It was the Fall of 2007...... Interesting story from today while training a crew of wrestlers and football players.... Two high school kids stopped by the gym while we were outside flipping tires, pulling and pushing sleds, carrying kegs, sandbags and Kettlebells. One of them looked to be 220 lbs of drugged up muscle. How do I know? Because this same kid attended a speed & strength camp that I ran 3 years prior when he was a freshman weighing 130 lbs. Three Years later, he's 220 and … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2009
Big Chest, Big Shoulders, BIG Pressing!
Pressing big is critical - from ALL angles and planes. The overhead press was once upon a time the measure of a man's strength. As Physical Culture lost its appeal and bodybuilding took over the Bench Press became the new measure of strength. Both are GREAT lifts - we don't overdo either variation and always use different tools and objects for each movement. Check out some power pressing below to jack up your chest, shoulders, back and even your arms! That's a 350 lb bench press using a … [Read more...]
Dinosaur Training, Sandbags and a Gift
Recently a gentleman stopped by my gym to gift me with some very, very, very rare gifts. This shocked me BIG time.... This gentleman, named John, stopped by my Underground Strength Gym unannounced. Normally, I am not a fan of unannounced visitors as they want to talk and take me away from the # 1 focus I have, training my athletes. John was DIFFERENT. He waited until ALL training was done for the night before he introduced himself to me. John watches my Underground Strength Show, a … [Read more...]
The Underground Strength Certification Winner Is…
Last fall we had a contest called The Underground Inspiration Contest. It was for members of http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com Dave Hall won the contest and as my gift to him he got in for a full ride to The Underground Strength Coach Certification. Many have asked me if I will be sponsoring peeps again. The answer is NO. I sponsored someone to a BIG seminar last year, a guy who had 3 or 4 kids, worked 5 am - 9 pm and never saw his kids. 2 weeks out he bailed. Tire kickers suck. In the … [Read more...]
Pissed the F**K Off, Part II
I was just thinking to myself, after answering many e mails today and yesterday, all about success: training success and biz success. The questions were all the same, ALL the same. What I can not drive home enough is the willingness and the ability to actually work, and I mean REALLY work. How did I get strong? How did I pack on muscle? How long will it take? How did I build my biz from my parent's backyard to a internationally recognized business? I F**ing worked my a** off! I have been … [Read more...]
Old School Strength with Sandbags & Gymnastics
Wow, I was just perusing through my book shelf and stumbled across two books: one from 1888 (Yes, 1888, NOT a typo) and 1 from 1947. 1 Book on Gymnastics and the other on using sandbags, medicine balls, logs and homemade fitness equipment and obstacles. Amazing stuff! Well, the pics are amazing, the language is foreign and unfortunately I can not read them :( This "stuff" has been around for centuries. In some countries, stone lifting is part of their culture. And, during certain times in … [Read more...]
Power Bodybuilding for Gains in Speed, Strength & Muscle
Episode # 120 Baby... If you ever read the old Strength & Health magazines or Arnold's ORIGINAL Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding you would have seen HEAVY lifting going on, calisthenics / gymnastics movements, lots of jumping, rope climbs and speed in all movements. Hence, you're about to witness a lil' taste of what goes down in my gym and DeFranco's. Check it and post your comments... Wanna see footage of what we would do after a workout like this? Let's get 20 + comments and … [Read more...]
How to Build Muscle for the Busy Man
Check out Part II of my interrogation with Vince DelMonte below.. Vince: What do you mean when you say stuff like, "I'll help you slap on rugged muscle..." Zach - Rugged muscles comes from the old school movements that so many people miss out on, especially in these fancy gyms. Look at the bodybuilders from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. They had that rugged, chiseled look that came from an intense focus on the basic lifts with heavy loads. Today’s bodybuilders are puffy and bloated. Vince:: If I … [Read more...]
REAL Man Muscle: Strength Training Hard & Heavy
Man, if there is 1 thing engrained into my DNA, it must be that I LOVE to train hard & heavy. But, lately, I've been straying away from the heavy barbell, rocking the dumbbells, kettlebells and bodyweight a lot more. I'm feeling healthier, and still strong as a mofo. It doesn't make me feel good when my back is so f**ked up that it hurts to change diapers. As I grow, I evolve. Does this mean I will never touch a barbell again? Hells NO! I still use them, but I am finding "other" … [Read more...]
REAL Man Muscle Building Exercises
Oh man, this was a funny, funny time. Vince Delmonte, the master of getting ripped cruised down the the dirty Jerzee and arrived around 11 PM. I took him to good ol' Clydz for some coffee and then we hit The Underground for an hour of training and filming using my time crunched REAL Man Muscle Building methods. Check this video.... The clean & press is one of my favorite lifts. I use it for muscle building, strength building, power development and I did these bad boys today as a … [Read more...]