2025 Spring GGC

May 10 - 18, 2025

Wherever You Lift

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

The Garage Gym Competition Is Back!

After a successfull 2024 event season with over 1,000 athletes, more than $35k in prizes, and over $1500 in Non-Profit donations, we are back for YEAR 8!

Year 8 of our Virtual Powerlifting Meet is ready to rock, whether you lift in a garage, basement, bedroom, or shed… or even a commercial gym. The GGC welcomes all lifters big and small, from the US and around the globe, kids and grandmas, professionals and beginners… if you can Squat, Bench, and Deadlift, you are in!

Over 5,000 athletes across the world have joined in since 2018. And we’ve given away more than $130,000 in prizes and donated over $13,000 to charities.

Your admission is free… you just need to lift!

HOW DO I PARTICIPATE IN THE
2025 Spring Garage Gym Competition?

During the week of May 10th to May 18th, 2025

Perform a 1 rep max Squat, Bench, and Deadlift
Record those lifts
Upload to Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, or YouTube and use #25SpringGGC
Complete the online Submission Form (available the week of the competition)

Following the above will successfully enter you into the competition. No registration fees, no tickets, no gimmicks. Just lifting, lovin, and laughing… or something like that.

CHECK OUT THE FULL RULES

FAQs

Q: Do I Need To Weigh In?

A: Nope!

Q: How Do I Win A Prize?

A: Enter, and you get 1 “ticket”. Tickets are pulled at random, so you might win!

Q: Can I Lift On Any Day Of The Week?

A: Yep, as long as it is between May 10th and 18th, you are good!

Q: Can I Use Wraps, Straps, and Other Gear?

A: Yep!

Q: Can I Use Specialty Bars?

A: Yep!

Q: Can My Kids Compete?

A; Yep!

Q: Can I Have My Friends Lift At My Place?

A: You bet! We even offer money and support to help!

CHECK OUT HOW TO HOST A LOCAL MEET

First time squatting, or seasoned professionals. Lets lift together.

We donate thousands of dollars to Non-Profits, each and every year. You participate, we donate.

If you lift, you are entered for a shot at EVERY prize we have up for grabs.

It is all free! Free competition, free articles, free training tips, free newsletter... You have no reason NOT to participate.

Spring Non-Profit

We have donated over $8k to Special Olympics since 2018, and we are back to cross that $10k mark in the Spring. Will you help? All you have to do is lift, and we’ll handle the rest.

CHECK OUT ALL OF OUR NON-PROFITS

19

Confirmed Sponsors

$13k

In Prizes

…

and counting

Prizes

What can you win? A LOT of awesome stuff.

CHECK OUT ALL OF OUR PRIZES (TBD)

Who Runs The GGC?

Hi, my name is Joe Gray. I’ve lifted out of my garage since 2013, I’m a moderator for Reddit r/HomeGym, I share insightful product insights and more as “Gray Matter Lifting”, and I created the Garage Gym Competition.

I created the GGC for lifters like myself. People lifting at home looking for an outlet, a target, something to put on the calendar and say “LETS GO!”. People liked it, so we have come back every year with one simple goal… To run an awesome virtual powerlifting meet for EVERYONE!

My goal has always been to create garage gym content that I would want to watch, read, and participate in. My thought was, if I was interested, someone else might be too.

Check Out More On Joe

Athletes

Over 75% of our athletes have no competitive lifting experience. We have kids as young as 2 and athletes over 60. We have 1000lb female totals, 2000lb male totals, injured athletes, veterans, competitive strongmen, athletes from 40 different countries, and more.

Simply put… if you lift with a barbell, or want to give it a shot, this is the place to be.

It’s great to have an option for people getting into powerlifting that may not have the opportunity to do a real meet

Rydge Lytle

A chance to see how you stack up with everyone from around the world

Brad Everett

Amazing community & great source of insperation so many amazing home gym atheletes

Matthew Welch

Anyone anywhere from any background can come have some fun

Michael Nguyen

Easy to do, flexible rules to accommodate all ages, (injuries), lifting styles, and lifters 🙂

Braydon Polonsky

Awesome event with flexible rules allowing for large scale camaraderie

Marcus Quinones

Best home gym competition hands down, and probably my favorite comp in general. Love it!

Levi Glavin

Dealing with injuries this year and had to use specialty bars. Injuries in any other competition don’t mesh

Mark Tovar

Do what I like for a chance at free stuff and I get to see other people trying their best too.

Nickolas Nguyen

I love scrolling through the posts and seeing everyone with a smile on their face lifting weights.

Andy Downs

I love that it encourages people to lift no matter the environment and strength level

Brent Guillen

I love the idea of preparing for a competition in my own home gym. In person competitions are too long and costly.

Justin Miller

I love how it brings the entire community together, twice a year! The whole spirt of it comes across as raw, authentic and sincere in all the right ways. Keep up the great work, GGC Team!

Michael Munoz

Ben Garza

Ben Garza is just a dude, hitting it hard in the garage, occasionally with his family, trying to make it out alive each and every day.

Eddie Baumgartner

He asked if he could lift in a luchador mask, and the rest is history. Today we talk to Eddie Baumgartner – AKA The Masked Lifter.

Joyce Lindemulder

Joyce has deadlifted 237lbs at the age of 60! And she is far from done yet.

Joey Echeverria

Joey Echeverria has been competing in powerlifting for multiple years now, and recently clocked his 3rd year and 5th event for the GGC.

Denicia Toney

Denicia, her husband, and her daughter all compete in the garage gym competition.

Shauna Slaney

When lifting is what keeps you ready for life, you get Shauna.

Andrew Garrison

When I get a chance to see someone like Andrew Garrison who has found a path forward as a father and a lifter in his garage gym, I get excited.

Darnell Roberson

If not me. Then who? If not now then when? This is what goes through Darnell Roberson’s brain as he lines up a big lift!

Trae Hobby

Trae Hobby has won TWICE in the GGC, and he isn’t even a powerlifter. He just keeps showing up.

CHECK OUT ALL OF OUR ATHLETES

EVEN KIDS CAN ENTER We've had hundreds of kids under 18 and as young as 2 years old compete. So make it a family affair and lift together!

Coaches

Our coaches provide Training Tips in our newsletter, write articles for our site, and provide FREE coaching feedback on your submissions. Yep, you get access to top athletes and coaches to help YOU become a better lifter. All for free!

I got coach Ken Chapin and I couldn’t be happier. Shortly after getting paired up he emailed me and we shot several emails back and forth over the next day or so.

He got me feeling super confident (he called me “technical” which I definitely wouldn’t have thought to describe myself as such!) and gave me a few actionable tips on all three lifts. He provided clarification on followup questions.

I think Coach Ken set me up for some big things this coming year!

Jerry

Josh Max proivided amazing feedback for my daughter with marked up screenshots of positions. She was able to change her set up right away and was lifting more confidently.

In the past few months, she has seen improvements including a jump from a 40lb bench to a triple at 50lb.

Sanjiv

I was really surprised and impressed with the level of detail in the feedback I received and got actionable advice on what to work on.

Stephen

Josh Max, MD, CPT

Josh Max(well) is a Pediatrician, NASM certified personal trainer, and home gym design specialist. Dad, garage gym owner, GGC participant, and proud member of the 999lb Club.

Sanjiv Gupta

Far from a traditional powerlifter, Sanjiv competes in USAWA with a background in CrossFit, Grip Training, Climbing, Strongman, Cycling, and much MUCH more.

Michael Shae

Michael currently holds 24 National and State records in powerlifting, an MS in Occupational Therapy, and multiple coaching certifications.

Manda Wolff

Manda is the GGC Resident Expert Powerlifter. has competed in four federations, judged for four federations, and has attended more meets than she can keep track of.

Sam Funderburk

Sam has gone from collapsed lung in his early 20s to competitive strongman and powerlifter… often competing in BOTH sports in the same week. Friend of the “no-warm-up”, Sam is a monster.

Everett Brill

He comes from a powerlifting family watching both his parents compete in powerlifting. He has been competing in powerlifting for over a decade.

Matthew Taylor

From eating disorders to broken bones, torn hamstrings and powerlifting records. Matthew has made all the mistakes and been through a number of ups and downs, all so you don’t have to.

Mark Rosenberg

His Instagram feed is full of him doing anything but “normal” lifting. But don’t think his tricks are illusions, he can deadlift damn near 1000lb and has taken top spots in the GGC multiple times.

Christina Leonatti

Christina is a world record holder in the bench press, while running a Non-Profit helping women get into powerlifting.

CHECK OUT ALL OF OUR COACHES & CONTRIBUTORS