29:46.467
Like what?

00:29:46.487 --> 00:29:46.688
the heck.

00:29:46.807 --> 00:29:50.017
Right, Like you know, and again it's different.

00:29:50.017 --> 00:30:03.275
You know you guys have obviously significantly more square footage across from Pittsburgh than I do in my garage, but, like you know, even for us at one point over the winter we have, you know.

00:30:03.275 --> 00:30:17.833
So Jess likes to use an elliptical, so we have an elliptical, we have a rower, we have an airdyne, we have a treadmill, we have a Peloton right.

00:30:18.193 --> 00:30:19.775
You have all that in your garage.

00:30:19.855 --> 00:30:24.539
Yeah, okay, yeah, and like to the point where it was.

00:30:24.539 --> 00:30:27.082
It was literally it took up one wall.

00:30:27.082 --> 00:30:34.832
No, it's lucky for us that we have, uh, I mean a we never, because here's the funny thing, right.

00:30:34.832 --> 00:30:49.833
So, like, like you said, we're not in arizona, we're not in a warm climate, like, and that's you know, the affordable racks, like there's no way I'm ever parking my garage because, right, if it's winter time, first off I don't want to open the door because that just lets all any kind of warmth that's in there go.

00:30:49.833 --> 00:30:56.506
And b, then you have to like constantly clean the mats because it's it's wet yeah, for sure for all it's, you know, all the time, whatever.

00:30:56.626 --> 00:31:08.143
But so we are lucky enough to have a relatively oversized two-car garage, um, but you know, but all that stuff took up one whole wall right and now it takes up.

00:31:08.143 --> 00:31:11.090
I've consolidated a little bit, so the peloton is on its way out.

00:31:11.090 --> 00:31:24.981
I'm trying to figure out a way to put it in the basement so I can get it out of my out of my face basically yeah um, but like you know, even you know, the elliptical is the only thing that doesn't kind of take up a small footprint.

00:31:25.443 --> 00:31:27.767
We just pushed it all the way to the front, yeah.

00:31:27.767 --> 00:31:37.258
And then, like, the bike is relatively compact, the rower obviously stands up, which is super nice, and then, if need be, the treadmill will fold up Right.

00:31:37.258 --> 00:31:45.804
And you know not to take anything away from any of those things, because obviously we have them, I like them.

00:31:45.804 --> 00:31:54.958
But like, as we talked about last week, a little bit, I mean, as I get older and you know my, my back issues, you know kind of flare up here and there, uh, I can't run outside.

00:31:54.958 --> 00:32:04.491
So like I mean, if I was going to pick one of those four things to keep, I'd probably just keep the treadmill yeah, and what's crazy that you mentioned that?

00:32:04.531 --> 00:32:14.092
because, like, I referred to that picture that came up in our feed, right, and I'm looking at that picture and I'm like that you mention that because, like, I referred to that picture that came up in our feed, right, and I'm looking at that picture and I'm like, oh man, like that's when the basement didn't get smaller.

00:32:14.471 --> 00:32:14.673
Right.

00:32:14.853 --> 00:32:16.493
Right the way it was set.

00:32:16.493 --> 00:32:18.375
We had plenty of room.

00:32:18.375 --> 00:32:26.709
So the rack was pushed against one wall and you know, with a platform, you know a home platform in front of it, yeah, you know a home platform, uh, in front of it.

00:32:26.709 --> 00:32:31.731
Yeah, then behind that we had uh an airdyne, one of the original, I think.

00:32:31.731 --> 00:32:42.397
They were like like a copper color right, like the next version, yeah yeah, like ours had an analog right yeah, mine's just, oh yeah yeah, count calories.

00:32:42.438 --> 00:32:44.428
I'm like you can't, it's a, you know.

00:32:44.428 --> 00:32:49.458
But um, we had the airdyne, we had the concept two, uh, rower.

00:32:49.458 --> 00:33:03.128
And that was another embarrassing moment, but I think you know, you learn from, uh, you learn right, we had affiliated but we were not brick and mortar yet, like we were doing it out of our garage and, uh, or our patio.

00:33:03.128 --> 00:33:06.555
So I'm like, well, we need a rower, right.

00:33:06.555 --> 00:33:09.759
So I go on eBay and I find a concept to rower.

00:33:09.759 --> 00:33:11.729
We have deltas now, I think.

00:33:11.729 --> 00:33:13.756
So this must've been.

00:33:13.756 --> 00:33:19.901
This was the one before the Delta, I think, like the C model, the gray, and like black and gray one.

00:33:19.961 --> 00:33:22.211
Yes, yeah, and it has the straight wooden handle.

00:33:22.765 --> 00:33:24.666
Like it doesn't have the ergonomic Right, like it doesn't have the ergonomics.

00:33:24.686 --> 00:33:24.886
Right.

00:33:24.886 --> 00:33:26.749
So what do I know?

00:33:26.749 --> 00:33:34.395
Right, I know these things are bomb proof and they'll last forever, and the price was like under $400.

00:33:34.395 --> 00:33:39.421
So, boom, I place a bid and I learned it's my first experience on eBay.

00:33:39.421 --> 00:33:46.355
So I place a bid, and then I keep checking and I keep checking and all of a sudden everybody else falls away, except this one other buyer.

00:33:46.355 --> 00:33:50.955
And it's like boom, boom, boom, boom.

00:33:50.955 --> 00:33:57.773
So I'm embarrassed to say that I just sat there like a sniper and I'm like waiting, and I'm waiting, and I'm waiting.

00:33:57.773 --> 00:34:00.693
Now I'm just blinded by anything other than winning.

00:34:00.693 --> 00:34:02.730
So I win the bid.

00:34:02.730 --> 00:34:07.070
I have to pay for shipping.

00:34:07.070 --> 00:34:15.327
I get it home.

00:34:15.347 --> 00:34:16.548
Um, monitor doesn't work, so I call concept too.

00:34:16.548 --> 00:34:22.266
And again, this was so long ago like there was no rogue, so I called dynamax and ordered all of our med balls.

00:34:22.266 --> 00:34:26.391
You know, when we opened our first brick and mortar, like I called dynamax, ordered the medicine boss.

00:34:26.391 --> 00:34:42.496
I, um, um, power max were the big rigs that we got, the original ghds, like those medieval spanish inquisition torture devices not busters yeah, and yet they're still going strong.

00:34:42.516 --> 00:34:47.577
Oh, absolutely, you know, like there's, there'll be they, those GHDs and the cockroaches.

00:34:47.577 --> 00:34:49.650
They'll be here after the apocalypse.

00:34:49.751 --> 00:34:50.233
Tell you what?

00:34:50.233 --> 00:34:55.115
Yeah, you know, nobody's nuts will be left, but those, those things, they'll be going strong.

00:34:55.744 --> 00:34:57.630
But so we did all that ourselves.

00:34:57.630 --> 00:34:58.735
But you know.

00:34:58.735 --> 00:35:02.730
So here I am like oh, we got this Concept 2, so it gets delivered to the house.

00:35:02.730 --> 00:35:14.500
I would have been hundreds of dollars better off buying a new one directly from concept to having it free, because I think at the time was like free shipping, you know, or whatever.

00:35:14.500 --> 00:35:17.030
But, um, I get it home, the monitor doesn't work.

00:35:17.030 --> 00:35:22.510
So and that's the one thing I love about concept too you get those guys on the phone or on email customer support.

00:35:22.510 --> 00:35:25.538
It's like they, you know, forget about it.

00:35:25.538 --> 00:35:26.588
I mean it's, it's crazy.

00:35:26.588 --> 00:35:40.248
So the young man I talked to, he was like well, he's like it could be a couple things, and he said what you're describing, he's like the monitor itself could be bad, but he was like there's also a chance that it could be the led screen itself.

00:35:40.248 --> 00:35:42.592
And he said let's do this.

00:35:42.592 --> 00:35:45.097
He said order the screen for ten dollars.

00:35:45.097 --> 00:35:48.853
I want to say at the time the monitor was like a hundred dollars right yeah, he's like.

00:35:48.954 --> 00:35:52.963
Order the screen for ten dollars, check it out, he goes.

00:35:52.963 --> 00:35:54.065
It comes apart easily.

00:35:54.065 --> 00:35:56.050
You know, pop one out, put the new one in.

00:35:56.050 --> 00:36:02.527
And he said if that is not the problem, then you have a new screen when you need it.

00:36:02.527 --> 00:36:09.778
And he said when you contact us again to buy the monitor, you won't pay shipping oh nice, yeah.

00:36:09.778 --> 00:36:15.637
So I was like, oh, that's, you know, can't get nothing wrong with that, but time right so I get the screen.

00:36:16.365 --> 00:36:17.849
Screen doesn't work, I get.

00:36:17.849 --> 00:36:23.246
So now, not only do I pay more for it, then I well, actually it's less than 400.

00:36:23.246 --> 00:36:26.153
Well, not after your freaking bidding war, you know.

00:36:26.153 --> 00:36:27.898
Uh, so lesson learned, you know.

00:36:27.898 --> 00:36:34.711
But now it's like a piece of the family, you know, like I don't, I'm not gonna, and it still works well, it still works fine, right, I'll tell you what.

00:36:34.992 --> 00:36:40.010
Like I bought one off somebody and I was gonna, I eventually gave it to my brother.

00:36:40.010 --> 00:36:45.793
After, after we closed the gym, I gave it to, I gave it to my brother, um, but it was, there was a slip in it.

00:36:45.793 --> 00:36:48.708
It would slip every once in a while I think the my brother, um, but it was.

00:36:48.728 --> 00:36:49.208
There was a slip in it.

00:36:49.208 --> 00:36:50.793
It would slip every once in a while.

00:36:50.793 --> 00:36:52.538
I think the the sprocket was bad or something and I fixed it.

00:36:52.538 --> 00:37:03.349
I mean, first off, there's like six moving parts in a, in a concept, two row right right and I literally pretty much rebuilt the entire thing for 150 bucks like they sell the kit.

00:37:03.610 --> 00:37:05.034
Yeah, it's like, hey, if something goes wrong.

00:37:05.054 --> 00:37:05.735
This is probably it.

00:37:05.735 --> 00:37:13.193
Here's all the here's all the things to you know, refurbish it, basically, and you know, and that's it.

00:37:13.193 --> 00:37:16.688
Yeah, and it was great Like it works like a charm.

00:37:17.989 --> 00:37:18.510
You okay, buddy.

00:37:20.032 --> 00:37:23.858
What's wrong, pal Okay.

00:37:24.219 --> 00:37:24.519
Awesome.

00:37:24.519 --> 00:37:34.713
We're talking about stuff you should have, and you should probably get a logan for your home gym, right, because he's a rascal.

00:37:34.753 --> 00:37:44.947
He's a rascal, this way, if there's one thing that, uh, both of my kids love more than anything which is, you know, the same thing with with uh getting to go to the gym is they love.

00:37:44.947 --> 00:37:49.097
I mean, and I already mentioned it, but love hanging on the bars, love hanging from the rings.

00:37:49.097 --> 00:37:54.786
I've never seen two kids like now.

00:37:54.786 --> 00:37:59.711
I don't know many other kids, but they love American Ninja Warrior in the garage.

00:37:59.731 --> 00:38:06.918
They're always like doing all that kind of stuff.

00:38:06.918 --> 00:38:13.365
So those are things that you want them to be able to do something or enjoy something.

00:38:13.427 --> 00:38:31.570
For sure, it's definitely for sure, and you know it doesn't take away I don't think doesn't take away anything from you know, other stuff that kids do, like this time and place, right, right, I mean, like you don't find too many kids who don't game in some way or other or play a sport of some type or other.

00:38:31.570 --> 00:38:43.456
That doesn't mean that they still don't enjoy, like you know, my cousins down there, um, I think this week, uh, brewers at um cmu soccer camp.

00:38:43.456 --> 00:38:49.865
So he's like getting after it at soccer camp and then coming here and doing crossfit kids.

00:38:49.865 --> 00:39:02.297
You know, and, and I'll never forget this, when we hosted our first l1 ever, we hosted our first, and this was back in the day, when they didn't have them as streamlined and as efficient as they are.

00:39:02.297 --> 00:39:03.025

Creating the Perfect CrossFit Home Gym: Equipment, Stories, and Family Fitness

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