Herschel Walker, wow, what a beast! I still remember to this day seeing a TV commercial of him sprinting with a tire strapped around his waist tied to a rope!

Underground Strength Training was alive and well long, long ago.

As you can see, he was NOT an excuse maker, he certainly did make due with his lack of “equipment” for strength training and he became one heck of a feared Football player!

He was also smart enough to partake in sprinting on the track & field team. This only made him a better Football player.

Smart athletes know to participate in a variety of movements, sports, athletics, etc. to optimize longevity and improve athleticism.

Kill it!

–Coach Z–

P.S. - Wanna see the ultimate in no frills strength training? This is what Herschel Walker woulda loved to have in his hands back when he was a competitive Football player! Click HERE to find out.

Are you a cellar dweller?

Do you train your garage, basement or in your beat up backyard?

Those are the places where some of the strongest men who ever lived have trained in.

Using a barbell, dumbbells and some bodyweight training. These old tools have been around since day 1, but damn, you can never be strong enough if you own these tools.

You can keep getting stronger, faster and bigger.

I miss those days of training in my garage. My next house will need a barn out back, so I can convert it into my own Underground Dungeon.

The barbells and dumbbells can be dropped. Chalk will be plenty. Climbing ropes will be hanging everywhere. Medicine balls will be flying as I through them and toss them as high as I can for power development.

Come on, you don’t need no stinkin’ gym membership, especially to those fancy, posh “gyms” called LA Fitness or Retro Fitness.

Want REAL Retro Fitness?

Then experience the 100 year old program that unleashes your inner animal right HERE!

Kill It!

–Coach Z–

P.S. - I added a celler dweller type DVD to The Russian Lion Deluxe Power Course. You’ll see some behind the scenes Underground Garage Training (it’s a special Bonus I never announced yet

Many years ago i found my way to Steve Maxwell’s web site. It was quite interesting, to see this renegade physical culturist creating his own style of training, following no rules, using what he had learned through decades of the martial arts and mastering his own body for training.

There were photos of him training with a pair of homemade kettlebells, they were silver and looked deadly! He was performing a bridge while pressing these two kettlebells.

I finally met Steve two years ago at the Ryan Lee Boot Camp and we chatted about grip training and grip strength, rope climbing and using kettlebells.

I was blown away to say the least.

Just yesterday, I shared the stage with Steve, as we co presented the Gladiator Seminar, which went from 10 AM - 6 PM with just a few short breaks for snacking and fluids. Want an amazing day it was and what an honor to learn from such an expert.

I was excited that I was able to teach Steve some new stuff! Who woulda known!

Lucky for you, we recorded every second, and that means this will be available for you to watch at home soon enough. I believe it came out to 7 or 8 tapes! That’s a boat load of info, and all the info was Steve and I cutting through the hype, showing ONLY what works, only what we use, no filler and no fluff.

After training with Steve, I am psyched even more so to hit the bodyweight training. I’ll be tearing up my backyard tonight with my power wheel and kettlebells.

Stay tuned for more stories from the Underground!

Kill it!

-Coach Z-

PS - I’ll be announcing the next USC cert soon. It’s coming, so be ready! Serious inquiries only, no cry babies, no whiners….I’m getting sick of those people

Yesterday I took a ride a to a tire yard, off in the back woods of a small town in NJ.

There were tires upon tires from all types of trucks, tractors and who the heck knows what else and where else.

I snagged a small tire around 300 lbs. or so. We needed something in between our 150 and 600 lb. tires.

The irony was that Kurt followed me to the tire yard with his Dad’s pick up truck. The same pick up truck we used 5 years ago to get my used gym equipment from a barn in NJ! I still remember that barn.

There were 5′ high piles of rusty deep dish ivanko and york plates, roosters roaming around, an old Harley Davidson motorcycle, bails of hay and a rusty pull up - dip bar combo.

I left with about one thousand pounds in 45, 35 and 25 lb weights plus the dip - pull up bar.

The Underground movement was beginning for me, it was the start of something BIG, something Bigger than I ever dreamt of, and, little did I know it would lead me to doing something I love for a living! Can’t beat that, can ya?

How many people do what they truly love for a living? Not too many, unfortunately.

What ever happened to the pursuit of happiness? Does that only begin at age 55 when you retire from your 9 - 5 job? Or is 6 am - 10 pm? Here on the East coast, people work like slaves, it’s insane.

I just spoke about this craziness with Jonny Hinds.

This is why I am taking two vacations this summer. I am pumped for both of them!

What’s insane is that everyone laughed when they saw the way I was training athletes - uisng tires, sandbags, old / used equipment, stones, playgrounds, etc.

Now I have a kick ass gym filled with those insane “training tools” and we can’t argue with these powerful results, that’s for sure!

Heck, give me a barbell, some dumbbells and I’ll take care of the rest with bodyweight - just watch and see the powerful results I’ll create!

What’s my point here? It’s two fold…

1) Do you have a passion or deep love for something? If so, make it happen by creating it into a business.

2) Training doesn’t have to be fancy, never should be if you want the real world results I always talk about.

It’s time you gave yourself the opportunity to make something big happen for you, don’t you agree?

In Strength,

–Coach Z–

P.S. - Get a head start and see how I roll, take advantage of my Elite Underground Membership site which gives you 24 - 7 access to me, or, get yourself The Underground Strength Training Kit and follow up with our Underground Strength Coach Certification or Apprentice Program.

P.P.S. - The world is yours if you choose to take such a path. Or, just follow that nice, safe, cushy route that everyone else takes.

Tonight, at 12 AM, EST I will close the doors for registration for the Gladiator Seminar with Steve Maxwell and myself.

This is going to be a super intimate seminar, with infinite hands on, personalized attention. I can easily say you will never find yourself in the company of such experts with so few around you to take advantage of.

Also, there has been an added bonus to the seminar attendees, raising the bonuses to $ 424 in value :)

You will also receive TWO FREE bonuses, worth ($ 424), that covers your cost of the seminar right there!: 1) The recorded DVD set of this seminar, which will likely be 5 - 7 DVD’s! ($ 297 value) 2) A FREE Year membership to http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com ($127 value) 

Got a great question today, one that applies to everyone, NOT just the ladies:

QUESTION: So Zach… Sounds like an Xcellent workout here is a question for you.   I am a 52 year young female fitness trainer….. I LOVE the USC training … I lay here with ice on my knees & hip after an intense KB sandbag & plyo bootcamp I participated in…

How can I keep up with Kids 10,20 ,30 years younger and should I continue  training this way ??? By the way, this intense working out is really the secret to looking young….  I look 15 years younger… I think I answered my own ?

Love your daily emails!

Lisa L.  / Gold’s Gym. SF, Ca.

Answer: Lisa, thanks for your question and thanks for the great comments

A workout should not leave you battered and bruised, requiring ice on the knees, hips, etc.

A workout should be challenging, yet not so brutal it interferes with your ADL’s (activities of daily living).

Unfortunately, many trainers out there do just that, they train. They train to smash you, kick your ass, put you down and make you hurt. And, some people like this stuff

A workout should make you stronger, improve power, improve work capacity / conditoning, etc.

I suggest you find a program that allows you to come home and feel like you don’t need the ice and took an ass whoopin’

Now, on the flip side, this should not be misinterpreted as the encouragement to take it easy. Everyone has their individual capabilities, and the smartest, healthiest individuals understand how to listen to their body and act accordingly. This is what gives you longevity and allows you to train for a lifetime.

This is also why I created my Underground Apprentice Program and The Underground Strength Coach Certification. All our athletes train with baseline programs and do not exceed certain intensities, volume, etc until we see they are physically and psychologically ready.

I actually had a friend who was going through these workouts, but, eventually, he said his body regressed in strength, muscularity, energy, etc.

It was constant dips, jumps, sprints, etc, always long workouts, never changing the volume, the intensity or anything else. Somedays he does only pull ups, other days hill sprints, other days he does a long workout, it all depends on how he feels.

In the end, the best way to train is according to the messages your body is sending you.

Today was a scheduled squat / deadlift day. I was beat up from Saturday’s strongman workout so I nixed the squat / deadlifts and went heavy on the sleds instead. I felt great and didn’t take my body to a point of no return.

Back when I was younger, that was fun, but, that’s what also got me injured.

Be smart, listen to your body

In Strength,

–Z–

P.S. - Wanna see my workouts, the workouts my athletes go through, videos, audios, hundreds of articles, program design methods and more? Then get to The Underground at http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com

No fancy chair for me, no pretty desk to hide behind, only the challenge to lead from the front.

Is it really a challenge, or, is it a choice?

ONLY You decide!

In Strength,

–Z–

P.S. - This style of training is not for everyone. The psyche certainly pushed everyone harder, as we competed against one another. Technique loosened up a bit and insanity certainly jumped up more than a few nothces.

It’s time you began taking part in the Underground movement. Do it here: The Underground Strength Course

Sometimes, we all need a lil’ kick in the ass….

If you want a SERIOUS, BIG kick in the ass, and you want to learn some serious shit in the world of strength, conditioning, monility, strongman training, underground strength training and more, then join me and Steve Maxwell at The Gladiator Seminar, space is almost full and time is almost near.

Not for the faint of heart.

Click HERE for details.

ALL participants will receive 1 year FREE membership to The Underground.

In Strength,

–Z–

He walked through waist high water for over an hour, lifting his legs out of the water on each step to develop work capacity.

He would snatch throw a 220 lb. barbell for 100 reps backwards over his head as a warm up to his olympic lifting workouts.

He trained in solitude.

He trained in training hall or his backyard.

There were times he would train with a barbell in the water as well, diving under and emerging seconds later with the barbell ripped through the water into a power clean.

He did not follow the rules, very much like underground strength training.

One of our athletes, Kurt, who I have written about before, as a modern day Laird Hamilton, surfs on a regular basis.

When he is done surfing, he takes a long swim in the ocean and often times treads water in one spot for 10, 15 and even 20 minutes. He finds a spot 10′ deep, and throughout his treading water he sporadically jumps out of the water. Kurt goes through our most intense workouts probably faster than anyone else.

His work capacity is extremely high. On other days, he performs short workouts in his garage, the local park, playground or takes a bike ride.

Kurt doesn’t follow the rules written in the popular magazines and books. He follows the code of Underground Strength Training: There are NO rules!

Isn’t it time you started breaking the rules?

In Strength,

–Zach–

P.S. - There are some BIG changes happening at The Underground very shortly, you don’t wanna miss out on them. Become a member to become a part of this ass kicking strength training movement and start experiencing the best results of your life.

P.P.S. - If you want to see exactly how I run The Underground, and you want to start doing what you love, immediately, bypassing all the mistakes, then see our Apprentice Video and e mail me. Serious inquiries only please.

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

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

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

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

Watch this video and prepare to be fired up!

Time for you to get some training in!

In Strength,

–Z–

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