Humble Home Gym Experts Worth Getting to Know
If you’ve followed our recent home gym blog series, you might wonder, “who are these experts you keep referencing?” Well, they’re not clinical lab-coat types. Nor are they workout drill sergeants. Although the three we feature here share a background in powerlifting and strength training, they’re not even bulging with gigantic muscles. (Nor do they lack experience with cardio.)
They’re down-to-earth, personable, and anything-but-boastful exercise enthusiasts who look at fitness the same way a lot of you do. They all came to fitness for their own reasons and in their own ways. Sometimes they disagree with each other. But they’re all on the same page when it comes to helping you make the best home gym decisions.
Their expertise comes from considerable experience – years of trying aerobic and strength-training equipment and methods, making mistakes, overcoming obstacles and developing a strong impulse to share what they’ve learned.
1. Cooper Mitchell (AKA "Coop")
Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Twitter
Background: Powerlifting/Strength Training
Self-deprecating self-assessment: “My wife says I like to hear myself talk, as I've been rambling on here for five minutes.”
Coop had been surrounded by fitness culture all his life.
His father was a national-level powerlifter who weighed 220 and could squat 750 lbs. Elite status for 220 lb. lifters is 580. Some with that fitness pedigree might tend to lord it over workout newbies, but not Coop.
His fondest memories are of his father’s garage gym (now commemorated by a “Doug’s Gym” sign in Coop’s own garage). The powerlifting magazines and Louis Simmons VHS tapes Coop’s father kept were chock-full of deadlift secrets and other tips to help athletes realize their full potential. While his father’s workout area inspired him to embrace cross-training, those pre-internet info sources inspired him to share what he’d learned in the digital media era.
A gregarious self-described “gear head,” Coop harnessed his love for home gyms, his experience building them, and his natural talkativeness. Through multiple blogs and videos, he reviews products and advises consumers on purchases and errors to avoid. When his fun-loving, stream-of-consciousness video patter runs headlong into a tongue trip, Coop leaves it in. His quick, entertaining recoveries reinforce his philosophical approach to handling mistakes – and his sincere desire to help others avoid them.
You can learn more about that at Coop's Ultimate Home Gym Guide (For Any Budget).
2. Brandon Campbell Diamond (AKA "Brandon Campbell")
Basement Brandon
Background: Powerlifting/Strength Training
Self-deprecating self-assessment: “I’m stronger, balder, wiser – but I’m going off on a little bit of a tangent.”
For a popular fitness presence, Brandon Campbell Diamond took a while to warm to the limelight. But he set self-consciousness aside for a good cause.
He started his fitness video career as a means to help pay for his training as a powerlifter through sponsorships. Diamond dropped his last name and published his work under the name Brandon Campbell. This new persona was reinforced by the creation of his company Campbell Fitness.
He hoped to avoid confusion with another online video host but mostly didn’t want people who knew him to know what he was doing. He’s still a little sheepish about the quality of his early videos, so much so that many aren’t available online anymore.
However he started, his content quickly won him thousands of followers. He shared the progress and occasional foibles of both his training and building his gym. He kept them coming by providing multiple windows on home gym training – including gym equipment reviews, tips on powerlifting, training and lifestyle, and plenty of experience-based health and nutrition advice – including grocery shopping.
All the while, his confidence and the quality of videos improved. In 2018, he retired the Campbell Fitness brand and promised to make even better videos. He remains a top fitness draw on his Youtube channel Basement Brandon.
1. Adam Hensley (AKA "Adam")
Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Twitter
Background: Powerlifting/Strength Training
Self-deprecating self-assessment: "‘Who's this tiny guy telling me what I should buy when it comes to gym equipment?’”
Changing circumstances? Changing Needs? Adam’s been there, documented that.
It started in 2016 when the then real estate finance professional moved with his wife to a new home. Not impressed with the nearby gym offerings, he drove 45 minutes to an uptown gym and bought a second membership just to shower. With a son on the way, he opted to keep his exercise close to home. His garage gym started with a single squat rack, a bench, bar, and weight plates.
His experience balancing exercise, work and a growing family compelled him to share what he learned with others making similar decisions. He’d toyed with blogging before, writing several articles on Microsoft Excel, which he never published. However, his new idea took shape quickly.
He started out reviewing equipment. Home Gym manufacturers were surprisingly supportive – and willing to take their lumps on occasion. COVID brought more change – bad and good. While it threw a wrench into real estate values, it prompted commercial gym-only suppliers to tap the home gym boom, expanding Adam’s review prospects.
Today, Adam’s dedicated full-time to the thousands who follow his thorough and dependable equipment reviews, informational articles, interviews, and profiles of other successful home gym setups. He gives full credit to his wife, who supported his potentially risky venture with only a reminder that he’d have to park on the street.
Further Home Gym Reading
Find More Home Gym Expertise at Flaman Fitness.
Our sales staff have years of experience helping customers build home gyms that keep them motivated and on track to reach their goals. Whether you’re looking at a single item or a combo, a basic setup or a full-blown garage gym, our experts can guide you to equipment options that will serve your budget, space and objectives.
Drop by your nearest Flaman Fitness location and discover what’s possible
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