GGC Full Details Available

Garage Gym Competition

We are starting with the GGC this week, because it is FULL DETAILS TIME!

If you have been around the block before with the GGC, here is the Tl;Dr:

• Event opens May 2nd - May 10th… same rules as always

• This year we are donating One Penny Per Pound Lifted to Special Olympics. This is how we used to do it back in the day, and we are going back to it.

• I have upped the total donation limit to $4,000 PER EVENT. It is your job to show up and lift to help me do just that.

• We’ve got Executive Fit working on Swords for our Top Athlete Awards, which will be crowned and selected during Awards Week (the week after the event). We’ll have two live streams that week as well (5/12 & 5/14)

• The week after that will be prize week, with ~79 prize available. They’ll go out all week long.

• We’ll wrap up with some data and insights, deload, and head into the Fall

For those new to the GGC…

During the week of May 2nd to May 10th, 2026:

1. Perform a 1 rep max Squat, Bench, and Deadlift

2. Record those lifts

3. Upload to Social Media and use #26SpringGGC

4. Enter your results in the Submission Form (available the week of the competition)

Following the above will successfully enter you into the competition. No registration fees, no tickets, no gimmicks. Just liftin, lovin, and laughin… or something like that.

Every person who enters, no matter what, helps me donate to Special Olympics. And every person who enters gets a ticket into our Open Drawing for the prizes. Whether you smoke a 1000lb squat or deadlift your first 100lbs, you have the same shot at winning every prize available.

The majority of May will be dedicated to the event, either lifting, showcasing lifters, selecting prize winners, or taking a look at insightful info from the submissions. All geared towards having some fun and helping you chase down some big lifts!

If you have any questions, the website is fully updated at the button below, and you can ask me any clarifying questions. Myself, my daughter, my wife, will all enter this Spring. I’m prepping hard, my wife is a little more focused on her own lifting goals (same with my daughter), but all 3 will enter. So you can do this however you want.

Be a part of the community, help out a non-profit, and maybe win some prizes!

Gray Matter Lifting

Sanddune Stepper Update

I wanted to splice in some videos this year on updates of products I have already reviewed. Basically, are these things still getting the thumbs up I gave them before, or have things changed?

The first in that lineup is the Sanddune Stepper. We’ve used them for over 5 years, and I was able to do a video and update the review based on this. Oddly enough, I was asked about them directly multiple times in the past month.

Check out the article here…

On The Way and Potentially On The Way

We just got shipment confirmation for a new (REDACTED) from (REDACTED). We’ll be testing this for awhile, providing feedback, and ultimately seeing this drop later this year. As far as I know, I’ll be one of very few, if not the only, to have it in their garage at this point in development. We shall see how it stacks up against the rest.

Talking about the Tandem Tower with my wife, we are looking at potentially bringing in a new piece to replace it towards the middle of the year. This will be dependent on a company I have worked with before, releasing an update to one of my all time favorite products.

If they manage to knock it out of the park, which I REALLY hope they do for so many reasons, this is going to be a stupidly awesome next step in the space.

Sorry for the incognito mode details. NDAs are fun stuff.

VOLTRA 2 Year Update

I filmed the chat with Coach Kaz for the VOLTRA 2 year update and it was awesome. Some really good takeaways and actionable items I think people can put to work immediately. It also means that that project is back on the docket. Goal is for that to be the next video.

There is a strong chance that I release the FULL interview as a stand alone video, and the 2 year update as its own video, on the same day. If people enjoy the interview, I’ve got chats with the BP team to get introductions to other VOLTRA Super Users to get info on best practices and creative ideas.

Whats New In The Community?

Fringe Sport has been on a legendary run lately. Smith machine release, multiple attachments for the Dane, and now the Slim Gym. As I am currently getting towards the end of the Tandem Tower testing process, this thing looks VERY intriguing. When we talk about space saving, being able to literally shove it against a rack might just be the winner winner chicken dinner. I don’t say this often, but I’m initially impressed by Fringe.

BulletProof Fitness - Folding PCD Lite

If anyone is out doing Fringe with new releases, it is BulletProof. They let loose in their newsletter that they were doing a limited presale of the PCD Lite. There are no pictures, with very limited details.

Personally, based on past experiences with BulletProof, being an early adopter wouldn’t be my recommendation. But I know this type of piece has a LOT of potential offerings. So it might be worth getting on their list. You can do so at the link below.

r/HomeGym

ATX is doing their AMA next week… They had delayed it before, trying to make sure they were ready for the US launch. They reached out early to confirm for the AMA, so fingers crossed we are going to see a monster announcement here VERY soon.

If you check out their website, it is basically stripped entirely. So this makes me feel like they are planning a full relaunch of the site with US customers in mind.

I’ve got my eyes on this bad boy if they do… The ATX Triplex Weight Stack Machine. You’ve got a Powertec Levergym, but stack loaded, with a number of unique features. The arms fold up entirely… I’d be using this with my VOLTRAs and all kinds of goodies.

Speaking of the VOLTRAs

This guy is working on making his own DIY VOLTRA. This should be very interesting to follow along.

Current Targeted Talk

We are talking about the one piece of equipment you regret buying right now. And there is a LOT of goodies here.

One Last Thing…

I got a bunch of comments, DMs, and other interest in my hair recently. I normally buzz it right before I film, so it looks clean for video. When I took that two week vacation in December, I didn’t cut it. And then I just didn’t cut it… It has now gotten a little out of hand and my wife has requested that it goes “back to normal”. But it has been a fun experiment to see that at 39 years old I can still grow a head of hair.

And I let Audrey do the cutting this time around.

• Joe