Summer training outdoors

One of the challenges strength coaches can come across is a lack of equipment. There’s a few reasons this can be problematic. For starters, how do you convince potential clients, who don’t know anything about you, that you can get them a good workout without the use of plates, bars, dumbbells and every shiny piece of new-fangled machinery that all the big gyms are using these days? Then even if you do convince them to give you a try, are you creative enough to give them that good strength workout on a limited budget?

Here’s a small sample of what I've done with some athletes I’m working with this summer. I chose to use an outdoor park so we have plenty of space, but not much for weights. I picked up a couple of sand bags and cement bags (50 and 75 lbs) and have had the good fortune of having athletes capable of handling these for complex lifts.

Another issue I've had is with giving the athletes a training effect knowing full well that they are training outside of my sessions and in addition to sometimes multiple summer leagues and camps. I need to give them a different stimulus that they aren't already getting, without fatiguing them to the point of hindering the rest of their training.

This is not a beginner's exercise. The athlete in the video has a lot of experience lifting and even he struggled on one of his reps. This was ok, as he self-corrected right after.

Let me know your thoughts,
Jon