GROUNDWORKprototype

Ground. Work. Grow.

You already own
a gym.

Four things cover all eleven movement patterns. Point a camera at your space, or just type the list. Groundwork works out what yours already do together: what reaches what, what you can get to, what combines with what. Nothing is guessed.

Min max your life.

One thing. Not every day, not everything.

Have a code? Start →

Behind these words: one real garage, drawn from a photograph of it.

Patterns · what they are

Eleven things a body does.

A movement pattern is something you do, not a muscle you work. Push something away. Pull it towards you. Hinge at the hip. Squat, carry, hold on.

Eleven is a list you can keep in your head. Thirty muscle groups is a spreadsheet, and the spreadsheet is where most people stop.

This is a coverage checklist, not a law of the body. Coaches group movements in several ways and none of the groupings is settled science. The eleven here are the ones that change what a room can do.

Work · three moves

  1. 01Photograph the spaceOne photo of the room, or a few. Nothing to set up first.
  2. 02List the whole roomOne box, a line each. The photo is the evidence for every one of them.
  3. 03See what it does togetherOne kettlebell covers six of the eleven patterns, not one thing you own. Say the rack is against a wall and the back squat goes with it; the pull-up bar, the grip work and the landmine stay.

Ground · the room is the model

Move something. Watch every room change.

Pick a thing, then tap a room. Every room answers at once — including the ones that do not change.

Suspension trainer is in Garage now. Tap another room to see what moving it would do.

Garage would lose its suspension push-ups, rows and fallouts — Adjustable bench and Gymnastic rings still cover those there. Recovery closet would gain them.

Garage would lose its suspension push-ups, rows and fallouts — Adjustable bench and Gymnastic rings still cover those there. Backyard would gain them.

Garage would lose its suspension push-ups, rows and fallouts — Adjustable bench and Gymnastic rings still cover those there. Basement desk would gain them.

Kettlebell — 35 lb is in Garage now. Tap another room to see what moving it would do.

Garage would lose its kettlebell press, one-arm row and 5 more — Olympic barbell and Kettlebell — 25 lb still cover those there. Recovery closet would gain them.

Garage would lose its kettlebell press, one-arm row and 5 more — Olympic barbell and Kettlebell — 25 lb still cover those there. Backyard would gain them.

Garage would lose its kettlebell press, one-arm row and 5 more — Olympic barbell and Kettlebell — 25 lb still cover those there. Basement desk would gain them.

Power rack is in Garage now. Tap another room to see what moving it would do.

It does not go there — there is no room for it there. The only room on this record that holds it is Garage.

It does not go there — it is not a thing you carry outside. The only room on this record that holds it is Garage.

It does not go there — there is no room for it there. The only room on this record that holds it is Garage.

Every figure is the real model run twice, before and after — the same answer the thing’s own card gives. Nothing moves until you say so.

Everything in that garage, as the app lists it.

Garage Ground floor 44 things
and 32 more

Tap any of them — the line underneath is what the app says that one thing does here.

Power rack · Powertec, uprights numbered to 22, pull-up bar · standing where it isPull-ups and hangs, and grip.

Adjustable bench · Powertec Workbench, yellow frame · out on the floorPressing and squats, and the bench press needs the Olympic weight plates.

Leg developer attachment · Roller pads, bench-mounted · one step to get it outNothing on the record says what this does yet.

Dip bar attachments · Pair, rack-mounted, padded · standing where it isDips on the rack.

Landmine attachment · Rack-mounted sleeve · standing where it isPart of Olympic barbell — the bar drops into it and the far end becomes a lever, so the load is one-handed and angled.

Cable / pulley station · Plate-loaded, with chain · standing where it isPull-ups and hangs, rows, and trunk work.

Cable attachments · D-handle, triangle row handle, rope, lat strap · standing where it isNothing on the record says what this does yet.

Olympic barbell · Chrome, sleeve collars · one step to get it outPressing, overhead pressing, rows, squats, deadlifts and swings, carries, and trunk work, and the floor press and deadlift need the Olympic weight plates.

Olympic weight plates · Cast iron, mixed sizes, now racked · one step to get it outCarries, conditioning, trunk work and grip.

1-inch spinlock plates · 7.5 lb and 5 lb legible, others not · one step to get it outNothing on the record says what this does yet.

Spinlock dumbbell handles · Two handles with collars · one step to get it outPressing, rows and carries, and the dumbbell press and one-arm dumbbell row need the Olympic weight plates.

Gymnastic rings · Wooden, numbered straps, ceiling-hung · one step to get it outPull-ups and hangs, pressing, rows, trunk work, and grip.

That garage was measured with a tape: 16 × 20 ft, 8 ft to the joists, and the rack against the right wall. No photograph can answer any of those, and every figure above depends on them.

One thing, and everything it touches

Olympic weight plates load the Adjustable bench for one lifts the index counts, and on their own they do four more — plate carry, ground-to-overhead and plate pinch holds. 25 other things here reach at least one of those patterns.

Three things from that garage, as the app draws them. The gi belt is here twice — on its hook, and tied over the rack. Same belt, different job, and not the same card.

Kettlebell — 35 lb

Garage · Kettlebell row, lightest to heaviest · one step to get it out

Overhead pressing, rows, squats, deadlifts and swings, carries, trunk work, and grip, and the grip hold off the bell needs the Cannonball grip.

7 of 11 patterns · 25 other things here reach at least one of the same

What it's forsay which you use

On its own6 of 11

Kettlebell pressOne-arm rowGoblet squatKettlebell swingsSuitcase carryKettlebell halos and windmills

Counts for overhead pressing, rows, squats, deadlifts and swings, carries, and trunk work.

With Cannonball grip+1

The attachment hangs off the bell's handle by its clip, so every one-hand attachment you own becomes a handle on a kettlebell.

One-arm row off the bellGrip hold off the bell

Counts for grip.

adds it already there not reached eleven patterns, same order every row

Held differently

Fat Gripz thickens the handle, so everything you already pull becomes grip work as well

Move it somewhere else

What moving it would do. Nothing moves until you say so.

Move to Recovery closet Recovery closet +24 · Garage holds at 96 — everything it did there is still covered Garage would lose its kettlebell press, one-arm row and 5 more — Olympic barbell and Kettlebell — 25 lb still cover those there. Recovery closet would gain them. Move it
Move to Backyard Backyard +21 · Garage holds at 96 — everything it did there is still covered Garage would lose its kettlebell press, one-arm row and 5 more — Olympic barbell and Kettlebell — 25 lb still cover those there. Backyard would gain them. Move it
Move to Basement desk Basement desk +23 · Garage holds at 96 — everything it did there is still covered Garage would lose its kettlebell press, one-arm row and 5 more — Olympic barbell and Kettlebell — 25 lb still cover those there. Basement desk would gain them. Move it
Olympic barbell

Garage · On the rack's J-hooks · one step to get it out

Pressing, overhead pressing, rows, squats, deadlifts and swings, carries, and trunk work, and the floor press and deadlift need the Olympic weight plates.

7 of 11 patterns · 22 other things here reach at least one of the same

What it's forsay which you use

On its own3 of 11

Empty-bar pressEmpty-bar rowBar carry

Counts for overhead pressing, rows and carries.

With Olympic weight plates+3

Floor pressStanding pressBarbell rowBack squatDeadlift

Counts for pressing, squats, and deadlifts and swings.

With Landmine attachment+1

The bar drops into it and the far end becomes a lever, so the load is one-handed and angled.

Landmine pressLandmine rowLandmine rotationsLandmine squat

Counts for trunk work.

adds it already there not reached eleven patterns, same order every row

Held differently

Fat Gripz thickens the handle, so everything you already pull becomes grip work as well

Move it somewhere else

What moving it would do. Nothing moves until you say so.

Move to Recovery closet Recovery closet +17 · Garage holds at 96 — everything it did there is still covered Garage would lose its floor press, standing press and 5 more — Adjustable bench and Gymnastic rings still cover those there. Recovery closet would gain standing press, barbell row and back squat. Move it
Move to Backyard Backyard +14 · Garage holds at 96 — everything it did there is still covered Garage would lose its floor press, standing press and 5 more — Adjustable bench and Gymnastic rings still cover those there. Backyard would gain standing press, barbell row and back squat. Move it
Move to Basement desk Basement desk +16 · Garage holds at 96 — everything it did there is still covered Garage would lose its floor press, standing press and 5 more — Adjustable bench and Gymnastic rings still cover those there. Basement desk would gain standing press, barbell row and back squat. Move it
Give it a job:
Gi belt — purple

Garage · Over the top crossbar, both ends down · one step to get it out

Belt-assisted stretching.

1 of 11 patterns · 13 other things here reach at least one of the same · no job yet

What it's forsay which you use

On its own1 of 11

Belt-assisted stretching

Counts for mobility and recovery.

adds it already there not reached eleven patterns, same order every row

Held differently

Olympic weight plates, 1-inch spinlock plates and Spinlock dumbbell handles through the handle: a wrist roller, and a carry you cannot grip the same way
Olympic weight plates and 1-inch spinlock plates through the hole: a wrist roller, and a carry you cannot grip the same way

Part of

Kettlebell — 35 lb and Kettlebell — 10 lb the belt threads through the bell's handle and becomes a long soft handle on it, so the load hangs below your hands instead of against your forearm

What is this one doing?

Nothing yet. Say what this one is for and it starts counting.

Tied to the power rackThrough the olympic weight platesThrough the 1-inch spinlock platesThrough the spinlock dumbbell handlesThrough the kettlebell — 25 lbThrough the kettlebell — 35 lbThrough the kettlebell — 10 lb Spare

Move it somewhere else

What moving it would do. Nothing moves until you say so.

Move to Recovery closet Recovery closet holds at 26 · Garage holds at 95 — everything it did there is still covered Garage would lose its belt-assisted stretching — Rubber floor matting and Folding gym mat still cover that there. Recovery closet would gain them. Move it
Move to Backyard Backyard +1 · Garage holds at 95 — everything it did there is still covered Garage would lose its belt-assisted stretching — Rubber floor matting and Folding gym mat still cover that there. Backyard would gain them. Move it
Move to Basement desk Basement desk +1 · Garage holds at 95 — everything it did there is still covered Garage would lose its belt-assisted stretching — Rubber floor matting and Folding gym mat still cover that there. Basement desk would gain them. Move it
Gi belt — purple

Garage · Over the top crossbar, both ends down · one step to get it out

Tied to the power rack, looped over the top, both ends down. That adds pull-ups and hangs, rows, and grip — mobility and recovery is what it does either way.

4 of 11 patterns · 32 other things here reach at least one of the same · its job: tied to the power rack

What it's forsay which you use

On its own1 of 11

Belt-assisted stretching

Counts for mobility and recovery.

Tied to the power rack+3

Looped over the top, both ends down.

Counts for pull-ups and hangs, rows, and grip.

adds it already there not reached eleven patterns, same order every row

Held differently

Olympic weight plates, 1-inch spinlock plates and Spinlock dumbbell handles through the handle: a wrist roller, and a carry you cannot grip the same way
Olympic weight plates and 1-inch spinlock plates through the hole: a wrist roller, and a carry you cannot grip the same way

What is this one doing?

Tied to the power rack, for now — it counts there and not elsewhere until you move it.

Tied to the power rackThrough the olympic weight platesThrough the 1-inch spinlock platesThrough the spinlock dumbbell handlesThrough the kettlebell — 25 lbThrough the kettlebell — 35 lbThrough the kettlebell — 10 lb Spare
Height:above your headabout chest heightnear the floor

So it holds a band above your head.

Move it somewhere else

What moving it would do. Nothing moves until you say so.

Move to Recovery closet Recovery closet +9 · Garage -1 Garage would lose its pull-ups and hangs, rows, and 2 more — Power rack and Gymnastic rings still cover those there. Recovery closet would gain them. Move it
Move to Backyard Backyard +8 · Garage -1 Garage would lose its pull-ups and hangs, rows, and 2 more — Power rack and Gymnastic rings still cover those there. Backyard would gain them. Move it
Move to Basement desk Basement desk +10 · Garage -1 Garage would lose its pull-ups and hangs, rows, and 2 more — Power rack and Gymnastic rings still cover those there. Basement desk would gain them. Move it

What one real record works out

This record happens to hold 65 things across 4 spaces — which is the point of the four at the top, not a bar to clear. It works the same on a corner of a garage. Every figure below was computed from the record; none of it is typed here.

Pull-ups and hangs100 Pressing100 Overhead pressing96 Rows100 Squats100 Deadlifts and swings96 Carries96 Conditioning100 Trunk work99 Grip99 Mobility and recovery74

11 of 11 patterns covered · 96 of 100

Four ways to draw one garage

What the space means to you is different for everyone. What it can do is the same.

The same garage built out of plastic bricks, seen from above as an open box.
Building blocks
The same garage at night, lit in magenta and cyan neon.
Neon
The same garage as a drawn architectural cutaway, walls opened, everything labelled by its outline.
Cutaway
The same garage warm and painterly, vines along the rack and ferns on the bench.
Plants and light
Nothing is backed up yet. Everything stays on your device; clearing site data deletes it. Tell me what is annoying.

Groundwork · Evan Carrigan
No photo with a person in it is ever kept. There is no setting that turns that off.