Mike Curry

When I started the GGC my thoughts were pretty simple… there was probably a lot of people like me who were going through the paces, lifting, making progress, but didn’t have that competitive outlet. What has been so cool over the past 5 years, is watching different people with different stories, with different goals, and different lifting experiences, use the GGC… differently!

Today we talk to Mike Curry. Mike has leveraged the GGC over the past several years to change not only his body, but how he defines himself as a human being. He joined his first year in 2019, had fun, and decided to get focused for the next year. He came back and won one of the Most Improved spots in 2020. In his own words “Winning most improved really, like deeply affected how I see myself.” Mike has been pretty lucky in terms of his prize winnings for the GGC, taking home gear from Impact, Body Solid, and Rugged… but you can tell from his stories that the biggest win is seeing himself as a strong dude, and carrying that badge of honor with him wherever he goes. Enough from me, let’s talk to Mike.

Tell us a little about you Mike.

I was born on Long Island, NY. I’ve since moved out to Los Angeles, CA, but I still try to rep NY and visit family a few times a year. 

Education is my life.  I knew from an early age I wanted to be a teacher.  I went to Boston University for my degree in Elementary Education. I’ve since gotten a few master’s degrees, but nothing compares to being a college kid in Boston. That’s also where I finally got my first classroom. I taught 4th grade for 3 years there.  

Next, in a tale as old as time, I met a pretty girl who dreamed of moving to Hollywood to be an actress. It was an easy sell to get me to leave snowy boston and move out west to sunny southern California. I got a job teaching Special Education in LA. 

I since married that pretty girl, and we have two awesome doggies. I also left the classroom to become a Middle School Vice Principal. It’s a fun gig.

Outside of lifting, I love video games. Actually, got pretty into competitive Pokemon for a while. I also love snowboarding, riding motorcycles, and working on random projects around the house. I must admit, building out the home gym is definitely my favorite project. 

I do have a bit of a background in sports, but definitely NOT lifting. I grew up as the skinny kid who batted last in little league. I loved being active, but couldn’t find my niche. I was all about playing football with my buddies in the park, but actually putting on pads and playing with actual big kids, no way, not for me. Fortunately, I found myself in Cross Country. It was a sport where being skinny was totally on brand. I also liked to think I could use my brain to plan out my pace, and beat the potentially more gifted athletes. I worked my way up to captain in High School, but never pursued it in college. Nevertheless, some of my best friends for life I met running the trails, and have so many good memories with my team.

What got you lifting?

Well, it’s been quite the journey. 

The first time I actually joined a gym was back in 2012. I had just gotten dumped, and wanted to work on myself. I had no idea what I was doing, but had some fun playing with the machines. At this time, I had stopped running like I did in high school. A roommate actually called me “skinny fat” – that hurt. I still didn’t know much, but I would go to the local Planet Fitness and do what I could. Looking back, I don’t think I touched a barbell for the first 3-4 years of lifting.  

I didn’t really start lifting until about 2017. That’s when we got a condo, and had a spare room. May as well make a home gym, right? I found a decent set on Craigslist, and so it began. Looking back, I feel so bad for our downstairs neighbors. I was legit doing deadlifts right above their bedroom. Sorry!

As far as what kind of lifting, I guess I would say general powerlifting and bodybuilding. I know I lift to look pretty, but I do want to pump those numbers up before each year’s GGC!

How did you get involved in the garage gym community?

I LOVE my home gym. It is my happy place. My wife and I love working out in the garage. Though she does have different workouts. Who has a Butt Day?

I started with a beat-up old Gold’s Gym bench and Sports Authority plates I got from Craigslist. Since joining this community, I got SO MANY new toys to play with. It actually started with getting an Axle Bar from Gorilla Strength that I got from a pull-up contest on r/homegym. From that same subreddit, I found out about the Garage Gym Competition. That’s when things really changed.

Let’s talk about the Garage Gym Competition… 

I found the GGC in 2019. It was in its 2nd year, and so was my home gym. I had never entered a lifting competition, never really “maxed out” and never even made an Instagram post. I didn’t know what I was doing, and if I even belonged. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/8J9GdLhRoXjC4nH78 ← First GGC Submission

Instantly, I felt right at home. Strangers I never met were commenting on my post and hyping me up. Am I a weightlifter? 

The year after I was really focused. I am going to take this seriously, actually look up workout plans, and see what I can do. That year, I was one of the top 10 most-improved. 

I couldn’t believe it! I won a prize in a weightlifting competition! Who am I? When I first submitted my lifts to you two years ago, I had no idea what I was doing. Just a skinny guy who got some weights off of Craigslist. I actually only made an Instagram for the GGC. Back then, I knew I wasn’t gonna do well, I’m not a “real” weightlifter or anything.

But because you keep bringing it back, I had something to work towards. A reason to actually push myself to new PRs. Because of this competition, I became a guy that could bench 225. Me?! I never thought I would be that guy actually competing in a powerlifting competition. Winning most improved really, like deeply affected how I see myself. I AM a real guy who lifts weights, and actually won something from a competition!

Because of this competition inspiring me to push myself, that old Craigslist set isn’t good enough. I’ve had to buy more plates each year. The rack I have is only supposed to hold 310. This year I squatted 315! I’m a guy who can squat 3 plates?!

At this point, not only has the GGC inspired my homegym, it literally gave me it. My garage is “The Gym that GGC built”. I won an Impact Mouthguard in 2019. From winning Most Improved in 2020, I won the Body Solid prize pack, getting Farmer’s Walk handles, a wooden Plyo Box, and a biceps bomber. In 2021, I got SUPER lucky and got the Rugged Prize pack. This was a major upgrade. I got this awesome power rack, bench, a new bar, and floor mats. 

I got to totally upgrade my gym, and I have never been prouder. 

Thanks GGC.

What’s the most important thing people should know about you?

I shared this story on Facebook in December 2019 after I hit 225. This is pretty personal, but I really need to share it.

225 Bench: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2H8uoUyq5NFixa8Y8

Yesterday I benched 225. That’s a big deal to me.

Sure, there are lots of people who could bench more than that, but not anybody. People work out for years and never lift 2 plates. I think everyone can agree, 225 is a real milestone. 225 makes you a certified “strong guy”, and I never saw myself as that.

Yeah, I played sports as a kid, but I was not the strong guy, I was the scrawny guy. In little league, I had the body of a shortstop, though coach would usually stick me out in left field. I was no slugger as a kid. I prayed for a walk and hoped to steal a few bases. In Rose Park football, I was the squirrely kid who would run away from a tackle, never the linebacker. Never the strong guy.

In High School I found my way in Track and Cross Country. Perfect. I could be 120 pounds and fit right in. Practices were fun, I made awesome friends I still love to this day, and I enjoyed my sport. 

However, I want to share about a really tough moment for me in High School, and the reason this milestone is so big for me.

Winter track, freshman year, 2003.

Most days, track practice meant going out for a run in the woods with my teammates. Great times, but not this day. This day, Coach Henning had us go to the weight room. 

The weight room. That’s for the strong guys! There’s nothing for me there.

A good friend of mine was also on the team, and also was not prepared for the weight room. We were not coached on what to do, not given a routine to follow, just told to go lift. At least we were gonna figure it out together.

So, we’re in the weight room at Farmingdale High School. The smell of sweat and Axe body spray lingers. In the squat rack the shot putters are grunting and psyching each other up. Some of the gym teachers, real meaty guys, are showing off in front of the sprinters. 50 Cent is blasting on the speakers from someone’s iPod.

My friend and I walk to the Smith Machine. It’s like a bench press, but it’s on ropes and pulleys, so it’s less scary. We don’t know what to do, but we try to put some weights on and give it a go. I can’t tell you how much we had on there, but I know it was heavy for me. My bar didn’t look like the bars those other guys were lifting, and I didn’t look like those other guys.

After lifting what feels like a lot, an old friend of mine from the baseball team walks over. He’s gotten a lot bigger since we were buds in elementary school. He feels very comfortable in the weight room. 

This former friend sees what we’re lifting. He looks at the weights, and laughs. He doesn’t believe that’s really what we’re lifting. 

“Guys come here look what Curry’s lifting! Hahaha”

He then pushes me aside to lay down on the bench himself. He grabs the bar, the bar that I barely managed to push up just moments ago, and laughs as he pushes it up with one hand. He starts tossing it. Literally throwing it up in the air and catching it while laughing with the other guys.

I was humiliated. I had thought lifting was only for the strong guys and not for me, and I was proven right. It hurt.

I had to go back to that weight room a handful of times in high school, but never benched again. I would hide out and do pull ups, maybe use a machine where people couldn’t see how much weight I was lifting. But I never wanted to bench press. That was for the strong guys. And that’s not me.

Even in college, I never lifted. Boston University has an amazing state-of-the-art gym. I would run the track. I would climb the rock wall. I never lifted weights. That’s for the strong guys, and that’s not me. 

A couple of years after college I joined a gym, but still didn’t bench press. I stuck to machines and free weights. It wasn’t until about 5 years ago before I really laid down on a bench and tried to lift the bar. 

I remember how awkward it felt. How I never knew if other people at the gym were staring and laughing at how little weight there was. 

But really, no one cared. What I found was the opposite. When I struggled lifting something that was heavy for me, people would fly in out of nowhere and spot me. Strangers encouraged me. Maybe it’s okay for me to be here.

Over the last 5 years I’ve struggled a lot. I remember benching 135 and feeling like I’m getting somewhere. I remember working my way up to 165 and realizing how bad my form was, and that if I actually brought the bar down to my chest I couldn’t get anywhere near that. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pushed and pushed and pushed just to have to drop the bar down to my chest and roll it down my body in shame. Seriously, ask Kate about the red marks on my stomach and me shouting for help from the workout room.

Well, today all those struggles feel worth it. I accomplished something. Something that is causing me to question how I see myself. If only strong guys can bench 225, and I can bench 225, that means…

I’m a strong guy. 

Sorry for this long emotional post. I’m sharing it in case someone else out there doesn’t think they can do something because that’s just not who they are. The point is, you aren’t until you are. You can make major changes after enough effort over a long enough time. Go be whoever you want to be.

We are gonna end right there, cause it doesn’t get any better than that. Thanks Mike.