"Whom the gods wish to destroy, they give unlimited resources."

When we couldn't find a mat to grapple on or a ring to spar in we took it to backyards, garages, parks, parking lots, living rooms, empty bedrooms - anywhere with space was enough.

Regular gyms have no grit, no grunge. Everything is too clean and pristine.

AC is set to perfect temperature. You have to wait to use the weights or a machine. TVs are on. Dumb music playing on the speakers and you are forced to listen to whatever the gym has on. Too many people staring down their phones, talking, being relaxed. No one is hungry, angry, focused, intense.

In some gyms you can't even make noise or hit the bag too loud. That is if they even have a bag to hit.

Perfect conditions don't create champions. They create luxury social clubs.

Remember: if you aren’t constantly at risk from staph, ring worm, tetanus, heat stroke, lightning storms, slippery surfaces, humid heat, dehydration, insects - your training environment is too sterile.

Where You Train Reflects Your Spirit

Your training needs to be an intense and personal experience as do your training grounds.

I haven't been to regular gyms in over a decade. Everything I need, I have.

If I want to train, I go to the backyard, hang a bag and hit.

If it is 10pm, I walk out to the patio to shadow box and throw around Kettlebells. Anytime I need to train, I train. Whenever I want, doing what I need.

Use the environment around you to benefit your training. Begin to acquire everything you need to train solo and never rely on regular gyms again. You can start here with the complete fight training list.

Start doing more with less. Train using the environment around you.

Training Area Dimensions

Here are the dimensions for the backyard training area I have and some close-up shots.

• Length: 9ft
• Width: 8ft
• Bar Height: 7ft
• Bar Circumference: 7in

Train in the Humid Summer Heat

You also need to start training outside. Especially in the summer heat.

I live in Florida. Summers here are brutally - hot and humid. Use this to your advantage. Your cardio will improve drastically. If you train in a garage or warehouse, open the door. Better yet, grab the weights and go outside.

If you can train for 45 minutes outside in the humid summer heat then you can easily do the same in a perfectly conditioned arena. You'll be able to run circles around everyone.

Environmental Factors

There are environmental factors that introduce randomness into your training that benefits real world application such as rain.

Rain makes surfaces slippery. This includes the bag and the ground. So when you punch and kick you have to adjust.

Travel Training

When traveling you don't need much to put in a good training session. Shadow boxing and Burpees will be enough.

I went to North Carolina and stayed at a small cabin. All I had was the kitchen floor the size of about 8x8 feet. Put 15 minutes on the clock and did as many Burpees as I could.

If you are driving then you can always pack kettlebells or a weighted vest.

Here I was in Tennessee in November and did hundreds of squats and lunges outside at midnight with a weighted vest on. It was cold AF but it had to be done.

Finding a park with a pull-up bar:

Given a Choice

Always pick backyards, garages, warehouses, patios, parking lots, beaches, underpasses, back alleys, streets.

Find training grounds everywhere. If there is room to move, you can train.