Fitting Fitness into Life: The Stuttgens

Whose idea was it to start the home gym?

Jake: When Brianna and I moved in together several years ago, we both agreed that we wanted to train from home, so we found some solid gym equipment online and started building our gym! Luckily, when we moved, we were able to get a bunch of PRx gear, which really has helped maximize the space in our garage. We both have never been the type to train at public gyms, and we really enjoy being able to do what we want, when we want, in our gym!

 

 

What was the reasoning behind bringing the gym to your home? Save time? Convenience? Conflicting schedules?

Jake: We both work from home, so having the gym right at home is a huge time saver for us, not having to drive somewhere. One thing that really finalized our decision to invest in a solid home gym with PRx was their handy gym savings calculator, it showed us how much time and money we would waste driving to a gym vs having one at home. In about 1 year, we would spend the same amount of time/money driving to a gym and paying membership fees, as we would just buying our own equipment. We were able to save some money on weights through a local wholesaler and save on space using our two PRx racks!

Brianna: Since we both work from home it’s awesome that we save time and money due to driving to a gym and paying for a gym membership and gas money. Plus it’s so convenient being able to workout whenever we want to make sure we fit it into our schedules!

 

Do you work out with your significant other, or plan separate “gym times” for escapism from reality?

 

 

Jake: Luckily for me, Brianna absolutely loves working out and is able to tolerate me in the gym ;) We both workout at the same time, and having two racks really is convenient when it comes to not having to switch weights on the bar all of the time. We both are able to spot and motivate each other, which really helps with getting in a solid workout. I suppose it also helps that we don't have kids yet, so we can definitely afford the time to workout together. I will say that I definitely prefer to train earlier in the day and I do need to get Brianna moving in the morning to achieve that workout time ;) Don't worry, it's not too early, usually at 9am or so.

 

Brianna: We really enjoy weight training together and having each other's back!

Do you find it easier to hold each other accountable seeing you both are so active in your home gym workouts?

Jake: DEFINITELY! We both rely on each other when it comes to staying on track. It's a lot easier to track our macros and to stick to a regular gym schedule when we are both doing it. I know from past experience, that when one of us falls off the wagon for a while, it's not long before the other does as well. When I see Brianna busting her booty working out and tracking her macros day in and day out, it motivates me to push harder and to also set an example for her. I really feel for some people, whose significant other isn't into a healthy lifestyle as much as they are. It really makes it hard to stay on track. Luckily, Brianna pushes me daily, so it makes things a heck of a lot easier! Every workout, she always tries to get more reps on her working sets than I get. That's just her competitive side coming out, but she knows it really pushes me to push myself even more ;)

Brianna: For sure! We always keep each other on track when it comes to weight training, eating correct macros, etc. I want what’s best for him and he wants what’s best for me. It really makes it feel like we’re a team when we hold each other accountable which motivates us even more to strive to be our best in and out of the gym!

If the weights aren’t re-racked and things aren’t put back accordingly, who is usually at fault?

Jake: Oh this one is EASY, it's definitely Brianna ;) She tends to just "let me take care of it", I usually get done with my workout a bit before her, and I swear that it's on purpose, just so I can put away her gear while she finishes up. The same goes for before the workout as well. I'm usually out in the garage 10-20 minutes before her, setting up the equipment for the workout and warming up the garage (during winter). She claims she is just "getting ready" but we all know she's just waiting for the gym to be set up for her haha ;)

Brianna: That would be me since I’m always last to finish working out. You could say I take my time for a reason ;)

 

What’s it like to have similar fitness goals and aspirations as your significant other?

 

Jake: Oh man, it makes our workout and nutritional planning 10x easier, that's for sure! We tend to always be on the same workout and nutrition plan. Right now, we are both about 4 months back into our workout routine, while taking a year or so off due to my injury I sustained. So as a result, we are very focused on building up our strength again by boosting our numbers on Deadlifts, Squats, Bench Press, and Overhead Press. After a few more months, we will probably switch to a power/bodybuilding hybrid workout. But besides just workouts, with nutrition, we usually lean bulk and cut at the same times as well. We tend to do a few months of lean bulking, followed by a month of cutting down. But again, we are still getting back to where we were over a year ago, but are already smashing through our old PR's! But back to the main point here, being able to have Brianna share similar values and goals as me, just makes our lives so much easier and it also results in us having a life long activity that we love to do together, which is constantly optimizing our health and fitness.

 

 

Brianna: It makes everything so much easier! I love that we both have an interest in weight training and striving to be the healthiest we can be. We’re both determined to reach our goals together which helps us stay on track. Plus it’s great that we can weight train together since it always makes it more exciting having each other to push each other and make the workout fun! I know for a fact we’ll be weight training together until we’re old! It’s our activity to do together forever!

 

You can follow Jake and Brianna's fitness journey on Instagram @couplesfitdontquit