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Gray Matter Lifting

Do I Still Use This Stuff?

The last few videos have been long term looks at products that I’ve already reviewed, and we are capping that off with today’s video. I give an update on the Breath Belt, Preacher Pad, Sliding Grip Bar, Bandbell Bar, and Impact Mouthguard. All items I’ve owned for over 2 years. I also took a chance to update the Bandbell Earthquake Bar Review.

VOLTRA Notes

During the Coach Kassem discussion, he laid out that he uses a starting point of 70% Inverse Chains and 30% Eccentric Overload for most exercises. So I took the last two weeks and tinkered with every exercise I have planned for my next program rotation, specifically that uses the VOLTRA, and documented it all. And you can grab that right here.

VOLTRA Notes Details

The rack attachments notes are based on MY rack, and typically are based on number hole you can still see, if the attachment doesn't have its own pin.

Our Starting Point – 30% Eccentric and 70% Inverse Chains

This is where I started with everything, and then made adjustments as I moved towards a working set.

Eccentric Overload

Aim for 20 to 50% Eccentric Overload. Lower for smaller joint exercises, Higher for Multi-Joint Exercises, and some adjustments based on other factors.

Inverse Chains

Start at 70% Inverse Chains and adjust. Lengthened Bias Exercises like Facing Away Curls, likely lower. Exercises with a bell shape strength curve, like a standing cable curl, also differ.

Some multi-joint exercises like back exercises will work with an ever high amount of eccentric overload or inverse chains.

Gut Check

If your settings are RIPPING the attachment from your hands or taking you out of position, you probably have the Eccentric Overload too high. You should still be able to control it.

From there, perform a set to failure. You should be able to get 1 or 2 Lengthened Partials (or even 0) and that is it. This is where you can only get the last ~20% of a full rep.
If you can get 80% of the way through a rep for a partial, then you went too heavy on Inverse Chains.
If you can get more than 3 or 4 lengthened partials, then you went too light on Inverse Chains. Want to be as close to being PINNED as possible at the end of the set.

Feel free to take this and run with it. If you find anything that differs from my initial findings, please share. This was based on a first run at the new information.

HomeGymCon

We are leveling up our HGC experience this year with a BOOTH!

Last year we had a great time walking around and seeing everything. We'll still do that on Day 1... But our favorite part was meeting people. So we are doing that all day Friday and Saturday at our very own booth!

Me and the family will be there, hanging out, chatting, and we plan to bring all of the nifty resources we are working on. VOLTRA guides, programming details, nutrition info, and more. Anything I got cooking behind the scenes, it'll be there.

But it wouldn't be a Gray Matter Lifting party if I didn't include all my friends.

We are going to have a Scavenger Hunt set up for the GGC sponsors. Find their booths, you'll get the VIP treatment, and you'll have a shot at some goodies at our booth too. If you got a kiddo with you, this'll be a fun way for them to be engaged in the event as well!

And of course we'll have our fellow content creator peeps dropping in for LIVE AMA sessions, bringing that r/HomeGym vibe to HGC. Drop in, meet your favorite people who spend too much time talking about gym equipment, and then get back to seeing all the good stuff.

For newsletter subscribers that are attending HGC, I’m thinking of scheduling dinner plans the few nights we are there, sending out the scavenger hunt early, and a few other tidbits. We are still in planning mode. So I want to hear from you… If you have ideas, concepts, giveaways, or things you think we should do at the booth (after the booth, or before the booth), let me know!

Gray Matter Garage Sale

As I’m prepping for a new round of cable attachments, I’m in need of some heart-to-heart with my current collection. I did what I typically do, and pulled anything I haven’t used in the last 6 months, and its time for it to move on to the next home. I also updated a few articles and reviews recently, so got some other stuff available there. So check it out, see what you need/want, and lets make a deal!

Whats New In The Community?

Merch Pricing Update

I just got access to a new feature on the Merch Store, which gave some MONSTER cuts to the prices. We are talking about 50% off. The store will now manage the fluctuation of pricing, so prices will bob and weave at different times. If they run a sale, it’ll automatically be there too.

So if you’ve been holding off cause the price was too high, check it out now! Remember that Newsletter peeps can use code: FAM9731a60 to save some extra cash

Discount Codes

We just added a couple new discount codes too to the website. So if you are grabbing anything for the gym, worth a shot to check. These links are mostly affilliate links, so if you ever buy from REP, Rogue, Bells, even Amazon, you can use these links, and it’ll give me a small percentage to keep running things here.

REP Dip Attachment 2.0

REP released their new Dip Attachment. This looks pretty nice. I’d wager that the UDA is still the ultimate option, but until some people get this in their hands, we’ll just have to make some guesses.

DARKO Nessie For VOLTRA

DARKO just launched the NESSIE. This is a pretty power packed rack attachment for the VOLTRAs. After checking the website, I’m not positive what I think about it yet. I think if you run a Half Rack, this is a winner for a lot of reasons. But for a full rack like mine, with decent height but no more ceiling clearance, with cross member access and more, I’m not positive this would get used much. I’ll wait to see what people start using it for before making a final decision.

Garage Gym Competition

The 2026 Spring Garage Gym Competition opens up on Saturday. If you have any questions, fire away. I had to call an audible myself and won’t be going for broke on any lifts. But you bet your butt I’m still competing. Remember that participating, even if it isn’t your all time best, gets you entered for prizes, helps me donate to Non-Profits, and gets you on the board and active in the community.

Hope to see everyone participate!

I’ll send out an email on Saturday, opening day, with the submission link for ya.

r/HomeGym

My favorite post from the past two weeks was without a doubt this one.

Current Targeted Talk

We are talking about Adjustable Dumbbells right now. There was a lot of info shared in a previous post about how people regretted their adjustable dumbbell purchase.

I think it was mostly tied to buying the WRONG ONES, not that all of them are a bad purchase. But this has been an interesting chat already.

Upcoming AMA

ATLETICA is joining us from Germany for an AMA next week. Interesting that they are opening up for the US at the same time as ATX. Should be an interesting AMA.

One Last Thing…

There is a good chance we are getting 2 brand new pieces of cardio to test. Which I’m excited about. We’ve been trying to track down a stair climber for awhile that would fit into our space, with no luck. But this week got a solid lead.

As always, if you see any equipment out there that you think “Joe needs to try this”, let me know. I’ve added a few items to the pipeline, to my cable attachment testing, and more this year based on your requests and ideas. We’ll have a formal “survey” like most years in a few months, but you can always just drop me a line.

• Joe