How to Get Very Strong Without a Gym
Learn two Strongman, weekly strength-training routines that will get you very strong without a gym.
Ben Greenfield
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How to Get Very Strong Without a Gym
I remember as a boy that one of my favorite shows to watch on television was the “World’s Strongest Man” competitions. In each episode, enormous men with thighs the size of my entire body would compete in crazy events like semi-truck pulling, enormous boulder carries, car lifting, and giant tire flipping.
Recently, in Strongman Workouts for Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, and Performance, you learned that this kind of training is not only for a strange subset of the male population who weighed more than 300 pounds, spoke with Scandinavian accents, and had an obsession with moving heavy objects, but rather for anyone who wants lean, functional, strong, athletic muscles.
To achieve this type of strongman, superhero-esque strength, many athletes, strength and conditioning coaches, and exercise enthusiasts will swear by heavy, multi-joint, barbell exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, and presses. And while squats, deadlifts, and presses will certainly get you very strong very fast, these traditional lifts aren’t the only way to gain strongman-like strength. Let’s face it: some folks simply don’t have access to a gym, can’t afford a gym membership, or their gym doesn’t have lots of heavy lifting equipment like barbells and big stacks of heavy plates.
But as I mention in my original article on Strongman-style training, you can find plenty of potent strength-building equipment for free, or simply lying around in nature. For example, if you live near a river, you have instant access to plenty of smooth river stones in a huge variety of shapes and sizes. If you live in or near a forest, you can find long or thick logs that are both heavy, slightly awkward to lift, and build enormous hand, wrist, arm and back strength.
If you’re more of an urbanite and don’t have much access to nature to hunt down things like rocks and logs, you can still build massive amounts of grip strength and Strongman-style fitness. Try wrapping a towel around an overhead beam or thick pole and simply hang or do pull-ups. Load a trash can full or water, gravel, or dirt and practice bear hugging it, picking it up, and carrying it around. Pull your car. Push your truck. Tire stores will give you old tires for free, sandbags can be purchased or made for pennies on the dollar, and bars will give you old kegs for free.
You get the idea. Ultimately, there are no excuses to not be strong because you don’t have access to a gym. So without further ado, here are two sample Strongman strength-training routine that will get you very strong without a gym: one weekly routine for a more rural, natural setting, and one weekly routine for an urban, city setting.
Strongman Workout 1: Nature
You should know that these type of workouts will give you tough, functional muscle, huge amounts of mental resilience, and lean muscle mass.
Monday: Five sets of five reps of rock squats, rock overhead presses and dips with a rock in your lap.
Tuesday: Five circuits of tree branch pull-ups to failure, followed by eight to ten rock or haybale throws, followed by eight to ten log bent-over rows (grip one end of a log, bend over, and row it to your chest).
Friday: Five sets of five reps of rock deadlifts, rock lying chest press and bent over rows with the rock.
Saturday: Five circuits of rock farmer’s walk for maximum distance, eight to ten log end-to-end flips, and eight to ten tractor tire flips.
Strongman Workout 2: Urban
Monday: Five sets of five reps of keg squats, keg overhead presses and dips with a keg in your lap.
Tuesday: Five circuits of car or truck pushes for maximum distance, followed by eight to ten pull-ups with a towel wrapped around a beam or pole, followed by eight to ten trash can deadlifts (fill a trash can with gravel, rocks, water, or dirt, bend down, grip the bottom of it, pick it up off the ground, then set it down).
Friday: Five sets of five reps of keg throws for maximum distance, sandbag lying chest press and bent over rows with the sandbag.
Saturday: Five circuits of keg farmer’s walk for maximum distance, eight to ten sprints up a flight of stairs (bonus points for doing these partner-carry style with a workout partner), and eight to ten truck tire flips.
Finally, even if you don’t have a goal to compete on ESPN in the World’s Strongest Man competition, you should know that these type of workouts will give you tough, functional muscle, huge amounts of mental resilience, and lean muscle mass that is often accompanied by a much tougher and hardier work ethic than many folks who spend all their time in the gym will ever develop!
Do you have questions, comments or feedback about how to get very strong without the use of a gym, in either a nature setting or an urban setting? Visit Facebook.com/getfitguy and join the conversation there!