Animals are strong and tough living in nature, animals become weaker living in a cage.
Man is an animal, he is also strong and tough in nature, but gets weaker indoors.
Most men today spend more time indoors than outdoors, men are sicker and weaker.
How strong do you think you would be naturally if you never lifted a traditional weight?
Luckily, I started my childhood liking strength, speed and fighting, playing sports, lifting rocks, fighting and wrestling, lake swimming, tree climbing, hiking in the woods, riding bikes etc
I always believed I was strong, my dad had a reputation of strength from a life of manual labor, a truck driver/furniture mover so I also thought I was strong.
I remember at 10 years old I went to Virgina and helped him unload a trailer of furniure, it was my dad and two helpers.
I remember the heat, I remember my dad saying it was 110° in the shade.
When the other two men were seeking shade, my old man kept going! As for me, the heat destroyed me, I ended up sick and laying in a box of furniture blankets!
But, I felt like a man, the work felt like manly work.
I never forgot that. From then on I worked to overcome my weakness to heat, and decided I wanted to earn my living with my body.
Think of the stories we have all heard of men in labor jobs who were extremely tough and strong.
Ever heard the term “Farm Strong”?
What about the old junk man or trash man.
The blacksmith or the old railroad workers who would swing massive sledge hammers all day.
Spartan warriors fought in the army until 60!
Think about the super human strength, toughness and conditioning of Nero’s army, they would walk a marathon of miles daily over brutal terrain carrying 100 lbs of equipment, even though the average soldier weighed only 145 lbs!
I know of no military of today that could accomplish this feat, with this type of weight.
Strong man and life long laborer Steve Justa of the book
“Rock, Iron, Steel” gives an example of working on a farm and not being able to keep up with the older farmer, who out worked him despite being far bigger and gym stronger.
Another example was him working in a cast foundry and watching this 140 lb man doing a job requiring him to shake the sand out of the casts, picking them up, rolling them, they weighed 150 lbs but some weighed 250 to 300 lbs he did this 12 hours a day.
One day the guy called in sick and big Steve at 250 lbs had to do his job, after a couple of hours he was a physical and mental wreck, he lost 10 lbs in the first six hours, his body was on fire, in his mind the 140 lb man was twice the lifter he was!
In the book he says the guy had 15 to 20 times the endurance strength ” Conditioned Strength” than he had and now had huge respect for this man, he was embarrassed and sore for a week.
So, how strong would you be naturally just living your daily life, what kind of mindset would you have?
The gym has taken men indoors, to get stronger for outside the gym, men get injured in the gym doing unnatural training then get injured outside the gym using their body the way it was intended.
Men that train in a gym spend more time injured than any laborer I knew.
So, without the gym how strong would you be from the lifestyle you live?
Most men would be weak!
No labor, No strength!
Johnny Grube
Johnny I have to say for me this is perhaps the most thought-provoking post you have made. This is something all men really need to take the time to consider
It seems like with “conditioned strength,” the longer you go, the stronger you become with conditioning levels getting higher. Much more useful than maximal strength!
Great post.
Great post and right on! Most of the men I have met throughout my life who were in the best shape had physical jobs doing some kind of hard labor. These men worked hard day in and day out, and most of them were lean and mean. They didn’t have to go to a gym, because their jobs kept them in great shape. Just look at Johnny Grube, he is a prime example.
Best post I’ve read yet!
Great post. My uncle was in construction most if his working life before getting a job at Budwiser where he delivered beer to bars and restaurants hand trucking cases of beers down flights of stairs all day. He was one of the strongest men I knew. Never touched a weight in his life. To watch him move his concrete driveway into my dump truck after he broke it up by hand with a sledgehammer was one of the most impressive feats of strength I’ve ever seen. I was in my twentys at the time, lifting weights and he ran circles around me.
My son delivers beer, will see how durable he is.
3 min horse stance and 3 min push up hold (last 30 sec mid push up hold), followed by 1000 push ups and 500 bench dips with a 40 sec pull up hold, tough as fuck eh?
@Marovsky:
beast mode!
No Labor no strength is as true as it gets . Was out the door yesterday 7am got home 10pm . Dairy farming all day long . Couldn’t imagine doing a easy job , I just wouldn’t feel right . And John you are so correct , I’ve seen many gym goers that never last in the labor world. You can tell them the minute they walk through the door . The job just eats them alive . I love that I am working my ass off and due to it am giving my wife a great life and my daughter who will be here in September. Great article John
Good stuff!