It’s GREAT to be Strong.

It’s GREAT to be Conditioned…..

But it’s BEST when you have BOTH Strength AND Conditioning.

If I can pit one example of this I’ll use my friend, Jim Wendler, shown in videos below. He keeps everything simple.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jim’s strength work is centered around his 5 3 1 program.

Jim’s conditioning is centered around hill sprints and prowler sprints. He punishes himself on these 2 conditioning methods.

I’ve found that when you’re in shape, you get stronger much easier and vice versa.

If you pay NO attention to conditioning and only attend to strength you will:

- increase chances of injury

- carry around excess body fat

- your intense strength workouts will fatigue you too quickly, not allowing you to get the most bang for your buck, tiring yourself out before it’s time to crank your assistance work

If you pay NO attention to strength & only focus on met-cons and conditioning work you will:

- Feel like sh*t when a heavy bar is thrown on your back or in your hands

- Heavy lifting will fatigue you too quickly and likely increase chances of injury under heavy lifting as your tendons / ligaments have not been prepped for heavy loads & straining

Click here to view the embedded video.

Note: Jim doesn’t drop the 150 lb dumbbells. Why are people unable to do this with only 50 lb dumbbells, let alone the 150s!?

Here are 5 Ways to Blend Strength AND Conditioning:

1) Start with 1 strength lift in a 5 x 5 or 5 3 1 format, followed by a circuit of your assistance work.

Example:

1) Zercher Squats 5 3 1 Style

2A) Glute Ham Raise 4 x 10 – 15 reps

2B) Double Kettlebell Cleans 4 x 6 reps

2C) Lunge Jumps 4 x 6 / 6

3) Ab Circuit x 4 exercises x 15 reps each

2) Perform your normal workout & finish with 10 minutes of sprint intervals

Example:

Perform your upper, lower or full body workout

Set the clock for 10 minutes and perform as many short sprints as possible in that 10 minute time period. You can time them for 15/15 or 30/30 if this time of work:rest is feasible. If not, perform a hard sprint, then rest 30 seconds and repeat until 10 minutes is over and done with

3) Lift one day, condition the next……

Example:

- Train upper body one day, hit sprints via run, bike or swim the next day

- Train lower body the following day, condition the next day.

After 3 -4 days of training in a row take a day off.

If you’re like me and have exercise ADD then condition through a variety of methods. I like being outside so being in the ocean, mtn biking, running with my dog, battling ropes, runs, etc ALL give me lots of joy.

The key is this, and, “this” was inspired to me by Warrior Man’s video below. NEVER allow yourself to fall “out of shape”. If you’re not sure and you’re asking yourself if you’re “in shape”, then you’re out of shape. Period.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I am on a mission to push my conditioning to greater levels.I’m NOT satisfied. I love feeling like I got my ass kicked after a workout but I also HATE it because I want to be BETTER.

Drop a comment below and tell Underground Strength Nation what YOUR mission is.

Peace

–Z–

PS: TWO Underground seminars around the corner:

- USC Cert in Austin, TX

- Combat Seminar with Jason C Brown & I – Training for GOLD

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

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.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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–

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–

Underground Strength Nation – FINAL chance before price triples, Ass Kicker Go HERE

USC Cert has a few spots left, Action Takers Go HERE

MANY years ago Pavel wrote a book called Power to The People, aka P2P. You can find details about it HERE.

The book was simply based on optimal training, minimal volume and frequent practice of basics such as deadlifts, military presses and a few other key exercises.

The more I grow in the iron game the more I realize that the name of the game is ALL about optimal workouts, NOT maximal. Certainly, when I was younger, I couldn’t tame my mind to change….. I HAD to go in and KILL myself every single time I trained, it was my wrestler mentality which to this day I still have inner battles against.

Do you ever feel that way? ha ha. I bet you DO!

I am much more in tune with what I now need so my BIG lifts are BIG time focused on optimal work, because anytime I push for MAXimal work I get injured and feel like shit.

As a father and business man, injuries are what can KILL my success so I stray far from them.

Check this P2P inspired workout in the videos below, note the low reps and optimal efforts.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I leave you with this final note / reminder: Although maximal workouts appease your mind and make you feel proud that you kicked your ass, they WILL eventually hurt you. Focus on OPTIMAL WORKOUTS.

Drop a line with your thoughts and comments! Psyched to see what your experience is with optimal VS maximal workouts and the results you’re getting.

Live the Code

–Z–

PS: Don’t forget…. Underground Strength Nation TRIPLES in price come January 2nd. This is DIRT Cheap for a Lifetime Membership. Click HERE for More Info

So, the holidays are here and you might be thinking THIS is the time and excuse to be a fat bastard. Hells to the NO, Kids!

Here is your time crunched, holiday workout. You can hit several of these all week through this hectic time of year.

Crank this simple formula that I LOVE to use:

Beginner / Intermediates can crank a 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 rep scheme

Advanced Lifters go Prison Style: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6…..1

The set up for exercises and program design are simple.

I prefer to do a full body lift coupled with a pull such as the video shown below.

Or…. Upper Body Lift + Lower Body Lift.

One workout your upper body lift can be a pushing movement such as a military press or bench press, next time make it a pulling movement such as a hand over hand sled pull, rope climbs or pull ups.

Another favorite which I’ll be doing through the week is a Bodyweight Bodybuilding Couplet for 10 minutes x max rounds:

A) HandStand Push Ups x submax reps

B) Squat Jumps alternate with Lunge Jumps x 10 reos

These density type workouts were inspired to me via Coach Reeve, who used to perform these brutal couplets for time with a goal set for total sets when he was a college wrestler. Today, he uses them to train Gridiron Gladiators at The D1 Level!

Check out this Holiday Density Workout, using keg clean & press + Mixed grip pull ups…..

Click here to view the embedded video.

Underground Strength Challenge: Hit one of these holiday style Density workouts and post a comment with your workout and how it went. Let’s see who has the most kick ass holiday workout!!

I am psyched to see what you got!

Happy Holidays!

Live The Code

–Z–

PS: Underground Strength Nation TRIPLES in price after the new year. The new audio being added is one of the most kick ass ever.

PPS: USC Cert is around the corner and we have 4 more spots left. Check it HERE

Let me slap the haters in the face before we get GOING. BIG, STRONG arms are critical to aiding your upper body strength.

Wanna improve your bench press, military press, pull ups, push ups, dips, etc?

Then get those arms stronger. If you’ve got skinny, weak arms it’s likely your upper body pushing and pulling strength sucks as well. Do NOT fear doing direct arm work.

Click here to view the embedded video.

When I train arms and when I use arm work for training my athletes I THINK about how these arm exercises will have a carry over to their sport. I want their arms to BE STRONG, not just LOOK Strong. Call it “functional strength” or whatever you may call it but the bottom line is I want their arms to impose their will on their opponents.

That means we will use the “Not So Normal” movements and techniques to get those arms stronger AND bigger.

Here’s 10 Quick Tips for Jacking Up Your Guns…..

1) After your upper body workout, pick 1 or 2 exercises for biceps and another 1 or 2 exercises for triceps. Hit each exercise HARD for 2 – 3 sets each.

Usually we just go hard with one exercise each for biceps and triceps but don’t be afraid to hit some extra volume if you’re feeling it.

Here are a few favorite exercises we like to use at The Underground Strength Gym:

Favorite Biceps Exercises: Various Thick Bar Curls, Thick Rope Curls (looped through Kettlebell), Hammer Curls, Barbell Cheat Curls, Hammer Cheat Curls, Hand Over Hand Pulls with a 50′ Rope

Exercises such as farmer walks will also help your biceps and grip develop immense strength.

Favorite Triceps Exercises: Tate Press, Lying Extensions with dumbbells, barbell & Kettlebells, parallel bar dips, heavy bands for triceps, close grip push ups, close grip bench press

2) I have found that triceps respond well to slightly higher reps, usually in the 8 – 15 rep range while biceps respond well in the 6 – 12 rep range.

This doesn’t mean that I NEVER stray from those rep ranges, I often times switch it up.

3) Utilize pull up variations during each back workout. Get good at underhand pull ups FIRST. Once you can get 10 underhand reps, move to overhand and neutral grip pull ups. Once you can crush the various pull ups using traditional handles use ropes and towels to make your pull ups tougher.

Start mixing the grips every set. Perform high rep pull ups one week, the next week, attach weight and perform weighted pull ups in the 3 – 6 rep range.

4) Use parallel bar dips if your shoulders don’t get bothered from them. Don’t go to failure on these, leave a few reps in the tank. Use high reps with bodyweight as well as weighted dips for lower reps.

5) Use weighted push ups with chains / weight vests using a neutral grip.

Click here to view the embedded video.

6) If your triceps are weak use bands and crank 3 high rep sets of triceps work after EVERY upper body workout. Vary the angle of the band exercise each set. These will NOT fatigue your arms or interfere with your other workouts, so do NOT worry. I did this one summer after every upper body workout and my arms got bigger AND my upper body got stronger.

Lesson learned.

7) Stray from the normal arm exercises. Use the hand over hand sled pull with a 50′ rope for 2 or 3 hard sets and you’ll feel what REAL arm work should feel like. Don’t own a sled? Make a sled? Or… attach a rope to your car or a snow sleigh. Figure it out, NO excuses.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Don’t let the naysayers tell you cheat curls will hurt your back. Sitting in front of your computer with your shoulders hunched and your chest caved in, arguing with you tube trolls who have 13 inch arms will hurt your back also.

9) Row Heavy…. Can you row HEAVY dumbbells for sets of 20? When you start pushing the envelope and rowing heavy those arms will get jacked as will the strength of your back. If you see someone with a strong back you can be damn sure they’ve got strong arms.

Click here to view the embedded video.

10) Build your strength up to rope climbing. As you begin kicking ass on pull ups and your arms get stronger, it’s time to utilize rope climbs (unassisted – NO legs). If you hit a few hard sets of rope climbs 1 – 2 x week prepare to take a week off after 2 – 3 weeks to give your elbows and bicep tendons a break.

Your biceps will get strong as hell from rope climbs. If you can’t perform rope climbs, perform the recline rope climb.

Click here to view the embedded video.

11) Don’t bench with a wide grip. Wide grip benching kills the shoulders…. Use a moderate and close grip when benching as well as using varied barbells such as T Handle Bars.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Notice in this video with footage from The Underground & DeFranco’s Gym that we have our athletes pulling and pushing some HEAVY poundages. Focus on upping your strength in these BIG lifts and your arms will grow like a weed.

Click here to view the embedded video.

QOD (Question of the Day): Drop a comment with your thoughts on direct arm work for your training and what it’s done for you. Looking forward to your comments.

Live The Code

–Z–

PS: Underground Strength Nation will TRIPLE in price on January 2nd. Take action now on this DIRT Cheap lifetime membership ASAP – Click HERE

I must admit, Florida has always freaked me out, nothing ever seems right when I’m in Florida unless I’m in Disney World. One minute you can be in the hood, then 2 blocks away are million dollar town homes located next to several blocks of vacant store fronts followed by a beautiful park…. jam packed with homeless people.

Here’s another Florida Unsolved Mystery….. This Guy is kinda strange, sports a 70s porn mustache, wears 80s bodybuilding baggy pants (and he does ALL this in Public!), listens to strange music but damn…..

He knows how to get strong as hell, how to build muscle, how to build functional muscle and he is jacked AND ripped.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’m down to learn from anyone, and our Florida Unsolved Mystery, aka Mandler, is a straight up BEAST. What this guy does works, that’s the straight up TRUTH.

Get after his workouts HERE & build functional muscle while burning fat at the same time.

Live the Code

–Z–