Without training partner(s), and a good pullup bar admittedly, though done I’m the past, this is currently mostly in theory stage.
As I age into my thirties getting longer and longer removed from the organization of high school sports I find myself thinking that bodybuilding and/or powerlifting (pick your poison) has lied to me.
Lifting weights is far from the most masculine expression of a man’s physical ability, and these two sports both aim for a far more…overweight (yes overweight like your doctor would say) build than should be created for use in life.
The scariest fighter is a welterweight.
I’m strong now, absurdly strong at times (though I doubt my powerlifting total would reflect my odd object kettlebell strength), but moreso then continued strength gains I’m most pleased with the increasing feeling of wind I’m getting with my training at present.
I’ve been doing daily horse stance holds for about a month now, and increasing hold time on these forces you to be very conscious of your breathing.
Compound the horse stance training with some experimentation again with Wim Hof breathing, and I’ve started increasing breathing efficiency during my daily hindu squats.
That leads to higher reps. The higher reps lead to more wind.
I’ve got a good compounding effect going.
I’m strong. I feel fitness (wind) coming back, and though a few kettlebells and a few calisthenics isn’t exactly ideal…
It’s highly workable!
Initially I started the flow write thinking about strength, wrestling/grappling, and what I think of as “gorilla calisthenics” which is mostly the weighted calisthenics and less common strength training you’d see peripheral to wrestling training.
Having a rope to climb is common in the wrestling world, uncommon outside of it, and a real builder of strength.
Wrestler’s bridge ditto, and it’s my opinion an old time strongman like training up of the position in both pullover and press is the ideal way for ruggedness building to bench press and whatever pullover if any would be done at a gym.
Getting strong on squats is important, but enough strength with a greater demand on the midsection is shoulder squats with a training partner your weight or a weight class higher, that or with a sandbag around your weight.
Weighted pushups are a great movement. Probably my favorite press. And you can manipulate leverages while building strength til you have large humans standing on your upper back.
Without the rope climb, and even with it – apply “human forklift status” (as heavy an 8rm to 12rm as is humanly possible) to both weighted pullups and weighted chin ups will sort a lot of strength training out.
Not wanting to (or being able to do all that), well strength training can be boiled down to lots of the clean & press alone.
Kushti has been impressive at taking a lot of strength training history from the ancient and into the modern world.
I would make the argument that wrestling itself is a form of strength training.
Building muscle is not a complicated task. Using your muscles, being highly physical, and doing anything that qualifies as strength training will muscle you up so long as the calories are present.
The whole gym sphere in america is rationally a hilarious assortment of first world problems.
You’re telling me you can’t take $15/day to the grocery store and make it work?
It’ll work for any goal, and by god this is america.
Even in this inflation land of freedom units you can figure out $15/day (the most possibly needed) to sort out eating right.
It really ain’t that expensive to buy meat, dairy, and produce so long as you’re not a snob about it.
While the stereotypical jacked convict or the jacked soldier deployed in some rather austere environment show you that in your cushy life it too is possible for you.
Strength to ya,
Persistence & Tenacity