Primal Armor – More Than A Podcast
Jeff Kimpel is the owner of Primal Armor. When I first chatted with Jeff it was clear he was passionate about his mission. This boils down to intertwining multiple facets of his life with fitness to help YOU be a better version of yourself. He runs his podcast, he is a firefighter, he writes articles here for the GGC, he is producing gym equipment, and much more!
Primal Armor Podcast
Jeff has a real knack for podcasting. Many podcasts can be bloated, run on and on, and take up a lot of time about nothing. Totally ok for filling an afternoon. But Jeff takes the opposite approach. He sees a problem people are having with their lifting, diet, sleep, or fitness in general. He takes his education and experience and dives deep, but succinctly, into a topic to help you be a better version of yourself.
I’m a big fan of people who have the schooling AND the in the trenches experience to back up their statements. One without the other can lead to gaps in knowledge. Especially in a field that can be heavily science or bro fact based, having Jeff with a Masters in the fitness arena, to pair with his abilities in the gym is a breath of fresh air. If you don’t know, Jeff totaled 1395lbs by way of a 525lb Squat, 335lb Bench, and 535lb Deadlift at 195lb bodyweight in the Fall 2022 GGC.
Jeff’s topics include how to properly gain weight, balancing lifting and being a parent, how to structure your workout program, making fitness fun, and a ton more.
You can find more on the podcast here.
Primal Armor Articles
When we chatted at the end of 2022, we were trying to find a way for him to be involved more with the GGC. I wanted him here, he wanted to be here, we just had to find the right fit. And then BOOM! We got it. Get Jeff to start writing.
With the birth of his daughter, Jeff has reinvigorated his passion for getting kids active and involved in exercise. His Masters Thesis involved kid’s fitness and sports! And the GGC was BIG on getting families to lift together. It was perfect timing and a perfect topic. Jeff began with the simple one, should kids even be lifting in the first place? The short answer is, yes! Then we jumped to HOW kids should be lifting weights. And now we have the third installment,
Our plan is for Jeff to “finish” his series on kids lifting, and then move into additional topics likely in 2024. Think his podcast, but in written form, targeted at the GGC audience.
Primal Armor Gym Equipment
Jeff and I were chatting early this year about product ideas we have had. Some good, some bad, but in general, just back and forth. He was moving forward with his first product launch, some 100% American Made Barbells.
First up was the Olympus Bar and the Denali Bar, which he believes are two of the highest quality barbells on the market for their price point. A high quality bar, made in the US, with proceeds going towards Huntington’s Disease research.
I also wanted to offer something more than just your regular straight barbells, because almost everyone with a home gym already has a bar in their inventory. I had wanted my own Buffalo (bow) bar for close to a decade now, but never found one I wanted to pull the trigger on. They either seemed cheaply made, were outrageously expensive, or were downright massive to fit in the home gym space.
Jeff
Appalachian Bar
This is where the Appalachian Bar comes into play. After being officially revealed at HomeGymCon, it is up for pre-order sale now until June 1st.
Jeff wanted to make a bow bar FOR the home gym community. Everything else was either cheaply made or downright outrageously sized and priced. The Appalachian is nearly a foot shorter than its other competitor’s and about half the price.
Our bar’s are made of 100% American made steel. We take big pride in this as many of the mills overseas do not have the same regulation standards of their finished product as we do here in the States, so you are likely to get a lower quality steel as a result. We also used a high-carbon steel when creating Appalachian, which provides extra strength to the bar, which is needed on a cambered shaft as metal loses strength when it is bent.
Jeff
Appalachian is going to be the strongest and most compact Buffalo bar that’s on the market.
If you pre-order by June 1st, you also get entered into a drawing to win the bar for free!
Jeff has a strong passion for hiking, which is where the naming of the bars comes from.
Jeff is currently working on a few other products that will be coming to the market very soon, so keep your eye on their Instagram as well.
Huntington’s Disease
My family suffers from a juvenile version of Huntington’s Disease (HD), which is a neurodegenerative disorder with no cure. It slowly breaks down brain tissue until you lose motor functions such as walking and talking, then progresses until you can’t do even simpler functions like swallowing, which eventually forces you to a feeding tube. It then progresses even further to where it starts shutting down major systems within the body until the body can no longer survive.
Think of it as a disease that’s similar to ALS, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s, but all put together in one.
Jeff
He lost his oldest sister to it in May of 2015, and has another sister that is currently battling the final stage of it in the nursing home.
All of Jeff’s profits from the podcast, apparel, bars, and everything he raises goes towards Huntington’s Disease research. At the end of the year he matches what he raises as well. So his sponsors for the podcast are directly helping him help others. Buying a bar from Jeff? You are getting a top of the line bar and helping a good cause. Jeff is doing awesome stuff, and helping people in the process.
GGC Sponsorship
One thing I love is working with people who are excited to be a part of the GGC. And Jeff just might be the most excited dude I’ve met so far. You know when someone sees the GGC and gets it, gets what we are doing, and Jeff fits that. His mission is similar, make fitness accessible, push peoples boundaries, and hopefully make this world a little better in the end. And donate some money to a good cause.
Primal Armor is tossing up 1 of their brand new barbells PER EVENT for the 2023 Garage Gym Competition.
