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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There are TOO many excuse makers out there.

Age tends to get the blame most often, or is it time that gets the blame?

Check this video below of Laird Hamilton and then read on with me….

Laird Hamilton has not allowed age to limit him, and since following him as a kid, I have noticed that he has only become stronger and better at everything he does. NO Excuses.

35 is around the corner for me, and I have changed things up to keep me “under the bar” where as most men I run into make excuses to keep their ass on the couch. The male species is becoming weaker and weaker and I see way too many following suit.

Heck, even kids nowadays are following suit. They sit on their ass all day and show less and less willingness to become a Warrior. With weak parents how can we expect the kids to have the desire for strength in mind and body?
This is why it’s always refreshing to me to work with wrestlers, they chase the pain and desire to be a Warrior. Certainly not the norm nowadays!

I’m sure you’ve run into those “men” who are glued to the couch – I can’t believe we just gave them the honor of being considered “men”.

Being a warrior you tend to wanna listen to your mind rather than your body, so even when you need to back off you still go balls to the wall with your workouts. Backing off takes mental discipline, so I have made many changes to my way of life, my training and my nutrition since I have gotten older, but none of them hold me back from being STRONGER as a Man!

As Bruce Lee said, “Absorb what is useful, discard what is not.”

My Changes:

1) 2 or 3 Intense workouts each week + 2 or 3 bodyweight workouts each week.

2) More variety in my training implements and NO machines: more kettlebells, more bodyweight, more dumbbells, more sandbags

3) Less loading of the spine via back squats and deadlifts

4) More soft tissue / recovery work

5) Less red meat, more fish, veggies & fruits

6) More movement / athletic training: sprinting, swimming, surfing, skateboarding, trail runs, mountain biking

7) More intuitive training: Remember, I’m a “Soul Lifter” – I simply love to lift and move so the rules of program design are completely modified for my own instincts

If you look at the above, in essence, I am becoming a kid again.

Less structure, more “playing” and movement and more overall athleticism. Being big without the ability to move or play with my kids is of NO use to me.

A smart man will adapt and adjust to his own needs and will not copy me.

A Man of NO Excuses will continue to train and go through the battle and still find a way for intensity. If you’re getting injured or feeling mental burn out this is your body’s way of sending you messages to back off, change it up but DON’T Stop altogether.

Always find a way to blaze a trial.

NEVER allow yourself to become the guy who tells a younger man, “I used to be just like you…..”

NO Excuses.

Shut the F**K Up and Make it Happen. Period.

Lead from the FRONT.

–Z–

PS: Here’s where I give the blue print on how I “Make it Happen”. NO Excuses, this is the REAL Deal inside my life of lifting AND living:

==> Underground Strength Coach Trial

PPS: New Web Site, please check it out & share with as many kick ass peeps you know!!!

===>  http://GetWrestlingStrength.com

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I get tons of e mails asking me what to do with regards to starting their own warehouse gym and getting that kick ass vibe happening.

I wrote a HARSH article on Running a Warehouse Gym and pissed off many people in the process.

There is NO simple answer to exactly how to do it. But, there are certainly a few tips I can dish out.

- Be patient, yet Hustle your ass off! Success will not happen overnight, but, EVERY DAY you need to do at least ONE proactive thing to improve your training knowledge, business knowledge AND market your program.

This means you need to be in the trenches training yourself. You need to study the best business models out there so you can learn from those who have blazed a trail ahead of you. You need to connect with people and offer 100 times the value of anyone else so people start learning who you are, what you do and how you can help them.

NOTE: MOST people don’t hustle for jack sh*t. I had a guy attend one of my USC Certifications almost 1 year ago and only now he is starting to connect with local schools, youth sporting leagues, etc. Who needs to wait a year to take action? REMEMBER…I said EVERY DAY, not every 9 months!!

People FEAR working, not just in the Strength Coach Biz but in countless arenas. If you are ready and willing to outwork others you are MILES ahead of the rest.

Invest in your Education – You must soak up tons of knowledge and this means it costs money. When I attended Tony Robbins’ live event it was life changing! It wasn’t free, nor was it cheap. It was over $ 1,000. And it was expensive for a reason….. it was F**ING AWESOME!

I payed BIG Bucks for lunch with Gary Vaynerchuk. We did NOT eat lunch. We sat in a Taco Bell for 1 hour and went ballistic mapping out EXACTLY what I wanna do with my life and how to go about getting “IT”.

I needed clarity and I wanted to learn from people who were BIG time passionate about what they were doing and created a life from it.

Prepare for HATERS & Thieves- People will be PISSED at you for being successful. That is the straight up truth. Get thick skin, REALLY thick skin and learn to say “F**k You” to all the haters. Even your “friends” will hate you for being successful.

Some people who used to be my “friends” are long gone, pissed at me for kicking ass.

Others go to my web site and copy graphics and anything else they feel like cutting and pasting.

In the end, you’ll count your friends on your hand, maybe 2 hands… that’s a BIG MAYBE.

I work so freakin’ fast that the copy cats can’t even keep up with me.

Rules – Don’t let others dictate the rules of your gym. If I have someone slackin’ at my gym, I let them know. If the slacking continues, I remind them and talk with their parents. If no improvement is found, we remove them from the program.

I ALWAYS loved hardcore gyms and I hated it when there was a bad apple in there who spoiled the energy or interrupted the intensity. But, I had NO authority to get rid of them because I was simply a member.

If I had a sh*tty training partner I gave them the boot.

Owning your own Warehouse Gym allows you to make the Rules. Don’t be afraid to make the rules.

Train ONLY Who You Want to Train – If you don’t like training house wives, DON”T do it. Find a way to maximize how to train athletes. It’s tough, and even tougher if you sit around hoping they will come knocking on your door begging them to be trained.

I have told countless aspiring Strength Coaches to write down 10 people / places to connect with so they could allow those people to explore their gym, get a trial, give a FREE hands on seminar, etc.

Then, you take action with those TEN people / places. How many take action with 5 of these, let alone 10 of them? Less than 5 percent?

Regardless of you being a Strength Coach or not, you will dig these Videos below, from our April USC Certification, next one is in JUNE!

Till the next time….

Lead from the FRONT!

–Z–

Recommended Resources:

Underground Strength Coach Certification

Underground Strength Coach Trial

Underground Strength System

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After 3 hours of training ALL of us Broke Personal Records in the Deadlift.

NO Science, NO Bull Shit and NO Excuses.

Watch and Learn!

What else can I say?

I LOVE to lift and LOVE to be around motivated BEASTS.

Drop a comment with your thoughts, psyched to hear about what helps YOU break records!

Lead from the FRONT!

–Z–

Recommended Resources:

Training for Warriors

BEAST Strength

Get Wrestling Strength

Underground Strength Coach Certification

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I’ve become stronger in mind AND body since becoming a Dad. Something about being a family man pushes me and other Dads to become stronger than ever before.

Not all Dads do this, some fall off the wagon and become lazy, fat pieces of sh*t and have a million and one excuses as to why they have become weak.

In fact, it has happened countless times, where some fat ass Dad says to me, “I used to look like you. Then I got married, had kids….. You’ll see, it’ll happen to you.”

The fact of the matter is, NO ONE is just like me. I’ve gotten up well before the sun was shining to lift heavy weights, or, have stayed up till midnight to get in a lift. I don’t make excuses, I make things happen.

Check out a select few Deadly Dads Deadliftin. We ain’t your ordinary crew of Dads, that’s for damn sure!

If you’re a Deadly Dad, drop a comment below and tell us why you continue to be a BEAST!

Lead from the FRONT!

–Z–

Recommended Resources:

Underground Strength Coach Certification

Training for Warriors – THE Books!

Man of Steel Challenge

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Martin Rooney and I talk about what life is like as a Strength Coach and give you a preview of what’s about to go down with “The Human Crane”.

Check the video and pay attention….

When I saw Martin box squat 405 for the easy reps it made me re-think and realize the carry over his training has towards his absolute strength.

I’ve seen Martin Bench Press 315 for a solid 6 reps and he weighs around 200 lbs, lean and mean.

The regular practice of sprints and bodyweight training have had a tremendous carry over to his strength, and these are NOT just my observations only. Martin told me that from doing all his push up variations and other challenging bodyweight movements so often they have a tremendous carry over to his powerlifting.

I have experienced the same effect so NEVER neglect the importance of attacking and mastering the challenging bodyweight exercises.

Lead from the FRONT or get the Hell out of the Way!

–Z–

Recommended Resources:

Training for Warriors Books & Workouts

Bodyweight University

Underground Strength Coach Certification

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Mike Medrano was BIG time impressive while training and he unleashed some awesome info about his own life through cross training and how he trained The Yeshiva Wrestling team to national victory through the use of bodyweight workouts.

Pay attention, because Mike drops GOLD!

I also peaked through Martin’s NEW book and the info is mind boggling.

I am fired up just thinking about getting the book in the mail, which you can get on pre order HERE, for 50% off. It’s valued, in my opinion, at least 100 times more than the asking price of $19 and change

Comments on cross training and the above videos, please add your thoughts below.

Lead from the FRONT!

–Z–

Reccomended Resources:

Training for Warriors Books and Videos

Underground Strength Coach Certification

Kettlebells for Combat DVD Kit

Training for Warriors Road Trip and The Books!

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Listen how these MMA fighters think AND feel while working out and how they put themselves in uncomfortable situations while training to prep not just the body, but also the mind, for the war that will be ahead of them, inside the octagon!

Yes, the barbells were very light, but the pace was brutal, and this is AFTER the warm up, which would crush most people with all the warrior bodyweight exercises and the sprinting.

Drop a comment below.

Lead from the FRONT!

–Z–

Reccomended Resources:

June, USC Certification

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Martin gave me a little taste of a simple Hurricane Workout as his fighters were close to fight night.

I test drove 1 round of the Hurricane and it was rough, even with the light weights.

Running on a treadmill felt a bit awkward as I am used to hills, streets, grass and trails.

Look how calm these guys stay during the intense training and watch me get my ass kicked

Many have asked about Martin’s protocols for training MMA fighters and other combat athletes. Obviously, to describe it in a Blog post is impossible.

Those who are serious and hungry to learn will invest in his books, listed below.

Drop a comment below with your questions and thoughts, looking forward to hearing about your training experiences.

Lead from the FRONT.

–Z–

Recommended Resources:

June, Underground Strength Coach Certification

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