Last night I had my friends over to watch The UFC fights. It’s actually rare that I stay up so late to watch the fights.It’s more common for me to be asleep between 10:30 and 11 PM nowadays.

I used to ALWAYS watch The UFC main events AND PRIDE Fighting. Who remember Pride held from Japan? Damn those fights were amazing!

I was psyched to see Frankie Edgar defend his title against The Prodigy, BJ Penn. BJ is a straight up animal and his long list of accomplishments is undeniable. BJ Penn’s intensity is awe inspiring and his skills are freakish, hence, why he is called the Prodigy.

BJ’s new training for strength, conditioning and overall performance as of a year or two ago took on a new role, from Marv Marinovich, and if you’ve been around for a while, Marv’s son, Todd Marinovich was a high level collegiate QB back in the day who was being trained by Dr. Yessis with Russian Methodologies specialized for the role of a Football QB, VERY sports specific. I believe this has influenced Marv’s training system for BJ with lots of plyo training, nervous system training and balance work. Check it below for a little insight into how BJ Penn now trains.

I expected a battle for 5 rounds. I have seen Frankie fight and know of his training methods….. Frankie Edgar does NOT get tired. It’s scary to see such a machine. Frankie gets in his wrestling workouts with The Rutgers Wrecking Crew, and, from my inside sources, he NEVER rests and never sits down when live wrestling against these college animals…… he keeps going and going and going….banging heads with one fresh wrestler after another.

His intensity is second to none. You don’t become the world champ by taking it easy. Then again, do you get anywhere good by taking it easy? No matter what BS story someone tries to sell you, becoming an ass kicker at any endeavor always required some sort of hard work, sacrifice and commitment. ALWAYS.

See Frankie in training below with Martin Rooney:

There are certain things about Frankie that shock, awe and inspire me. You can Learn from THESE:

- The dude seems immune to punishment and pain. He gets hit, he keeps charging. Nothing stops him. When you get hit or run into a stumbling block, how do you react?

- He NEVER stops moving, his energy is endless, he has a TRUE relentless attack. That’s how life should be lived. Leave NOTHING on the table, go for everything, why settle for anything less than your best. This is how you leave behind a legacy for family, friends and all others to be motivated from your actions. Winning is an internal game. You can sometimes win by points on the score board, but, if you didn’t leave it ALL out in the open, and honestly give your 100% best, then have you truly won?

- He’s a Jersey Wrestler. He has that relentless attack, relentless movement and doesn’t like being held down. A few times BJ Penn got a hold of Frankie, he just could NOT be held down. Frankie was a top state and national level wrestler through high school and college. He put in the work. NOT everyone is willing to put in the work necessary to become a champion. Do you wake up early, stay up late, do what others do NOT ask of you? If you always need a Coach giving you motivation and can’t pull it out of yourself, you will NOT become a champion.

- He drinks Jersey Water. There is “something special” in Jersey Water…. and the air…. Jersey Shore air is better than breathing in The NJ Turnpike air, I can assure you

- He has trained with my bruddahs, Uncle Mike, The Milkman and Martin Rooney. These 3 guys have handed me ass whoppins with their workouts unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. The three of them are BUSY and still remain deadly in their physical performance. ALL three are husbands, fathers, full time + plenty more hours of work. They ALL Lead from the FRONT. Do you Lead from the FRONT?

- Frankie is undeterred. It’s easy to be the younger guy psyched out by a fighter who is touted as one of the best pound for pound fighters to ever live. Don’t let others psyche you out or dictate what you can or can not do. Blaze your own path and get thick skin. Most people try to run their mouth in an effort to deter you or put fear in your eyes. This is where The F**K You Factor comes in. Put your head down and get to work. Charge FULL force.

- Frankie is focused and committed to training and his goals, NO excuses. Commitment and focus seem to be lacking in many people today, both in athletics and / or business. Many people talk of lofty goals yet very few are willing to do what it takes to make it happen. The excuses are rampant: too early, too late, no money, too busy….. In my opinion, there are too many Bull S**t excuses being spat out. It’s ALL or nothing, if you want to become a champion or a HUGE success at what you do there are NO excuses.

- Be in shape so you can be relentless, regardless of your sport. Sports specific training is fine and dandy, BUT, what about the ability to dominate on the practice field and in the real world. Being out of shape yet having first step quickness and a big vertical ain’t s**t compared to a warrior who has a relentless attack, never tires, falters or weakens. Mental toughness gets developed with workouts that often have little to do with science.

Train like a fighter, sports and life are often times a battle of will, prepare to WIN. Period.

Take action with what you’ve learned.

I’m fired UP after watching Jerzee BadAss, Frankie Edfar defend his title. Time to hit some sprints and Kettlebell Training in the backyard.

Lead from the Front!

–Z–

Recommended Resources:

Training for Warriors

Uncle Mike & The Milk Man

Underground Inner Circle 30 Day Trial

Convict Conditioning Workout

Martin Rooney Combat Readiness Audio Interview

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There are times when you think you’re training hard.

Soon, someone else comes along and pushed you outside your comfort zone. Suddenly you’re not as strong, as fast or as tough as you thought you were.

It’s happened to me and still does to this very day. But, this is why I do it. I need to keep my edge, I FEAR losing it. There are ALWAYS holes in your armor.

I’ve been exposed to plenty of new methods lately and some of them have busted me up. Some are me simply going back to where I started. Sometimes you need a reminder and sometimes you need to get your ass kicked.

7 Ways to Keep Your Edge and Become a Gladiator:

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Jason Ferruggia has been through the ringer, literally. He used to be a hardcore follower of Westside Barbell Methods, and, he got strong as hell doing so, as well as his athletes. I remember him telling me of his bench workouts with 315 for 12-15 reps for several sets!

But, with all those years under the bar comes great experience. And…. when the bar is HEAVY, you get banged up. If you’re smart, you adjust your training regime into something that works on a regular basis while consistently keeping you healthy.

Thus, the creation of BOTH Renegade Muscle Building and Triple Threat Muscle came to fruition.

Check out these 9 strength and muscle building tips from The Renegade Strength Coach, Jason Ferruggia:

1) To develop explosive power, start your workouts with some type of jump, throw or Olympic lift for 3-10 sets of 1-6 reps with adequate rest intervals

2) For maximal strength development use a big compound barbell lift and work up to a top end set of 1-5 reps, or even as high as eight for more advanced guys beginning a long cycle a la Ed Coan or Kirk Karwoski

3) For assistance work use as many bodyweight exercises as possible. Whenever you can move your own body through space, do it.

4) Also use a lot of odd objects and strongman type exercises to build real, functional strength

5) Deload every 4-8 weeks

6) Always strive for maximal stimulation with minimal joint stress

7) Hit it fast, heavy and hard… then get out. A good strength, size and power workout shouldn’t take more than 45 minutes, excluding the warm up.

Before you do something in the weight room always ask what the purpose is. Will it help you? How? If you can’t provide a good answer don’t do it.

9) Your workouts should always coincide with your goals. If your goal is to get freaky big and strong, you need to seriously consider adding in a ton of extra conditioning stuff at the end just for the heck of it or just because it’s fun. We all have limited recovery ability so you need to prioritize and do what’s important.

If you have any tips you wanna add, please drop them in the comment section below!

Looking forward to your feedback!

Lead from the FRONT!

–Z–

Recommended Resources:

Renegade Muscle Building

Triple Threat Muscle

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Nothing like being layed up in bed and feelin’ like absolute hell.

Makes you take a cold, hard look at MANY things with all the time on your hands. Time for soul searching.

For a LOOOONG time I been toying with the idea of removing animal products from my diet. When I was younger I didn’t feel sluggish after having steak or hamburger but in my mid 30s things are different. I want to feel better AND be healthier. I am a father of two amazing kids and I want to be around as long as possible to watch them grow and live fabulous lives.

A few months ago in NYC I met up with Jonny Hinds and he brought me to a friend’s restaurant, known for their meatball dish I had a small bowl and when I was done I felt heavy and sluggish. NOT good.

Read the rest of this entry »

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I’ve been to a LOT of wrestling clubs and worked with a LOT of wrestling teams.

I used to be shocked and even angered seeing how wrestlers were NOT performing ONE good push up: full range of motion, neck and entire body aligned, tight abs….

How the hell can a wrestler be unable to perform the bread and butter basic exercise that EVERY athlete should be cranking? The Great Dan Gable would lose his mind if he saw this.

Bodyweight Training is extremely powerful when implemented properly. We can’t argue with the strength, speed, power and athleticism of gymnasts. My buddy, Jonny Hinds always amazes me with his shocking strength and body control.

Every time I see an “inside look” of some prison on TV I can’t help but check it out to see if they reveal some inmates working out. Last week while on vacation I was flipping through the channels & caught a glimpse as they featured a prison and the guys were cranking handstand push ups with ease, push up variations with knee tucks (stuff I have used with my wrestlers) and prisoner squats, naturally.

Because I wanted to challenge ALL wrestlers I set up a simple challenge. It can be stepped up to a greater level for sure, so let’s say this challenge is Level I.

I came up with a small challenge for the wrestlers BUT it can be done for anyone, you don’t need to be a wrestler to go after this little bodyweight workout challenge. I prefer cranking this challenge AFTER some heavier work such as farmer walks, full body Kettlebell lifts such as snatches or clean and press, or even the basic deadlift.

Check out the video and drop a comment below with YOUR time

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Below is a lil’ compilation of various Football / Gridiron Gladiator Workouts.

From myself to my bruddah Joey DeFranco and Duane Carlisle.

Duane Carlisle is the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for The San Francisco 49ers.

Years ago, Duane had several locations of his OWN in NJ, not too far from Edison. I would listen to countless audio interviews with Duane, especially his speed, agility and conditioning work as my expertise was in getting them Strong as Hell.

Duane has given an inside look as to how he trains Football players with regards to Strength, Speed / Agility & Conditioning. You can pick it up HERE. If you snag Duane’s Total Football Training, e mail me your receipt and I’ll send you The BEAST Strength Program).

Check these Videos of Gridiron Gladiators in Training, Jerzee Style.

Now that you’re blood is pumpin’ it’s time for you to rip through some heavy weights and run some hills!

Lead from the FRONT

–Z–

Recommended Resources:

Duane Carlisle’s Total Football Training

Joe DeFranco’s Super Strength

Underground Strength Inner Circle 30 Day Trial

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After lifting for 21 years and having gone through quite the gamut of training methods, training tools, near death experiences and plenty of pain and pleasure mixed in I have learned quite a lot. I’ve learned quite a lot in regards to training AND life through these 2 decades.

1) I used to do my homework in the gym. I just wanted to be amongst the weights. If I opened one of my books in the classroom you would find FLEX magazine inside the book. I couldn’t get my mind off lifting and being in the gym.

2) I would cut school to record American Muscle Magazine on ESPN. The show would air at strange hours, catering to to the west coast bodybuilding scene. Sometimes the show aired at 3 AM so I would set my alarm in the middle of the night just to watch the show.

I would count down the days till the show and mark my calendar. The weeks I had to wait to catch the next episode seemed like years to me.

3) I used to watch The Lee Haney show on Sunday mornings at 8 AM.”Stimulate, Don’t Annihilate.” I would watch his workout tape before I trained at home when I was 13 years old! Hells Yea I bought that tape!

4) I read ‘Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder’ for 4 years straight while in high school, NEVER allowing the other kids to take the book out from the library so I kept renewing it. I feared they would learn the secrets of Arnold and catch up to me.

5) On family vacations I didn’t want to relax. I made my Dad drive around and find me a gym. They would often drop me off in the morning and pick me up SIX hours later!

6) On the way to the gym one day, at the age of 14, my brother was driving me there and I was meeting up with two of my idols, both former wrestlers from the high school team and two of the most Bad Ass Wrestlers I knew at the time. Instead of helping my brother I got out and ran down the highway to get to the gym.

7) By age 15 I KNEW I wanted to own my own gym. My Dad would drive me to ALL the gyms within a 1hr drive and I would meet with the owner and ask him questions about running a gym. My Dad always had the business mind and would ask them if they would sell the gym! haha

There was a small, hardcore gym in Perth Amboy, home of John Grimek. The owner was lazy and the place was a yellow building with a few light bulbs and tons of OLD equipment, YORK barbells, dumbbells and a crossover machine connected with rope rather than cable! I would have bought that gym but the owner burnt it down…… Pure accident of course, at least that’s what the paper said. Coulda been quite the gem if I got in there.

9) There was a gym for sale in Newark, in a scary area. It was called Pumps Gym and the owner was a welder. He welded EVERYTHING, all the dumbbells, barbells and he even MADE the machines. The Leg Press was the size of a Volkswagon Beetle.

The Power Rack musta been 11 or 12′ tall!! He was burnt out and wanted to sell it for 10 grand. I had 10 grand in the bank to buy a diamond engagement ring. I ALMOST bought the gym instead!! Instead of the gym, I married that girl and bought some old equipment from the guy

10) When I was in my early 20’s I traveled to California alone, to do some soul searching. I stayed with my older bros buddy from The Israeli Army. Every day I drove into Venice and Santa Monica to train on Venice Beach or at Gold’s Venice.

I ate at the Fire House every day and layed on the beach. I was hoping for some nostalgic feeling of Pumping Iron but it NEVER happened

I walked into World Gym and saw Joe Gold, Zabo and a few other GREATS from The Golden Era hanging out behind the front desk like the good ol’ days!

11) While in Santa Monica I walked by the ORIGINAL Gold’s Gym where Arnold and the boys used to train. And although it was just a BIG cement wall, I swear I could still hear Arnold talking and weights clanking as if it were 1975 all over again, the year I was born.

Last I heard some dude bought the original building and made it his house. Bastard.

12) I almost moved to Cali that summer and was ready to tell my parents to send me socks and underwear. I bailed and stayed in NJ ans regretted that for YEARS! It taught me to Man the F**K UP and be more of a risk taker. Now that I live 2 minutes from the beach I’m a happy man

13) I remember having a goal of squatting 225 for 50 reps. I hit 46 or so on my own and cranked the extra few with a spotter. That was FUN. Sometimes I wonder if my legs were so damn strong from doing Leg Presses!!??

14) I remember squatting 315 for 22 reps. I wanted to impress this hot girl at the gym but I was too shy to speak to her, imagine that. Figured I could catch her attention by squatting 315 for 20 + reps. She was ALWAYS at the gym when I was there. Except this time she showed up 10 minutes AFTER I did 22 reps with 315. The entire gym stopped to watch me, except for her.

15) I won the “Young Mr. Israel” contest when I was 18 with less than 2 weeks preparation. I was convinced to compete when I went to visit my Grandparents and the gym owner saw me. The competition was held inside an amphitheatre and the crowd was over 1,000 people watching!

The crowd was nuts and there 18 or 19 competitors in my weight class. I beat a kid from Russia to win the contest. I trained with a Navy SEAL and the gym owner, a former physical instructor for The Israeli Special Forces. Those 2 weeks of training were some of the most memorable days of my life!

16) When I was pumping up for Mr. Israel bodybuilding show it was in the basement. I retreated to a small back room and began churning out push ups with my feet elevated and my hands placed on 2 chairs for the extra stretch. Why did I do this? Because this is what Arnold did when he first came to America and competed in his first ever bodybuilding competition on American ground.

All the other kids were staring at me trying to figure out what secrets I had from America. After winning they all accused of me being on steroids and the Navy SEAL I was training with kind of flipped out. Kind of

17) I remember copying everything Vic Richards said in the magazines. It was common to find me doing things like:

- Squats for 2 hours

- Leg Press or Hack Squat for 2 hours

- Bench Press for 2 hours

18) I remember a kick ass, hardcore gym in my hometown that was packed with powerlifters and bodybuilders. The music was always loud as hell and everyone was lifting hard and heavy.

The owner sold his gym near the jersey shore, came back and painted all the brown equipment white and baby blue. The clientele cleared out like the plague was coming, the tape deck was removed (yes, it was THAT long ago) and eventually the gym shut down.

Shoulda stayed hard core. Period.

19) After years of trying to find a hardcore gym, as they were all either burned down, burnt our or sold out, I purchased a $ 99 300 lb barbell set from Costco. The training I had was f**ing awesome. I began purchasing odds and ends from E Bay, classified ads and Craigs List.

I was benching, power cleaning, deadlifting, floor pressing and shrugging.

The garage was freezing, literally. I purchased a space heater which did little to keep me warm. I wore 2 pairs of sweats, 3 – 4 sweat shirts, hats and gloves. I purchased a 2nd space heater, but when turned on, I shorted the entire house. My Dad wasn’t happy. I continued to train through mid December until I got sick for a full week and had to retreat back to a “regular” gym. F**K

20) The first time I ever saw Pumping Iron was when my friend’s Dad rented the movie for me. I didn’t leave the house and must have watched it over and over again until I had to go home. My friend’s Dad copied the VHS for me so I could watch it over and over again…. except this time at my house, haha

When the anniversary edition came out and all the lost footage was brought onto another DVD, I did the same thing. Spent ALL day watching that movie!!

21) There used to be an OLD School YMCA in Metuchen. All the equipment was by YORK and all the dumbbells were globe style or round heads. I would ride my bike there and barely make it home alive. I would try to ride my bike at other times push my bike.

Those days were THE BEST! I remember asking a landscaper if he had any water as I was pushing my bike home after killing myself with a leg workout copies straight out of ‘Arnold’s Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding’. The guys would always play AC / DC in the radio tape deck and this is the gym where some of my earliest articles about ‘NO Rules Training’ came from as some Beast named George was tearing up the YMCA weight room.

I have PLENTY more stories to tell, perhaps there will be a Part II.

Drop a comment with some of your memories and stories from lifting. Looking forward to reading them!

Lead from the FRONT!

–Z–

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Complexes are downright brutal. I use them with barbells, dumbbells, sandbags and kettlebells.

You can use them with stones as well. The bottom line is don’t be afraid to go heavy with complexes either.

They put on muscle AND improve conditioning, but, most people fear them because they are NASTY once you get going with them. Your muscles feel like they’re going to explode and your grip gets a helluva workout from the constant movement of the barbell in your hands.

Check out this video of some Dumbbell Complexes adding The Grip 4orce to make it even more challenging.

At least once a week you should be tossing in some form of a complex using any of the training tools:

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It was a Friday morning and I was supposed to train 4 wrestlers inside a wrestling club where I’ve got a small Underground Strength Club going down.

The doors were locked. It was time for Plan B.

This is what I thrive on: shitty conditions, no equipment, no gym….. this is how I began and this is where I was, all over again, 8 years later. I was in my element and a day like this brought me back to my roots.

You gotta go back to your roots no matter what you do or where you are in life. It reminds you to remain humble and focus on what is important.

Time to use the Black Berry. Google local elementary schools with hopes that they haven’t pussified themselves and torn down all playgrounds, monkey bars and anything else Underground. Nowadays, a kid falls off the monkey bars the school board get scared and tears down ALL playground equipment.

NO playing! NO running! NO climbing! NO living??!!!

Lucky for me, the cards were in my favor because this playground was OLD school and looked like old world Russia and something Fedor would be caught training at.

There was sand for wrestling on, poles for climbing and pushing and tables for jumping and press.

Hells Yea, this is MY world. OUR world. The world of Underground.

In this video you’ll see two Division 1 wrestlers and 2 high school wrestlers, one of which is an undefeated state champ as a pure freshman and a youth national champ. I FEAR these kids and that’s exactly what’s supposed to happen when trained properly.

Check these Animals in Training below….

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I’ve always been a BIG fan of Grip Strength and the countless benefits that come with bone crushing hand strength and jacked up forearms.

Check out this grip strength workout where I finished my upper body workout with.

And, below that video is a throwback, Episode 71 from The Underground Strength Show.

Here is what I want YOU to do.

Drop a comment with your favorite grip exercises or grip workout.

By the time we have a good 40 or 50 comments you will have a BOAT load of grip strength, hand strength and forearm exercises / workouts for you to add to your grip strength training arsenal.

Don’t forget to pick up your copy of Grip Experts – the compilation of information inside of this manual is BadAss.

Lead from the FRONT

–Z–

Recommended Resources:

Underground Kettlebells

Underground Inner Circle

Grip Experts

Sandbag Assault Workouts

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