Meet Cort.
He’s a badass. No seriously, this police & SWAT officer is a bonafide badass…
…And he has a badass garage gym to match.
One of my favorite things about Cort’s garage gym is how much great equipment he has in a compact, efficient space. It’s very well laid out, and he has everything he needs to accomplish his powerlifting goals.
Join me as we step into Cort’s powerlifting garage gym.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BafUBuvB2KH/?taken-by=officer_gymaddict
The Journey
Cort’s fitness journey started like many of us, in a commercial gym. You know how it goes… You see people mistreating equipment, you have to deal with the waiting, the talking, etc… and you generally don’t have access to the equipment that you really want to use. The list goes on and on, but like those of us who have converted to the home gym way, Cort was sick of it.
In January 2017 he started training exclusively for powerlifting. After successfully completing his first meet, he was addicted. Since then, he has competed in four powerlifting meets, and in that time, he made a realization. The commercial gym he belonged to didn’t have the equipment necessary to take his training to the next level… so he asked the gym if they would consider purchasing some additional equipment. After they said no, and after failed attempts to locate other nearby powerlifting gyms, he decided to take matters into his own hands…errr…. garage.
I started wanting to train with equipment that resembled meet-like conditions
In addition to wanting better equipment though, Cort had other reasons to bring the gym home. He works 3:00 PM to 3:00 AM, which required him to get to the gym at 10:00 AM so he could be rush hour, train, and get to work on time. Having a garage gym has given him more free time as well as more sleep!
Cort started his garage gym with what he was told was the best equipment on the market: Rogue Fitness. As he was prepping for an upcoming meet, he had to get everything pretty quickly. He first bought 300ish KGs of calibrated plates, a black zinc Ohio Power Bar, an RML-390F, and the Monster Flat Utility Bench. He also bought a used Texas Deadlift Bar from a buddy of his. Outside of that purchase though, everything in his gym has been purchased new. He built himself a deadlift platform, which he and I both highly recommend due to it being really easy to do and much less expensive.
While his garage gym hasn’t been up and running for a long time, Cort is officially addicted, like many of us. In the five months he’s had his gym, he’s constantly looking at ways to find more stuff to fit on his side of the garage. His girlfriend isn’t too keen on taking up the whole garage just yet.
If anyone has any suggestions to convince her, Cort says he would GREATLY appreciate it.
The Equipment
Cort has an impressive selection of equipment for someone who hasn’t been in the game all that long.
What are his favorite pieces? He says that’s like asking what his favorite type of chocolate chip cookie is. Haha, great answer.
But if he had to pick, he would have to say the power rack since it’s so versatile. The Westside bench, he says, is a close second because everyone loves the bench press!
The one good thing about having an upcoming meet was that Cort was able to buy most everything all at once. As a relative newcomer to the equipment scene, he went all-in on Rogue.
My initial purchase was 100% Rogue too, buddy!
Let’s break down Cort’s equipment:
Bars
- Rogue Ohio Power Bar in Black Zinc – Read my review here
- Rogue Ohio Bar in Black Zinc
- Texas Deadlift Bar
- Curl Bar
Rack & Bench
- Rogue RML-390F
- Westside Bench 2.0 w/ spotter deck
- Monster Utility Bench
- Safety Straps
- Thompson Fat Pad
- Matador Dip Attachment
Plates
Cardio & Machines
- Rogue Echo Bike (Cort hates cardio, like I do, but he said he loves this bike and he uses it quite often)
- Rogue Abram GHD 2.0
Misc.
- DIY Deadlift Platform
- Deadlift Jack
- Horse Stall Mats for Flooring
- Board Press Blocks
- Shorty Monster Bands
Cort has a seriously impressive powerlifting setup outfitted with everything he needs to train for his meets.
As a police officer and SWAT officer, being able to lift at home gives him his “own little sanctuary.” Cort has a passion for helping people, whether it’s in his day job, answering questions about his gym, or offering tips on lift form. His ultimate goal is to one day open his own gym, but until then…
… he’ll keep adding stuff onto HIS side of the garage (lol).
I want to thank Cort for sharing his journey, his garage gym, and a list of his equipment with the community!
You can follow and stay in touch with Cort on Instagram.
If you want to read more about power bars or powerlifting equipment in general, check out my ultimate guide to building a powerlifting home gym.
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