“The garage gym saved my life and my marriage.”
For Virginia man Will Seay, January 20th was an extremely special day. It marked 500 days that he had been clean from drink and drugs.
In that time, he rescued his marriage and completely transformed his physical fitness. With gyms closed due to lockdown, Will had to make use of the equipment he had lying around in his garage.
Speaking exclusively to JOE, Will said “I was in a car accident where I suffered from neck, back and head injuries.
“I was unable to work, living off short-term disability allowance and doctors told me I would never lift over 50 pounds again.”
Will said this pushed him towards drink and drugs.
“That was when my drinking and drug abuse really started, I was going to the bar during the day to hide it from my wife.
“The alcohol abuse made my depression worse. No longer did I care about myself, or anyone around me, my back was against the wall and it was do or die.”
A particularly low point occurred when he attended a friend’s wedding.
“The drinks started flowing, and after too many shots I blacked out. My wife had to piece together the evening for me.”
A chance encounter provided the turning point for change.
Still struggling to ditch the drinking habit, Will was walking home from the bar one afternoon when he stumbled upon a sign for a gym. He entered, and signed up for a membership.
“I started going to the gym every day and working with different diets,” he said.
He became less dependent on prescription drugs, and while alcohol was a harder habit to kick, he eventually overcame it.
Will admitted “I am a very social person and going out to spend time with friends meant drinking”.
With gyms subsequently closing due to the coronavirus pandemic, an obstacle lay in Will’s path. His new-found gym membership was made redundant – but he improvised.
“I started simply by cleaning out my garage. I slowly started buying used, old gym equipment and made a makeshift garage gym.”
For most people, resorting to a garage gym workout might not sound like a big deal. For Will, it provided him with discipline and a sense of purpose that was otherwise missing from his life.
“The gym saved me, but it really saved my marriage.
“I was able to transform into my best self, allowing me to give that version of myself to my wife every day.”
Will follows a standard bodybuilding training split.
4-5 sets, 8-12 reps each movement
- DAY 1: LEGS
- DAY 2: CHEST
- DAY 3: BACK
- DAY 4: REST (core/cardio)
- DAY 5: ARMS
- DAY 6: SHOULDERS
- DAY 7: REST (core/cardio)
In terms of diet, Will keeps it very clean. For breakfast, he has black coffee, fresh orange juice and four to six eggs – followed by one cup of oatmeal with cinnamon, honey and blueberries.
Lunch and dinner are essentially the same, comprising beef (steak or 90/10 ground beef), jasmine rice and veggies (broccoli, peppers, Brussels sprouts, kale, spinach).
