Comment by scruple

Comment by scruple 6 days ago

4 replies

Under $100:

Gymnastics rings and straps. A Lebert Equalizer.

Under $1000:

A squat rack, barbell, iron plates and bumper plates. Adjustable bench, adjustable dumbbells. A collection of kettlebells.

I started taking my strength and body composition seriously in 2018. To that point, I had been a (ultra)marathoner for the previous decade. Prior to that, I was in the military and trained in a hybrid fashion. But I had gotten pretty out of shape between separating and picking up endurance events. But then I had neglected strength for such a long time.

Today I am stronger and with a better physique than I had over 20 years ago. I also have a resting heart rate that's in the mid-40s, while I myself am in the mid-40s. I lift 2-4 days per week, and I do conditioning 2-4 days per week. I cycle my training with the seasons, I'm currently moving into a more lifting focused phase of training as we move into and through the colder months. In the spring and summer, I focus more on endurance.

alecsm 5 days ago

Gymnastics rings are one of the best things I've bought lately. I already had gym equipment at home but rings are something else.

Once you try them you realize you're not strong enough and you have a lot to do. And I also feel the workout is different because it's me training on the rings, not me lifting something heavy. They are very versatile, you can do many exercises anywhere you want.

  • scruple 5 days ago

    My favorite piece of training equipment by far. I've spent 6-month training blocks with nothing but my gymnastics rings, a 24kg kettlebell and a 32kg kettlebell. At this point I honestly only ever go back to barbell training because I don't like pursuing any single modality for too long, but I firmly believe that if I had to I could live the rest of my life with just rings and a couple of kettlebells (and a pair of running shoes) and I would be perfectly content.

fiatpandas 5 days ago

What do you do for endurance training?

  • scruple 5 days ago

    A lot. Mostly zone 2 running but also quite a bit of hill work and some rucking. An occasional mountain bike ride if/when friends ask and I can make it work. Some swimming in the summer. And I walk a lot, like 15k steps daily on top of the running.

    Specifically, I follow the Tactical Barbell hybrid training system. Most of my training these days can be lifted directly out of the Tactical Barbell Green Protocol book, but I also incorporate training from the original Tactical Barbell strength book, the conditioning book, the Mass Protocol book, and the Ageless Athlete book.