My good friend Terrance Florence is holding a basketball camp this week and I was lucky enough to have time to help him out and do some speed, agility, quickness and strength training with his group of around 50 kids.
Here is the rundown of what we did yesterday, from 10:30 to about 11:50, with some descriptions:
Muscle activation warm-up - the group had been running through skills like shooting off the dribble prior to me starting so a full warm-up wasn't necessary. Activation exercises targeted the hips and glutes.
Vertical jumps - focus was on sticking the landing in the right position.
Wall drives and arm swings - acceleration technique.
Ball drop drills - focus on first step quickness, removing the false start and acceleration. We did these from a number of different starting positions.
Slide variations - I like progressing from closed chain (classic lane slides) to open chain (mirror drill or coach direction).
Strengthening - This was more of a talk than anything. We went over how to do YTA's and the importance of upper back strengthening. I talked about squatting, how low one needs to go, the importance of attaining a full range of motion and how to achieve a full ROM if you aren't currently there. We went over proper push up and single leg deadlift form. We finished with my favorite plank circuit that I got from Coach Cantor during my time at UMBC.
I will be back on Wednesday to do the same thing so I will post what I do with the campers. Overall, day one was great. The kids were receptive and worked hard.
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Basketball Players Need to Work the Squat
After working with and taking the basketball players of the Albany Legends and the Siena Saints through the Functional Movement Screen, I've become aware of a common theme: basketball players have horrible hips.
This isn't surprising to me, as I had hip issues my entire career and still deal with my hips lacking flexibility and mobility.
It becomes a real problem when half of the players on a team complain of sore, tight or strained hip flexors. So here is the first few steps to opening up the hips, which should result in better movement and mobility in a crucial joint for any athlete.
Foam/PVC/Lax ball roll your hips. This is the best thing you can do for the tissues surrounding the hip. It will likely be very painful at first, but thats a good thing. It means there is restrictions in the muscle that can get better with work. Do this for a few minutes per side before you stretch.
Stretch your hip flexors. After rolling them out, stretch the hips by dropping into a lunge position, keeping an upright torso, and pushing forward on the front foot. Squeeze the glute on the leg that is back and then turn the torso to the side of the leg that is forward. To make this an even better stretch, put the shin and foot of the back leg flat on a wall, or if that is too much put the foot on a chair or bench. What we are looking for here is to get the back leg into actual extension. When you see athletes doing more of a shuffle down the court and not flexing and extending the leg at the hip, its likely that the hip flexors are the cause.
Get comfortable sitting in the squat position. This means finding something to hang on to, whether its a door frame, or anything to stop you from falling backwards while you sit in a full squat position. The key to this is to make sure you are keeping a flat back, upright torso and really trying to push your hips forward. Also, make sure you are sitting in between your knees, not over top of them (thank you Dan John for that great coaching cue).
Next, you will want to use a counterweight to help you sit in this position. Start with a dumbbell or kettlebell of about 20-30 lbs and as you squat, push the weight out in front of you. Work on bringing the weight into your body so that eventually you can sit down with the weight at your chest comfortably.
All of this is to get you to the point where you can sit in a squat position by yourself, no weight, no assistance, with a flat back, without feeling a crazy stretch.
Let me make this one point. Once you get to this range of motion, it doesn't mean you should be squatting with weight to full depth. Mark Rippetoe made a great point that at a certain depth your lower back has to relax to get this low. The last thing we want is for your lower back to relax with a heavy load compressing it. Squat depth is another blog for another time.
Even after a week or so of working on your tissue quality and in this new range of motion, you should feel like you are able to move better in the squat and when running.
The next blog will be about the corrective exercises I have used to get the sequencing of the body back to how it should be (activate the core first, then everything else can contract or relax).
Leave any questions or comments on the fb page. Thanks for reading!
This isn't surprising to me, as I had hip issues my entire career and still deal with my hips lacking flexibility and mobility.
It becomes a real problem when half of the players on a team complain of sore, tight or strained hip flexors. So here is the first few steps to opening up the hips, which should result in better movement and mobility in a crucial joint for any athlete.
Foam/PVC/Lax ball roll your hips. This is the best thing you can do for the tissues surrounding the hip. It will likely be very painful at first, but thats a good thing. It means there is restrictions in the muscle that can get better with work. Do this for a few minutes per side before you stretch.
Stretch your hip flexors. After rolling them out, stretch the hips by dropping into a lunge position, keeping an upright torso, and pushing forward on the front foot. Squeeze the glute on the leg that is back and then turn the torso to the side of the leg that is forward. To make this an even better stretch, put the shin and foot of the back leg flat on a wall, or if that is too much put the foot on a chair or bench. What we are looking for here is to get the back leg into actual extension. When you see athletes doing more of a shuffle down the court and not flexing and extending the leg at the hip, its likely that the hip flexors are the cause.
Get comfortable sitting in the squat position. This means finding something to hang on to, whether its a door frame, or anything to stop you from falling backwards while you sit in a full squat position. The key to this is to make sure you are keeping a flat back, upright torso and really trying to push your hips forward. Also, make sure you are sitting in between your knees, not over top of them (thank you Dan John for that great coaching cue).
Next, you will want to use a counterweight to help you sit in this position. Start with a dumbbell or kettlebell of about 20-30 lbs and as you squat, push the weight out in front of you. Work on bringing the weight into your body so that eventually you can sit down with the weight at your chest comfortably.
All of this is to get you to the point where you can sit in a squat position by yourself, no weight, no assistance, with a flat back, without feeling a crazy stretch.
Let me make this one point. Once you get to this range of motion, it doesn't mean you should be squatting with weight to full depth. Mark Rippetoe made a great point that at a certain depth your lower back has to relax to get this low. The last thing we want is for your lower back to relax with a heavy load compressing it. Squat depth is another blog for another time.
Even after a week or so of working on your tissue quality and in this new range of motion, you should feel like you are able to move better in the squat and when running.
The next blog will be about the corrective exercises I have used to get the sequencing of the body back to how it should be (activate the core first, then everything else can contract or relax).
Leave any questions or comments on the fb page. Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
4-Days a Week Strength Training Program
A few friends, both athletes and former athletes, have asked for a training program. Their goals are pretty much the same - some strength and some size. So here is a 4 day/week program using an upper/lower split. You can also do it as a 3 day/week program, cycling through the 4 days. This is very similar to what I have personally used in the past.
10 minute warm-up - a variety of foam rolling, calisthenics, stretching and mobility work
Day 1
A. Squat - 5x5 (for crying out loud, break parallel)
B. Lunge variation - 3x8/leg
C1. KB swing/Cable pull thru - 3x12-15
C2. core exercise of your choice - I like hanging from a pull up bar and doing knee or leg raises
D. High rep KB swings or short sprints
Day 2
A1. Bench press - 5x5
A2. pull up variation - 5xAMPRAP (As many perfect reps as possible, perfect being full range of motion and not reaching a point where you have to swing your legs to get higher)
B1. DB push press - 3x10
B2. Inverted/TRX rows - 3x12
C1. Face pulls - 3x15
C2. elbow flexion - 3x10-12
C3. elbow extension - 3x10-12
(your choice on C2 and C3)
D. push or pull a sled or run some hills for 15-30 minutes
Day 3
A. Deadlift - work up to a 5 rep max - 1 or 2 back down sets of 6-8 are ok too
B. DB step ups - 3x10/leg
C1. DB RDL - 3x12
C2. core exercise - Stability ball knee tucks/pikes or plank variation
D. High rep KB swings or short sprints
Day 4
A1. Low incline DB bench - 4x10
A2. 1 arm DB rows - 4x12
B1. BB military press - 3x8
B2. pull up variation - 3xAMPRAP
C1. Rear delt flyes w/ low cables or db's - 3x12
C2. dips - 3x12
C3. elbow flexion - 3x10-12
D. push or pull a sled or run some hills
You can also push or pull a sled on off days. Whatever works best for you. Personally, I like doing high rep kb snatches at the end of lower body days and hills or prowler pushes on off days or at the end of upper body days.
Any questions or comments, please leave them on my facebook wall. Thanks for reading!
10 minute warm-up - a variety of foam rolling, calisthenics, stretching and mobility work
Day 1
A. Squat - 5x5 (for crying out loud, break parallel)
B. Lunge variation - 3x8/leg
C1. KB swing/Cable pull thru - 3x12-15
C2. core exercise of your choice - I like hanging from a pull up bar and doing knee or leg raises
D. High rep KB swings or short sprints
Day 2
A1. Bench press - 5x5
A2. pull up variation - 5xAMPRAP (As many perfect reps as possible, perfect being full range of motion and not reaching a point where you have to swing your legs to get higher)
B1. DB push press - 3x10
B2. Inverted/TRX rows - 3x12
C1. Face pulls - 3x15
C2. elbow flexion - 3x10-12
C3. elbow extension - 3x10-12
(your choice on C2 and C3)
D. push or pull a sled or run some hills for 15-30 minutes
Day 3
A. Deadlift - work up to a 5 rep max - 1 or 2 back down sets of 6-8 are ok too
B. DB step ups - 3x10/leg
C1. DB RDL - 3x12
C2. core exercise - Stability ball knee tucks/pikes or plank variation
D. High rep KB swings or short sprints
Day 4
A1. Low incline DB bench - 4x10
A2. 1 arm DB rows - 4x12
B1. BB military press - 3x8
B2. pull up variation - 3xAMPRAP
C1. Rear delt flyes w/ low cables or db's - 3x12
C2. dips - 3x12
C3. elbow flexion - 3x10-12
D. push or pull a sled or run some hills
You can also push or pull a sled on off days. Whatever works best for you. Personally, I like doing high rep kb snatches at the end of lower body days and hills or prowler pushes on off days or at the end of upper body days.
Any questions or comments, please leave them on my facebook wall. Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Albany Legends Off-Court Training
I recently became the strength and conditioning coach for the Albany Legends, a pro basketball team in the International Basketball League. I started the first couple weeks just doing some PNF stretching prior to games, but this week I've had the chance to work with them on some other stuff in the weight room. Here is what there week will look like.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday night games and Monday, Tuesday, Thursday practice
Monday - Lots of foam rolling, mobility, stretching, corrective exercise and core work.
Tuesday - Full body strength training.
Wednesday - Pool training.
Thursday - Upper body focused strength training with some light bodyweight stuff for the lower body, mostly forms of corrective exercise.
Today I had 4 of them go through 2 strength circuits. Because this was our first time working together and because they haven't done much as far as strength training in a while, we kept it pretty light, but they still worked hard.
We started with about 20 minutes of foam rolling, stretching, mobility and corrective work.
Here are the 2 circuits - we did both for 3 sets of 10-12 reps per set
A1. pullups
A2. goblet squats
A3. Wtd push ups with legs elevated
B1. TRX rows
B2. pump lunge with 25lb plate overhead
B3. Med ball alternating push up
We finished with this core circuit - went through it 2 times for 30 seconds at each position
front plank
right side plank
left side plank
on back, right knee to chest, left leg 6 inches over floor
on back, left knee to chest, right leg 6 inches over floor
(Thank you to Coach Cantor at UMBC for that core circuit)
I'll continue posting what these guys are doing. If you have any questions or comments, post them on fb. Thanks for reading!
Friday, Saturday, Sunday night games and Monday, Tuesday, Thursday practice
Monday - Lots of foam rolling, mobility, stretching, corrective exercise and core work.
Tuesday - Full body strength training.
Wednesday - Pool training.
Thursday - Upper body focused strength training with some light bodyweight stuff for the lower body, mostly forms of corrective exercise.
Today I had 4 of them go through 2 strength circuits. Because this was our first time working together and because they haven't done much as far as strength training in a while, we kept it pretty light, but they still worked hard.
We started with about 20 minutes of foam rolling, stretching, mobility and corrective work.
Here are the 2 circuits - we did both for 3 sets of 10-12 reps per set
A1. pullups
A2. goblet squats
A3. Wtd push ups with legs elevated
B1. TRX rows
B2. pump lunge with 25lb plate overhead
B3. Med ball alternating push up
We finished with this core circuit - went through it 2 times for 30 seconds at each position
front plank
right side plank
left side plank
on back, right knee to chest, left leg 6 inches over floor
on back, left knee to chest, right leg 6 inches over floor
(Thank you to Coach Cantor at UMBC for that core circuit)
I'll continue posting what these guys are doing. If you have any questions or comments, post them on fb. Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Off-Season Soccer Training
My time as a strength and conditioning coach at Averett (pronounced A-VER-ETTE)University has been invaluable. I feel that as a coach, getting on the court, field or weight room experience with athletes is the best way to learn how to teach. During my time I gained knowledge in the following areas:
- programming of in-season and pre-season athletic teams
- training programs that needed to be creative, due to equipment, size of the weight room, and number of athletes that needed to be trained in a timely manner
- working with coaches, discussing how their practices have been going to find the best times to hit the weights hard and when to back off a bit
- the cues and techniques that work best when teaching lifts
- proper progressions for athletes who have had little to no experience with strength training
Most importantly, the coaches trusted me in what I was doing and the teams bought in to the benefits of strength training.
There is no such thing as the perfect program, especially when your dealing with teams that numbered in the 30's. I know now that what I had the teams doing was ok, certainly better than nothing, and much more than other teams were doing. But as any coach should, I've continued to learn as much as I possibly can and my training style has changed accordingly.
I am still in contact with these coaches and continue to consult with them on their strength training. What follows is an outline of what I have sent to the women's soccer team at Averett. I was told that about half of the team will not have access to a weight room while they are home for the summer, so I will also be posting some training ideas of what I will give them with little equipment necessary.
Even though this is a program designed for female soccer players, I know it can be beneficial for men and women who are looking to gain strength, speed and athleticism.
"Warm-up" - This is not a traditional warm-up of jogging a lap and stretching, but works on areas that are issues with many athletes.
Foam Rolling
Stretching
Mobility work for the ankles, hips, shoulders and thoracic spine
Core work - exercises focused on anti-extension and anti-rotation of the core, upper back strengthining and glute activation
Strength work
Day 1
- hip dominant lower body
- upper body push
- knee dominant single leg
- upper body pull
- hip accessory - hamstring focused
- upper body push
Day 2
- explosive full body
- upper body pull
- hip dominant lower body
- upper body push
- knee dominant lower body
- upper body pull
Day 3
- knee dominant lower body
- upper body push
- hip dominant single leg
- upper body pull
- hip accessory - hamstring focused
- upper body push
There are 6 exercises in each day, and all of the strength work is done in an A1, A2 fashion (if you're doing 3 sets, you perform A1, then A2, then back to A1 for 3 total sets of each, then to B1).
Throughout the summer, intensity and volume increases, and then volume will decrease for another increase in intensity.
I will be posting some video's for the team so that they can get explanations of the exercises throughout the summer. Most of the exercise selections were based on those I have taught them, with a couple new ones, as well.
If you are interested in the specifics of the program, please email me. I would be more than happy to discuss the program with anybody who would like to know more.
Any questions or comments, hit me up on facebook. And be sure to check back for video's of new exercises!
Thanks for reading! Go Cougars!
- programming of in-season and pre-season athletic teams
- training programs that needed to be creative, due to equipment, size of the weight room, and number of athletes that needed to be trained in a timely manner
- working with coaches, discussing how their practices have been going to find the best times to hit the weights hard and when to back off a bit
- the cues and techniques that work best when teaching lifts
- proper progressions for athletes who have had little to no experience with strength training
Most importantly, the coaches trusted me in what I was doing and the teams bought in to the benefits of strength training.
There is no such thing as the perfect program, especially when your dealing with teams that numbered in the 30's. I know now that what I had the teams doing was ok, certainly better than nothing, and much more than other teams were doing. But as any coach should, I've continued to learn as much as I possibly can and my training style has changed accordingly.
I am still in contact with these coaches and continue to consult with them on their strength training. What follows is an outline of what I have sent to the women's soccer team at Averett. I was told that about half of the team will not have access to a weight room while they are home for the summer, so I will also be posting some training ideas of what I will give them with little equipment necessary.
Even though this is a program designed for female soccer players, I know it can be beneficial for men and women who are looking to gain strength, speed and athleticism.
"Warm-up" - This is not a traditional warm-up of jogging a lap and stretching, but works on areas that are issues with many athletes.
Foam Rolling
Stretching
Mobility work for the ankles, hips, shoulders and thoracic spine
Core work - exercises focused on anti-extension and anti-rotation of the core, upper back strengthining and glute activation
Strength work
Day 1
- hip dominant lower body
- upper body push
- knee dominant single leg
- upper body pull
- hip accessory - hamstring focused
- upper body push
Day 2
- explosive full body
- upper body pull
- hip dominant lower body
- upper body push
- knee dominant lower body
- upper body pull
Day 3
- knee dominant lower body
- upper body push
- hip dominant single leg
- upper body pull
- hip accessory - hamstring focused
- upper body push
There are 6 exercises in each day, and all of the strength work is done in an A1, A2 fashion (if you're doing 3 sets, you perform A1, then A2, then back to A1 for 3 total sets of each, then to B1).
Throughout the summer, intensity and volume increases, and then volume will decrease for another increase in intensity.
I will be posting some video's for the team so that they can get explanations of the exercises throughout the summer. Most of the exercise selections were based on those I have taught them, with a couple new ones, as well.
If you are interested in the specifics of the program, please email me. I would be more than happy to discuss the program with anybody who would like to know more.
Any questions or comments, hit me up on facebook. And be sure to check back for video's of new exercises!
Thanks for reading! Go Cougars!
P90X: Pro's and Con's
The shake weight. The ab coaster. The thigh blaster. 8 minute buns. We've become overwhelmed with at-home workout contraptions and programs. I think we should all be skeptical of an infomercial that guarantees "only 10 minutes a day to the body of your dreams." These statements are followed by men and women who have the ideal body. Chances are, the only time they ever used what is being sold is the day of the photo shoot.
P90X is different, though. It's not a 10 minute a day program. It seems to have real people on its infomercials. Its good for those who want to and can train alone. When I say can, I mean that some people will skip days very easily if they are accountable only to themself. Getting a group together would certainly take care of that issue and I suggest it.
I don't think there is much doubt that when you actually do the full program, you can see results. I've known people to go through it and some had success and some didn't. Once again, much of the success is based on diet, which I believe the program covers.
You might think that because I'm a strength coach and personal trainer I will now go into a long list of reasons why I don't like this program. I'm not. I do have a few issues, though.
1. EVERYBODY does the same program. No matter what your previous training looked like, or even if you haven't trained or exercised in years, everyone does the same program. That's obviously the easy thing to do when mass producing programs like this. Because of this, any tightness, pre-existing injury and faulty movement patterns will only get worse. Should a person who hasn't exercised in years and is 40pounds overweight be doing a "plyometric day"? Probably not. A way to fix your movement issues on your own is pick up Athletic Body in Balance by Gray Cook and perform the self assessment on yourself. Or find an FMS certified trainer (wink, wink). Then, do corrective exercises where you find necessary.
2. It can make you small and weak. If you don't have any amount of muscle mass to begin with, it will be fairly difficult to look all cut up. If all you want to do is lose weight, thats fine, but remember than muscle burns calories all day long. The guys you see with their shirts off on the infomercials had some muscle mass to begin with and lost the fat surrounding those muscles. Much of the program is high rep, low intensity to keep the cardio aspect in play at all times, so strength gains will be small. If strength and muscle is what your goals are, the basic barbell lifts and sprinting are a better choice.
3. When do you walk around with your shirt off? I like having abs, and I'm trying to get them back, without losing weight. I'd rather look like I lift weights for the other 9 months of the year when my shirt is on 100% of the time. That means I hit the big compound lifts week after week. For females, that toned look that many of you want are also gained by lifting weights consistently, not by running and aerobic work for days at a time.
4. Its not progressive. What do you do when you're done? I've heard people say that you just start over again after you finish. How is that progressive? I think the whole thing that people get excited about is "muscle confusion". So would a second run at it be "muscle re-confusion"? It leaves you hanging, back at square one. If it worked, you should be moving onto something better. If it didn't work, maybe it wasn't what you needed. Doing it again doesn't move you forward.
I'm not bashing this system. Its worked for people and anything that gets people exercising is ok in my book. However, its not for me personally for reasons I've already stated and its not for any athletes I train. For me, nothing will make you stronger, more athletic, and in better shape than the basics.
Thanks for reading! Leave questions and comments on facebook! I'd love to know what you think!
P90X is different, though. It's not a 10 minute a day program. It seems to have real people on its infomercials. Its good for those who want to and can train alone. When I say can, I mean that some people will skip days very easily if they are accountable only to themself. Getting a group together would certainly take care of that issue and I suggest it.
I don't think there is much doubt that when you actually do the full program, you can see results. I've known people to go through it and some had success and some didn't. Once again, much of the success is based on diet, which I believe the program covers.
You might think that because I'm a strength coach and personal trainer I will now go into a long list of reasons why I don't like this program. I'm not. I do have a few issues, though.
1. EVERYBODY does the same program. No matter what your previous training looked like, or even if you haven't trained or exercised in years, everyone does the same program. That's obviously the easy thing to do when mass producing programs like this. Because of this, any tightness, pre-existing injury and faulty movement patterns will only get worse. Should a person who hasn't exercised in years and is 40pounds overweight be doing a "plyometric day"? Probably not. A way to fix your movement issues on your own is pick up Athletic Body in Balance by Gray Cook and perform the self assessment on yourself. Or find an FMS certified trainer (wink, wink). Then, do corrective exercises where you find necessary.
2. It can make you small and weak. If you don't have any amount of muscle mass to begin with, it will be fairly difficult to look all cut up. If all you want to do is lose weight, thats fine, but remember than muscle burns calories all day long. The guys you see with their shirts off on the infomercials had some muscle mass to begin with and lost the fat surrounding those muscles. Much of the program is high rep, low intensity to keep the cardio aspect in play at all times, so strength gains will be small. If strength and muscle is what your goals are, the basic barbell lifts and sprinting are a better choice.
3. When do you walk around with your shirt off? I like having abs, and I'm trying to get them back, without losing weight. I'd rather look like I lift weights for the other 9 months of the year when my shirt is on 100% of the time. That means I hit the big compound lifts week after week. For females, that toned look that many of you want are also gained by lifting weights consistently, not by running and aerobic work for days at a time.
4. Its not progressive. What do you do when you're done? I've heard people say that you just start over again after you finish. How is that progressive? I think the whole thing that people get excited about is "muscle confusion". So would a second run at it be "muscle re-confusion"? It leaves you hanging, back at square one. If it worked, you should be moving onto something better. If it didn't work, maybe it wasn't what you needed. Doing it again doesn't move you forward.
I'm not bashing this system. Its worked for people and anything that gets people exercising is ok in my book. However, its not for me personally for reasons I've already stated and its not for any athletes I train. For me, nothing will make you stronger, more athletic, and in better shape than the basics.
Thanks for reading! Leave questions and comments on facebook! I'd love to know what you think!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Environmentally Friendly
How environmentally friendly is your gym? Is it a place that accepts you for who you are? Is it a place that makes you work hard whenever you enter?
I realize that everybody has different goals, but if you're going to a gym to exercise, should you really be inundated with pizza and tootsie rolls as you leave? Theres a very succesful chain gym that does this. Great business model, not exactly great at changing anybodys life for the better.
I suggest finding a place where the people and the overall environment of the place is in line with your goals. For example, are you looking to put on some muscle? You need to be able to squat or deadlift. Are you looking to shed some fat? You need to be able to jump rope, push something heavy and strength train with free weights.
If you dont have a place to hit your goals, figure something else out. Go to a playground and hit bodyweight and sprint circuits. Find an old tire, tie a rope around it and put something heavy inside it and drag it around. Throw a medicine ball, heavy stones or empty kegs around. All of these things will lead to better progress than sitting on the "strength circuit" at the previously mentioned gym, no matter what your goals are.
The best thing you can have is a group of people who have goals similar to you. This creates a brotherhood (or sisterhood, of course) type of feel. I know what you're going through and you know what I'm going through when were struggling to push out one more rep.
The take home points: Find a great place to train, gym or no gym. Find a group of people you can share your training ups and downs with and push them to get better every time you work together.
If you need any tips or pointers on finding a place for you or for ideas if you're making your own "unconventional" program, post on my facebook. I'm also now at twitter @BobbyFisk. Post comments on facebook as well. I'd love to hear about your training environment stories.
I realize that everybody has different goals, but if you're going to a gym to exercise, should you really be inundated with pizza and tootsie rolls as you leave? Theres a very succesful chain gym that does this. Great business model, not exactly great at changing anybodys life for the better.
I suggest finding a place where the people and the overall environment of the place is in line with your goals. For example, are you looking to put on some muscle? You need to be able to squat or deadlift. Are you looking to shed some fat? You need to be able to jump rope, push something heavy and strength train with free weights.
If you dont have a place to hit your goals, figure something else out. Go to a playground and hit bodyweight and sprint circuits. Find an old tire, tie a rope around it and put something heavy inside it and drag it around. Throw a medicine ball, heavy stones or empty kegs around. All of these things will lead to better progress than sitting on the "strength circuit" at the previously mentioned gym, no matter what your goals are.
The best thing you can have is a group of people who have goals similar to you. This creates a brotherhood (or sisterhood, of course) type of feel. I know what you're going through and you know what I'm going through when were struggling to push out one more rep.
The take home points: Find a great place to train, gym or no gym. Find a group of people you can share your training ups and downs with and push them to get better every time you work together.
If you need any tips or pointers on finding a place for you or for ideas if you're making your own "unconventional" program, post on my facebook. I'm also now at twitter @BobbyFisk. Post comments on facebook as well. I'd love to hear about your training environment stories.
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