Open gym @home?!

There's no place like Primer, it obviously brings us enormous joy to read this phrase several times a day, butrrrr what if Primer is no longer available because of?

We make the best of it, there's no place like Primer and there's no place like home.... cold turkey? More or less... What had to be done to get this phase on point? What equipment was available? From rack to dumbell to bar, plate, plyo box, echo bike, ... Literally for every piece of equipment we had a question.

So I started making a list of who wanted what in order to get the most ideal distribution. Since this quickly took on a much larger scale than first expected (people from Ghent and Limburg), we had to do it properly. Hence we got some help with the drafting of rental contracts from someone who works for us.

We were able to contact everyone in turn and as good as all the Open Gyms who had sent us, we were able to make them happy with the equipment of their dreams. So there's no place like Primer @ Home!

Below we are pleased to give you an overview of all @ Home set-ups as well as a short testimony of their experience, enjoy!

Left Elise:

Super thankful that I can continue my training without worries during this period. And then even in such a way, wonderful setting with top material... and many Primervibes that have moved with me! You can't believe how wonderful it is to be able to train like this!

To the right, Erland:

Always great to be able to give the best of yourself during the breaks, thanks to Primer!

Left Elias:

Thanks to primer, I can continue training in this difficult period. As soon as everything is over, I will be back on the platform, in Minsk (WC in June) or in Poland! (European Championship in December)

Right Karel:

I am incredibly grateful to you for allowing me to rent equipment from the Primer Academy. It's great to see how much effort you want to put in to make sure everyone can still train. This really means a lot to me. When I heard that all the basic fits were going to close I panicked for a moment. I then spent a whole day looking for solutions and then I came to you. You guys are really great! Thank you very much!

Left Nathan:

We are so blessed! Thanks a lot for renting the best equipment ever. 1 thing is for sure, we all come out of this stronger. Even the ones without this blessing. Thanks a lot Primer

Right Tine:

Contrary to popular belief, you don't do "open gym" alone. You work on your own weaknesses and follow your own program, but you always do this in the presence of like-minded people who encourage you, with whom you can have a chat, who you can laugh with and who you can chat with. This gives so much ENERGY! For me, that is exactly what Primer excels in. You are (literally) welcomed with open arms and the atmosphere is always good. Even after a bad (work)day where the energy level is below zero, I always come back energized after an open gym session at Primer. Ready for a new day! I am super grateful to Primer for the equipment that allows me to temporarily set up my own "open gym", but to say it's not the same is an understatement.... I miss the ENERGY and warmth of the gym and its people! Hopefully Primer can open its doors again soon. And in the meantime: don't be a couch potato! #noexcuses #primerlove #onlypositivevibes

On the left Simo:

Thank you Primer, for providing me with material to bang on during these harsh times! Thanks to you guys, I can now just bench press in my own garage!

Right Kristof:

It starts as an attempt to become the best version of yourself. Soon, pushing your limits becomes a lifestyle. Surrounded by motivating and challenging people, training becomes a kind of routine you never want to leave. Then Covid-19 came along and a lot of things changed anyway. Suddenly we were all sitting at home, and social contact became pretty virtual. But thanks to the home gym you can stay in your routine, continue working on yourself. Escape for a while from the stress and uncertainty, and just keep on popping at home.

Left Brent & Joana:

Of course we would rather be in the primer in quarantine, but we are making the best of the situation and Jasper and Lisa are really doing everything they can to help us so we can keep popping! We are now working all day in our little apartment and it helps tremendously to forget all worries during a daily workout and sleep well afterwards. Thank you so much for lending us material for home and just keep the online coaching going with some creativity!

Right Maarten & Yelka:

Great that we can continue our training with the help of Primer ! Thanks to them we can add some variation to our daily exercise! 

Hopefully the gym will open again soon... because alone is only alone.  Keep on moving is the message we hear for days so we will do that! See you soon!

Left Team Claerman:

For my brothers and me, a serious relief that we can still train/not lose progression during the quarantine measures. We were already making plans on how to solve this, but buying a home gym in a hurry is a pricey matter, which I'd rather think about a bit longer. So it's ideal to be able to rent decent equipment! This way we can bridge this time in a pleasant way....

Right Bas:

The Primer's unprecedented commitment to allowing their athletes to continue training during this period is something many entrepreneurs can learn from. Lise and Jasper, together with the rest of their team, explicitly look for the best options for us, regardless of the circumstances. Moreover, this way we can experience what it would be like to have a home gym and we come to realize what we would miss if the Primer were no longer there.

Left Yoran:

The quarantine is not pleasant for anyone, not even for all the primer gymmers who can no longer train in their favorite gym because of it. However, team Primer tries to ease the pain as much as possible by lending out equipment during this harsh period, and thus bring the Primer feeling/love right into your living room.

Right Andrey:

Even in such strange times, Primer life goes on as usual. That means: popping, popping and popping again with no excuses! With Primer @ Home, we all keep the Primer spirit alive!

Left Stijn:

Primer, a heartfelt thank you. For the avid open gymmers (and others) among us, you have in no time provided a solution in these unexpected circumstances. The result: we can continue our training and that even with first class equipment. I am sure this is a great relief for many of us.... So once again: thank you!!! Hats off for the way you handled this situation. It's impressive how you immediately stepped up to the plate in these unexpected circumstances and helped the open gyms out, as well as switching to online group classes in record time to support all the other Primer members as well.  Chapeau. And hope to see you soon!

Right Tom:

But just blissful to have a homegym in these times! Unique opportunity, I'm never going to forget this!

Left Staff:

Thanks to Primer for renting out their equipment! Now there are a lot of powerlifters who have somewhere to go and this difficult period becomes a little more bearable for all of us. No gains will be lost :)

On the right Cederic:

Thanks to the primer and the incredible enthusiasm and trust of brother and sister Van Oost, I can soign my inner self with the necessary outdoor trainings. A big thank you to the Primer team.

Left Ali:

Very happy that I get to use your equipment during the lockdown. Also especially since you guys entrusted me with expensive Competition Equipment. Think there are a lot of people very grateful to you guys!

Right Sandra & Kristiaan:

"Train your mind to see the good in every situation".

With this motto we started the COVID-19 adventure. It was a bit of a search in the beginning, especially when you have two unruly toddlers running around who need to use their energy and demand a lot of attention...

It is wonderful to be able to train, with the means that we have.

We actually enjoy going 'back to the basics' for a while and being taken away from the normal habitat and habits. Temporarily we are training with an audience (a.k.a. nosy neighbors) but we are happy to take that. Lol.

Want even more Primer? Be sure to listen to our podcast STERK WERK for similar content like our EP10: Screw It Let’s Do It Or EP35: De Dag voor de nieuwe outdoor versoepelingen, komop! See you soon! 

Team Primer