Garage Gym of the Week: Sebastian Paz

My name is Sebastian and I am a recent military veteran (age 32). I was a firefighter and flight medic doing emergency medcal evacuation for almost 7 years but I got out 6 months ago. I am married with 2 kids of ages 4 and 2. Currently I am getting my masters and trying to transition back into being a civilian, which hasn't been the easiest.

Long story short, that is partly why I co-started Vetwod (2 years running). We seek to help veterans, military members and first responders through the great power of community and fitness. We seek to bridge the gap between civilians and service members. Support and healthy mechanisms are very effective for transitioning, PTSD, other mental health issues and life in general. I personally know this to be true.

You can follow him on Instagram @vetwod and @seb_felipe is his personal.

Functional fitness, crossfit, strong man, olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, sports, brazilian jiu jitsu, boxing, muay thai, outdoor activities, chasing my kids around, anything really.

Currently I follow what my coach Brody Mayse says to do for weightlifting/strength specifically and Street Parking for everything else.

Currently I maintain my fitness levels, and i am focusing on Olympic weightlifting and strength work, but that is all secondary to parenting, and getting my masters.

This year with Vetwod my goal is to impact as many veterans and non-veterans a like, to make sure they know that they are not alone in this journey we call life. That fitness and our community is here for them, and we value and care for them.

I recently did a gym make over that was long overdue, because I open my garage to the community for free so I have a group of moms that come over 3-4 times per week to workout and bring their kids, so I wanted for them to have more equipment and I also wanted the garage to be safer for the kids. So I have the whole garage with rubber flooring, a space saving rig, a couple barbells, dumbbells, kettle bells and sandbags, and then a bunch of DIY equipment such as a plyo box, bench, platform, etc.

Next piece of equipment I'm going to add? I'd really like a rower. I don't own one and I think myself and the community gym can really benefit from it.

Dream piece of equipment? Another Assault bike or rower. I'd like to have 2 so myself and the neighborhood have 2 of them for team workouts.

Who works out in your garage gym? Myself and my wife, and anywhere between 10-15 friends and neighbors work out in my garage gym

How did you build your garage gym? Craiglists, giveaways, I built a lot of items myself, saving, discounts, etc. It has taken me many years.

Mainly because after the kids came along, I had less time and less of a budget to go to a regular gym. Stopping was not an option, so in the long run a garage gym was the perfect solution.

Just do it! Don't be afraid to not have the support of a community or friends. Not only is the garage gym community very active and supportive, but you can still be really involved with local gyms or boxes. I am mainly a garage gym athlete but my box is Crossfit Excess and I am still part of their family and compete with them when I can.