On Friday I sent a link to a photo gallery
in the on-line edition of the UK Guardian.
It features a boxing gym in Sao Paulo,
Brazil. It's in what looks like a deserted
underpass beneath the Alcantara Machado
Expressway. It was founded by a former
professional boxer named Nilson Garrido.
It's in a poor part of town, and Garrido
runs the place as a community service.
And by doing it, he's giving worlds of
hope and inspiration to the young men who
train there.
The place is as primitive as can be. The
gym features homemade barbells and dumbbells,
a heavy bag made out of an old tire, another
heavy bag made out of an old refrigerator,
and a collection of heavy, awkward objects
that would make a Dinosaur salivate.
The best gyms are like that. They're basic,
simple and old-fashioned. They're not crowded
with the latest super-duper bodybuilding and
strength training machines, they don't feature
all kinds of exotic cardio gadgets, and they
don't have big rubber bouncy balls and fluff
stuff.
They have lots of heavy iron. And very little
else. Barbells, dumbbells, squat stands, power
racks, lifting platforms, grip stuff, and heavy
awkward objects. And that's it.
And that's a very important thing. You're actually
much better off with LESS equipment than with
MORE equipment.
An old-school gym with basic equipment naturally
fosters a back to the basics training approach.
And the basics are what give you great results.
When you train in a gym with basic equipment, you
understand that in the end, it all comes down to
one thing: YOU AND THE IRON. That's really all
the matters. Going out there and lifting heavy
iron -- and then coming back and doing it
again -- and repeating the process over and
over, always trying to improve your performance
from workout to workout. That's the whole secret.
When you understand THAT, you are well on the road
to strength training success.
I salute Nilson Garrido for the work he is doing.
And I salute each and every one of you for the work
that YOU are doing.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great
day. if you train today, make it a good one.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For the very best in back to the basics, no
nonsense strength training, grab any of the books,
courses and DVD's from Dinosaur Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2 My new book, Black Iron: The John Davis
Story, tells the true story of a man who became
the greatest strength athlete of his generation
by training in old-school gyms with the most
basic of equipment, and the most basic of training
programs:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
