Author Topic: In a strange land, no gym, no powders, roughing it  (Read 7626 times)

FunkyMonk

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In a strange land, no gym, no powders, roughing it
« on: February 15, 2010, 06:35:17 PM »
 What's up people.

 I used to be a regular on this forum way back in like 1999. It's good to see the site still going strong and much improved.

 Well now it's 2010 and life has taken it's twists and turns. I am living alone in a foreign country where I do not have access to a gym. I also do not have access to any supplements at all. Weight lifting is not very popular or common around here, so there isn't much for resources around here. And most supplements are illegal here because this country has incredibly strict drug laws.

 Why am I in such a crappy place you ask? Because i'm making good money here. It's not paradise here, but it's an interesting experience for sure.

 Because I do not have a gym, I have been doing lots of bodyweight exercises like pull ups, dips, etc. I have also accumulated about 25 big water bottles. And I fill up my Samsonite luggage, hiking backpack, or a duffle bag and do lifts with them, putting in more or less bottles depending on how much weight I need. It works great and if I fill up to the max I can get about 80 pounds loaded in, but for some lifts like squats and deadlifts which require heavy weight it is a bit light, do I just do high rep, high intensity sets using pre-exhaustion to hit those muscles harder. I do not have room for a weight bench at my place because it is too small, a tiny studio apartment.

 For my routine, I do a 3 day split of push/pull/legs. Sometimes taking rest days inbetween, sometimes taking two rest days between, sometimes just lifting consecutive days. I go by feel on it.

 As for diet, I have access to good food, so that is not an issue. I do not have access to any protein powders or other supps though. So i've just been eating tons of rice, potatoes, meat, pastas, milk, eggs, veggies, etc. I have found vitamins and been taking them too.

 I have actually been making great progress like this. My goal is to bulk up, and since I came to this country 5 months ago i've packed on about 12 pounds of quality bodyweight. For a hardgainer like me, that's pretty good. I think it's from the huge bowls of rice i've been eating every day at lunch.

 Anyway, if you all were in a situation like me, with no supps, and no gym access, what would you do? I'm just looking for some tips and hints to keep on pushing ahead. What kind of exercises and routine would you follow? What would you eat and drink? What would you use for weights? Any other tips would be greatly appreciated. I've got 7 months left in this place and i'd like to make progress while i'm here. Then when I leave I can go back into the gym and come in strong.

 Thanks a lot people.

 

Nomad_Warrior

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Re: In a strange land, no gym, no powders, roughing it
« Reply #1 on: March 01, 2010, 01:18:04 AM »
I was in the Peace Corps a couple years back, and I was in the exact same situation.

Waterbottles and luggage are good for curls, and tricep extentions, lateral raises.

For the heavier lifts, I found a huge stone, about 70kg, wrap an old towel around it and grip however you can. I was doing deadlifts and rows using this method.  Also had a bit of a smaller stone about 50kg, and you can do clean an presses with it.

Pushups are great, keep changes the angles (feet on a chair, a table, or hands on the wall, ect.), and fill a backpack with some books and water bottles to add extra weight.  Also get into handstand position with your feet resting on the wall for support, you can get a great shoulder workout by doing handstand pushups.

Keep the pullups going, change up your grip, and again use the weighted backpack.

You can do a pretty standard routine using all of these methods, the only problem is, without a barbell, it's pretty hard to find a substitute for Squats.  I simply did Hindue squats, again with the weighted backpack.

I simply substituded a big handfull of almonds, and wheat bread with peanutbutter, in place of proitien shakes.

I did this routine for about 14 months. I lost some mass on my legs. And alltogether I lost about 8 lbs in the course of the year, but I actually looked better than ever, because my body fat was really low, due to the increased reps and lack of junk food.

Good luck man!