When I first started the 12-minute sprint, all my equipment was simple: You don’t need to go to the gym to get incredibly strong.
During that time, I trained in my living room, in small houses, in hotel rooms, outside in parks – wherever I could spare a few feet of space. I didn’t have money for a gym membership or equipment, so I used what I had: my bodyweight bed, a timer, and grit.
And honestly? It worked. Better than I could have imagined.
Even now – After some years, with access to a full gym, barbells, cables, curtains, turf, sleds, everything – I believe in a simple truth:
You can build great strength and athleticism with just your bodyweight.
And you can do it anywhere.
Do I sometimes go to the gym now? Of course. Once because I like to have somewhere else to go. It transforms the beauty of the landscape, keeps me entertained between writing sessions, and honestly, after Covid wipes out all my variety, I enjoy the energy.
But the gym is optional. The power of resilience? Not optional.
Here’s what fitness training has to offer – and how you can plan it to keep you fit, no matter where you are.
1. Bodyweight strength – it’s true sweat
There is a sense of being strong, you – they are lifting weights.
Metals are an amazing tool, yes, but they’re not the only way – and they’re definitely not the foundation of power.
Your bodyweight can take a dramatic toll on you:
- Exercise → horizontal compressive force
- Machines → Triceps + Triceps + Shoulder strength
- Pulling up → high tensile strength
- Empty squats → leg strength + balance
- Cooking by hand → shoulder strength + core control
- Missing work / arch → full body allergy
Physical training to build Power of Operation – The kind you use in sports, real life, and dynamic movement. It forces your core to work, your muscles to warm up, and your mind to connect your entire body as one unit. (It’s the reason people ask me how strong they are in Jiu-Jitsu!)
And you’ll never run out of energy when you’re on the go, when you’re busy, or when life gets chaotic.
You always have your body. You can really work anywhere.
2. You can build unlimited resistance – no dumbbells required
People often think that physical means “too easy.” Trust me: you can find out indeed hard.
- Try a quick eccentric push.
- Try the single-leg squat progression.
- Try doing push-ups.
- Try a hanging, controlled leg raise.
- Try two minutes of jumping rope without stopping.
You don’t need equipment. You need creativity and development.
Here are some simple ways to gradually move the body:
- Increase range of motion (Deficit Push-ups)
- Slow down the tempo (3-5 Second Drop)
- Add suspension (hold position below)
- Increase incompetence (dirty variety)
- Turn up the volume (more sets/reps)
- Relax Relax (HIIT style)
- Add external load to household items
Power = tension over time, not mechanics.
3. Your “devices” are already in your home
If you we are in need To add complexity, you don’t need gym gear – you just need everyday items.
Try this:
- Fill the backpack with books → squats, linges, step-ups
- Use a hard chair → DIPS, Push-ups, squats squats
- Use a towel → hamstring sliders, row variations
- Use the wall
- Bring the jump rope → status anywhere
- Bring resistance bands → 100+
- Use the stairs → explosive power and posture
When I walked every morning to my gym, I did all the workouts using nothing more than a jump rope, a wall, and a bag full of whatever I had on hand. And I got stronger.
That’s the magic of bodybuilding – it is physical strength.
4. CALISTHEniCS builds a type of power machine that won’t
Exercise machines isolate the muscles of the body. That has its place. But calisthenics is educational to manage.
You learn how to:
- Use your whole body as a unit
- Produce tension and stiffness
- the key to basic engagement
- Create power with breadth
- Move with strength and athleticism
This is the kind of power that translates into Jiu-Jitsu, running, walking, climbing, hand-holding – everything.
Calisthenics also teaches endurance. Knowing that the Dreat-up or pistol squat is very satisfying in a way that weight machines can’t replicate. It forces you to gain power through skill (which I love!).
5. A simple or any normal bodyweight
Here’s a layout you can use anywhere – at home, in a hotel, or in a Tiny Airbnb:
Warm-up (2 minutes):
March / JOG in place, arm circles, hip opers.
COMCY BLOCK (8 minutes):
Do a few rounds:
- Push Variations (Push-ups, dips, deficit push-ups)
- Differential pull (towel lines, door handles)
- Leg variations (squeep squats, step-ups, jump squats)
- Basic variations (planks, deadlifts, v-ups)
Optional Condition Finisher (2 minutes):
Jump rope, mountain climbers, burpees, or high knees.
Ten to twelve minutes. Zero machines. Full body strength and conditioning. (Or check out the 12-minute athlete app if you don’t already have one!)
You can build strength anywhere
Exercise is good. I love the energy, the process, the variety. But I don’t need in the gym. And neither do you.
If you have your body, you have everything you need to be strong – really strong. You can build muscle, strength, endurance, stamina, and athleticism anywhere.
Physical training is not a backup plan. It’s basic. And it is one of the most liberating, empowering ways to stay strong in life.
