There is a full gym
in my bedroom.
A pair of REP x PÉPIN FAST dumbbells that go to 105 lb in each hand, and a bench, four feet from where I sleep. No membership, no commute, no waiting for the rack. If you want to lift, the barrier is now roughly “walk to Fulton Street”.
Where we lift
Koret first, if you want barbells and a platform
Some things need a barbell and a platform, and for those we go to the Koret Health & Recreation Center at USF, up the hill from me. Two weight rooms in the basement, 34 stations, Olympic weights, plate-loaded machines, heavy lifting platforms, kettlebells and the rest of it.
One thing to sort before you book Koret, and it will stop you at the door otherwise. It’s a university facility, so you can’t just walk in with me. Drop-in visitors need photo ID, have to register with the centre and sign a waiver, and pay a fee. Public access also stops at 2pm Monday to Thursday, though Friday through Sunday is unrestricted. If any of that is friction, book my room instead — there’s no door policy at my house.
The peppins
Or my room, where there is no door policy at all
Adjustable dumbbells are usually a compromise — plastic shells, a fat handle, and a length that makes pressing feel wrong. These aren’t that. They’re steel all the way through, and 105 lb of it packs into something shorter than the 18.3 inches the 125s measure. Two dumbbells cover everything from 10 lb to 105, which is a rack of twenty pairs, in the footprint of one.
5 lb steps
A magnetic pop-pin moves in 10 lb jumps, and 2.5 lb micro-plates split the difference. So you can actually add a little bit of weight instead of jumping straight to a number you’ll fail on.
34 mm volcano knurl
Nickel-plated handle, proper knurling, standard barbell diameter. It grips like real equipment rather than like a machine you rented.
105 now, more later
Add-on weight takes them past this, so when 105 stops being difficult the fix is a plate rather than a new set. These are the last dumbbells I have to buy.
And a bench
Which is the other half of it. Dumbbells with nowhere to lie down is just a collection of dumbbells.
Straight answers
What you’re probably wondering
How strong are you?
Not very, currently. But no ego in the dojo — whatever you’re lifting is the right weight, and the only person keeping score is you.
I’ve never lifted before.
Then adjustable dumbbells and a bench are close to the ideal place to start — the weight goes as light as you need, and nobody is watching.
Is it weird to lift in your bedroom?
A little. It’s also warm, free, thirty seconds from coffee, and has never once had a queue for the bench.
Can we run instead?
Yes — there are four measured routes and a track a mile away. That’s over here.
Booking
Pick a slot
Same calendar as the runs — pick lifting when you book. More than a day’s notice and I’ll be there, or grab something already scheduled.