Underground Strength Coach Apprentice – Your Questions Answered

Wow, the response has been HUGE, and I have e mailed many, many people back, don’t worry, I’ll get to YOU soon enough if I haven’t done so already.

Serious inquiries only and yes there will be an application process.

Your questions are answered below…

In Strength,

–Z–

P.S. - Don’t forget about The Baby Ethan Sale, which ends tomorrow morning :)

the 3 products you can save on are…

1) http://gripexperts.com e course

2) http://undergroundstrengthmanual.com e course

3) The Russian Lion Power Course (Deluxe Version Only) – this is going to arrive with an unannounced special DVD bonus – you’ll love it, it’s some hard core info, uncut!

The Deluxe version is at http://combatgrappler.com/russianlion2.html

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You, the First Underground Apprentice?

We are all home, Ethan is the man, and yes, that’s a tough title to snag after only 2 days on earth :)

He is really a super kid, except he sleeps all day and stays awake all night….I’ve been up since 2 AM…push ups through the day + adrenaline are keeping me awake.

I have a crazy summer ahead of me, but man are things rockin’.

Don’t forget, we have The Baby Ethan 72 hr. Sale rockin…

the 3 products you can save on are…

1) http://gripexperts.com e course

2) http://undergroundstrengthmanual.com e course

3) The Russian Lion Power Course (Deluxe Version Only) – this is going to arrive with an unannounced special DVD bonus – you’ll love it, it’s some hard core info, uncut!

The Deluxe version is at http://combatgrappler.com/russianlion2.html

********

Before I prepare to feed the little man (my wife fell asleep in my daughter’s bed! uh oh, no help!!) I wanted to ask you a question.

I have received many e mails the past few months inquiring about people wanting to visit to learn my training methods and some want to learn training AND business.

If you want to do this, let me know by replying to this e mail. I will be taking on a select few “apprentices” to learn my methods.

This is not the Underground Strength Coach Certification Program.

This is you shadowing me in my gym, asking me anything you want, training with our athletes, opening my filing cabinets, seeing how I run the show, grabbing grub with me to talk business and learn how we kick ass, going all the way from a puny garage and beat up playgrounds to a thriving online business and ass kicking gym….

in the end, it’s about doing what you love.

Next week I am having lunch with someone which I invested in…how much? Five BIG G’s :)

I invest because I know I’ll make it back ten fold in the first month and beyond after that.

Someone once if I would pay five grand for a napkin that could show me how to make 10 grand. The answer is a “hells yea!”

So, maybe you wanna spend one day with me, maybe two, maybe 3…

As always, I will screen those who wanna come and learn. It’s not for everyone obviously. Complainers, cry babies, whiners, excuse makers…. no way, I want someone ready to blaze a trail of their own, someone who wants to follow their passion, someone who wants to rock the house.

In Strength,

–Z–

P.S. – Dont forget about the Baby Ethan 72 hr. Sale…

the 3 products you can save on are…

1) http://gripexperts.com e course

2) http://undergroundstrengthmanual.com e course

3) The Russian Lion Power Course (Deluxe Version Only) – this is going to arrive with an unannounced special DVD bonus – you’ll love it, it’s some hard core info, uncut!

The Deluxe version is at http://combatgrappler.com/russianlion2.html

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9 Minutes with Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell Club

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Loue has a new book out and it is awesome.

Here’s a little gift for you so enjoy it and feel free to let others know about this Blog.

Click HERE for the Louie Simmons Podcast.

In Strength,

Zach Even – Esh

P.S. – Check out Louie’s Book, ‘The Westside Barbell Book of Methods’ HERE.

P.P.S. – Feel free to tell others about this Blog!

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Who remembers this BEAST?

This is the guy who was putting the boxing world on it’s rear when he was a young kid. At age 19 he was knocking out the best of the best. He trained in a secluded area in up state New York – he had the eye of the tiger.

His physique was built like a mack truck, thick and solid.

His legs were built like tree trunks, and all his jumping rope certainly helped. Juming rope might be the most primitive form of exercise with such a simple tool, but remember, almost all movement begins with the feet. Jumping rope is a form of plyometrics. It also develops stability and strength in the ankles and the entire lower body.

Watching his training still makes me get knocked into my chair. His discipline and fire, his power, his speed, his fierce conditioning!

Watch this video and prepare to be fired up!

Time for you to get some training in!

In Strength,

–Z–

P.S. - Get yourself a jump rope, you just can’t go wrong with this simple, yet powerful training tool.

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Off he goes

One of my athletes is heading off to Pa. for a good month for some family vacation time. They have a place “in the woods”, so he was very worried about missing his workouts.

I told him about what we used to do in my back yard, and how powerful the underground strength training was when we first began, it was truly shocking!

We had two tree logs, a climbing rope, some stones, a few sledge hammers and that’s it!

Our wrestlers began with a 10 minute circuit of max rounds of this workout:

1) log carry around back yard x 1 lap

2) rope climb x 1 rep

3) sledge hammer swing x 10 left / right

Every week we added 2 minutes until our guys would perform the workout for 20 minutes.

Holy shit did they get insanely strong and develop some animal like conditioning! I was awe struck!

The advice I gave our young lad as he was to head off to the woods for some vacation was simple.

The tools to use would be stones, tree logs, bodyweight / calisthenics and the typical outdoorsmen type activities: hiking, trail running, swimming, kayaking, etc.

Imagine doing pull ups on tree branches, carrying stones, squatting with logs….

This is the kind of stuff that builds what I call “freak strength”, others call it “brute strength” or “unusual strength”.

Whatever you want to call “it”, know this: It’s the stuff that you want to use because the results are just too damn powerful to pass up!

Go get em’!

In Strength,

–Z–

P.S. – Want the Bible on developing “Freak Strength”? Click HERE.

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Try this Underground Strength Workout

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Here’s a sample of what some of our athletes did yesterday. Give it a go and let me know how you do:

After a warm up (our warm up is listed at http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com)

The Underground Strength Workout:

1A) Sandbag shouldering 4 x 6 (3 each shoulder)

1B) 1 arm Kettlebell push press 4 x 6

2) 100 reps of mixed grip pulling and mixed pushing bodyweight drills

These drills consisted of:

- mixed grip pull ups

- recline rows with thick ropes

- dips

- ring push ups

- weighted pull ups

- clapping push ups

- feet elevated push ups

- close grip push ups

- medicine ball push ups

The athletes were allowed to break down the reps any way they wanted, continuing until pushing and pulling each had 100 reps.

The end of the workout was 4 sets of sled and prowler work for 150′ per trip.

After that recovery was utilized as a cool down.

It was a rough one to say the least.

The warm up we use will be placed on video at The Underground, you don’t wanna miss this one!

Go get em’ and I’m looking forward to your comments!

In Strength,

–Z–

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As I watched the Gladiators

Yesterday was a hot and humid day in Joisey. We had a few crews of Gladiators training, 5 – 6 in each group. I watched them sprint, jump, rip through kettlebells, sandbags and perform countless pull ups and push ups.

They ripped through heavy sleds, others were jumping rope and others practiced their handstand push ups.

I was in a daze for a few minutes as I watched, and I was proud of what I saw, BIG time proud.

For some reason it brought me back to the times of people telling me what I couldn’t and shouldn’t do.

Oddly enough, I was remembering that very day in high school, asking my Guidance Counselor if he would be so kind as to write me a reccomendation for college. He told me he couldn’t do that for me because my SAT score was too low.

The conversation quickly evolved into him telling me, “Maybe college isn’t for you.”

This paralleled all the times people told me I can’t train athletes with stones, at playgrounds, pushing my truck, etc. People said it was not professional, parents won’t like it, and the naysayers kept going on and on.

Today, I own a small gym, 1500 sq. ft., with athletes traveling from out of state to train here, some over an hour away each way. They sweat buckets and buckets, some run for the bucket, many endure pain and fatigue they’ve never experienced before and continue to push the limits.

These athletes have the eye of the tiger. It reminds me of watching Rocky III, I kept on rewinding the part where Apollo takes Rocky back to his old gym, called ‘TOUGH Gym’….. I grabbed a sheet of paper and started drawing a building, with a sign on top that said ‘TOUGH Gym’.

It was in my head and in my heart, that one day I would have my gym. My rules, no whining, no cry babies. Anyone who didn’t follow the creed of kicking ass and nothing less would be removed from the gym. There would be no place for average, no place for mediocrity.

I always wanted to own my own gym, a hardcore place where people were training harder than everyone else, training to be the best at what they do.

I would travel to gyms all around NJ, looking for the most hard core gyms. I even trained at Joe DeFranco’s father’s old Gym, Empy’s Barbell Club. Wow, this gym was in a tough area where everyone was strolling around with some mean lookin’ Pit Bulls! Not the place to take a wrong turn! 

As I drove home last night, after my workout, around 9 PM at night, I felt that knot in my gut and cracked a smile. I thought about myself and everyone else who is told “NO” to dreams.

There are going to be countless times where people tell you, “NO”, people will count you out, they’ll knock you down, they’ll steal from you and blame you for it….

You’ve always got to remember that success is up to you. Do whatever you want, and do whatever it takes to get it done.

If you ever lose the “eye of the tiger”, or lose your “edge”, you’re screwed.

I’m telling you now, that beating the odds and following that feeling deep in your heart, deep in your gut, that is what you MUST do. You have a calling, you deserve to do what you love.

I’m only getting started, there’s a boat load more to come!

Be ready, be ready!

Dedicated to your success,

–Zach–

P.S. – I have a FREE gift for you. It’s new and updated, it’s a powerful upgrade. Use it and make something happen! It’s waiting for you right HERE.

P.P.S. – I’ve got a few kettlebells sitting in my backyard. Time to do some damage. Here’s where I get my Kettlebells, you can get them too!

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Kettlebell Q & A

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This e mail just in from Matt H., who will be attending the September Underground Strength Coach Certification (Sorry, Sold Out!!).

Q: With kettle bells why would you use them and why not?  

A: Kettlebells are an easy tool to learn and an easy way to learn a variation of the barbell olympic lifts. Everyone says they work the grip, and personally, I feel this is just a very, very small benefit behind kettlebell training, as there are many, many more reasons.

Many of the kettlebell movements are athletic movements and ground based. You are constantly deadlifting, squatting, swinging them, passing them from hand to hand – all of these movements improve overall strength, work capacity, hand speed, eye – hand coordination and improve balance.

The kettlebell is extremely versatile. Give me one kettlebell and I’ll work my entire body from head to toe. The ability to pass the kettlebell through your legs forces your posterior chain to work big time. The posterior chain is a BIG weakness among ALL athletes, so the more posterior work we can get, the better.

Kettlebells, on most movements, require speed and agrression. To clean the kettlebell you need a lot of hip snap, most athletes are completely lost when they must move a heavy weight with speed. They are used to slow, controlled lifts. Teaching the swing, snatch, clean and press and other drills is a powerful way to develop strength, power and conditioning.

I would use these with people who just want to “get in shape” as well. It is very easy to string together combo drills and complexes to aid with fat loss and muscle building as well as allowing you to train quickly and efficiently, no need for long, boring workouts!

Take the kettlebells out to a grass field and you can develop power by throwing them from various angles. Use a snatch throw, a push throw, 2 hands or 1 hand. Jog after it and repeat. Attach ropes to the kettlebells for hand over hand pulls, curls, swings around the body.

No ropes? Use a towel. Bear crawl with them. Carry them – from endless angles carries can be performed with kettlebells.

Q: When is the proper time to use them with someone and when not?  

A: I don’t use kettlebells with athletes right off the bat. Our Underground Strength Gymnasium has a baseline program for our athletes to go through in which they must demonstrate prowess in, which they will, as they continue to get stronger and improve their conditioning. This baseline program is available to our members at The Underground.

I believe athletes should become very adept at utilizing bodyweight drills before touching a weight. A knowledgeable coach will understand and know when the time is “right.” You can see this by the way the athlete handles him / herself during the bodyweight drills.

Q: What are the benefits of them and what are the risks?

A: I have listed many benefits above, the risks are just like those that come with any other training tool: barbells, dumbbells, sandbags, etc.

If someone is not ready for kettlebell training they can easily injure themselves. The low back can get overworked easily with kettlebells if an athlete is untrained in the posterior and in overall work capacity. The constant squatting and bending at the hips, the tension on the lower back – most people are not ready for this, so volume should be adjusted appropriately for the individual. Once again, a knowledgeable coach can read through verbal and nonverbal communication when it’s time to stop with the individual.

This should give a good intro to some Kettlebell training.

I love kettlebells, but remember, they are just a tool, not the end all, be all key to excellence.

We use many tools, but, we stick with what works and kettlebells have definitely proven to be very effective for the training of our athletes.

For those reading, please let other kettlebell training fanatics know about this Q & A. I hope it shed some light on the use of kettlebells and kettlebell training.

In Strength,

–Zach–

P.S.Here’s where I have been purchasing my kettlebells from and they are top notch, without a doubt, 100% Underground Approved!

P.P.S. – If you wanna see my Kettlebell training DVD’s, I have two of them.

** The Kettlebell Training Blue Print – click Here

** Kettlebells for Combat – click Here

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Underground Strength Training in a Garage

I remember when I first started setting things up in my garage to begin my own Underground Strength Gym. I was so psyched to be freed from the horrible environments that were in all the gyms around. These gyms sapped me of ALL my energy, it drove me up the wall.

I knew that Underground was the way to go – no rules, no machines, nothing fancy, just old school iron and odd objects.

Do you need anything fancy in your garage, basement or backyard to make some Underground Strength Training come to life? Heck no! Get a barbell, or a few dumbbells, or a few kettlebells, or a sandbag….you get the point, right?

You don’t need ALL of these tools, just one will be plenty fine, and a few more certainly will help, but they are not  a necessity.

I started back in my Dad’s garage with just a 300 lb. barbell set, I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about this before :)

Check out some footage from my early days in my garage. You can perform the burpee – power clean combo with a kettlebell, a pair of kettlebells, dumbbells, a sandbag or a barbell as shown.

Time for you to get busy with some training!

In Strength,

–Zach–

P.S. – Wanna get busy with these power Underground Strength methods? Go to http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com

P.P.S. – Come and get some Underground Strength Training in person, by attending the ass kicking Gladiator Strength Seminar, details are here: http://combatgrappler.com/html

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On a Hot Sunday Afternoon…

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I pulled up to the gym to drop off cases of water to find two of our most dedicated athletes doing extra workouts on their own. Strongman workouts, that is.

600 lb Tire flips, farmer walks with 220 lbs, log presses with 170 lbs, sled drags with 7 plates…..there was some serious intensity brewing at The Underground!

No one holding their hand, no one urging them to train extra hoping to motivate them to rise to the top.

This was great to see. These guys could have been at the beach or laying around being lazy. And sometimes these are good things, the body grows when resting. The mind needs rest as well. But, the point is these two boys took responsibility and action for wanting to achieve specific goals.

Action is key. Inspired action makes things happen very quickly. It is powerful, powerful stuff.

Success is in their hands, is it in yours?

In Strength,

–Zach–

P.S. -  Have you been on the cuff, wondering if you should take action? Do you want to learn from two ass kicking Coaches to take your personal fitness and / or your business to a new level? Then get busy and make it happen.

Click HERE to get in the doors of The Gladiator Strength Seminar with myself and Steve Maxwell….before the doors are shut.

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