Back Day Just Got Better

Cable Attachments, New Racks, and more

Author

Joseph Gray
April 03, 2025

What To Expect In This Newsletter

  • GML - Back Cable Att. Video & New Rack On The Way

  • Community - Kleva Controversy and New Machines

  • GGC - Strength Warehouse & TWO Training Tips

  • r/HomeGym - GymCrafter AMA and VOLTRA Stuff

Links throughout may include Affiliate Links. These help fund the Newsletter, Website, Garage Gym Competition, Videos and more at no expense to you.

Gray Matter Lifting

It has been a couple weeks since a true update, as the last newsletter was all about the GGC. So lets take a ride on what has happened since we last checked in.

Back Day Cable Attachments

Dropped a new video this week on Cable Attachments, for Back Day. This is one of my favorite topics, as I get to talk about not only Cable Attachments, but my favorite muscle group to train. I cover a few options, some companies I’ll probably grab a piece from in the future, and also add in some tips and tricks for your back day goodness.

New Stuff

IronBull Strength teased us with a new rack design they have been working on. Well your boy had a hand in making this a reality. I was chatting with Mark of Flex Marks The Spot about racks, and he dropped the idea of having TearDrop holes (meaning both 5/8 and 1”) on all 4 sides of the upright. I was chatting with IronBull, asked them about this concept, they loved it, and now we have it coming alive. Mark gets all the credit, I just knew the right people.

There are some pros here that I am looking forward to chatting about…

Because one of these racks is on the way VERY soon. They began production a week or so ago on a custom Black with White accents, 4 post rack, with strap safeties and a front crossmember.

I’ve already ordered a number of new items for this rack… some have shown up, others are on the way, and some items aren’t even for sale yet… you’ll get the inside details of course.

This will be my first new rack in over a decade. Should be a fun welcome to the garage.

New VOLTRA Docks

We just got the new Strap Mounts and DIY Docks sent over from Beyond Power. The DIY Docks are already accounted for with one of the rack pieces I ordered, but the Strap Mounts are REALLY cool. We used them quickly this weekend to strap to the Hyper Pro, and they work fantastically. More experiments coming there for sure.

What Is Up Next?

Still more cable attachments. Next is a video (maybe two) on arms. Depending on how the script comes out, it might be Biceps in one and Triceps in another. We shall see!

Whats New In The Community?

This got covered in a number of places the past few weeks, but wanted to share some details here. KlevaBuilt was working with Rogue, Rogue stopped communicating, they ended up connecting with REP Fitness, and launched their REP x Kleva product line. Rogue then dropped THEIR newest cable attachment, which has a LOT of influences from the Kleva design… and things get weird. Steve, the owner of Kleva, shared this video.

The best breakdown and discussion of this topic came from The Home Gym Podcast. They share their own stories around this topic (“stealing” ideas), and give a really good and fare discussion of the scenario.

For me, this topic is tough. You want companies to make things, new things, different versions of things, even just cheaper versions of things because competition is good for us as customers. But when a big company seems to continually get the process wrong in an attempt to screw over the little guy, while countless others are doing a better job of elevating each other, I get pretty pissed off.

I actually looked around my gym after this, and realized I only have a couple of items that are still Rogue. Bella Bar, Log, Fat Pad, some bands, and then my rack (which is on the way out). Maybe time to get a fresh start from Rogue?

Additional Piece

At the tail end of that video, Mark and Jason throw some love my way. "there are a lot of people on the internet, for someone to rise above everything else and be recognized for all that positivity is something you can't fake... and a personality trait people should strive for... Love you Joe!" Appreciate you guys!

New Product Releases

By the time this email is in your inbox, REP Fitness should have details on their brand new NightHawk Adjustable Bench. This bench has had some early teasers letting us know that it most likely is a build off of their AB-4100, but with the ability to accept attachments and connect to cable systems. This should be a fun one!

Powertec dropped two new pieces recently, a Seated Calf Machine and a Belt Squat. Some inside scoop has told me that they are working on a revision of the Levergym, which would make me VERY happy. My struggle with a dedicated Seated Calf Machine, and this Belt Squat, is the dedicated space they take up. The Levergym, with a few small tweaks and an attachment or two, could make both of these movements happen VERY easily.

Cerberus Strength launched some new Sandstone Strongman Sandbags. Essentially trying to combine a sandbag, and an Atlas Stone. If I had the space, I’d probably grab these. Or if I trained Strongman to compete. Nothing is going to compare to an actual stone, but these are close. Save 10% on Cerberus equipment w/ Code: GGC

Discount Codes

Remember that these discount codes are active all year round for you to save some cash and support what I do.

Garage Gym Competition

We are just a few weeks out from the Spring GGC… 6 to be exact. Last week I dropped some additional notes on the Live Stream process over on IG. If you haven’t checked that out, make sure to do so. This will be the first Live Streams I run personally, and I think they should be a blast.

Sponsor Highlight

The average garage gym lifter starts off small, and then builds from there. Solid advice, it is what I did and what I recommend to others. But what about when you find yourself missing that one machine from your commercial gym days? Strength Warehouse USA is a one stop shop for those starting out, but ALSO for those looking to expand their gym. So whether you are looking for the basics, or looking to snag that ONE final piece, they probably got you covered.

Oh, and they offer Free Shipping to boot!

Prize Announcement

They are tossing up FOUR x $500 gift cards in each event this year. Past prize winners have taken home everything from Kettlebells sets to Hack Squat Machines. They recently added a full line of Saunas and other goodies, so no matter where you are or what you want to play around with, that $500 gift card is gonna do some damage!

Training Tip # 1

Our friends over at Cerberus Strength USA dropped an interesting piece about blending Strongman and Powerlifting training. Worth a look if you have considered dabbling in the two.

Training Tip #2 - How To Monitor Form

I asked our coaches this week, How can I monitor/improve my form if I don’t have a coach or training partner to give feedback at home?

My advice is for the beginner lifters, including kids. 

One of the best ways to gain personal insight on range of motion limitations is with a body squat. In our modern society, we spend more and more time sitting which results in less and less ability to get down and up again from the floor. A bodyweight squat can help identify range of motion limitations such as hip or ankle mobility which can then be targeted and improved as part of a comprehensive approach to training. 

As a pediatrician, It’s something I’ve now included as part of my older child and adolescent well visits. 

A fantastic resource is from The Barbell Physio here:

https://thebarbellphysio.com/finding-your-best-squat-stance/

Here is my own related blog post:

https://rebel-strong.com/2024/11/11/functional-fitness/

Josh Max

For myself and for my clients, I encourage them to film themselves.  Maybe not every session, the whole session, or even every lift, but filming a couple top sets of each lift will help you see breakdowns in form or if depth is there. Also, befriend some trainers who would be willing to give you a couple tips or good feedback. I will never say no to helping someone as long as it isn't creating programs or prescribing big movement corrections.

Christian Ernst 

My go to is video. It can be a little daunting to pull a tripod out in a commercial gym, but at home, who cares. I utilize it with my athletes as an online coach, and personally when coaching myself.

For general everyday lifting, I go with the camera in front, off to the side about 45 degrees for squat and deadlift. For bench I set the camera looking feet to head, again about 45 degrees to side. These positions give the best view of multiple areas, but not the best view of any one key area.

For specific actions, you will need to move the camera. Side view is best for squat depth, deadlift hip/knee lock out, and bar path for all three lifts. For squat, moving the camera slightly forward of side view will prevent weights from blocking the view. For bench, I recently hung a tripod upside down from the rafters in my garage for a lookdown view. Works quite well.

Using video can give you feedback between sets to implement corrections the next set, avoid common mistake of practicing incorrect movement patterns. If you keep some of them, they work well to track progress.

I think filming is the best way to judge.  In order to be able to assess technique, there are some best practices I put together a few years ago to help get the most out of filming your lifts.


https://handcbarbellclub.substack.com/p/mastering-the-art-of-filming-yourself

Eric Dalh

r/HomeGym

This one is actually from the Beyond Power subreddit, but caught my eye as a pretty creative solution. I’m highly debating getting rid of our FT2, and setting up a small wall mounted section for any situation where I might be working inside the rack and my wife needs the VOLTRA for cable work. So this was cool to see.

Current Targeted Talk

Currently talking about BUDGET over on r/HomeGym. How do ya, why do ya, etc.

Upcoming AMA

Got a chance to talk with Tim of GymCrafter about his upcoming AMA. Tim and I are fairly different in our gym goals, but fairly on point with our product reviewer / content creator concepts. This was a fun chat.

One Last Thing…

We’ve been opening our garage every Sunday to some of the girls on my daughters Soccer/Basketball teams. This past weekend we had 2 Dads and 3 Daughters lifting, rowing, planking, and in general doing cool stuff.

This next weekend we should be up to 6 girls, 2 moms, and 2 dads, getting after it. I wrote them a workout program, we are tracking the girls weights and reps, and working towards being a little better every week.

As much as I love being able to disappear into my garage and lift, don’t forget that sharing it with others is pretty rad too.

See ya in a couple weeks… Joe