Click here to view the embedded video.

There are a few things that will help YOUR deadlift. Notice I put the CAPS on. What works for me may not work for you and vice versa. YOU must find the things that help and then dial them in. Here’s a few tips that you should test drive.

• Work 1 arm rows with heavy weights AND high reps. Whenever I slack on these my lats don’t have the strength to help me deadlift heavier AND faster.

Click here to view the embedded video.

• Don’t max out too often. For me, I will test a heavy single, but NOT a max single, every 6 weeks or so.
• Use submax efforts on the deadlift. Focus on moderately heavy weights and always leave a rep or 2 in the tank
• Squat. Yep, use squats to increase lower body and low back strength to up your deadlift. Too much focus on the deadlift will leave you with an injury in no time.
• Use a double overhand grip until you reach your heavy sets.
• Attack your posterior with glute ham raises, weighted back extensions, swings, heavy kettlebell cleans and good mornings.

That’s it, a short n’ sweet list to help you up the deadlift, one of the “Manliest” exercises anyone can do.

If you’ve got tips to add, please drop a comment.

If you enjoy this post, please share on facebook and twitter

Peace!

–Z–

Sign Up for The USC Cert in Austin, Details HERE

Test Drive Underground Strength Nation for 30 Days & Get 7 FREE Gifts, HERE

Click here to view the embedded video.

About 10 years ago I was at the mall, shopping with my girlfriend at the time, now my wife. I had been single for a looong time and I was used to revolving my life around training and basically whatever I wanted to do. Bodybuilding and working out was what I revolved my life around. I had a regimented life and nothing stood in my way when it came to eating and lifting.

Until that ONE day….I recall, this time shopping at the mall with my girlfriend, I was eying my watch and was beginning to freak out on the inside….

I went past my “eat every 3 hours rule” and couldn’t stop looking at my watch. I was asking myself, “Where the hell am I gonna get some chicken and potatoes around here?”

My thoughts were running rampant, crazy thoughts, such as:

- “S**t! Are my muscles going to shrink? I haven’t eaten in well over 3 hours!”

- “How am I going to live like this? I can’t go to the mall unless I pack a cooler with food or only stay at the mall for 2 hours!”

- “Maybe I CAN’T have a girlfriend AND live the bodybuilding lifestyle I love?”

I kid you NOT, those were the CRAZY questions I was asking myself and freaking out about. I thought I would need to get myself a little cooler and walk around the mall with it. I would look like the ultimate idiot! In the bodybuilding world that stuff is acceptable, carrying your cooler around, eating every 3 hours, etc. But, in the REAL world, that doesn’t work too well, and, it’s NOT necessary either, which I learned down the road.

The Paradigm Shift

Around that time, I began learning about Russian Kettlebells and invested my time heavily with the forum and educational resources located at Dragon Door.com, learning from their experts. I had come across a few articles on something called ‘The Warrior Diet’, where I would under eat all day and then “feast” at night, allowing you to get ripped while following a plan that would coincide with a typical social life….. busy all day with minimal eating then eating lots at night while socializing, etc.

Sounded GREAT. I bought the book.

I was impressed with the idea of being a “Warrior”. I felt connected to the idea spiritually, not just by the physical benefits. I know that sounds crazy but if you know me and my respect for anything dealing with “being tough” you can relate to me.

But, one of the BIGGEST attractions to the Warrior Diet and Intermittent Fasting was I would have FREEDOM. I would be able to be more productive and hustle through my day rather than stop frequently due to my slavery to eating every 3 hours.

I lost weight VERY fast. I must have been in the 222-225 range when I started and in 3 months or so I was down to 202-204 lbs where I hovered for a while.

I remember how I felt when the weight came off:

- Running felt great. It didn’t kill my knees and ankles like it did at 220+ lbs. I would run 1 mile every day with my Dog, Arnold. Before the weight loss, running was KILLING my knees. That pissed me off because of course I remembered running 4 – 5 miles every other night when I was a high school wrestler.

- Energy was increased. I had greater energy on ALL fronts: work, personal life, morning, night, etc.

- Energy Crashes Were Gone. I used to get VERY tired after my lunch and I remember dragging myself by the last portion of my day at work. Those energy crashes were gone.

Some of the pitfalls that occurred was:

- I got weaker. I got weak on the BIG lifts such as squats, deadlifts, bench press, etc. BUT….

- I got stronger on the bodyweight exercises & calisthenics, so, it was a trade off.

After about 6 months on The Warrior Diet I had a phone conversation with Louie Simmons and we stumbled across talking nutrition. He told me how he and his lifters ate steak and eggs every morning for breakfast.

I began to MISS eating breakfast and as a whole, I missed waiting until 8 or 9 at night to start eating. My days are longer than most so my eating time started later than most rather than the typical 6 pm – 10 pm over feeding phase.

As soon as I stopped following the Warrior Diet I quickly gained back my weight and my metabolism got back to the roller coaster it was on. My body was going through shock, not just from nutrition but also from the high stress and lack of natural foods leading to a lack of detox. My body was holding onto all the crap.

Coupled with the high stress I had in my life at the time I had to try and figure out the nutrition all over again. The “eat every 3 hours” didn’t work any more. It made me gain weight yet didn’t make me feel healthy or energetic. It sucks when you learn the hard way that what USED to work doesn’t work anymore.

As I gained greater knowledge through the years it was evident my metabolism had gotten pretty messed up after eating the WRONG foods along with multiple knee surgeries, shoulder and back injuries, poor sleep habits, excess coffee, high stress, etc.

Click here to view the embedded video.

2 summers ago I began playing with intermittent fasting again, no regularity, just following it on days I wanted to and vice versa. I would lean out a bit, regain that energy but as soon as my schedule became crazy and erratic again I went back to eating breakfast, lunch, dinner along with 1 – 2 protein shakes a day.

Once I returned to that feeding every 3 hours the energy went down and the weight climbed back up.

My focus was always about losing weight. That was my main focus. That was the WRONG focus.

The RIGHT focus hit me when last winter I began having shoulder pain that I could not dial in. I was having immense pain in my pec and shoulder blade area when benching or pressing of any sort.

I sent videos and made phone calls to my friends and industry leaders: Mike Robertson, Eric Cressey, Bill Hartman, Kelly Starret....

My injury and pain started to interfere BIG time with ALL facets of my life and after many injuries through my years I began to STOP accepting the fact that I would be injured, sore, tired, etc.

My HEALTH was # 1 if I was to be of any value to my family and the many men and women around the world I am trying to help via Underground Strength Nation.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the fall, Jason Ferruggia and I began discussing these health issues and the evolution we’ve gone through after so many years of beating our bodies down with heavy lifting and constant eating.

We were BOTH tired of it and Jason had done his due diligence in researching and experimenting how to improve health, lose weight AND keep on the strength. We spoke about our past and we spoke about our family members. The conversation woke me up more than ever because I felt like I wasn’t crazy nor was I alone.

Our conversation had me thinking of my Grandfather and how strong he was, how healthy he was, how vibrant he was. My Grandfather NEVER owned a car. He rode his bike and walked everywhere. If it required distance he hopped on a bus and then walked where he had to go.

My Grandfather walked FAST, by the way. I remember him always being a good 10-20 steps ahead of me, even though he was 50 years older.

His breakfast was always light. Usually some fruit, sometimes a piece of fresh bread with cheese on it, often times veggies sliced up on the side. His lunch was strong food, often times a chicken soup or chicken along with mixed veggies. His dinner was the same, more animal meats and fresh veggies. If he snacked at night it would be a side of sliced veggies and some hummus.

Fresh Fruit & veggies were the norm for my Grandfather as he grew various fruit trees on his property. My Grandmother made fresh orange juice from the oranges, my Grandfather made wine from the grape trees. He also had pomegranate trees, grape fruit trees, lemon trees and more. Everything was FRESH and untampered with. NO chemicals.

My Grandfather served in 3 different military branches and his energy always blew me away. Now I know better. Now I see why and how it came about and how amazing it was to have a Grandfather who could run around all day and night with his crazy Grandkids (TRUST me, my brothers and I together were NUTS and NOT easy to handle).

We would be gone from early morning and spend all day at the beach swimming, running, playing and my Grandfather did it ALL with us. He didn’t rest or lay down for one second! On the way back we would speed walk through town while my Grandfather would shop for fresh foods as he knew every person running each of the stands selling fruits, veggies, etc. I look back and realize just how amazing he was with ALL that energy and strength.

The past few months Jason and I have been talking all things HEALTH related, a far cry from our days of discussing heavy deadlifts and squats. Last week Jason sent me his Renegade Diet Plan and it was damn impressive.

It was more sensible to me than other nutrition plans I’ve looked at along with a strong focus on helping us performance and strength freaks the opportunity to still sneak in some food during the day with the benefits of resting your digestive system and improving overall health and energy.

I read it in one sitting late at night while I stressed about my daughter’s upcoming ear surgery.I told myself I would read up to page 50 and couldn’t stop. I was fired up and inspired and ordered my monthly supply of Athletic Greens.

When I wake up and drink my morning glass of Athletic Greens I imagine myself like Jack LaLanne, strong, vibrant and energetic, juicing for his breakfast. It inspires me and it has been AGES since I actually FELT a “supplement” work.

If you’re my age you may remember Phosphagen and EAS. Well, I remember freaking out that a supplement actually worked. In my life, these are the only 2 supplements I ever truly felt WORKING. I can’t recommend Athletic Greens enough if you’re serious about your health. It’s LEGIT and you actually FEEL it working.

After reading Jason’s book, what struck me most, and what truly strikes me most in ANY training or nutrition program is the fact that certain programs REALLY resonate with me on an emotional and spiritual level. Sorry if that freaks you out but as you can tell from my writings this is what moves me and influences me.

We ALL must get back to the days where the focus is on health & performance, from there, the appearance will come.

But, your health is # 1. Without your health, you have NOTHING. My Grandfather had it RIGHT and there are a few people out there who have it right and are helping us move in a better direction.

I’ll be sharing more of my insights on health, as you can tell, this is the direction I am moving in and it’s the direction we must focus on if we plan to lead others by example.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’m VERY excited to move forward and share all I can with everyone involved with Underground Strength Nation.

I hope you’re equally as excited and realize there is MORE to life than a BIG deadlift.

Thanks to Jack LaLanne and all of my friends and family, including YOU…. ALL of you inspire me and push me to become better and in turn help YOU become healthier.

Thanks for reading, watching and listening. Feel free to share this with friends & family if you think they’ll enjoy it

Peace

–Z–

You’re NEVER too old to learn new things. NEVER too old to become better. It’s OK to change.

Many people take pride in the fact that they will never change. Change means you’re evolving. If you evolve, you are growing from within and that is of utmost importance.

Without growth, You die.

I’m going to challenge you to do some things that you may not be doing….. perhaps you’ve NEVER done these “things”…. perhaps it’s been a long time ago…. I’ll ALWAYS be here to challenge you. I do the same to my athletes and I do the same to anyone I connect with on a coaching level, and by reading this blog, I see myself as your Coach.

Many think I’m too hard on them or too hard on others. Too harsh, tough and not forgiving enough. I simply see it as tough love and if I don’t tell you the truth I am cheating YOU and lying to myself. I lay the law down with my athletes and I truly see no other way.

These athletes MUST realize the opportunity they have and how the world CAN be their if they WANT it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I tell the parents outright how pissed I am at them when they allow their child to quit a sports team because practice was too hard. I tell them how pissed I am when they allow their child to blame the coach for not starting. Whatever happened to responsibility? Why do we enable how soft people are getting…. America is SOFT. That is #TRUTH and it pisses me off.

Excuses SUCK and so do the people who use them…. got excuses?

YOU suck. Period.

Why are so many athletes quitting in sports…. quitting in life…. and why is it ALL allowed & accepted!?!?

A BIG reason I left teaching was because parents would blame teachers and attack teachers when their child wasn’t getting straight A’s.

I HATED how this “system” was contributing to The Pussification of America.

I refused to partake in the lies, excuses and bull shit so I left it ALL….. built my own world…. Underground Strength Nation.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Do I have excuses for things? Absolutely. I am NOT perfect but I RAGE against it when I allow Mr. Resistance to get the best of me and I fight back, tooth and nail, blood, sweat and tears.

When I catch those excuses I slap myself in the face and kick my own ass and do a complete 180. NO quitting, just brutal honesty with myself, you need to do the same for yourself if you want success.

When I saw 4 comments on THIS Kick Ass Blog I told Underground Strength Nation to check their pulse because that video was so f**ing inspiring that it fired me up how no one had words to evoke after such a video!

How are you NOT fired the HELL UP by intense videos!?!? Come on, Undergrounders…. Lead WITH me or get the Hell outta the way!!!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Some NEW things I am learning:

- Saying “sorry” more often and accepting my mistakes….

- Saying “I love you” more often to those who put up with my craziness and love me unconditionally. I am NOT an easy person to deal with and I imagine it’s tough being on the other side of the relationship with me….

- Nutrition consulting with my friend, Jason Ferruggia. My health has taken a priority like never before since late last winter after experiencing so much pain in my body due to abuse in training and average nutrition. I am pushing more and more for better nutrition and health from the inside out.

- Reaching out to people I’ve lost touch with through the years….

- Refocusing my business to the select few things that I can deliver best in. These areas of my business allow me to bring my best foot forward, giving you the best I’ve got makes YOU better. What makes YOU stronger makes US stronger. That is what Underground Strength Nation is ALL about.

Make NO mistake about it….. These changes have NOTHING to do with a new year or a resolution. They are driven by passion and what is important to my family and Underground Strength Nation. Period.

When I want something I F**King DO it, I don’t wait for dumb ass new year resolutions or any other shit like that. NOW is when I do everything I want. NOW…. not tomorrow or later, NOW.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I suggest you do the same. If you have demons, face them now. If you’ve been putting shit off, do it NOW. You MUST be honest with yourself, dig deep, look yourself in the mirror and look those you love in the eyes and tell them the TRUTH.

The world has enough liars, con-artists, bull shit artists, blame artists, excuse makers and enablers of the weak and lazy.

NOT in THIS House. Undergrounders are a RARE Breed. I know it and so do YOU.

Drop a comment and tell us how you’re going to change for the better. We’re an Army of Bad Mother F**kers, Be PROUD and stand TALL.

Underground 4 Life

-Z-

PS: If you think my Blog is loaded with passion, wait till we connect at the next USC Cert. Austin, Texas it IS.

I LOVE The #ATX, don’t hesitate and say “I’ll go to the next one….”. WHAT “next one”. To Kick Ass & Take Names the time is NOW.

Sign Up HERE, it’s time to change your life.

Above, Dr. Ken Leistner working on his garage gym, a place known for EPIC workouts, rain or shine, brutal temps irrelevant.

It was REALLY tempting to find a way to make my Underground Home Gym a bit more cozy…. warmer….. nicer… a sound system to crank heavy tunes on….. But, as the saying goes, give them an inch and they’ll run a mile with it.

I said to myself, “NO.” Make it tougher to train in, more Uncomfortable than comfortable…. NO excuses.

It’s cold in my garage, I bundle up with shorts AND sweats, 3 – 4 sweatshirts and a hood….and do extra warm ups…. maybe I’ll get a space heater for when the temps REALLY start to plummet but for now, I do the work as is, period. As I type this blog post our first snow fall of the year has come.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Someone posted a comment under my you tube video as to why I would train at home, NOT at Underground HQ where I have everything and anything one could possibly want or need, including heat.

A legit question, for sure, yet my answer is simple:

1) I live 45 minutes away from my gym and I am not always there. I don’t limit my workouts only to when I am up at my gym or only if I have the best set up. If you’ve followed me for a while you know that when the weather is warm it’s quite rare for me to actually train IN a gym, most workouts take place outdoors via bodyweight only workouts like THIS.

2) When I am at my gym I often get caught up doing the things that allow me to actually RUN the gym, the place that puts food on the table for my family….. Operating the day to day business needs of Underground HQ takes my complete focus away lifting and distracts me when I know I need to return phone calls, e mails, organize new training cycles, etc.

** Workouts are supposed to be a time & place where YOU remove yourself from the rest of the world, NOT a time to allow interruptions & distractions. **

3) There is something VERY special about going back to my roots. I began training at home when I was 13 & 1/2, that was the Summer of 89′. I feel VERY kid like while training in my garage and at the same time, very Warrior like, training in cold, harsh conditions.

Here is a sample of my last workout inside The Underground Home Gym:

1) Low Incline BB Press (flat bench under a tool box) 135: 2 x 6-8, 185: 2 x 6 – 8, 205: 2 x 5, 255: 5 x 2

2A) BB Push Press 135 x 10, 8, 6, 4, 2

2B) Underhand Thick Grip Pull Ups x 10, 8, 6, 4, 2

Later that night I trained a group of wrestlers at The Elite Wrestling Club in Jackson, NJ and I did the finisher with them, 6 minutes non stop of varied bodyweight exercises:

A) Mixed Push Ups x 10

B) Squat Jumps x 10

C) Mixed Push Ups x 10

D) Lunge Jumps x 10

Training in a bare bones minimum, cold garage is NOT for everyone. Some people hate the cold, others have NO desire to feel UNcomfortable.

TRUTH be told, I would MUCH rather be training in the sun and heat any day over the cold and darkness. But one thing I can’t deny is the wrestler inside of me, the training that has been instilled me will NOT leave me.

I’ve seen the mentality AND the physical edge leave MANY wrestlers after they leave the sport behind, including some of the best wrestlers to ever step on the mat, somewhere, somehow, they LOSE that edge. This is NOT a good thing, you must always keep your edge, and, if you feel it slippin’, you must take action to rebuild your mind and very likely your body.

Once I get the blood flowing my workout takes on an animal of it’s own. I push the pace to keep my body warm, something you should do when training in the cold, and when I’m finished, I feel GREAT.

I feel accomplishment after pushing through a challenge and conquering it. I feel solid BOTH physically AND mentally. As a father, I need to remain strong for my kids, they motivate me to be strong and ready. I refuse to let myself go…. I refuse to let  myself down….. I refuse to let my family down. They will NEVER see me as someone who has gotten weaker, softer and altogether a bag of excuses.

One day, I know, I won’t be living in a place that has a change of seasons. The cold weather is something my wife isn’t altogether a fan of, and although I love NJ, to make her happy, we will likely split time between a warm weather area during the winter months. Until that time and that day, I’ll smash through any obstacle that is “supposed to” keep me down.

I personally LOVE where I am at, year round. It quiets down here a LOT during the winter months and I enjoy the quiet

Cold weather and winter is normally a time of bulking up, training in a warm, cozy gym, etc. But that is what “everyone else” does and I am not a fan of being like everyone else.

You can choose to be like everyone else or you can choose to be YOU, and in the process, you must destroy the obstacles and anything that will dare to stand in your way, regardless of what it is: cold weather, hot weather, waking up early or staying up late…… perhaps it’s the people in your life who stand in your way and try to bring you down.

Whatever or whoever it is, let nothing stand in your way when it comes to stepping closer and closer towards your goals. NOTHING.

If you’re tired of training in gyms that suck out all your energy, intensity and passion then you need to start the building of your home gym. Put it in your garage, basement, back porch, sun room….. location doesn’t matter too much. The critical thing is that you set up your training space in a way that allows you to get your edge and keep it forever.

The other day I stopped into a Retro Fitness to buy a protein shake and I almost threw up in my mouth seeing and hearing the weirdos in that place, listening to the crappy music and the atmosphere damn near started sucking the energy OUT of my body.

Training in these commercialized settings will steal your testosterone and turn you into a weaker man almost instantly. Rage against these norms and if that means you snag nothing but a barbell to train with fear not, you can build yourself into a BEAST using just a barbell (THIS is the bar I have in my garage & at my gym)…… ripping that bar off the ground for deadlifts, cleans, snatches, clean and press, rowing….. You’ve got bodyweight exercises to do on your own, anywhere you can…..

Stay tuned for a future inspiration contest regarding home gyms, I’ll announce shortly.

For now, if you want to see where I picked up all my Underground Home Gym Equipment, click HERE.

Underground 4 Life

–Z–

PS: This is the Underground Bodybuilding Program I followed when I was FIRST beginning to train in my garage about 10 years ago. It was a brutally minimalist approach and the results were shocking to ALL including myself. Click HERE for More Info

Underground Home Gym Resources:

- Wooden Gmnastics Rings

- Power Rack

- Barbell

- Kettlebells

Yo, Homies! Psyched to crank this blog post, as ALWAYS!

Energy is sky high lately, I’ve been fasting often and experimenting with my nutrition and it’s feeling GREAT. On a mission to get to 205, lean and mean…. agile, mobile and hostile! I haven’t had a scale of my own since about 10 years ago so I’m gonna start tracking everything & dialing that shiz IN!

LOTS of my training lately has been split into training at The Underground HQ in Edison NJ along with my Underground Home Gym in my cold garage. I set up my entire garage with Rogue Equipment, everything arrived in less than 5 days! Although small and in a tight space, it’s a BadAss lil’ training compound, aka The Underground Home Gym (Full Video Soon)!

Training in the cold has a unique effect on the body AND mind. It REALLY pushes you into a different zone and I am exploring it a LOT lately, not for the physical effects, but because I NEED to keep challenging my mind, pushing my mental toughness up a notch. I’m tough on myself, never truly satisfied with my mental toughness.

I’ve also been mountain biking on the cold NJ weekends lately and last Sunday was a legit ride. The temps read 17 degrees with a wind chill of 2 degrees. I had no one to ride with and that NEVER bothers me. Doing things on my own is what I have been trained to do since I began wrestling.

The cold weather was a test. My fingers were cold as hell, riding alone through the woods I got lost, as I always do when I ride solo but it’s been a while since riding solo. Getting lost in the summer time when the weather is warm and cozy is not a problem and getting lost when the weather is upper 90s doesn’t bother me either.

When those fingers are freezing numb and your entire body is cold, you begin to LEARN to Do shit on Your OWN:

- Where was the sun when I rode into the woods? To my left or right?

- Listen carefully…. do you hear cars off the road or do you hear dead silence?

- Look at the trails… are there leaves covering the trail signifying little or no action or do you see frozen tire tracks?

- Check your surroundings…. these rocks look familiar, so does that downed tree…. do I go right or left now?

The mind becomes MUCH more alert and the body has NO choice but to push onward and upward.

I have NO problems training alone, working alone, running a business alone, motivating myself from within….. It sounds crazy and often times offends people but this is me, it’s been me since I started high school and was introduced to wrestling and I think YOU should get used to the same.

YOU should be able to motivate yourself and NOT rely on others for ANYTHING, learn to NOT give a shit what others think of you and learn to stop waiting for permission, help, support, etc from any outside resource, be it a person or thing. Do it on your OWN.

Does this mean I never train with others? NO. Here and again I try to get in a workout with friends if my schedule allows.

Here is some footage from a recent workout, including my typical warm up using Indian Clubs, a popular training tool for combat athletes as well as from the days of physical culture. You’ll also see me using complex training, where you perform 2 – 4 movements explosively using the same motion, i.e. ALL lower body, ALL upper body push, ALL upper body pull, etc….

This training develops mental toughness, strength & power endurance as well as being a GREAT way to add functional muscle mass. There is a BIG difference in hypertrophy from bodybuilding and the hypertrophy that comes from weightlifting, powerlifting…..

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If I have a quiet time at The Underground Strength Gym I will train WITH a small group. Last night, one of my wrestlers showed up late, unannounced, after a LONG weekend of wrestling in Va and cutting 15 lbs (NOT my choice, his Coach’s enforce this) he showed up and crushed a workout… on his OWN.

Other wrestlers made excuses for being too sore, too tired, too busy, “I forgot” or the good ol’ No show AND No call from the truly non-dedicated…. NOT this kid, he is a RARE Breed and he INSPIRES ME!

He put together his OWN workout without me even telling him what to do, training 3 x as much as ANY other wrestler who walked through the doors yesterday. I didn’t even tell him what to do, he just fucking grabbed life by the balls and did it.

Do me a favor, give him a shout on Twitter, this kid is a motivation to me and NOT many things motivate me.

I trained along side him, he did HIS workout and I did Mine. I cranked heavy squats on the giant cambered bar, lateral bench jumps, high rep kettlebell swings and cleans.

The special I POD was cranking with new tunes (old in age), some special tunes to inspire, check the newly added tunes below…..

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Once again…. training happens best when you do what allows you to “lose yourself and find yourself”…..

Stay tuned for another kick ass blog post, I’ve got LOTS to share with you and you do NOT wanna miss it!

Drop a comment with your thoughts.

Live The Code

Underground 4 Life

–Z–

PS: 1 spot left for USC Cert in NJ. Click HERE to sign up and change your life, I am PSYCHED to see you!

Many wonder what we do behind the walls of The Underground Strength Gym.

To explain inside a blog post is damn near impossible…. It’s the experience that goes on, not so much what we do, the exercises we use…. I’ll include a few of our recent videos along with some older videos to try and give you a taste of what goes on.

I’ll tell you this much, though…. My views haven’t changed much with regards to the TYPE of person we train: hard working, committed, honest, mentally tough and well mannered athletes. I’ve come across some lazy ass kids, dishonest kids and same goes for parents… just when you think you’ve seen it all, ha ha, you haven’t.

For those who have dreams of being a Strength Coach, I will tell you, it is TOUGH finding kids who fit this criteria, America has gotten soft without a doubt…. and along with that, we want hard working athletes to have supportive parents as opposed to having parents who enable and allow excuses and the type of behavior that contributes to The Pussification of America…. This is also pretty damn rare.

But, once you get a small handful of the “right kids” the flow begins. The right athletes find their way to you as do the right people in general. I consider ALL who walk through these doors to be athletes and we will train them as such. Athleticism is the blend of strength, conditioning, speed / power and flexibility / mobility.

We attack ALL areas, but most of all, we attack your weak areas.

It ain’t easy running a gym, as there is TONS more going on than just the training of athletes…. but damn, I can’t see myself doing anything else, working with any other type of person. I LOVE athletes who have the eye of the tiger! I am grateful for the athletes we train and when I see them tasting success it fires me up and makes me proud.

I KNOW that what they are learning at The Underground Strength Gym has more to do with learning how to kick ass in life than anything else. They will NEVER forget these moments, these challenges…. these tough times will shape them for their future, so when they are done competing on the athletic field, they will move onward and upward when competing in the game of life, kicking ass and taking names as they go.

Just recently, we began opening up a few time slots for adults. NEVER did I think I would do this but the e mails were coming in day after day…. the regular voice mails rang a different tune and told me it was HIGH time.

My mission of building an Underground Strength Nation REALLY hit home. I told myself to STOP excluding adults just because they weren’t competing in sport. If someone wanted to build strength and health, inside AND out, my doors would be open for them.

Adults wanted IN, so we started training adults and didn’t bend one bit with our expectations…

We expected hard working, gut busting efforts on the regular.

NO excuses…. Yes, I know, life is busy as an adult, balancing family, work and everything else in between ain’t easy, but we’re NOT about going EASY at The Underground, we’re about kicking ass & taking names. Our training mirrors life… win at The Underground and you WILL WIN in life.

You will be accustomed to living our motto….. “Get Comfortable Being UN-comfortable.

Tired, Hungry, Stressed from Work, Over-Worked…. Didn’t Eat Right Today…. The list goes on. Regardless, I tell them ALL, “Life happens….”, we STILL gotta get after it. Remember, as you get older, Mr. Resistance will be knocking on your door more and more, it is up to YOU to smash him and rise above.

Because I understood the need and importance of training the mind, I NEVER allowed the imperfections we faced stand in our way….

We’ve trained in the dead of winter in my backyard and countless playgrounds….. We’ve trained during heat waves in the thick of summer when normal people feared stepping outside of their homes…. I can’t imagine our short 45-60 minute workouts are anything but a walk in the park and a warm up for Navy SEALs.

Here’s a mixed playlist of videos below, both past and present….

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

Our training is NOT simply a design of brutal workouts…. nope, sorry, hate to burst your bubble, we blend science and good ol’ fashioned common sense, aka, auto-regulation.

You feel like shit? Let’s back off and deload.

You’re feel energetic and “kill mode”, then let’s get after it and break some damn records.

Accountability & Responsibility is critical, especially when training athletes. They need to count their own reps, now how much weight they used last time in an effort to break a record this time around.

As the years go by, faster and faster, I see myself reverting a bit in mindset. With a likelihood of opening another Underground Strength Gym closer to where I live, I will STILL start small, I will be selective, very likely, MORE selective than ever before.

You can change MANY things about yourself, but no matter how hard I dare try, I could NEVER let go of the fact that I ONLY want to be around hard working athletes who are willing to bust their ass each and every time they walk through the doors of The Underground.

Click here to view the embedded video.

It’s something I learned from wrestling…. My Coaches instilled this work ethic into me… watching countless Dan Gable videos also drilled this intensity into my mind. And the ONE thing I learned from wrestling was just how PAINFUL it is to lose.

When I hear about my wrestlers losing matches or being in a mental rut, their parents call me, and ask me to call them, ask me to give him “THE talk”…. that “talk” goes on inside The Underground…. during workouts, after workouts…..

Like I said, we’re NOT just training to win in sport, we’re training to win in LIFE.

Period.

Thank YOU for Making Underground Strength Nation what it is.

Join Us in building a Nation of One Million Strong & Healthy… as it should be.

Underground 4 Life

–Z–

Yo, Bruthas & Ladies of Underground Strength Nation….

I just got a new I Pod for my garage workouts, this is my 3rd I POD, along with my I Phone.

Check this Video….. I am PSYCHED to read your comments!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Drop a comment below, share your most kick ass workout / training songs. Try and limit them to 10 songs that if you could only have 10 songs to train to, these would be YOUR Underground Play List!!

Underground 4 Life!

Peace

–Z–

Last week, during the holidays I was in Disney with the family. Since we drove, I had LOTS of FREE time to catch up on stuff I rarely get to do…. watch TV (Thank You, I Phone) .

When I watch TV, I LOVE finding stuff that inspires me…. NO time for negative, energy sucking BS.

My homeboy, Jason Ferruggia, told me I would LOVE The Herschel Walker Documentary…… I couldn’t find it on you tube during my drive home so I wound up watching many other ESPN Documentaries that inspired me a TON, ‘Run Ricky Run’ was pretty darn good….. ‘Once Brothers’ was AMAZING…..

But, when I got home from The Underground Monday night, I found The Herschel Walker Documentary (It’s FREE on Demand) inside The ESPN section.

Already having Herschel’s Basic Training book and knowing about his philosophy on training I was psyched to see what this documentary would unleash. During the drive home from Disney, however, I was able to catch a ton of Herschel’s interviews on you tube, learning about his tough times as a young kid, his dissociative identity disorder & how he used something that many would consider a “handicap” into something that allowed him to become an Epic success.

To achieve success and greatness, you must use EVERYTHING in your power towards achievement, even if it’s supposed to work against you, find a way to make it work for you.

Click here to view the embedded video.

When I watched Herschel’s Documentary it reminded of the important things with regards to training the body, the mind and the critical need to focus strongly on bodyweight exercises + sprints.

It’s NOT ironic to see that Herschel had a hellish life in his early years. MANY champions and success stories tend to have these brutal times early in their life. Many champions and success stories have battled inner demons. I certainly have, and for sure, still do to this very day.

Something deep down inside of us keeps fighting to emerge on top, which is exactly how Champions learn to do things in EVERY aspect of their life. Like Herschel said in the documentary, he got to a point where he felt he could do anything, almost as if he had super powers.

The ability and undying desire to overcome these inner battles and tough times is what MAKES you into a champion. Without your ability and desire to crush your inner demons, you will NOT become a success story. You MUST develop a hardened sense of self so your edge ALWAYS remains sharp…. you need to ALWAYS keep that edge.

Check this highlight video of Herschel Walker, which looks like a high school kid made as a project for one of his classes, NIIIICE!!!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Look at Herschel NOW….. Just shy of 50 and he has only NOW just begun fighting, training and competing in MMA. He took his training extremely seriously, training at a world class MMA Camp amongst other great fighters. Conquer one challenge, move on to the next challenge…. this is how YOU will continue to grow as a person.

You may or may not know this…. I am NOT naturally mentally tough OR a physically strong guy…. These are two areas I’ve had to work at BIG time since day 1 as a wrestler when I was 13 years old.

I have my inner demons, as do ALL of us, But….. I push like hell to silence them, overcome them and DOMINATE them…. All in an effort to rid them of my mind and body. I KNOW that if I didn’t get my ass kicked so many times in wrestling I would not be so driven to Win at EVERYTHING I do in my life. EVERYTHING…..

By putting myself “out there” and demonstrating what I do year after year on film, it makes me vulnerable & it pushes me to elevate my standards and my performance. If I tell you to do something you damn well KNOW I am on it as well.That’s what I mean when I say “Live the Code” and “Walking the Talk”.

The key to winning and overcoming these demons is to face them day in and day out and smash them into oblivion, time and time again, let nothing stop you. NOTHING!

Would love to hear your comments on this, please drop your thoughts below, psyched to see what you got!

Live The Code

–Z–

Whether you are a business owner or not is NOT relevant to this post.

Watch this video and let me know your thoughts, and, as a preface, if you’re pissed off at this video, it’s VERY likely I am talking about YOU.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is about work ethic, a requisite if you want to be successful in your life, your health and anything that you partake in.

I’ve held down jobs since as long as I can remember….

As far back as 2nd grade, I recall when Winter came and it snowed, my older bro woke me up at the butt crack of dawn to shovel driveways with him to earn money.

When I was in elementary school I held TWO paper routes at one time, one in the morning before school and another after school. I remember having $26 in my pocket EVERY WEEK after “collecting”.

America has problems…. I have TOO MANY people crying for a refund of $12.95 or $19.95, telling me they don’t have the money or they need to wait until summer until they get a job. WTF!!??

How is $19.95 a challenge for someone? I am safely assuming that these people have NO jobs. I bet this is pissing off many, or, perhaps you question why I am ranting here?

GREAT question you have. I am fired up because I HATE seeing people down in the dumps, BUT, I hate it more when these people aren’t doing jack shit to get OUT of the dumps. I can’t help you if you don’t wanna help yourself. I’ve been in the dumps and it sucks…. BAD.

I remember crying myself to sleep as quietly as possible so my wife wouldn’t hear me, with my back turned to my wife, as I wondered how the hell I would find a way to pay the mortgage.I had nightmares of our house getting taken away from us and I feared the embarrassment of failure beyond what my words can describe.

But, I did it. I found a way to succeed. I went after it, chargin’ hard to make it happen. I did what others would NOT do. I did what others feared. I woke up early, stayed up late, worked through my lunches and prep time while teaching and used my sick days to attend business seminars.

I don’t respect the cry babies…. I DO Respect the people who dig deep and GO for it, Brass Balls ALL the way. I’ve had MANY aspiring Strength Coaches fly to NJ (often times from overseas) and scrape together money to make it happen, so they could learn the skills via my Underground Strength Coach Cert.

These dudes had the eye of the tiger, they didn’t say things like…. “I don’t have the money…..” Instead, they found a way to MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Think about that…. what type of person are you?

- The guy who Makes it happen….

Or…..

- The guy who says I don’t have _______ (fill in the blank with ANY word)?

You can choose to be a victim of circumstance OR you can volunteer to CONTROL your circumstances. The choice is yours.

Get off your ass….

Let me know your thoughts, drop a comment.

Peace

–Z–

Let me leave you with these 2 videos today…. especially with the new year upon us and all those Bull Shit “resolutions”.

Here’s THE TRUTH: You want something?

Why wait for January 1st?!?! F**K that, DO it NOW.

Check these videos…..

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Please take a few seconds and share this out via twitter and facebook.

And, if we’re not connected yet, let’s fix that!

Connect with me on FaceBook HERE

Connect with me on Twitter HERE

Looking forward to seeing your comments

Peace

Live the Code

–Z–

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