Funny you post this. I’m in better shape than I’ve been in a few years and I don’t have anything heavier than 15 pound dumbbell in the house. Just body weight and burning out and sweating. Thinking of canceling my gym membership. Best thing that came out of this was learning I could be in shape without lifting heavy ass joint killing weight.
Barbell devotees will argue, I'm sure, that a bigger bench=more in shape. In a specific sense, yes. But power movements are performed from the most stable platform we can achieve, since moving max pounds is the goal. I'd say the guy who benches less on the bar but can do planche pushups on straps is a better presser. He can tolerate an unstable position because his body is strong in every required aspect, rather than being cradled by a position which removes as many aspects as possible. I bet the bench world record holder couldn't do one pushup on gymnastic rings. The gymnast will bench less, but to me he's in better shape. To be clear, not claiming I can do it either.
Same with squats. Again, the most advantageous platform we can select for moving max weight. How about we de-optimize the platform and use less weight? Achieve greater control of the body and not grind our weakest joint involved into powder. Legs pretty much always operate one at a time unless you're in a squat rack, so lets train them that way.
I find it weird that guys who preach the priority of 'compound movements' love keeping the movement as minimally compound as possible by removing anything that requires the body to stabilize itself. That's weightlifting, since the question is always 'How much weight did you lift?' Gymnastics, by contrast always asks how stable every bit of you is, through every position and posture.
Honestly, if I was a guy who naturally put up big numbers I'd probably be enthusiastic about big numbers. But because my lifts suck compared to those guys, and joint issues plague me when I go heavy on traditional PL movements, I'm more about strength/weight ratio. I'll be way more excited to hold an iron cross (this is happening!) than get a PR on a lift.
PS - I'm sure you have a shitton of old trucking straps around, IG. Great for overhead work since they're wide enough not to cut into you.
