Welcome to Volume 7 of Community Chronicles. In this edition, we meet Coleson Bruce, a tech exec, father, and training enthusiast who has transformed his 97-square-foot home gym using VOLTRA I. With a career, family life, and long-term health goals in mind, Coleson has found a way to make the most of his space and training time. Let's dive into his minimalist yet highly efficient approach to strength training!
A Conversation with Coleson Bruce
How do you balance work, family, and training as a tech exec, husband, and father of three?
Balancing everything isn't easy, but prioritizing my training as an investment in being a better father, husband, and professional helps. I aim to model discipline for my kids, hoping they'll absorb it as they grow. I already see my 6-year-old son doing push-ups on his own—proof that the routine is starting to stick.
To stay consistent, I train early, between 5:00 and 6:30 AM, before the rest of life kicks in. I don't love mornings, but it's about reliability. My efficient home gym setup keeps training quick and effective, so I can get back to family life just as everyone's waking up.
What convinced you to choose VOLTRA I?
As someone who trains for both strength and hypertrophy, I needed a versatile cable system to complement my free-weight setup in my 97-square-foot home gym. The VOLTRA I provided that and more. It's a zero-footprint machine that not only replaced my traditional cable system but also enhanced my training with its smart resistance features.
Rows, pulldowns, and accessory exercises are now staples in my routine, offering both flexibility and efficiency. The inverse chains and eccentric overload features have been game-changers, optimizing every rep. Plus, it's incredibly safe, which is crucial since I train solo. The VOLTRA I is a small but mighty addition to my gym that takes my training to the next level.
You train in a 97-square-foot home gym. How did you design the space to be both minimalist and highly functional?
Designing a highly functional gym in just 97 square feet has been a process of relentless refinement. Every piece of gear had to serve multiple purposes and integrate seamlessly into my training flow. I've spent hours researching and testing to maximize efficiency while keeping the space inviting.
Some choices might seem unconventional at first, but they support my specific goals. For example, my Rogue loadable dumbbells and bumper plates might raise questions, but they replace a full dumbbell rack and double as weights for my Beyond Power VTS trolleys and Olympic bar, even for deficit RDLs. This multi-purpose approach lets me pack a lot of functionality into a small space without sacrificing capability.
I'm still refining the setup—there's always room to improve. But for my program goals, I believe I've created the most efficient, well-equipped gym possible in under 100 square feet. The space constraint has actually improved my gym by forcing me to be thoughtful in both layout and equipment selection.
Your training journey took a major turn in 2022. What was the wake-up call, and how did you approach rebuilding your health?
In 2020, I had a wake-up call that completely shifted my perspective. My 2-year-old son faced a life-threatening medical condition that lasted for months. Thankfully, he recovered, but the experience forced me to reconsider my own health. As an older father with a demanding, unhealthy career, I realized I needed to take better care of myself if I wanted to be present for my family in the long run.
Initially, I started by realigning my career and focusing on my relationship with food. By 2022, I shifted to training—not just to get in shape, but to build strength, longevity, and improve my healthspan. A home gym became key to sustaining consistency amidst my busy life.
I'm still on this journey, making progress but always looking for the next step. I've learned that sustainability trumps intensity over the long term. Rather than overhauling everything, I focus on making steady improvements, one small step at a time. This mindset has kept me moving forward, toward what truly matters.
What are some of your favorite ways to use VOLTRA I in your training?
VOLTRA I plays a crucial role in my training by providing high-quality cable movements in my compact home gym. It lets me seamlessly integrate rows, lat pulldowns, push-pull exercises, and more, without sacrificing space or disrupting my gym layout. It was the missing piece in my setup and now fits into every workout.
What I love most is how it optimizes my training on two levels. First, its mobility and efficiency mean I can position it exactly where I need it or tuck it away when I want open space. Second, its smart resistance features—like inverse chains and eccentric overload—enhance my training, allowing me to target full range of motion and push the negative phase of reps harder, all without extra equipment or spotters.
VOLTRA I isn't just a cable system; it's a precision tool that fine-tunes my training while maximizing both efficiency and effectiveness.
What advice would you give to other busy professionals or parents who want to build a home gym but feel limited on space?
My advice to busy professionals or parents wanting a home gym in a small space: don't let space or budget hold you back. Focus on versatile equipment that supports multiple exercises and training styles. In a compact gym, every piece needs to serve multiple purposes. That's why I chose the VOLTRA I—it replaces a traditional cable machine and more, all while occupying zero floor space.
Building a small gym can be budget-friendly if you're strategic. Take advantage of the secondhand market to find great deals, then resell what doesn't work. The VOLTRA I was the only major purchase I made new because it solves multiple challenges. Everything else came secondhand.
The key to a successful small gym is design. A well-planned space removes friction from your training, making it easy to get in, work out, and stay consistent. Even in a limited space, if your gym is easily accessible and organized, it'll feel limitless in terms of effectiveness.
Looking ahead, what are your workout goals, and how do you plan to keep evolving your training?
At this point, my primary goals for both weight training and nutrition are simple: don’t change a thing, and embrace monotony. With the VOLTRA I completing my gym, I’ve built space that provides everything I need to train effectively for both strength and hypertrophy. The challenge now isn’t adding new goals—it’s embracing the monotony of a well-structured, effective program and resisting the temptation to chase novelty for its own sake. So, the foreseeable future is about consistency, progressive overload, and trusting the process-- staying in these trenches and doing the work.
But outside of weight training and nutrition, my next cycle of goals—the next bite at the apple—focus on continuing to improve my sleep and my VO2max. Over the next six months, my goal is to get an average of 7.5hrs of quality sleep, up from 7hrs this past 6 months. As for VO2max and conditioning, the Concept 2 SkiErg is my frenemy, and we’ll be having many heated arguments over the coming months.
Would you recommend VOLTRA I to others with small home gyms? Why?
I'm constantly proselytizing the VOLTRA I—both in online forums and in everyday conversations. I think it earns a spot in any training facility, but for the space-constrained home gym crowd, it's transformative.
Too often, people assume the VOLTRA is just a functional trainer replacement, but that misunderstands what it can do. Yes, it’s a zero-footprint solution for cable work, but beyond that, it brings functionality and flexibility that traditional equipment can’t match, and with a safety profile that I believe is important for home gyms. I personally lean toward free weights and large compound lifts, and for me, the VOLTRA I is a safe, incredible expansion of those training methods and supporting accessory lifts, in addition to being a replacement for a traditional functional trainer.
For other training goals, I’d go so far as to say that for many people the VOLTRA I could be the centerpiece of a minimalist home gym. A VOLTRA I plus single upright and a platform attachment could handle 90% of many people’s training programs. And, the breadth of the VOLTRA's utility in home gyms is just getting explored.
The home gym community is naturally creative, always looking for ways to hack their setups for maximum efficiency and capability, and the VOLTRA I is proving to be an incredible tool in that culture. I recently combined the VOLTRA I with a Rogue 30” Squat Wedge for deep quad-focused belt squats. The combo is rock-solid, allows for complete depth, and doubles as a platform for other movements like RDLs, standing curls, and Bulgarian split squats. Others are inventing many more creative ways to use the VOLTRA I in home gyms, and there'll be more to come.
All this capability—and where the small home gym crowd is concerned, it bears repeating ad nauseum—with zero footprint. Scored on a ratio of footprint-to-capability, there's nothing beating the VOLTRA I for small home gyms.
In The Setup
BEYOND POWER
• VOLTRA I
RACK + MAIN RACK ACCESSORIES
BENCH
• Ironmaster Super Bench (w/ thigh retainer/crunch accessory)
BARS + WEIGHTS
• Eleiko Performance Weightlifting Bar (20kg)
• ROGUE B&R Bar 2.0
• Fringe Sport Axel Bar
• Rogue 12-Sided Urethane Grip Plates (500lbs)
• Rogue 26’er Wagon Wheel Pair
• 4X Rogue DB-10 (10lb Loadable Dumbbell)
• 4X Rogue DB-15 (15lb Loadable Dumbbell)
• Rogue Loadable Dumbbell Bumper Plates (720lbs)
• PowerBlock Sport 5.0 50lb Pair
CARDIO
• Concept 2 SkiERG
About Community Chronicles
Community Chronicles is a collection of stories and media from the Beyond Power community, designed to highlight bold and innovative ways in which our products are used. Periodically, editors will share setups, stories, or tips to better serve our growing community.
To get featured, share your content over on our Reddit, or contact us at support@beyond-power.com. We're always listening!
A big shoutout to Coleson Bruce for sharing his experiences and insights with us! Follow him on Instagram @colesonbruce and on Facebook here.
