Matthew Welch

One of the coolest aspects of the GGC for me, is seeing people from all over come together to lift. The fact that we have chosen the solitude of the garage (home, basement, etc.) over the crowded commercial gym, yet we still aspire for a community of like-minded individuals I think speaks to the human experience. But before I get all philosophical and what not, lets get into why we are here today.

Matthew Welch, aka Tattooed_Saiyan, has competed in the GGC since 2019, progressing from a 892lb total, to 1014 in 2020, and 1140 in 2021, with best lifts of a 400lb squat, 253lb bench, and 485lb deadlift.

That is 250lbs added to his total in 2 years, and a VERY consistent average of about 125lbs each year.

Go back and watch him in 2019 here https://www.instagram.com/p/BxYHzgMnOoF/

And compare that to his submission in 2021 here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CO8JUrjnJFE/

If you pay close enough attention, you’ll see that in 2019 he was using a “standard” bar, plates, and rack. Those are the ones with 1in holes. He literally kicked so much ass in two years, he couldn’t use his equipment anymore and had to upgrade to the more traditional Olympic standard (2in).

Keep in mind, powerlifting isn’t the only thing Matthew lifts for. He actually does strongman as well, and often takes a break from the Big 3 Squat, Bench, and Deadlift, to pursue log work, weighted carries, and all that crazy stuff.

Matthew is a big supporter of the garage gym community, even dedicating his bio link on Instagram to my good friends over at Garage Gym Life Media. Oh, and my boy competes from across the pond.

When I look back at athletes that encapsulate the Garage Gym Competition, Matthew freaking nails it. That is why I’m excited for him to lead the way on our Athlete Spotlights. Let’s get to know a little about Matthew.

Let’s Meet Matthew

Matt was born and raised in Telford, UK and he turns 35 on Jan 11th, 2022.

Matthew, tell us about your athletic background.

I had been involved with various sports in my youth – playing rugby and basketball for my home town, but none of them seemed to keep my interest, Then I found powerlifting and strongman which i have a real passion for. I was always told i was too skinny and weak to aspire to do these types of strength sports but now i compete regularly and have found a supportive community in the garage gym and strongman communities.

How did your home gym journey begin?

My first introduction to a home gym was when I was invited to start using a friends home gym as an outlet during a difficult time in 2018. This gave me a positive focus point and an area to release tension. As i saw progression i started giving myself targets eg:- bench my body weight, deadlift 2x bodyweight. Eventually i wanted to push myself and I heard of the Garage Gym Competition through Garage Gym Life Media in 2019. It was a perfect opportunity to really push my capabilities. It all started with a punching bag and a set of second hand dumbbells that quickly expanded.

Discovering the garage gym community through Instagram encouraged me to start a page for my journey in lifting to monitor my own progress and give me something to look back at and see how far i have come. For the first 2 years of my training i was in my friends garage gym until i was able to buy my own place where i began work on building my own home gym ( named the Iron Cabin ) a wooden building 14x9x9ft.

It has taken me a further 2 years to get it fully set up with a full power rack and deadlift platform. This was a huge under taking as i had to build it from the ground up literally. On occasion i may visit a commercial gym to use machines i don’t currently have access to. However, 95% of my training is done here. Which is a huge improvement over the 2nd hand 1″bar and plates, which after the garage gym competition we had to retire as we bent the bar as it couldn’t handle our increasing numbers.

As I have improved my equipment, it has improved training, and also got me eyeing up new equipment to continue pushing myself, mostly strongman equipment as i have a good base set up now for powerlifting. So new additions to come will be farmers walk handles and a selection of large sandbags 130lbs, 150lbs, 180lbs & 220lbs.

Tell me about your experiences in the Garage Gym Competition

Competing in my first competition with the GGC in 2019, i had no real targets in place having never attempted anything like it before. So the goal was just to see how i perform. The lifts were not pretty looking but i gave it my all getting a total of 892lbs.

I came in with a set of goals for 2020 to not only beat 2019s total but to break into the 1000lbs club and hit 440lbs on the deadlift which i managed to beat pulling 452lbs for the first time.

This brings us to 2021 and another new target, a 400lbs squat and a 1100lbs total. Despite failing it 4 weeks earlier i performed in the GGC getting 402lbs on the squat and totaling 1140lbs.

I always compete in the GGC not for the prizes (although they are always amazing), but to beat my previous totals. It is an incredible opportunity to test my capabilities and see my progression. I always come away having given all i can and am proud to compete hence why i have framed my t shirts each year and engraved the totals.

What are your keys to success?

The key to my improvements is consistency, I have created my own program through trial and error, and I listen to my body when it feels fatigued and I make sure i get time to recover. A big thing for me is a drive to be better than who i am and to see what I am capable of, I can always be better and stronger, I want to be that stronger person.

Thanks Matthew.

You can check out Matthew and follow along with his training on his Instagram, and his gym’s page The Iron Cabin , and check out his buddy Chris J Holden on his gym’s page The Gainz Garage.