It's Not About the Tool, It's How You Use It

Pete Rubish has pulled 777 lbs in competition
at 21 years old...and yes that's his gym...
a barbell and his parent's washer and dryer

First, let me start off by saying that I'm as guilty of this as anyone.  Too many times in the past I've found myself, and countless other people I've talked to, complaining that they don't have the proper equipment to get stronger or get in shape.  In my case, and the case of teammates and other athletes I've trained with, we've always complained about a lack of bands, or tires, or chains, or kettlebells, or any number of other specialized strength and conditioning tools that we can't find in commercial gyms or at our school's gym.

Today, I toured Seton Hall's athletic facility as part of an incredible opportunity to intern directly with their strength and conditioning coaches.  Going in, I expected that, because this is a school with Division 1 athletic programs, Seton Hall's training facilities would be huge, high-end, and contain tons of strength and conditioning equipment.  Tony Testa, who is the head of the Athletic Training Department and the men's basketball strength and conditioning coach, took me up to the varsity athletic training room.  As I walked in, I saw a small room, no bigger than a garage.  There were three benches, three platforms, a single battling rope, some kettlbells, and a dumbbell rack.  Nothing fancy, not even a large area.  At first I was shocked, but it got me thinking.

It's not about nor has it ever been about the equipment you train with or the type of equipment you use, it's about what you put into it that counts.  Strength isn't built on some magic machine or piece of trendy equipment that will give you better gains than others.  Strength is built on the blood, sweat, and determination of men and women who refuse to be normal.  Just the other day I was listening to a commentary from Mark Bell about training in a commercial gym.  He preached about taking advantage of what you have at your disposal, and making the most of what you've got.  Konstantin Konstantinov, the all-time world record holder in the 275 pound weight class for deadlift with a 948 pound pull, trains in a commercial gym.  How can a man who is so legendary among powerlifters and so unbelievably strong, train in a gym that isn't exclusively designed for powerlifting?  How can division 1 athletes at Seton Hall train their bodies to get stronger, faster, and more conditioned to compete at the highest level of collegiate sports, in such a small area without all the different types of training tools that have become so popular in today's age?

Konstantin Konstantinovs holds the world record
in the deadlift at 275 lbs...he trains in a
commercial gym

The answer is hard work.  Millions of men have built brute "farmer" strength simply carrying heavy buckets of milk, throwing bales of hay, or working in other manual labor jobs that required heavy lifting and hard work.  Others have done it through nothing but the use of a single barbell, or even from lifting heavy odd objects like wood or stones.  These simplistic, even primitive methods of building muscle and strength have been around for centuries, so how is it that these people got strong without fancy machines or equipment?  Good old fashioned hard work.  Remember, it's not about the tool you use, it's about the individual using it.  Strength is truly a field where what you put in is what you get out.  There is no fair or unfair in the world of strength training.  Either the bar or the heavy object moves or it doesn't and you have no one to blame but yourself either way.  Attack the basics, embrace the grind, and grow stronger.