Garage Gym of the Week: Cameron Hebert

What is your name? Cameron Hebert

How old are you? 26

Do you have an Instagram handle or website you’d like linked? At the moment no. Look out for hebertcf12 in the coming months

Tell us a little bit about yourself:  I live in the wonderful Pacific Northwest (Washington to be specific) and spend most my time in the outdoors, between Biking, Hiking, Skiing and Climbing there is never a shortage of activities. I got into weight lifting in high school with some classical power lifting. As I transitioned into college rugby I began a more functional approach. Now I enjoy the diversity of crossfit workouts for my daily routine. Recently I have been heavy into running as my primary form of cardio, and crossfit workouts add in the strength aspect to balance the straight running. 

How would you describe your training style? My training style falters between endurance and functional strength. 

How would you describe your strength/fitness level? My strength level (sadly) has decreased. However, this is due to an increase in cardio activity. Functional workouts have dominated my weight lifting.

What are your fitness/strength goals? My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon and to compete in an Ironman.

Describe your garage gym: Space limitations have always been a big deal for me. I have tried to package my garage into being both a gym and a work space. My garage gym began with only a pull up bar. Over time I have slowly expanded. It is important to me to be space saving with all my equipment allowing me to easily open up space. 

Who works out in my garage gym? Primarily it is just me. However, in recent days I have begun to have a few friends come over and do some training with me. 

Why did you build a garage gym? I built my garage gym because I was struggling to find the time to make it to a box. With my work schedule I have struggled to find a box that is open in my area after I get off work. For that reason I decided that I would make a home gym. 

What is your favorite piece of equipment in your garage? My favorite piece of equipment is probably the rowing machine. Living in Washington state the weather can be very gloomy during the winter months. The rowing machine allows a good cardio substitute during these winter months.

What piece of equipment was a waste? I think at the moment my sandbag has been the biggest waste. I thought it would provide more use, however having a full set of Olympic plates I have not had any solid use out of it. 

What is the next piece of equipment? Squat Rack. Initial I thought it would be too cumbersome for my small space. Currently for me to do squats I need to Clean and Jerk the weights onto my shoulders. This has limited my ability to do heavier squats.

Any dream piece of equipment? Rogue SML-2C Squat Rack

How did you build your gym? I built my gym slowly. I began with building my own wall mounted pull up bar. Then getting the wall ball and kettle bells. The two big ticket items were one after the other for the bar and plate set, then the rowing machine. 

Do you have any tips for anyone else looking to build a garage gym? Building a home gym you need to decide a long term plan. Is it something you will keep. Research the equipment, some things are a very easy DIY rather than spending all the extra to buy it. Buy what you need as you need it, some times its best to buy a few things than make the assessment of further needed equipment.