Garage Gym of the Week: Erin Long

What’s your name? Erin Long

How old are you? 36

Do you have an Instagram or website? @longlifts

Tell us a little bit about yourself: I am a stay-at-home, homeschooling Mom of 4 aged 16-9, married to my best friend and love of my life. My life is a balance of homeschooling, being a wife, getting my kids to where they need to be, and still taking care of myself.

How would you describe your training style? CrossFit

How would you describe your fitness/strength level, currently? Best shape I have ever been in my life, I feel strong and confident.

What are your fitness/strength goals? Gymnastics is definitely a weakness of mine, so always working on getting better at that. My goals are to become stronger, move faster, and age beautifully.

Describe your garage gym. Our garage gym takes up about 1/3rd of our garage, there is a three sided pull-up rig, a climbing rope, we have room on the mats for two to safely WOD at the same time. It is hot and cold, there is no temperature control, so hot in the summer and cold in the winter, but it is really not that bad, we are used to it.

Who works out in your garage gym? Myself, my husband, occasionally my children and in-laws. We also enjoy inviting friends to come train as much as possible.

Why did you build a garage gym? My husband and I were members at a CrossFit gym, we felt like we wanted a little more freedom that came with having our own gym.

What’s your favorite piece of equipment in your garage? I really love my FringeSport Wall Balls, I love the camo print and they just make me happy.

What piece of equipment was a waste? I regret building our own super heavy boxes, they are made from 3/4 in plywood and weigh a ton. I wish we had bought boxes from the beginning.

What’s the next piece of equipment you’re going to get? We need to buy another bar. I sold a bar we had because I want to upgrade. But I broke my wrist about 8 weeks ago and because there hasn't been a need for a second bar, I just haven't gotten another one yet.

Any dream piece of equipment? Total dream would be to have a Concept 2 rower. I love rowing, plus my in-laws live next door and I think it would be a great low impact form of exercise for them.

How did you build your garage gym? Basically all at once, over the span of a month we bought weights, bar, some KBs, ab mats, rings, supplies to build a pull up rig/squat rack/boxes, and mats for the floor. Though we have added pieces as we have had the funds or received as gifts- wall balls, timer, rope.

Do you have any tips for anyone else looking to build a garage gym? Some equipment can definitely be done DIY, but some things are worth investing in. Good barbells and weights are worth spending a little extra money on, they will last longer. If you are going to make things like pull-up rigs and squat racks make sure you know what you are doing, if those kinds of things are made improperly you could really hurt yourself.

Want your Garage Gym featured? Answer the same 16 questions and send to team@fringesport.com.