Spartan Ownership Strength-Training (SOST) 

What is SOST?

SOST (Spartan Ownership Strength Training) is a coaching service for men who are on the journey of self-mastery and are seeking guidance and accountability to develop a solid physical training practice in their lives.

A bit of background

Robert Bly said, “where a man's wound is, that is where his genius will be”. 

My wound occurred early in life…

Like many men, I, unfortunately, grew up in a family setting that was devoid of guidance and structure. The reality is that I was alone for much of the early part of my life. 

My family was almost exclusively abroad and not easily accessible. My father wasn’t in the picture much (except for a brief period of time) and growing up it was mostly my mother and me. I didn’t have any siblings, uncles, grandfathers, or anyone to confide in. 

Although I lived with my mother, she was almost always busy working and doing her thing. My surroundings were largely composed of female authority figures whether it was my mother, the teachers at school, or the various babysitters that were hired to watch over me. 

I largely confided in friends and neighborhood kids forming little gangs with them where we could live in our own little worlds. However, youngsters can only do so much for each other until it largely becomes a case of the blind leading the blind.

Although nurturing and protective, deep down I intuitively knew that these women were not ideal role models for my development so I largely numbed myself to their influence. 

Numb is exactly how I felt most of the time. Closed off to the world around me especially authority figures. Deep down, I felt that they couldn’t be trusted. A part of my instinct was in active rebellion towards most of the adults around me.

People wondered why it appeared as though my emotions were stunted. I didn’t know how to put it in words back then so I just kept accumulating the pain and developing bad habits to cope with it. 

I didn’t know any better…

I felt the heavy weight of isolation, chaos, and confusion as I struggled to navigate life. 

Having a weak foundation, I found many of life’s challenges very difficult. I didn’t seem to be getting it like everyone else. I felt totally ill-prepared and overwhelmed by everything. Growing up in a working-class Russian neighborhood in Queens wasn’t a walk in the park either. I struggled with bullying, did terribly in school, got in trouble with the law, didn’t give a shit about myself or others and my mother eventually sent me to a boarding school for troubled kids where I lived with gang members and drug dealers for several months. Our guidance counselors were mostly composed of ex-cons and other rough types that would try to warn us about the realities of going down the criminal path. 

All of this was a reaction to the fact that I felt a tremendous void. 

Many men are crushed by these types of circumstances and turn to various forms of escapism to cope with the pain. These same men often live lives of mediocre output as they struggle to find their footing while simultaneously being destroyed by their vices and addictions. I have struggled with these same tendencies and it has been and in some ways continues to be a tough journey. 

As the trademark SEAL saying goes, “the only easy day was yesterday”. 

And let’s face it, most societal conventions have been corrupted and are no longer very reliable when it comes to the cultivation of masculine character development. The cultural landscape today ultimately breeds soft wimpy beta males. Guys you wouldn’t want anywhere near you in a foxhole.

The few places that still serve as a refuge for men seeking growth have been mostly pushed underground and demonized in one way or another. This makes the small amount of starving men who actually reach or let alone capitalize on these ideas few and far between. 

Consider yourself lucky if you happen to know good sources for this type of content.

For every man truly on the journey to self-mastery, there are countless clueless males who sit at home deeply rutted. I was one of the lucky ones to encounter some of this content in my mid-to-late teenage years. 

When I realized that there was a way out of the chaos and that change was possible, you can bet something in me perked up. I felt like a soy-fed wolf finally tasting the juicy blood of a freshly killed buffalo. 

I devoured every book I could get my hands on regarding masculinity, mindset, philosophy, stoicism, mindfulness, fitness, dating, and more. My eyes opened. 

Finally, freedom and self-mastery were a possibility. Masculine self-actualization was thoroughly laid out to us by our ancestors. It wasn't just some far-fetched old-world ideal belonging to mythological epics and poems that I shouldn’t even bother looking into according to society.

From then on, I made an internal vow that I would commit to impeccable self-mastery, positive masculine development and never giving up.

Realizing that nobody was coming to save me and that this journey would likely continue to be one of solitude and self-direction, the idea of Spartan Ownership was born. 

The name Spartan Ownership implies taking one-hundred-percent responsibility for your life, it’s a type of hardcore self-determinism. 

It’s when you say:

“I will not accept mediocrity.”

“I will not blame anyone for my circumstances.”

“I will find a way to master my ability to navigate chaos with skill.”

“I will live in a manly and honorable way no matter what fortune throws at me.”

“I recognize that the great men throughout history have left us a legacy of time-tested ideals that I can draw power from.”

“I will resist the pressures to conform to the herd-like mentality of this modern age”. 

Fast Forward…

I have since been involved in the men’s self-development community for nearly a decade. The brand Spartan Ownership itself has been around for over 5 years and if you count the previous blogs I ran under different names (all with the same purpose), I’ve been creating content on this topic for almost 7 years. I have attended numerous men’s self-development seminars, read hundreds of books, and am personally acquainted with a lot of the thought-leaders in this community, some of them having been interviewed on my channel. Early on, I realized that physical training would be paramount as part of my self-mastery practice and so it has been a consistent aspect of my life for over a decade. I have since experimented extensively with different approaches and schools of thought. Over time, I have refined my training focus basing it on old-school and time-tested methodologies with a robust history of getting results. 

Why did I become a coach?

I have decided to become a strength coach as in many ways this service is a natural extension of my unique ability and desire to aid men in their personal development. Strength training is highly compatible with the philosophical leanings of my overall brand. It only makes sense that I do this kind of work and use strength training as a vehicle for the overall message of the hardcore self-determinism I advocate for. Not to mention, strength coaching is a highly technical field that is actually quite difficult to truly master and is a great life-long challenge for me. This field also fits my desire for a vocation that allows me to have a multi-disciplinary focus in my studies whether it’s mathematics, anthropology, physics, biology, psychology, philosophy, art, or history.

What is the school of thought behind SOST?

I base my training on the teachings of masters such as Mark Rippetoe, Pavel Tstatsouline, and many more. 

Typically, the more old-school and time-tested, the better. 

As such, your training regiment will include the classics when it comes to strength training such as barbells, kettlebells, bodyweight training, and some endurance.

The idea is to come up with a unique and creative solution for each student based on his time availability, objectives, access to equipment, and other key factors.

What SOST entails?

You will be working with me one-on-one and I will assist you in the following ways:

• Accountability
• Creation/modification of your training modalities
• Teaching you about different lifts/techniques
• Helping you work around injuries
• Supplying motivation
• Critiquing your form
• Environment modification
• Habit creation/neutralization
• Nutrition/fasting help
• Coaching you in other areas if needed

Of course, my coaching services can cover other subjects that I’ve written about on this blog whether that’s counseling, dating/women, porn-addiction, mental training such as mindfulness/stoicism, and other men’s issues that I have experience with. The coaching package will be tailored to each individual’s needs. Notably, I would argue that the biggest bang for your buck will be to have me personally in your corner holding you accountable.

How long before you see results?

The psychological benefits of starting to train and adding a coach to your life are available instantly. Right away, you will feel closure, support, and a sense of structure which will positively leak into all aspects of your life. As far as your physical composure, you can start seeing changes within a few weeks. A typical cycle of coaching is about 3 months although you may find that a different duration works for you. 

In case you are new or need a reminder as to what the benefits of strength training are:

• Increased cognitive performance
• Improve testosterone production
• Increased hypertrophy
• Enhance your appearance 
• Better mood and self-confidence
• Harder to kill
• More productive 
• More capable in ALL physical disciplines 
• More attractive to the opposite sex 
• Better immune system
• Increased longevity
• Higher sex drive 
• Happier 
• Discipline permeates into all other areas of life 

What kind of results can you deliver?

SOST covers all aspects of the spectrum. 

You may be a hard-gainer or somebody looking to lose weight. 

Some people want to gain mass, get big, and really strong.

Others like to aim for a lean, hard, and ascetic kind of look (often accompanied by a fasting protocol).

Whatever your goal is, I will adjust the training for you. 

However, it is worth emphasizing that SOST is about strength training so we primarily focus on strength development above all. My focus is not on bodybuilding although strength will inevitably increase hypertrophy (muscle size/mass) and we will include hypertrophic set/rep ranges depending on your protocol.

How to get started

If you are interested in moving forward, the first step is to book a free consultation call with me where we will discuss your goals. During this call, we will discuss program details, pricing, and decide on your specific coaching package. In order to do this, fill out the questionnaire.

On the fence?

If you are still on the fence, feel free to book a free consultation call with me and I can answer any questions or concerns you may have.

Similarly, feel free to email me with any questions. 

In the meanwhile, join my free Discord community where I actively answer questions and participate in discussions. 

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