From 13-20 (roughly 7 years) I thought like everyone else the only to get super strong was by lifting weights and heavy equipment on the machines. I didn't know any better and yes I did get crazy strong for natural lifting (meaning no steroids or P.E.D's) hitting over 300 in the bench, near 370 in the deadlift, over 400 in the squat (so 1000+ total in the Power Lifts), over 700 leg press, 500 on the calf raise machine and more so I wasn't any slouch but I found out something terribly wrong. I was strong but I was no where near fit enough to write home about; couldn't run a sprint to save my life, sucked at push-ups and literally had little flexibility or mobility.
When I broke my legs I knew I had to make a change. I went into a 180 and made the decision to focus more on my conditioning, flexibility and tendon building. Sure I put on muscle but I went far beyond that, I developed flexibility fast, gained control over my body from the inside out, created drills that enhanced my performance, made progress at a quicker pace than through years of training prior to that. Nothing was going to stop me.
What I began to realize through self-rehab to today was that you don't need a building to feel like you have to get strong in. The real gym that matters is not what you need, its what you already have and that is YOU!!! Weights & machines are good to a degree but they're not the end-all be all. Why have one building with so much crammed together when you can have the world to walk around in. Go lift rocks, move logs, go swimming, crawl on the grass, meditate in the woods, do pull-ups at a park, do push-ups anywhere, sprint in place if you can't get to a track or a hill. The majority of people don't have an open mind and that's really sad but its not all their fault. Its the dumb and tempting advertising on TV, in magazines, in the stores and maybe the worst place to be tempted is on the internet. Some people choose to be so narrow because they're afraid of what will happen if they leave behind their domain, the thing that has kept them safe and secure & they can't leave something they've believed in for so damn long.
It takes a big person to expand their mind and be aware of what can be truly useful instead of what they were told to do. I don't believe in worshipping guru's or feeding their ego by doing what they say down to the very letter. I see that as a threat to my individuality and leading my own path by learning what can work for me and not just bodyweight stuff but things like hammers, maces, rocks at the lake, my isometric power belt and many more. I choose to be creative; yes from time to time I get suckered into a particular course that I work on but unlike having it tell me this or that, I find a way to not only make it work for me but balance it out by being open to ideas, not always open to the belief.
Your body is your gym, look around you with open eyes internally and externally the equipment that surrounds you everywhere you go. The world has all the equipment you need or none at all just yourself.
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