Garage Gym of the Week: Lénaïck Botrel

What’s your name? Lénaïck Botrel, I'm French and live next to Paris

How old are you? I'm 39 years

Do you have an IG handle or website you’d like linked? This is link of my website coaching http://lenaick92.wixsite.com/trainingsystem/untitled-c1viv

Tell us a little bit about yourself: I coach in the field of muscle and fitness since 2000. Now I have a little girl of 2 years and a sporty woman who works in education. I also did my army into France in the health service, I was already a sports coach and so I made my army in the sports department. I was the trainer of soldiers and some officers. After my army so I worked in the gym for a hotel in Roissy en France airport, I took care of the gym and the pool. Currently I am still working in the fitness world for a sports association. And of course I practice Crossfit also.

How would you describe your training style?

• I practice Crossfit very often.
• I love weightlifting movements.
• I train as much in the gym where I work and also at Crossfit box and in my garage gym. So I train very often in my work and for my pleasures too.

How would you describe your fitness/strength level, currently? I have always practiced the sport since a long time when I was young. But it is true that when we approach 40's, people want to stay fit. I started practicing Cross training before the Crossfit arrive in France. I practiced alone because I realized my own combos in the gym to stay healthy and fit.

Crossfit arrived in France in 2010/2011 and this has changed the way to train. Now I think I'm in better shape than before because we force ourselves to achieve performances that make us stronger and more resistant. So now I am 39 but I feel very in shape.

What are your fitness/strength goals? I love achieve some official WOD like FRAN , I do it in 3'00 ". I love weightlifting movements but I'm not very strong yet lol. I have a deadlift 375 lbs x3. I do 100 double under rope easily, and my max pull ups enchained is 70. But I definitely want to progress in my snatch because I'm stuck at 154 lbs

Describe your garage gym. My gym garage is the garage where I park my car, I built myself the foldable rack to the wall because I saw this idea at Rogue. I had not enough money to order it and delivered it in France, so I make myself the rack. I can now bend the rack to the wall to get my car in the garage.

I built myself a jump box too.

Equipment in my Private Box are:

• 1 RACK squat / Bench / Pull up
• 1 flat bench
• a rower 1 CONCEPT II PM5
• 2 olympic barbell (20kg man and 15kg woman)
• bumper (4x10kg, 2x20,2x15, 2x5, 2x2,5, 2x1,25),
• Kettlebell 8kg,12,16,24
• Jump box (61x51x40 cm)
• 1 TRX
• Medicine Ball 5kg
• 2 bear paws
• 1 pao
• 2 Pairs Boxing Gloves
• 2 speed ropes (cable)
• a gym rings pair

Who works out in your garage gym? Myself, my woman, my little girl too, and friends who love to train with me, and also clients I have in coaching

Why did you build a garage gym? I built my garage gym because I like to have my corner for me to drive me when I want and realize my training alone or with my woman and my girl. I also wanted a place to train with my equipment and also guide and coach some people because this is my job.

What’s your favorite piece of equipment in your garage? Of course it's my foldable rack to the wall. When I do pull ups, squat, bench, I am proud to make my performances on the rack that I made. And also of course it's my barbell and plates for work my snatch. I also love my rower, concept 2 PM5, it's great for strength, endurance, health !!!

What piece of equipment was a waste? Medicine ball, I should buy a real wall ball instead of my medicine ball 5kg.

What’s the next piece of equipment you’re going to get? Need to buy a prowler for me and my coaching customers. I don't know yet if I buy it or if I build it, lol!

Any dream piece of equipment? A speal bar (C. Spealler Athlete) for pull ups ! Lol, yes because it's a great bar with a good grip for pull ups. A new bar and a timer.

How did you build your garage gym? (All at once, craigslist over a few years, etc.) Started with a simple squat rack in 2014 then realized I needed a pullup bar so I decided to built my own rack. I built my garage gym as a measure of my needs, I realize this foldable rack to the wall to always be able to park my car inside. I painted the walls with a white colour to give more clarity. I then bought my rower Concept2 in 2016 and even built myself my jump box.

Do you have any tips for anyone else looking to build a garage gym?

• Look at different website about Crossfit and especially look into shipping prices for your equipment ordered.
• I recommend buying a real Crossfit or Weightlifting bar instead of a bodybuilding barbell! Bodybuilding barbells do not have the snap rings at the end of the bar and also have a larger diameter. It's not good ! Prefer a OLY bar or a bar Crossfit of another brand.
• Look into quality 10lb plates. They often break easily if this is not an official brand like FringeSport, Against Faster, Xenios or Rogue!! You must have plates you can drop with the bar.