Don't have a large gym? You don't need much to crush a workout:
Early into my coaching career I was running the training for a group of athletes made up from teenagers from across the globe. Almost any country you can think of, we train them. While this was an amazing experience and filled with a lot of great memories, we also had a struggle with communication (English was most of the athletes second language) and an even bigger struggle with equipment/space.
The University's gym was small and outdated. Broken machines, rusty barbells, overhead pipes that always leaked, and a terrible ventilation system. Yet we trained the hell out of these kids and delivered great workouts and an amazing summer. While the training and experience was great, the space we had to use just didn't provide much. And then things got worse.
Right in the heat of the summer, this camp was based right outside of Philadelphia with high humidity and a massive heat wave running through, we got a call from the University that a pipe burst, and we wouldn't be able to use the gym for at least half a week, maybe longer.
Now 95 degrees might sound bad enough, but most of these kids came from countries that never experienced our humidity. They were drowning in their own sweat and doing what all teenagers do when things aren't going as planned - rebelling like crazy. This left us with no choice but to reconstruct our whole training plan and find a way to get these kids back on track.
Introducing the Truck Pull:
Quickly, we grabbed the largest battle rope we had and wrapped it around the frame of the car and just told the kids to do 1 thing: PULL
Prior to this moment, we could barely get the kids to do a warmup walk, now we had them pull thousands of pounds across the burning blacktop while others stood under the trees cheering and going nuts. We tore through hours of the day seeing who could pull the truck the farthest or the fastest, could the girls outdo the boys, who could handle a speed bump. What could have been the worst time at camp, became a huge success and a badge of honor.
Added Bonus: Us coaches got to sit in an air-conditioned vehicle with AC/DC blasting while tapping the brakes anytime a kid got too cocky.
Why is this important:
Shit will happen. Pipes will burst, weight rooms will get double booked, things will just naturally go wrong. Crying will never fix anything. Suck it up and move on.
I can't tell you how many times I watched a coach lose his/her mind because they couldn't gain access to the weight room, typically because they forgot to schedule and are too embarrassed to admit that to their team. Some of the best workouts I ever put a team through were in the hallway with little to no equipment. Anyone who has trained with me knows that I'm insanely barbell focused, but nothing beats a team of 30-50 athletes spanning down a full hallway just getting destroyed with the most evil bodyweight routine. Imagine a sea of teenagers covered in sweat, just pounding out another push-up as their English teacher steps over kids and weaves in and out as they make their way through the herd of dedicated athletes. This style of training has become a staple in our training. And how did I get there? I didn't lose my mind when the room was overbooked or a pipe burst (pipes seem to find their way to explode overnight in weight rooms).
I've seen coaches scream, curse, stomp their feet and throw things (I really wish I was making those last 2 up) and I even had a grown man grab a barbell from a 15yr old girls while screaming "THIS IS MY BARBELL" (it wasn't, bought by taxpayers and made available to all scheduled athletes) Why was he angry? In his own words "I shouldn't have to schedule like everyone else, I went to High School Here". Not the worst thing he could say, but just foolish.
Basically, all I am getting at with this long-winded blog is: You don't need the perfect room, the best equipment, or everything imaginable to go your way. You can get a great workout anywhere/anytime. Just get the athletes excited and have some fun with it.
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