Beyond-Brawn-2nd-Edition

BEYOND BRAWN
h. Ignore anything and anyone that will hinder your progress. You are in
charge of your training. Never surrender that authority to others.
i. Persuade the gym’s management to buy a Trap Bar and a cambered squat
bar, and a power rack if it does not already have one. Both bars are inexpensive
relative to machines, and will add greatly to the gym’s functional
value for all members. If the management is not open minded, offer to
buy one of the bars in return for a discount on membership. Win the
management over on one bar, and perhaps it will get the other.
Setting up a home gym
6.26 For those who have the means—location and funding—the home gym is a
great way to go. Even if you have always thought a home gym to be out of
the question, reconsider. e advantages you get from a home gym are so
profuse and profound that, if you are serious about training, you should do
your utmost to get one.
6.27 At its basic minimum a good home gym takes up surprisingly little space
and is less expensive than you may anticipate. ough an initial investment
is involved, consider the gym fees you will not be paying, and the traveling
time and expenses you will not have. Also keep in mind that you can use
the gear for the rest of your life and may pass it onto your offspring. It is a
long-term investment that does not wear out. Unless you get into buying
equipment you do not really need, your home gym will pay for itself after
a few years, or perhaps less time, depending also on the cost of where you
currently train.
6.28 If you pool your resources with those of a few other like-minded trainees,
you can all have access to a terrific training den with very little money outlay
from any one of you. You need to agree on the location of the gym. Put it in
someone’s spare room, basement or garage, so you have no rent to cover.
6.29 Being oversupplied with equipment in commercial gyms colors people’s
minds to think that a lot of equipment is needed to get big and strong. In a
mere 7-foot × 10-foot space you can get enough equipment to get you about
as big and strong as you are ever going to get. You do not need a whole room
for your home gym—a portion of a room you use for something else can be
adequate. I have trained in a 7-foot × 10-foot space an managed to include a
full-size power rack, an Olympic bar, a bench, a weight tree, and a few small
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