Garage Gym of the Week: Cody Whittington

What’s your name? Cody Whittington

How old are you? 29

Do you have an IG handle or website you’d like linked? @CodyTrapWhittington

Tell us a little bit about yourself: I'm from Round Rock. I have a Bachelor's from Texas State, and a MBA from Concordia. While at Texas State I was going through depression, and a general feeling of being lost and hopeless. A therapist recommended exercise to pump some endorphins in me. This was right around the time Crossfit was becoming a sensation (2008-2009) in the Austin area. I found a Crossfit Gym near my parent’s house, and I was hooked. Even better when some old high school friends started their own Crossfit gym in Hutto (Shout out to Milestone Crossfit). That’s where I found the Crossfit community spirit, and have been involved with the Austin fitness scene since. I have done small competitions put on by local gyms like the Triple Threat Throwdown, Beards and Brawn, Monster Mash, and two years ago I trained and didn’t come last at the Hill Country Strongman Classic. Since then I have been at Travis County Strength, and my fiancée encouraged me to build a garage gym once we got into a house.

How would you describe your training style? I do a mixture of Crossfit with a heavy emphasis on PowerLifting. I enjoy heavy bag work so I throw that in for a cardio session.

How would you describe your fitness/strength level, currently? I’m feeling pretty good as I approach 30. I’ve been focused on increasing my strict press and have since big gains the past 8 weeks.

What are your fitness/strength goals? Drop to 185. (currently 198) Squat 350, Deadlift 450, Press 180. Complete a full Murph.

Describe your garage gym. Actually was motivated by one of Fringe’s posts about getting your hands on whatever equipment you can.

1. Barbell, bumpers, collars, and resistance bands - Fringe
2. Rack - craigslist (it’s not perfect. The spacing on the squat rack are not bench press friendly)
3. Bench - Adidas from academy
4. Steel plates from an Army buddy
5. Heavy bag set up
6. Plyo Box I built myself
7. Onnit Werewolf 64lb kettlebell
8. Rogue Sandbag
9. Steel maces from Onnit (10 and 20 lbs)
10. Rogue Rings

Who works out in your garage gym? I’m the primary user. I get my fiancée out there when she’s not swamped with grad work. On Friday’s my little sister shows up to work out. She has Jacobsen Syndrome, and it’s incredible what she can do out there.

Why did you build a garage gym? I built a garage gym to ensure I didn’t have an excuse to miss a workout. I’m a marketing consultant that works from home. Some days it is hard to get out of the house, brave Lamar traffic and get to the gym. Now I can simply walk out to the garage and get it done. Even better, I can get in some quick sessions. I’m stressed? Go hit some pull ups. Hips hurt from sitting around too much? Stretch out real quick. It’s beautiful, and my quality of life is better for it.

What’s your favorite piece of equipment in your garage? The squat rack. It’s versatile, and is the center of my work outs.

What piece of equipment was a waste? The steel maces… I had this crazy idea that I could learn on my own how to do all the weird stuff with them I’ve seen on Instagram. Hasn’t happened yet.

What’s the next piece of equipment you’re going to get? I need to upgrade my bench. It is rated at 200 lbs.. Total. I’m nearly 200 lbs. Therefore I’m letting Jesus take the wheel anytime I put weight on that bar.

Any dream piece of equipment? Power Cage. That would allow some more diverse supersets. An Airbike or Rower would be great, too.

How did you build your garage gym? One piece at time, just  like the old Johnny Cash song. Some of it new, some of it Craig’s List.

Do you have any tips for anyone else looking to build a garage gym? Focus on the squat rack, and barbell. That is money well spent. Craig’s List has some great stuff, especially metal plates. I’d stay away from Play-it-Again Sports. For the prices, you may as well buy new. And make sure your garage gym makes you WANT to go out there and lift. Free it of clutter. Don’t allow it to be a temporary storage space for your significant other’s porcelain cat collection. It’s your space to do work, and have fun.