Gyms in Japan are clean, small, strict and expensive… very expensive. If you’re not willing to dish out the cash don’t sweat it. This is our how to make some frugal muscular gains special.

The Rings of Power

Every four years, a gym rat will see a jacked, elite gymnast on television and will inevitably think to themselves “How is that guy training?” The answer is gymnastic rings.  The rings allow you to push, pull, dangle, hinge, swing and move in 3d space. You can buy a pair online for as cheap as thirty dollars. They are found in nearly every hardcore gym and make you crazy strong. The hefty gym prices in Japan drove me to train with gymnastics rings and I’m happy to report that it’s been a blessing in disguise.

Parks

What Japan’s parks lack in grass they make up for in the sheer number of parks that exist out here. If parks were a monetizable natural resource, Japan’s GDP would skyrocket. They almost always have a place to get some pull ups in, have plenty of room to run sprints, are equipped with restrooms and sometimes even have ropes to climb. If you ignore the inevitable stares and don’t mind looking like a lunatic, parks are a great place to train in Japan.

Home Workouts

If prisoners can get big in a tiny prison cell, then you can make some gains in your Japanese apartment (which is likely the same size as a prison cell). Embrace your inner convict and make all kinds of limited space gains.

Bicycling

Quit spending money on public transportation and invest in a bicycle. With my old job I was probably biking 15 miles a day and that actually got me in decent shape (I had to bike fast, I was late a lot). Check out why we think owning a bicycle in Hiroshima is incredible.

 

Find an Active Hobby

Training isn’t your cup of ocha tea? Then I recommend picking up a sport or active hobby. Go out for a day at the beach, pick up a sport to play, go on a hike, anything that gets your body moving while you are having fun at the same time!

If you are looking to get fit, don’t let finances stand in your way, be creative and make some muscular frugal gains.

 

-Making frugal gains, one park workout at a time.