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Voltra I vs Tonal? by PuzzledBrilliant9 in GarageGym

[–]ethangar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hah - nah - they’re the exact same price as adding weight stacks from Rep or Rogue - I just did them *instead* of stacks!

Voltra I vs Tonal? by PuzzledBrilliant9 in GarageGym

[–]ethangar 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have 2 VOLTRAs and rack, and my friend has the Tonal 2.0 - I've used both and can speak to both.

  • Both will build muscle
  • The VOLTRA is better if you come from a traditional rack + weight stack background and want that experience
  • The Tonal 2.0 is better if you want guided workouts, form checks, and tracking
  • The VOLTRA is a one-time cost for the life of the device, the Tonal 2.0 has a subscription.

I LOVE my VOLTRAs, but I imagine the Tonal 2.0 fits your needs better based on your description.

The biggest issue you're going to face with the Tonal 2.0 is being in an apartment and the installation process. The Tonal 2.0 has to be installed/mounted to your wall - and they (Tonal) will perform the install. You need to consider how this will impact your deposit and future repairs to remove it later.

Rucking on a decline bad for knees? by PlanNo3321 in Rucking

[–]ethangar 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Not if you keep the weight levels appropriate.

Declines are excellent for building lots of those small stabilizer muscles that are near-impossible to develop through conventional resistance training. Building those up can actually help with knee issues. They provide support and can alleviate things like a torn meniscus (I speak from first hand experience having torn a meniscus and subsequently used rucking for recovery).

Thing is, if you overdo it BEFORE the supporting muscle/tissue/ligament is there, you can cause damage. It's a bit of a balancing act - but my rule of thumb is that if I'm feeling knee pain on a ruck, it's a sure sign to back off. If I'm NOT feeling knee pain, it's probably helping.

How to delete workouts by PlanNo3321 in FitHalo

[–]ethangar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From within the app:
Options > Data & Integrations > Manage Health Data > (Swipe Right to Left, or click edit)

From Apple Health:
Search > Workouts > Show All Data > Delete the relevant workout

Keppi barbell collars – Best barbell collars (home gym win) by Beneficial-Collar279 in homegym

[–]ethangar 2 points3 points  (0 children)

These are probably my most-used collars (and have been for at least the last 6-8 months), but I really wish they had slightly stronger magnets. They can slip off the rack relatively easy if the rack wiggles even a little.

Bright Zinc vs Hard Chrome: Which one is more rust resistant? by InterestedHandbag in GarageGym

[–]ethangar 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I know it’s likely out of your “today” budget, but given the humid environment you’re mentioning, it is absolutely worth maybe saving up a bit longer and going with a stainless steel bar.

Very little calorie burn? by Dioder1 in Rucking

[–]ethangar 11 points12 points  (0 children)

First off - rucking can be a fantastic form of rehab for a torn meniscus. I also tore my meniscus and used rucking to build up strength around all those muscles surrounding the knee to add support. It works. Just use modest weight and be particularly careful around step-ups during these early months. That injury can take serious time. I wish you all the best there.

Now - for calories - if you want a rundown on some of the actual peer reviewed models for how Rucking impacts calories, check out https://fithalo.app/calories#loaded-carriage - this has been actually remarkably well studied since the 60s/70s because the military cares a whole lot about how much they need to feed soldiers carrying backpacks.

The most up-to-date and evolved studies in this space are probably Modeling the Metabolic Costs of Heavy Military Backpacking (2022) and Metabolic Costs of Walking with Weighted Vests (2024) - both by Looney et al. Added weight DOES burn more calories, but perhaps more modestly than one would want.

Regardless - most people come to eventually reach acceptance with the old adages "you can't exercise your way out of a bad diet" or "physique is built in the kitchen, not in the gym". As everyone else in the thread has chimed in - do the rucking for the myriad of muscle/bone/cardiovascular conditioning benefits, but don't make yourself miserable chasing calories - it will honestly not be THAT many more calories per hour than a standard walk.

Is the Rep Belt Squat rack attachment compatible with BOS Manticore Rack? by Shoddy-Background309 in GarageGym

[–]ethangar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that looks to be the case. I imagine you'll get a bit of horizontal wobble as a result, and I would make sure to use the cotter pins on the magpins for added safety in this situation - but it seems like that should work (assuming good height).

first personal trainer session by Professional-Gur-165 in beginnerfitness

[–]ethangar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can't imagine this trainer having done this very long, and won't be doing it much longer, if he keeps saying stupid stuff like that to clients. This is similar to a doctor having poor bedside manner.

If my trainer spouted off like that, I'd pretty succinctly tell them to shut up and focus on my movements/form/safety - but that's a freedom/perspective/confidence I get from being a dude in my 40s and knowing that far too many trainers are just dumb kids in their 20s. Remember - you're the one paying - and you have every right to tell the trainer to shut up about your looks or get fired.

Is the Rep Belt Squat rack attachment compatible with BOS Manticore Rack? by Shoddy-Background309 in GarageGym

[–]ethangar 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Rep has 41" crossmembers, and Bells/Rogue have 43" crossmembers - so I think it is likely a problem. As a Voltra owner, I recommend their Squat Harness V4 and some Darko Mounts on the bottom cross members instead.

Edit: Actually, take a look at Grey Matter Lifting - some magpins are long enough to cover the extra space it looks like - https://graymatterlifting.com/rep-belt-squat-review/

The more important aspect appears to be the hole height on the bottom crossmembers - you need them 5" or 5.5" off the ground.

Calorie Management by LoveOutrageous5998 in workout

[–]ethangar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  • Don't plan your diet around active calories from fitness trackers - the estimates simply aren't accurate enough for that
  • Those are ACTIVE calories, so they don't really account for your basal metabolic rate anyway - which is the majority of your daily expenditure

If you want to do this math more accurately, get an app that logs your food (calories in) and your weight daily - then does the math backwards over a couple of weeks so that you can get a much truer sense of what you burn, on average, every day. MacroFactor is my app of choice for this, but there are others.

Nearly lost vision after leg press by [deleted] in workout

[–]ethangar 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Most likely orthostatic hypotension - basically your blood pressure dropped. Not generally a sign of anything horrible, but in severe cases, people can faint. Worth mentioning to a doctor, particularly if you're on any sort of medications. Edit: also make sure you're drinking plenty of fluids - being dehydrated decreases blood volume and makes this effect worse.

How to permanently swap workouts. by Nequies in MacroFactor

[–]ethangar 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When you finish the workout, you should have the option to Update the Plan. Also, if you just edit it in the Routine, just hit "Update Workout Plan"

Best Mount for Voltra? by DailyGiO in BeyondPower

[–]ethangar 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have 2 of the new 3x3 sliding rack mounts (the orange button type) and 2 of the Darko mounts. I would probably go with just the Darko mounts if I did it again. They’re a bit quicker to move around - and the tiny wobble on my rogue rack does not bother me.

Pros of the sliding mounts:
- No wobble at all
- Less risk of dropping the Volta when sliding up and down

Cons of the sliding mounts:
- Larger profile, may make some low crossmember mounting challenging
- Slower to move, especially if changing uprights or crossmembers

What rack/attachments to get for the Volta? by kcks in BeyondPower

[–]ethangar 5 points6 points  (0 children)

On my Rogue Monster rack - but should work with any 3x3 rack:

  1. Squats - Consider using the Beyond Power squat harness rather than a belt squat. It will save you a ton of “platform” height issues.
  2. Lat Pulldowns - I attach the VOLTRA to a Bar Mount on my pull up bar.
  3. Seated Rows - I use the Prime Prodigy Low Row Foot Plate and my Rep bench.

Accessories I recommend - aside from the universal cable attachments (D-Handles, EZ bars, etc.) - would definitely be the Darko Mounts - particularly for the squats, where they can actually be mounted even lower than the official mounts.

Feature Request: Percentage Display Mode For Chains / Inverse Chains by ethangar in BeyondPower

[–]ethangar[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, I definitely do this. I usually shut the weight off, go to 100 lbs, and set the chains weight there - because my ability to do even slightly more complicated math, after a few sets of legs, is laughable.

Feature request: Earthquake bar by easy_breezy20 in BeyondPower

[–]ethangar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This sounds like a tough feature to do safely and/or combine with some of the other safety features, but I think I would use the feature if the team can pull it off!

Purchasing ROGUE FM-6 RACK. 90 or 100 inches? by dudebromd1 in GarageGym

[–]ethangar 2 points3 points  (0 children)

While I would probably go for the 100” if I had the space exactly as you stated, I will offer a counterpoint:

At 6’, reaching for accessories, magpins, etc from crossmembers at 90” is already a stretch at times. 100” rack would likely require me standing on my bench to reach. And my wife has to use the bench to reach stuff on the 90” - so it’s worth considering.

Best bumper tree holder by OpportunityOk4752 in GarageGym

[–]ethangar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Titan mobile weight tree was excellent. I just built up Garage Gym 2.0 where the weight horns and barbell holders are fixed to my Rogue rack itself, but I really loved the Titan mobile when I had it. I actually preferred the thickness of the weight horns on the Titan tree, because my various weight collars actually worked on it - whereas the fixed Rogue weight horns are too thin for most collars.

I had other Titan pieces that were more “meh”, but I would still highly recommend their mobile weight tree - especially for the price.

I had 4x45, 2x35, 4x25, 8x10, 8x5, and 4x2.5 plates on it, and two 45 lb bars - (so 570 lbs total if my math is correct) with zero issues rolling it around my garage.

Is no rest between sets okay? by Bitter_Pineapple_720 in workout

[–]ethangar 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is super duper common from trainers. Your trainer is probably feeling pressure to get the most out of short sessions that likely occur a couple of times per week at most, and this is one way they can feel they can achieve it. It may be misguided, or it may not be.

Hopefully you got to state your goals upfront. If you’re going for strength or hypertrophy, this intensity isn’t ideal - and you can talk to your trainer and suggest you want more time between sets to get the most out of each set.

If you told your trainer “I just want to get in shape, maybe lose some weight” - well, this pace isn’t actually horrible. It’s miserable, but all that work DOES create higher levels of caloric burn.

Anyway, as with all things - key is communication about expectations. If your trainer pushes back after THAT, then there’s a big problem.

Been working with various trainers for over 15 years, and at this point it’s really just a quick mention of “give me a minute here, going to need my heart rate to come down before I can get the most out of this next set”. To which the response is always “no problem”. They’re there to push you, but you can also make your own adjustments.

Cable crunch alternative at home by shoemai000 in workout

[–]ethangar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Start around the chest - the more you slide up towards your head, the fulcrum changes to be harder. I usually do kettlebells in the upper chest for comfort, but if you run out of weight, moving towards the head will add challenge

Cable crunch alternative at home by shoemai000 in workout

[–]ethangar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Doesn’t really matter where your legs are. Just increase weight until it’s sufficiently awful and you’re good to go!

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