Meet Mary Aquino-Cooper & Check Out Her Compact Gym!

What’s Your Name? 

Mary Aquino-Cooper

Do you have a name for your gym?

I don’t…but I need to because my husband’s name is Jim so it sounds weird that I’m going “to the gym” (meaning the garage) and he isn’t involved really.

Tell us a little about yourself - what you do when you aren’t lifting, what are your other hobbies, etc.

I’m a lot of things. I’m a writer – it’s what I do for a living (we call it instructional designer, but truly, I write classes) and what I do for fun too…I have written but not published 6 romance novels, tons of poetry, and I write a blog semi-frequently. I love to bake (bread is my favorite thing to bake), and I’m a HUGE 80s hair metal fan. I play the guitar, but not in public.

What gear do you have in your gym?

How long do we have? 😊  I have:

Rack (with overhead pull up bars), Wonder Bar, 16-18-24 Plyo box, 8” plyo box, 8-10-14# med balls, 10# slam ball, TRX, 5 bands (various colors), Crash pads, Concept 2 rower, RAPTOR BIKE, Multiple fractionals (both plastic and cast iron), 80# of 10# bumper plates, 60# of 15# plates, 20# of 5# plates, 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 15, 20, and 25# dumbbell pairs, 15# KB pair,  Ab mat, Sandbag, Mobility ladder and a Cheapo bench I need to replace some day

When did you become part of the Fringe Fam? What was your first Fringe purchase?

I think I made my first order in March or April of 2020. I received a gift of a $500 Fringe gift card from an unknown (still) angel in my CrossFit Masters group, WODprep Masters (Ben from WODprep also uses some of your stuff in his videos). The first purchases I made were my Wonder Bar, my big plyo box, two 5# practice plates, and two ½ # fractionals.

What’s your favorite gear that you use all the time?

That’s a tough toss up. I love love love my Wonder Bar. I mean, it is super-duper. So sturdy and reliable and since I really love to lift, I am always happy when I’m using it. Up until 2 weeks ago, I only had a Concept 2 rower which is my go-to cardio but I just got the Raptor and it’s definitely something I am super excited to use when my coach programs it for me. I’ve done 20 cal trials on it, 30 cal trials on it, and today I did a 6 round for time with 8 cals per round on it. Love the dang thing.

What gear do you never use?

Sandbag. Med balls (mainly cuz I don’t have a target yet but have one on order from y’all)

What was your best gear purchase?

The Raptor. Or my barbell.

What gear purchase do you wish you would have said “NO” to?

Don’t REALLY need the 8” plyo box but it has come in handy…

What’s your favorite workout?

Anything that is preparing me for the CrossFit open. My Q1 goal in 2022 is to do all Open workouts in the Scaled Masters Women 55-59 division.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

No excuses. I received that advice in my career in like…2001 or 2002 and I’ve tried to live my life that way. If I hear myself making excuses, I try to stop and refocus. It’s carried over into my personal life and now my gym life.

What advice would you give to newbie garage gymmers?

Barbell and dumbbells if you’re strength training

Pick a cardio machine you can love

Prioritize your space

Be consistent in your workouts….just cuz it’s your garage, don’t skip or skimp.

Thanks to Mary for sharing her gym with us, We love seeing how she fits all that equipment into her space!

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