Wanna see how I kill it on the grill?

Check out this vid, Martha Stewart got nothing on me!

If you’re a vegetarian don’t hate me

To each their own

If you want to compliment your caveman diet with some caveman / Gladiator style training, then click HERE and start killing it.

–Coach Z–

PS: Stay tuned and pay very close attention to a BIG, BIg announcement for a seminar I’ll be doing here in NJ. It’s my last bash of 08′, my November certification sold out and this seminar will VERY likely sell out in 24 hrs, I kid you not, it will sell out that FAST!

I was watching some old MMA fights on TV before and it was interesting to see the different physiques each fighter had as well as their level of conditioning: strength endurance, power endurance and overall conditioning.

The bodybuilder type fighters had very, very poor levels of conditioning. They started with a bang and gassed out quickly.

Some of them even got knocked out quickly.

Then there were those who looked rugged, lean and mean. I had seen some of their training and knew that it would deliver in results.

They may not have looked like the guys on the cover of muscle & fitness but man could these guys move with serious speed and they had levels of strength that seemed to never quit.

I used to be a bodybuilder so I remember the feeling of looking like a stud but not delivering on the performance end.

Too many people are missing the boat here and it’s time to change that.

Do you want to make that change?

In Strength,

–Zach–

P.S.- There are a few spots left for The Gladiator Strength Seminar. This will be a very small seminar, where you can expect the utmost undivided attention.

==> http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html

P.P.S. - Or, you can “spend” your dinero on a seminar filled with scientific, fancy jargon that confuses you and does little for delivering on training that works BIG time in the real world. Fancy talk from book smart gurus who do little in the way of training others with awesome levels of success, let alone training themselves.

It’s time you learned from those who walk the walk and talk the talk.

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–

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!

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

Short on time and low on equipment?

All you need is a dumbbell or a kettlebell.

Try this workout I cranked out the other day in my backyard!

I used an olympic dumbbell weighing 75 lbs. Pick a weight that works for you.

1) 1 arm snatch x 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

2) 1 arm push press x 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

** Try to switch arms on dumbbell movements without rest. For example, perform 5 reps per arm, then 4, then 3, then 2, then 1 each arm without ever placing the dumbbell down!

3) broad jumps across backyard 4 x 10 reps

If you don’t have a backyard, simply switch directions after each broad jump. This workout can be done in your bedroom, backyard, garage, basement and yes, even in a commercial gym.

Remember, dumbbell or kettlebell, it doesn’t matter!

You can get yourself damn strong using workouts that focus on dumbbells or kettlebells mixed in with powerful bodyweight training!

This workout oughtta last just under 15 minutes, but, if you really push the pace, who knows, you might finish this bad boy in under 10 minutes!

Go get em’!

In Strength,

–Zach–

P.S. - Stay tuned for my FREE gift coming soon

P.P.S. - I love having a few kettlebells under my deck in the backyard. Nothing like training in the fresh air, under the soon, and yes, as you know, sometimes under the moon and stars! These are the Kettlebells I reccomend: Click HERE.

Today, I feel like I have trained all day.

From the running of the hills with my daughter in her jogger, to a short yet powerful dumbbell workout in my backyard, to the unplanned full body work I did today at my Underground Strength Gymnasium.

Here’s what I did today with my buddy Grif.

Grif warmed up with 2 sets of sled drags and then began squatting. I didn’t plan on training but after his squats began the barbell forward lunge, so I decided to jump in.

We hit barbell forward lunges for 3 x 6 each leg.

next was a Kettlebell superset:

2A) double Kettlebell swings 2 x 6

2B) double Kettlebell cleans 2 x 6

I worked up to double 88 lb Kettlebells on my last superset.

After the Kettlebell work I hit one set on the sled and one set on the prowler.

People underestimate the power of unilateral leg work and Kettlebell training.

Unilateral leg training is awesome for lower body strength and adding muscle.

Kettlebell training is great for countless reasons, but for the superset I performed, we’re working grip, hitting the lower back and hamstrings heavily and developing tremendous hip and lower body power.

After the sled and prowler work I finished with 100 reps of bodyweight pushing exercises broken down like so:

push ups x 50 in a row

rest 60 seconds

push ups on parallel handles x 25

followed by 15 dips and 10 push ups on the gymnastics rings

Before I went home I hit 4 sets of mixed grip pull ups for 10 reps each and a few sets of power wheel roll outs for 6 reps each.

What a day and what a workout!

Feels good to grind out some serious training!

Most days I am waaaaay too busy for these workouts, but I was lucky and got them in today! REALLY lucky!

Now its your turn!

Go get em’! Attack whatever you do!

In Strength,

–Zach–

P.S. - If you like seeing these workouts, I post all our workouts on The Underground Forum on an almost daily basis! Click HERE and get in on the action!

I got myself 2 bad ass Kettlebells because the training will likely be at home now that we have our baby boy about to move in

Yes, I own a gym, but, I still love those backyard / outdoor workouts with all the freedom to sprint, jump, throw Kettlebells around, carry stones and who knows what else I’ll be doing with my Kettlebells and mother nature.

Without a doubt, one of the toughest complexes I have ever done is The Combat Complex using a 70 lb Kettlebell.

Check the video below and you’ll see what I mean!

Give that complex a shot with a moderate sized kettlebell. If you can hang, hit it for 2 sets! Let me know how it goes

In Strength,

–Z–

PS - Where did I snag my last 2 Kettlebells from? Right HERE. And I kid you not, these are the most bad ass Kettlebells I have ever wrapped my hands around. I freakin’ love these beasts!