Bodyweight exercises Suck... or is it me...

Last year I took to lifting weights with a vengeance... Okay That was hyperbole, I lifted, adhering to 5x5 type plans and ended up in the intermediate level in my weight category as per Strength standards on exrx.com.

Felt nice, I was big at about 105 kg, my shirt sleeves were now too small for my arms, unfortunately so were my pants for my waist.

I read strength books, internet articles and decided this was the real deal.

Lifting weights - I loved the smug feeling when I first squated 110 kg for reps (after having failed and killed myself in the last attempt with a near face-plant). Each time I got under the bar I was scared and I felt alive. I loved it when I overcame the weights. (My 5 rep max was 117.5 kg, after which I cut back - yes, I love to gloat over my achievements however small they might be)
Time passed (had to take a break from lifting, bloated up to a weak 111kg, changed my dietary habits and came down to 95).
I started with a simple routine,

Front Squat - Romanian Deadlift superset - 3 x 10 reps @ 50 kg.
Push Press - Bent-Over row superset -  5 x 5 reps @ 50 kg.
Bench Press - Lats pulldown superset - 2 x 10 reps @ 50 kg.

In the morning I alternated with
Kettlebell Swing - 8 x 20 rep @ 20 kg
(yes these are the Only weights available here)

I thought I was doing great , when at a whim I joined a group of boxers doing a Bodyweight circuit - seemed easy-
Pushups,
Crabwalk,
Pumps
.....
These are the few I remember.....
Wow.... F... S.... Ouch... and that's just the warmup...

I activated muscles which I did not know I had, for a guy who could Bench 105 for reps failing to do 5 Pushups after calisthenics was humbling if not downright humiliating (it wasn't humiliating because I have d... thick skin or in simple words - I am pretty shameless).
........

Hey fellow wannabe strongmen, lesson learnt was -
Before you start struggling with iron weights you have to conquer your own. Done correctly even this would be a Herculean task...and one that would take your fitness to the next level.
I hear Purists, power lifters, and few internet warriors scoff - try it out, see not only the body turn to jelly and your heart leap out of your chest. It will change your perception of Fitness once and for all. Conditioning or Strength - Endurance is real....

Will I return to Iron - heck, I never gave it up, I am sticking to my alternating barbell - kettlebell routines 3 to 5 times a week (the weights are light) . But god-willing I will supplement iron with my own body and tie my shoe laces without choking......