Hi BBM team,
Life happened and I haven’t been training consistently in about a year. I’ve just begun my linear progression for the second time. The first time being in 2021.
Current stats:
28 year male
5’10"
185 lbs
38" waist
I could probably lose 15lbs and certainly 4-6" off my waist.
My lifestyle has changed a lot in the last year – thus the break from the gym – I now work on cruise ships and no longer have access to a well rounded gym facility 10 months out of the year. I’m currently on land and am going to the gym and running my LP as prescribed, but in 2 weeks I’ll be back at sea.
When at sea I have limited equipment. I rarely have access to a barbell, I never have a squat rack, rarely have a smith machine, rarely have a leg press, and I can only do seated dumbbell press because ceiling is so low.
I do have dumbbells up to 50#, and your standard chest press, shoulder press, leg curl machines. Plenty of treadmills and other cardio equipment.
Given the limited resources, I struggle to accomplish my workouts as I’m accustomed. I max out 50# dumbbell bench pretty quick. And dumbbell squats and dead lifts just don’t give me the same tonnage overload. I wind up wasting so much time and energy just trying to figure out how to accomplish the workout with the equipment I have instead of putting that energy into training.
Do you have any advice or resources for BBM or Starting Strength style programming with limited equipment? Or maybe a completely different training direction I can go in?
I’m thinking of ditching heavy resistance training all together in favor of a Couch to 5k style running program. But I love lifting much more than I do running, I’m afraid I will struggle with compliance.
TL;DR I’m without the equipment I’m accustomed to having and don’t know how to train without it. I hate the way I feel being untrained, but I am really struggling to get back on the horse.
Thanks for your time and perspective,
John