Meet Castro.
Castro is an insanely strong dude with an absolutely ridiculous garage gym setup. Seriously, this is one of the most impressive spaces I’ve seen. It’s filled with high-end equipment and it’s decorated in a way that just makes you want to lift.
Join me as we step into the “Pain Cave.”
The Journey
Castro is a certified badass. If being a U.S. Marine isn’t badass enough, adding a powerlifting total of over 1,500 lbs surely is. Castro and his wife, Lady C, both compete in the USAPL Master’s division (45-49 years old). In February of 2018, Castro broke the California deadlift record (611.8 lbs) and the California total record (1,504.7) in the Master’s division in the 220 lb weight class. Lady C also boasts a total of 786 lbs in competition.
Pretty freakin’ strong.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmcH4I-hGNY/?taken-by=ironkong_castro
Strength wasn’t always the end game for Castro and his wife, however. Prior to powerlifting, they were both on a quest to get super lean with loads of conditioning work.
Today, they’re all about the total.
After falling in love with powerlifting, they realized there were no accessible powerlifting gyms near them. The local commercial gyms weren’t conducive to their powerlifting goals, and they couldn’t listen to death metal! So, they built a powerlifting gym in their garage.
And man… is it ever awesome!
The vibe in this gym is just incredible. The black and red walls practically scream intensity, and the wall/ceiling coverings add a nice pop. I’d love to lift here if I’m ever in Murrieta, California.
Let’s take a deeper look into Castro and Lady C’s impressive assortment of gym equipment.
The Equipment
As you’ll soon see, the Pain Cave is packed with awesome gear. Most of the equipment was purchased new, but some, like the weights, were picked up on the used market.
Castro smartly started his garage gym with the flooring and power rack. Laying down flooring prior to buying equipment is an excellent idea in order to avoid a much more painful installation when you have a lot of gear.
From there, the Pain Cave was outfitted with various items from high priority to low priority. Currently, it’s one of the most impressive garage setups I’ve seen. When I asked Castro what his favorite piece of equipment was, he answered the Rogue deadlift Platform. Hey, when you hold the deadlift record…
Here’s a full breakdown of the Pain Cave’s equipment.
Bars, Plates, & Dumbbells
The Pain Cave is home to 15 barbells ranging from straights bars to specialty bars. It also comes equipped with a full set of dumbbells from 5 lbs – 95 lbs and a few heavier pairs as well.
- 4 Straight Bars
- Rogue MG-2 Multi-Grip Bar
- Rogue Safety Squat Bar
- Rogue Ohio Deadlift Bar
- Rogue Cambered Bar
- Cambered Bench Bar
- Earthquake Bar
- Axel Bar
- Buffalo Bar
- Trap Bar
- Curl Bar
- Farmers Handles
- Rubber Dumbbells (5lbs – 95lbs)
- Pro-Style dumbbell pairs (105lbs, 110lbs, 125lbs)
- Over 2,000 lbs of Standard Iron Plates
Rack & Bench
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnXKGJjBC8X/?taken-by=ironkong_castro
The Pain Cave has one of my all-time favorite power racks: the Rogue RML-690. This six-post rack is an absolute beast. It’s large enough to handle multiple lifters, it’s sturdy enough to not need floor bolts, and it’s downright beautiful. Not to mention it offers westside hole spacing, allows for multiple attachments, etc…
- Rogue RML-690
- Rogue Safety Straps
- Rogue Spotter Arms
- Spud Suspension Straps
- Rogue Multi-grip Pull-Up Bar
- Rogue Reverse Hyper Attachment
- Rogue Matador Dip Attachment
- Rogue Y1 Yoke
- Rogue Monster Utility Bench
- Thompson Fat Pad
- Flat Utility Bench
- Incline/Decline Bench
Machines & Cardio
In addition to the staple pieces of a powerlifting home gym, the Pain Cave also includes several nice-to-have pieces that really take it to the next level.
- Rogue Abrams 2.0 GHD
- Concept 2 Rower
- Assault Bike
- Two Cable Machines
- Plate-loaded Lat Pulldown
Misc. Equipment
To round out the space, the Pain Cave offers a number of accessory pieces that Castro and Lady C use with regularity.
- Rogue Deadlift Platform
- Deadlift Jack
- Rogue Monster Bands
- Rogue Dog Sled
- Rogue Fat Boy Sled
- Rogue Dual Landmine Attachment
- Rogue Neutral Grip Landmine Attachment
- 7 sets of 20lb Chains
- Slingshot Maddog
- Plyo Metal Boxes (12″, 18″, 24″)
- Chalk Stand
- Rubber Flooring
Castro’s Pain Cave is just an awesome place to train. It’s intense, it looks awesome, and it’s equipped with excellent equipment.
It’s without question one of my favorite spaces that I’ve seen.
I want to thank Castro for sharing his journey, his garage gym, and a list of his equipment with the community!
You can follow and stay in touch with Castro on Instagram.
If you would like the chance to be featured on the site, shoot me an email at Adam@garagegymlab.com.
The bar is loaded,
Adam