A Bunch Of Random Stuff

Normally I organize this newsletter in the various parts and provide updates. Today we are getting ready to fly to Louisville for Home Gym Con, so this Newsletter is going to be a random smattering of stuff that has been building up but hasn’t had a home. So buckle up, here comes some stuff!!!

Iron Bull Strength Frankenstein Rack Video

We finished the first look video for the Iron Bull Strength Frankenstein Rack. I say we, because this is the first video I’ve had professionally edited by someone else. I teased this awhile back, but I am now at a point where I can confidently outsource the editing process.

I am doing this for a couple reasons.

1) It buys me back time to do more stuff. Each video edit takes me 2 to 4 days, which is time I now get to spend writing my next review, working on the GGC, and doing cool stuff.

2) I spent enough time over the last 2 years editing my stuff and learning the process, to know and understand what I like, and don’t, so I can keep a consistent look and feel to the videos while handing them off.

3) My new dude is a prominent member of the home gym community, and has his own creative flair. Which means we are going to get videos edited by a dude that gets home gym equipment, and can edit way better than I can.

So expect a more consistent delivery timeline, better production on videos, and hopefully once I get caught up… even more good stuff.

EVOLPOW P3A Tank Review

We dropped ANOTHER Review Video this past Saturday, again, edited by my dude. This was a fun project. This rack was sent to my Brother-In-Law who lives up the freeway from me. The idea was to see if he enjoyed it or not, and then compare his thoughts and feedback to mine. I didn’t edit or alter anything he said, and tried to let him do his own thing. The idea in my head was that as home gym enthusiasts, we sometimes get a little focused on specifics that don’t matter to the average person.

You can check out the video review here… and the written review here.

Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2

We got the final bench for the upcoming showdown into the garage and assembled last week. I owned the original Super bench close to a decade ago, along with a number of the attachments. I'm excited to have the new dude in the garage to tinker and compete alongside the other adjustable benches w/attachments I've got in the garage for my upcoming Showdown.

The Super Bench attachment lineup is the most decked out of any offering, including their lat tower which is just an incredible space saving offering, and this bench and all the attachments have their new vinyl. My curioisity is around whether this bench can stand up against today's competition, or if the IronMaster home gym lineup is more of a relic of the older and much slimmer home gym offering days...

This bench will go head to head in August against half a dozen other adjustable benches for my annual showdown, where we layout which bench is right for YOU, but also which bench is staying in MY gym.

• Prime Shorty

• REP Nighthawk

• Wide Body Bench

• Bells of Steel Buzzsaw V2

• Inspire SCS

• Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2

• Unreleased bench on the way

I believe this is the final one for the roundup, it better be because I have no more room lol.

Mutant Metals ARC now at Rogue

My dude Chris over at Mutant Metals got Rogue to offer the ARC Cable Attachment, and normally Rogue kind of irks me, but I think they crushed it. You’ve got custom colors, can give it a landmine attachment, custom width options, angle options, and more. Seriously, nicely done Rogue.

Megalith Handles On Rogue

Rogue also just added the Megalith Handles from Rorman Strength. Rory is a frequent GGC competitor, took home one of our lifter awards in the Spring, and his products have received a LOT of positive feedback for jammer arm use as well as a DIY cable attachment.

Testing Supplements

Two different companies sent me some supplements over the past few months. I wanted to share my experiences and provide some insight into what I actually use.

Gorilla Mode

I don’t even remember how this started, but earlier this year I connected with Gorilla Mind. They ended up sending me a care package of a lot of stuff that I just recently finished and wanted to share my thoughts.

I have to be careful with pre-workouts as supplement form caffeine tends to make me light headed. So the majority of what they send me was caffeine free on request.

Their protein powder tasted like other protein powders. Nothing to get excited about, but nothing I would actively avoid.

Their protein bars weren’t my wife’s favorite, the texture was reminicsent of some of the older protein bars I would buy at a convenience store when I first started working out. Taste and texture was off from a candy bar. I didn’t dislike it, my daughter enjoyed them, but my wife passed.

The hydration formula was very basic electrolytes

The Gorilla Mind, felt like nothing at all. I took the full double dose and noticed nothing after a solid week of use. I ended up tossing this one in the garbage after two weeks of nothing.

The glycerol formula, which they call HydroPrime, also seemed to do nothing beneficial.

The only one I liked and would consider using again, was the Gorilla Mode Nitric. Focus and energy was good in the gym, even on 10 RPE days with a little less sleep. I’m not sure it was enough for me to pay for consistently, but I could see myself buying a tub and keeping it specifically for the hardest of workouts.

REP Fitness Purist Protein Powder

REP sent me alongisde the shirts, a package of their new protein powder. I actually told them to skip it, but they sent it anyway. I like the concept… Grass Fed Whey, basic flavors, “clean” ingredients. But this was one of the worst protein powders I’ve drank in a long time. Below is a shot of what my shaker looked like after drinking it down. This stuff has a REALLY difficult time mixing up. I had to add a second round of water to get the rest.

The flavor was also EXTREMELY light. Calling this chocolate felt like a lie. We made our way through it, so it wasn’t so terrible that we tossed it. But I was trying really hard to just be done with it so we could go back to our normal stuff.

What We Actually Use

For protein powder, I’ve used True Nutrition for almost two decades. Not exaggerating. True Nutrition makes their own protein powder concoctions and also allows you to custom mix your own. The reason they can do this and others can’t? Because almost NO ONE ELSE actually makes their protein powders, simply get them from other companies, slap their label on them, and call it their own.

So you are getting a custom protein option, skipping the middle man, saving on the end result, and getting more control and value for your money. If you want to give them a try, use this link TrueNutrition and save 5% on your order with Code: GML

For Protein Bars, we have been eating BareBells for quite some time. Their ingredients are pretty solid, their protein content is good, and their taste and texture rivals a candy bar. My wife legit looks forward to her protein bar snack. Which is a huge win.

For pre-workout, I’ve been creating my own concoction for awhile that includes Beet Root Powder, Electrolytes, a pinch of salt, and heaping teaspoon of cocoa powder, and 10 grams of Creatine.

I drink that down with about 8oz of juice, typically cherry or pomegranate, and I’m looking at a heart healthy pump inducing energy spiking concoction.

My diet coach James has been running his own concoction for awhile, if you are interested, I’ll ask him to share in a future newsletter. And if you have your own recommendations or creation, hit me back. I’d love to hear what different people are working with.

Testing Clothes

Again, a few companies decided to send me some active wear clothing to test. I’ve been wearing most of it for a few months now, you’ve probably seen it show up in YouTube Thumbnails, in IG clips, and other places. I wanted to share some thoughts.

Keep in mind, the reason this stuff is included here in the newsletter, instead of a full fledged article or video, is because I really don’t find a full length video on a tank top interesting. Instead, I’ll leave you with a few notes on my experiences in case you decide you need a new shirt in your wardrobe.

REP Fitness Active Line

REP launched their new active line, and part of sending me the protein powder, also included sending over a three shirts (2 for me, 1 for my wife). The general fit is decent, the clothes definitely HUG the body, so if you have a powerbelly I would 100% skip it. But the noticeable piece, which I’ve never had a problem with in my life, is that the REP shirts seem to REALLY put the nipples on display. I don’t mean that they are see through, as much as that for some reason I am at full torque 24/7 in the chesticle department with the REP attire.

The tank top I received is also not my favorite, the material is fairly scratchy and when used to wipe my forehead during a difficult workout, it seems to scratch my skin.

My wifes tank top has some interesting design choices with the back cut-outs, but overall she likes it. I’ll say that I probably like it more than she does for some very specific reasons.

I personally won’t be buying any more of their apparel, and if I was offered more, might stick to the women’s stuff instead of the guys.

Fioboc

I was sent 4 pieces from them… a long sleeve t-shirt, a sweater, a half zip, and a zip up “hoodie”.

The long sleeve t-shirt is a very thin material, and VERY aggressive in terms of its fit. Meaning that if you have anything you want to hide at all, this ain’t it. For the typical powerlifter, this is a bit of a miss. Not bad for a light fall day in the garage, but probably not something I’m wearing out and about often.

The sweater tends to bunch up a lot, as in, unless if you are very trim, it is going to try and reveal your belly. I wore a shirt under it regularly. I’ll keep it, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I also don’t look anything like the model in their picture.

The half zip is a nice fit. A little less intense than the long sleeve, but enough hug to show off the gains. This is one that works well again for a light fall day, and could even be worn in a slightly more dressed up scenario. The color, material, and cut could easily have you looking good in jeans at a kids birthday party or other event where you aren’t “dressing up” but also don’t want to “just wear a t shirt”. Thumbs up on this one.

The zip-up hoodie is easily my favorite of anything I’ve been sent by any company. While wearing it a few months back my neighbor commented on me losing weight. Yes, I have been dieting, but I rarely get a “you’ve lost weight” note. This jacket is slimming but also makes me look jacked, without being a “look at that idiot” kind of jacket. I can wear it while coaching soccer and fit in perfect, wear it to the grocery store and get some positive glances, and wear it in the gym and feel good doing it. The ONLY complaint I have for this one, is that the pockets have zippers, and they sometimes get off track. So far it is an easy adjustment, but they aren’t perfect.

They gave me a discount code if you happen to want to grab anything, save 20% w/ Code: GRAY20

Bear Bottom

Bear Bottom sent me three items, a tank top, a shirt, and a long sleeve shirt.

The t-shirt is one of my go-tos, mostly because it is a nice material, good color (green goes with my eyes), and while still being an active material it kind of looks a little less like gym attire. This one is something I would personally spend my money on.

The tank top is a nice change of pace from typical tank tops that are pretty basic. I wear it regularly in the hotter days, but I also don’t know that it is anything besides a tank top. For $32, I’d probably skip this one.

And the long sleeve shirt is BETTER than the FIOBOC offering, as it has a little more of a relaxed fit. But again, it is a long sleeve shirt. Nothing special here, no huge takeaways.

In general, I would rank FIOBOC first, Bear Bottom second, and REP third.

New Merch Store

Speaking of clothing, I had a really good experience with SPRING for several years. It made merch easy to handle. But at the tail end of 2024 they got bought out by Amazon and everything came to a terrible hault. Orders were taking 4+ months to arrive, in subpar status, and their customer service often unanswered. I cancelled everything there as of a few months ago, and switched to Threadless based on multiple recommendations.

I was able to spend a few days mocking up and putting together some new designs for everything from the GGC to VOLTRA Is, and more.

If you take a look and want a shirt in a different color, cut, or style, just let me know. I’m happy to add it. And if you have ideas for merch, drop me a note.

We ordered basically 1 of everything to test it all, and so far have been really happy with the print quality, colors, fit, and more.

Newsletter subscribers get Merch at a 10% discount, the biggest discount I can give ya. This is literally the same price I pay for shirts I order through Threadless. Thanks for being here and doing what you do, so I can do what I do.

You just need this code: FAM9731a60

One Last Thing…

If you are at HomeGymCon, remember to come say hi. I’ll be wearing one of my new shirts, walking around likely with the family, and hoping to see a lot of cool people and equipment.

The next newsletter should have some good GGC details, and then we’ll be back to a somewhat normal routine.

See you soon,

Joe