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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Team Underground has been competing in Strongman Competitions held by Joe DeFranco since Day 1. I believe the first one was 4 years ago in the parking lot of Joe’s Gym. It was held after an Elite FTS Seminar where Jim Wendler & Dave Tate were present.

I still remember getting a 600 lb tire 3 or 4 days before the event so our guys could practice the tire flip. The tire was old and grimy and the guys couldn’t even grip the tire.

It was the beginning stages of The Underground Strength Gym being in a warehouse, after several years of being housed in my 2 car garage.

No one expected our athletes to do well as we were unknown to others. What others did NOT know was that my athletes were like a tightly knit unit of a Military Special Forces Team. They had gone through Hellish Underground Workouts in my garage, backyard and at a school field down the road from my house.

I still recall the spectators at the first strongman competition asking, “Who the hell is Underground?!?!”

That first Strongman Competition was an epic day and one that I still remember as if it just happened 2 minutes ago, where one of our athletes, “Curls”, had to compete against Adam “Trigs” Triglia in an overtime finale with a prowler race for the high school division crown.

Trigs won by a mere fraction of a second and it would spur Curls to go on and win the next TWO strongman competition titles hosted by Joe DeFranco.

From chubby slow poke as a kid to the world’s strongest college athlete it was a helluva ride. I try to explain to my athletes often that this chokes me up and makes me proud as all heck, but I still see nerves in their eyes every time I talk to them about what I want them to do and the high expectations I have of them.

This year, as we prepped for The World’s Strongest Athlete my nerves were running more than ever. With our college guys coming back to The Underground with nagging injuries and crazy work schedules we had to work around LOTS of injuries, strange time schedules and I had to rebuild these warriors.

We used lots of Eischen’s Yoga & soft tissue work to get the body’s back on track. Strongman training was actually VERY low volume and we focused on Kettlebells, Bodyweight and Muscle Building movements.

Several weeks our from this year’s WSA competition, my former students from Elementary School, Curls & Coop, stood nervous as we went over workouts, expectations, nutrition and MORE expectations. I got a bit choked up as I looked back to how fast time had gone.

It seemed like yesterday that these two boys were in 4th grade and we still bring back our memories of Curls rapping in 4th grade math class using Football touchdowns and field goals to help the class memorize their times tables.

Coop still remembers getting in trouble with me and sitting out after performing a death defying head spring off the vault during while I was teaching Gymnastics.

Curls remembers being slower than everyone else and getting tagged first in every game.

I remember those days like yesterday and after the WSA was over, I had this clear vision in my head of these boys still being scared and nervous every time I spoke to them. I realized we had only 1 more year of competition ahead and that as a TEAM, we had seen each other change and grow.

The boys growing from elementary school to high school stand out Football players, and today, the standouts of their college Football team. Myself, a teacher and wrestling coach and today the owner of The Underground Strength Gym.

Last year, our top athletes represented BIG time at The World’s Strongest Athlete. Curls took 1st in the college division, T Woods 3rd in high school and Kevin Kelly, a NJ State Trooper took 2nd losing the entire event by a mere half second.

It was a stressful day of events this year, with our high school Beast, T Woods, going through a repeat battle as Curls did when he was in high school. The first Prowler Race was so close we had to go into Double Overtime where Pat Cole edged out T Woods for the title. I didn’t get as much video footage as I wanted as I was too nervous pacing the floors of the event watching all our athletes compete.

T Woods had just finished a whirl wind 2 weeks as he was in full blown Football practice for the Snapple Bowl, a Football Game that pits the best players of Middlesex County VS Union County and you can see the reporters were BIG time impressed with his presence on the field HERE.

When Travis began training at The Underground, in the garage, he was training alone, in a corner almost, as he was too weak to deadlift more than 185 lbs without rounding his back.

On the other side of the garage was Curls & Coop, deadlifting 500 + lbs and motivating Travis to that next level. T Woods went from 160 lbs to 220 + lbs and is heading off to play college ball.

Check the highlight below and you’ll see how tough this event was and why I am so proud of the athletes who represented from The Underground Strength Gym.

Before the day was over I was PROUD of my crew for representing BIG time in more ways than one. They competed with every ounce of strength they had to raise funds and be strong for The MS Society as all funds were donated to MS.

The crew was ready for the next step and that was to prepare for their next season. They ALL showed up Monday ready to train again. Dedication. Commitment.

Although we battle for 1st place during this competition, our crew and DeFranco’s crew have become brothers through the years. It’s been an awesome journey watching our high school athletes grow into college athletes and now on the verge of graduation they’ll be heading into the work force.

I believe these are THE kids who can bring the economy back on it’s feet as they are warriors, they understand how to get results and don’t fear the hard work, sacrifice and commitment necessary to become a BIG success.

What these boys have learned in the weight room has made them better MEN.

And, because of these times and these athletes, I too am a better man.

I am grateful and honored.

Lead from the FRONT.

–Z–

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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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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 had a kick ass workout last night. This is Part I, stay tuned for Part II.

But check it out, movin’ some heavy weight and plenty more to come!

Got questions, thoughts or comments?

Drop a comment below and let’s hear it!

Looking forward to your comments!

Lead from the FRONT!

–Z–

Recommended Resources:

The Underground Strength System

Underground Strength Coach 30 Day Trial

The Underground Biz Journal

THE Kick Ass Seminar

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“Kick Ass & Take Names in Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness”

The quote above is something that is ALWAYS running through my head and something I wholeheartedly believe in.

I believe life should be lived the way you want it to and that there is NOTHING wrong with going for your dreams and living life on your own terms, NO need to follow the rules of others or conform to what others believe to be right or wrong.

Normal People achieve normal success and live normal lives.

YES, Kicking Ass in Life & the Pursuit of Happiness is easier said then done, especially when you are in my OLD shoes and you are preparing to leave behind a full time job with a pay scale just shy of 6 figures, full health benefits and a pension all lined up. Even tougher when you’re a family man and you are the only source of income.

But, I had prepped and educated myself beyond belief. This is what people simply do NOT see. My book shelves are piled high as are my closets overflowing with books, DVDs and Audio CDs on how to run a Kick Ass Business and Live a Kick Ass Life.

The dollars invested in mentors, coaches and seminars are sky high yet ALL worth every cent invested. Notice I use the word “invested” and not “spent”. BIG difference.

No, these books I have are NOT handbooks, BUT, collectively, between all the education materials and seminars, they ALL played small roles in helping me make it to the Kick Ass Life I live today. For some, the road is easier. Everyone will have a different path towards kicking ass in life.

It differs if you are a family man or a single man.

It differs on your past and your state of mind.

Mindset is HUGE when it comes to your success. Remember, normal people achieve normal success.

I still remember the first day I sold an e book, it was $ 19.95 I believe, and I was a 5th or 6th year teacher.

My plans were to get my PhD and follow my TWO passions, teaching and training. I already had a Masters Degree and was almost finished with my Supervisors Certificate. But, I stopped going for my Supervisor’s certificate as I saw how my growth would be limited to the attitude of the administration and I wanted to remove any and all limitations from achieving my goals.

As my teaching career grew, the town I worked for began to go downhill. MORE paper work and LESS benefit for the kids in Health & Physical Education. The focus was ALL wrong and there was NO fun in it. The teachers around me walked around depressed, upset and the bad energy was draining me BIG time.

The countless excuses that parents made for lazy or rude kids and the lack of growth and forward thinking in teaching turned me off. I was less fulfilled and was BIG time disappointed because my first few years of teaching were amazing! I loved waking up every day and loved doing what I did.

I didn’t want to let that feeling go and I knew I had to be in control of life going this way. It was gonna take BALLS to make this happen.

As the years passed and administration changed as did the kids and parents (as you KNOW, I have a VERY hard time working with people who have excuses, are rude, lazy or dishonest) I became disappointed with my career and wanted more in life but most of all, I began to worry that I was not setting the example for my kids.

What would I be able to tell them if they wanted to make BIG dreams become reality and there I was, living and working in the same town I grew up in. Playing it safe. Being normal.

I didn’t want them to follow my foot steps. I wanted to show them how greatness and happiness can be achieved by Leading from the FRONT!

I wanted happiness for my family and for myself.

I wanted to pursue my dreams and live my dreams NOT dream my life.

The first Mentor who got me thinking about lifestyle design, creating a business to help me create the perfect life and living life according to my own rules was Alwyn Cosgrove (aka, Uncle AC).

In fact, to this day, when Uncle AC and I chat it always ends up being about lifestyle design and running my business according to THE rules that dictate lifestyle design. Things like turning down flying and traveling around the world meant saying “Yes” to someone else which automatically meant saying “No” to my family.

Sure, I was and DO leave a lot of money on the table but that doesn’t matter, you don’t always need the money you think you need to live the lifestyle you want. Tim Ferriss ALWAYS talks about this.

I had gone through enough hardship with my family during my days of teaching combined with running my Underground Strength Gym AND an internet business that I reached a breaking point and never wanted to go through it again. In addition, I heard enough stories of other men experiencing this same thing and I wanted to help them avoid this pain.

I had a VERY clear goal in my head of what the perfect day looked like, and EVERY time I consulted with a Business Coach, it always came back to what did I want to do and how the perfect day looked like.

Heck, I still remember one of my Coaches telling me I should say F**k it, and go ahead and train some rich housewives just to get the ball rolling. He was SHOCKED when I told him there is NO way I would do it. I explained to him the pain involved with doing something that I am not passionate about and how it can literally kill me.

He encouraged me to do it for just a lil’ while, only short term…… I said “NO.”

You see, I’ve been through enough shitty times in my life that it has scarred me to the point where I REFUSE to go back and refuse to lose through those time EVER again.

Sure, you will deal with haters who are jealous of your success and you deal with changes in your relationships with people because they will tell you to be safe and don’t let go of that job because of your health insurance, bla bla bla

It’s AMAZING that people stick it out in a job that makes them miserable because of health insurance. Can you imagine living life miserable all because some shitty job gave you health insurance??!!

In life, ya gotta have BALLS, and this is literally spoken, so women can have “balls” in this instance as well

Why spend 20, 25 or even MORE years of your life being miserable?

There is NOTHING wrong with kicking ass and taking names in life and the pursuit of happiness.

This is where sh*t gets tough because people will try to bring you down to “normal-ness”.

Haters will come out and try to bring you down so they can build themselves UP. HAHAHAHA, F**K them

Time to for YOU to Kick Ass & Take Names in Life & The Pursuit of Happiness.

Lead from the FRONT.

–Z–

PS: Mark your calendar for October 1st & 2nd. Go HERE and sign up for the Early Bird Invite.

** Note: Availability will be VERY limited to this event AND USC Coaches will get early invitations. **

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Before the internet, the world of strength and serious bodybuilding was in it’s very own little world.

A small culture of people who shocked the rest of the world for doing what they did:

- Lifting HEAVY and straining the body

- Eating like Gladiators

- Transforming their body / Growing Muscles that stretched shirts

- The ability to perform feats of strength

Well, after this weekend’s USC Cert, we had a few guys in attendance who were in their 20s and they had never seen the movie,’Pumping Iron’ with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I spoke of Franco Columbo deadlifting a small car (in the video below) and how the bodybuilders from back in the 70s were more of a hyrbid power-bodybuilder because they lifted so heavy.

They also were BIG proponents of bodyweight exercises performed in high volume and / or with LOTS of added weight.

Arnold would perform back workouts by performing mixed grip pull ups until he could NO longer hold onto the bar!

Other times it would 5 sets each of chin ups, behind the neck chin ups and close grip chin ups.

When is the last time you saw anyone cranking out 15 sets of pull ups?

There is a man who I would consider “Strong as Hell” by the name of Marvin Eder, who was known for his astonishing strength back in the 50s and 60s and still, TODAY is known around the world in the circles of strength and bodybuilding, NOT just his astonishing strength in exercises such as dips and chins, but his strength in the powerlifts and the military press.

He weighed under 200 lbs yet would perform parallel bar dips with 2 men, each hanging from his legs.

His workouts motivate me to consider 100 dips my warm up, NOT a workout.

Marvin could also squat 500 plus pounds for 10 deep reps and had a bench press over 500 lbs as well.

This reminds me: I am NOT strong enough and have LOTS of work to do ahead of me.

What about you, are you strong enough yet?

Are you satisfied with your strength in the below movements?

- Squat

- Deadlift

- Strict Press

- Dips

- Chin Ups

I’m gonna be hitting a playground workout shortly, and at The Underground Strength Gym later tonight I’ll be squatting and deadlifting.

Today’s Morning workout will be tons of push ups, pull ups and dips.

Evening has Squats and Deads on the agenda.

I’m pretty fired up, motivated MORE than ever to be stronger than ever. I’m ALWAYS chasing the pain AND new found levels of strength.

In life, you gotta have BIG things to go after, BIG goals to attack. Starting my day at The Underground at 3 o’clock I’ll be training Rutgers Wrestling Team today as well.

I am excited to see the damage they’re going to be dishing out on their competition as they get stronger and more exposive training at The Underground Strength Gym, and, we’ll be blasting their conditioning levels
to a whole new level.

Once again….

All this talk of Marvin Eder and the men of amazing strength reminds me:

I am NOT strong enough and have LOTS of work to do ahead of me.

What about you, are you strong enough yet?

Lead from the front.

–Z–

PS: One of THE most impressive and influential books I have ever come across in the world of developing FREAK Strength has to be the one I picked up from Marty Gallagher, below, GET it HERE.

Of course, only if you’re NOT strong enough.

This Book blew me away.

Time to train!

PPS: Here are a few of my Critical Web Sites for SERIOUS Lifters and Coaches:

Underground Business Journal

http://GetWrestlingStrength.com

http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com

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Years ago, when I was training wrestlers from my backyard, garage and at beat up, run down playgrounds, something inspired me to step it up a notch. Ironically, it came from a tire yard in Edison, NJ that I would drive by on a regular basis.

Finally, I stopped in the office if the tire yard to see if I could get behind their massive fences and get some training in.

Watch the video below and you’ll see exactly how The Underground Strength Gym began to come to fruition.

That day inspired me BIG time and it was a regular weekend for me to show up at the tire yard with some coffee and bagels for the guys in exchange for them to pull down a tractor tire or two for me.

This gave me a solid 45 minute workout which consisted of calisthenics as a warm up and then rep after rep of tire flips. My first few workouts at the tire yard left me aching for days, but it was a good ache

During the week I trained with powerlifting, Russian Kettlebells, sled dragging, truck pushing, bodyweight workouts and golden era type bodybuilding workouts.

The workouts took place in my garage, backyard or those run down playground I speak of so often. I didn’t make excuses for not having the right equipment or the right facility to train out of.

I created a Blog loooong ago, it still stands, heck, you can even go back and see some REALLY old Underground Workouts dating back to 2005 by clicking HERE.

I found a way to create success and to this day that is something I am always able to do. NO excuses, just going out and making it happen, whatever it is I want it to be, it happens.

In life, that’s the way YOU must roll. If not, you simply become the hunted, which I have spoken about so very often through my e mails. I prefer to be the Hunter, how about you?

Excuses are for the weak.

If you want to kick ass in training or start your own business or improve your life, it’s time to stop whining and start doing.

Lead from the FRONT.

–Z–

Recommended Resources:

Zach’s Tough Minded Business Newsletter

Underground Strength Coach 30 Day Trial

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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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Thursday night I was at a wrestling benefit in NYC on the Intrepid, an old aircraft carrier turned into a monster museum and Ball room.

The night was straight up AWESOME!

Before I move on, check out some of the videos from the wrestling that took place on the flight deck under the stars of NYC with the NYC skyline in the background. Oh yea, plus there were old fighter planes on deck all around us while world champion wrestlers banged heads and went at it!

It was amazing! The wrestling was VERY physical and that is ALWAYS great to see!

NOT shocking to me, many of these former wrestlers who were supporters of this fundraiser, called Beat the Streets, are now successful men in their line of work, many business owners or entrepreneurs of some sort.

The Wrestlers at the fundraiser were not just young wrestlers, but those who had been active in the sport several decades ago including Olympians from as far back as the 60’s! There were MANY millionaires in that room and coming from a wrestling background instills in you exactly how you need to work to accomplish BIG goals.

Wresting breeds a different type of man, that’s for sure.

Now…… onto the “Ugly Green Monster”….

I was talking to a friend of mine, a fellow wrestler and Business man, and we were talking about the training footage I offer you guys on my blog and at http://GetWrestlingStrength.com

And let me preface this….

What I’m about to say is NOT just for wrestlers, so don’t shut off your thinking cap and be close minded because I mentioned the word “wrestler”. This applies to ALL who want to kick ass in ALL areas of life.

Open your mind for this and remember, training is as much, if not, MORE mental then it is physical.

We spoke about how scientific based workouts aren’t always the best thing for a wrestler or ANY athlete fro that matter.

We spoke about “Facing the UGLY Green Monster” which in a nut shell means, going through hellish workouts.

Have you ever experienced that type of workout, where you go through hell and back to make it through a workout and it makes you MENTALLY tougher and nastier, not just for the moment, but for life?

It’s the workout that you NEVER forget because it was so brutal.

Sure, a wrestler needs to have all those physical traits I speak of so often:

- strength endurance

- speed endurance

- high octane conditioning

But, wrestlers and combat athletes in general NEED to go through a beat down every so often so they can get tougher and nastier. Being optimally trained won’t count for much if the mind is not ready and willing to go through a battle.

Check out some footage of The Blair Wrestling Team going through a hellish workout at The Underground.

And in the REAL world, there are plenty of athletic events that don’t go as planned and push the athlete beyond anything he imagined, so if the mind is ready, the body will follow suit.

These workouts certainly bend the rules: The technique might be a little off, the workout might not look pretty, but the athlete will begin to Think & FEEL like an animal because of the hell he went through in training.

When Coach Reeve told me he did 500 push ups the morning he won a state title in wrestling, I KNEW that according to science, this was NOT a good thing, but mentally, it gave him the edge over his competition and it made him MORE of animal than anyone else. In turn, Coach Reeve KNEW he was that much more of a Bad Ass compared to his opponent.

That mental edge is priceless!

If you’re just lifting to look good, then I’m the wrong Dude to be seeking out for information because that’s NOT what I’m about.

I’m here to turn you into an Animal in ALL areas of your life. It is NO shock that my ability to commit to success in all endeavors of my life come from my experiences of going through hellish workouts.

I NEVER wanted to lose my mental edge. NEVER.

If you’re like me and you fear losing the edge, that means you’re gonna through hell during some of these workouts. We can’t keep the mind in such a state by training the way “normal” people train.

You’re either with me or you’re not.

Decide right NOW.

Lead from the FRONT.

–Z–

PS: A blend of science and a blend of going through Hell.

Most will be too scared. But….Some of you will live and breathe by this style of training AND living.

If you’re ready, then step up and go through The Underground Strength System

PPS: New FaceBook Fan Page, please check it out:

===>  http://www.facebook.com/ZachEvenEsh

Recommended Resources:

Get Wrestling Strength

Underground Strength Coach Trial

Underground Strength System

Kettlebells for Combat

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