The dumbbells I saw in the newspaper classifieds were for sale in Newark, NJ—one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. This was long before Craigslist and eBay. I was scared parking in Newark and stashed some money in my socks, some in my pocket, and some in my… never mind. I met the former gym owner at the storage unit and snagged those dumbbells, a utility bench and the dip bar.

I didn’t have any other dumbbells, so it was either 50s or 100s when it came to dumbbell work. The lack of equipment worked in my favor.

Those workouts were epic. I made strength and size gains faster than I had experienced in a long time. No gym manager telling me not to use chalk, not to wear work boots when I trained, or to say don’t do this and don’t do that.

If anything was going to hold me back, all the responsibility would rest on my shoulders. I loved it—100% accountability and responsibility.

I did basic barbell and dumbbell exercises along with dips and push ups. I felt like a gladiator, training in these imperfect conditions. The garage was freezing, literally. Steam surrounded my face as I would sweat while bundled under layers of sweats.

That return to the basics, simplicity, and gut-busting hard work taught me a powerful lesson—you can always count on the basics, hard work and consistency. And even though I teach this minimalist style on a regular basis, people still do not want to believe me.

They want more. They want fancy. They want something flashy and exotic. I am the wrong guy for flashy and exotic. I only care about results.

A recent comment on my Facebook page stated these exact words:

"Hey, Zach. How can I go about losing weight, how should my workouts be and what should I eat/avoid, thanks brother!!!"

I will get questions like this on the business side as well:

"Hey, Zach, how can I find athletes to train and what are the top 5 tips you would give for starting a warehouse gym?"

Both of these questions are great. Asking questions shows me that they want to learn. But, both questions also show me that neither person ever did any leg work of his own, or tried to see if the answer was out there already.

They never took the time to search my blog, listen to my podcasts, search for my interviews. Sometimes people tell me that they are too busy to read my newsletter (maybe a 3 minute read).

With over 1,500 YouTube videos and hundreds of articles out there that I’ve shared, the answers to those questions are provided. But rather than read, listen, or take notes, people want the answer handed to them.

People see ALL the information out there and they’ve become immune to it all. They don’t respect the answers or the information. The desire to work to find answers is not there. It takes effort, time and thinking.

When you don’t work for what you have (things given to you freely and easily), you don’t respect what you have.

Sounds rude, right? WRONG. I know that once you do the work, you will respect what you have. You will follow through with your information.

Today, more than ever before, we have information everywhere, yet more and more people are weaker, less healthy and less willing to "hunt and gather" than ever before. Why? It’s very likely that there is too much information, and it is too easily available.

What’s the perfect workout?

What exercises are the best for my vertical jump?

What’s the best way for me to silence the critics?

Stop looking for the secrets, and stop sitting on your ass while telling yourself you will only begin when you find the perfect workout or when you get this or that piece of equipment, or after the new year or when school is over.

NOW would be a great time to start training.

The answers to your questions are in your own backyard. You don’t need an entourage. You don’t need the perfect workout. The imperfect workout is often what you need to do.

The hard training will push you beyond your normal boundaries.