Courage corner — where you go to challenge yourself mentally and physically, usually a home gym

Kettlebell lifting in Russia got adopted by the military because they figured out they didn’t need a gym full of machines to get fit and they didn’t have funds for that anyway. Most military outposts had a corner of the room with kettlebells and a small platform where soldiers went to train their fitness. These corners got called “courage corners” because of the hard training that occurred there.

In the US, courage corners became popular because folks interested in serious fitness got tired of the chain gyms making serious fitness impossible. In most chain gyms you don’t even have space to stretch, let alone do a kettlebell swing. Packing as much equipment into  a space isn’t the key to fitness. If you want to get serious then doing it at home may be your only option. Taiwan is the same. Chain gyms here are more interested in selling you memberships than in getting you fit. Many of you here may have to build your own courage corner if you want to get serious.

For men, get a 16kg and a 24kg to start and put them in a place where you can concentrate on fitness. That’s why the military guys usually chose a corner — it was easier to concentrate there. But the living room might be your spot. Get your jump rope, foam roller, and whatever else you use and keep that stuff together. Make it a spot that’s dedicated to fitness. When you enter this space, you know it’s time to get serious. A couple of mats to stand and stretch on might come in handy. Put a poster on the wall if it helps.

What’s possible in a courage corner shouldn’t be underestimated. This Russian gentlemen is killing it with the 32kg. Check out his other videos. He does it all at home.

So build your courage corner and get started. Send us a pic if you can. We’d love to see it!