The beginning

69nites

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I remember the day my dad brought home that first rusty weight set.

My dad worked in building maintence and would do evictions. One day he was told to throw out the unclaimed belongings. In it was a full Olympic weight set. I know his intention as he snuck it into my grandmothers garage was to sell it.

That day at 12 years old I took the bar and did my best version of a snatch and clean. Doing set after set as many as I could. I would do this day in day out for weeks. Adding weight to the bar as it got easier.

One day I was doing my weight lifting and my dad came home from work early. I was sure that I was in for a beating but to my surprise my dad looked at me and saw that was my weight set now.

Weeks, maybe months later my dad came home with a bench and told me I can get a proper workout now. Later an ez curl bar.

All this stuff is gone but it was the foundation for me. It was love at first lift for me. Makeshift workouts with minimal equipment.

Today I reflect on that as I plan my back to my roots workout for tomorrow. I intend on doing all bar work starting from the floor. Bag work for cardio and to beat out my demons. Raw intensity simply from the love of what I do.
 

BigGameHunter

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I left the corprate gyms and built my own "home made" stuff out of scrap steel and homeless equiptment for simular reasons. There is something about lifting weights the way the poineers did it. Its very motivating for me. Thanks
 

Four1Thr33

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I wish equipment wasn't so damn expansive I'd have a home setup
 

63Vette

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I remember the day my dad brought home that first rusty weight set.

My dad worked in building maintence and would do evictions. One day he was told to throw out the unclaimed belongings. In it was a full Olympic weight set. I know his intention as he snuck it into my grandmothers garage was to sell it.

That day at 12 years old I took the bar and did my best version of a snatch and clean. Doing set after set as many as I could. I would do this day in day out for weeks. Adding weight to the bar as it got easier.

One day I was doing my weight lifting and my dad came home from work early. I was sure that I was in for a beating but to my surprise my dad looked at me and saw that was my weight set now.

Weeks, maybe months later my dad came home with a bench and told me I can get a proper workout now. Later an ez curl bar.

All this stuff is gone but it was the foundation for me. It was love at first lift for me. Makeshift workouts with minimal equipment.

Today I reflect on that as I plan my back to my roots workout for tomorrow. I intend on doing all bar work starting from the floor. Bag work for cardio and to beat out my demons. Raw intensity simply from the love of what I do.

You are a couple years behind me but you are damn sure on track. The mind has to control the body and your mind is made up and has decided that it is time to get it on track and take it to the next level. Great things are in front of you and you are not alone, share with us, bounce off of us, grow with us, follow us and lead us. You are embarking on a very exciting journey and I am excited for you brother.

Gods speed and good health,
Vette
 

69nites

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You are a couple years behind me but you are damn sure on track. The mind has to control the body and your mind is made up and has decided that it is time to get it on track and take it to the next level. Great things are in front of you and you are not alone, share with us, bounce off of us, grow with us, follow us and lead us. You are embarking on a very exciting journey and I am excited for you brother.

Gods speed and good health,
Vette
The workout was great. Olympic lifts, tbar rows, all around hard work.

Great change of pace from the targeted workouts I've grown accustomed to. Worked the whole body hard. I'm sure I wont recover like I did then but I'm just as amped to do it again as that first day.
 

Times Roman

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Ha! when i was 13, my dad got a cement ted williams weight set. just a bar and some weights. I had no clue what i was doing, other than i was supposed to make em go up and down til i couldn't make em go up and down anymore. Over the years, my back yard really began to fill up with equipment and plates. Now that I go to the gym for the first time in my life, i'm slowly getting rid of all that stuff. Mostly i have to give it away, but I still have 800lbs of plate and two benches and a squat rack.

Anyways, I think we all start off a little on the rustic side, or at least I did.
 

Mind2muscle

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My father had a weight bench in the basement he built out of steel and cement plates from probably the 70's. When I was 13 I started bench pressing just out of curiosity and pure boredom and loved it! I worked out in the basement for a few years (definitely doing everything wrong). But without this foundation I would not live the lifestyle that I do today. Thanks Dad!
 

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