I’ve got a question for you…..

Click here to view the embedded video.

Please drop a comment with your answer. Looking forward to hearing who and what inspires the men and ladies of Underground Strength Nation!

Peace

–Z–

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Above, Weapons of Mass Construction at The Underground Strength Gym. The “original” days began from my parents backyard, their garage, local playgrounds & ANY Wrestling Club that would let me through their doors….

QUESTION: I really want to open a warehouse gym as soon as I possibly can. Right now i’ve got some minimalist equipment: rope, olympic rings (just got em’ 2 weeks ago…they are awesome), some dumbbells, a sled, keg, kettlebell & tire.

Just slowly building it up. I’m still working on getting my 1st client.

Working a full time job & family leaves me a little short on time.

I just wanted to ask though, I don’t have a warehouse gym, will some of the plans & details outlined in Operation Thunder still apply…garage training/outdoors, etc?

Thanks Z & cheers for the daily inspiration.

- Ricky -

ANSWER:

Ricky, Operation Thunder details exactly HOW I began my training business from my parents backyard and garage, transitioned to my first home and built up The Underground inside my garage….. Back then we would split time between training in my garage, my backyard and down the street at the school when no one was there.

You can see some of that video footage below from 6 years ago

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I detail exactly how I started getting clients while in your position: A husband, father, full time teacher….. I busted my ass, woke up early, stayed up late, did what other up and coming coaches did NOT want to do. It required mental toughness and a passion like no other but I KNEW I would succeed.

I wanted to help athletes dominate and become strong as hell, both physically and mentally. I didn’t let my hectic schedule stand in my way. I knew the only thing that could stand in my way and stop me was ME. I refused to let it happen, my mind was locked on where I wanted to go and I never let up.

Was it easy? Hells NO! It was brutally hard! But, if it was easy then we’d have lots of successful Coaches.

In my home garage gym I had just over 20 athletes training with me till I was essentially forced to move out of my garage and finally sign the lease for my warehouse. The athletes were flooding the street and their cars were lined up the road. It was a GREAT time and I remember seeing my wife looking out the bay window at all the cars and athletes.

I saw the look in her eyes as if she was saying to me, “It’s time, you did it, it’s time to get your warehouse gym. You busted your butt and created a monster, now go take it to the next level!” I literally read her mind…. and I f**ing DID it!

It was tough to do with all my commitments but that is how success comes, from TOUGH minded, ready to take action Coaches.

I strategically used everything to build my business from internet, to public speaking, to referral systems and more, ALL of which are detailed in Operation Thunder.

So…. can YOU do it?

YES….. if you’re willing to do the work, crush the excuses and take smart business action.

Most people are lazy, don’t wanna invest in business courses and if they do, they take NO action.

That’s the cold, hard truth.

I see this in athletes And Coaches…. it takes work and a NO excuses attitude.

If you really wanna make it happen, Yes, it Can be done!

Get after it….

NO procrastinating.

Make it happen. Here’s my final thoughts on what it takes to become a Strength Coach….

Click here to view the embedded video.

Peace

–Z–

Operation Thunder: The Warehouse Gym Project

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Undergrounders…. I cranked a QnA with Jason Ferruggia regarding The Renegade Diet. Check it out and enjoy….

1) When did you start skipping breakfast and what, if any obstacles, did you have to get comfortable with (both physical and mental challenges)?

I don’t think I’ve had breakfast in two years now. Or at least regularly. Sometimes if I’m gonna be traveling or something I do just because I’d get sick on the plane if I didn’t eat. Or if I know I will be without food for a very long time I just have breakfast.

At first, for a week or two, it was definitely a change and a challenge just because I always had it in my head that I would be nauseous if I didn’t eat right away when I got up. I always woke up hungry and had to eat within 15 minutes. But I tried it and battled through the first week.

By the second week I felt much better and had infinitely more energy, mental clarity and focus. These days if I eat breakfast I feel a lot worse and have nowhere near the same energy and focus.

2) Do you ever have days where you wake up and your body / stomach is just telling you to EAT?  Do you ever listen & just have breakfast EVER or do you do something to suppress your appetite?

That does happen if I eat late or even if I go out (which doesn’t happen too much these days) late. In those situations I wake up and am not dying to eat something but I am definitely hungrier than normal a couple hours earlier.

On most days I don’t notice hunger creeping in until about 10:30 or 11am. But if I eat or stay up late I will start getting hungry an hour or so earlier. I don’t give in though. I will just have a cup of coffee to suppress it and wait till it’s time to eat.

Hunger is not something to fear. I believe learning to deal with hunger is very important. We live in a very satiated society and people have gotten very weak because of it. Malcolm X said something once about how hunger is the most difficult desire for man to control and how learning to deal with it is very important for developing mental and physical discipline. I couldn’t agree more.  You don’t have to fear hunger like it’s going to cause your immediate death. 

Learn to deal with it and take control of your emotions, your desires and your life.

3) I know you have Sundays to change your eating a bit, what happens on Sundays?

During football season I start eating earlier; especially living here on the West Coast since the Giants games usually start at 10am. And we have more junk food on that day, pretty much all day. But it’s all very healthy, organic junk food and usually home made.

Normally I don’t eat carbs until night but on football Sundays it goes all day long. During the rest of the year Sunday’s are pretty normal but if I want pancakes or French toast or something that’s the day we’ll do it, usually around noonish.

4) You train both adults and athletes at Renegade. Did you tweak the Renegade Diet for your athletes VS the adults?

Yeah, I have a lot of athletes on The Renegade Diet but there are definitely individual tweaks to be made depending on their schedules.

With high school kids sometimes it’s hard for them to get enough calories so I often end up recommending a big breakfast, but with no starchy carbs. This helps them stay more alert and focused during school. Then the same thing for lunch; a huge protein, fat and vegetable meal. After school they will usually have practice or start training. At that time we’d start the carbs with a during-the-workout protein and carb drink and then again after. When they get home they have the rest of the nigh to feast and carb load.

Eating a low inflammatory diet is still critically important though, as it will allow them to recover faster. And by eating three or four meals instead of six and keeping their carbs limited to later in the day they will lower inflammation, improve digestion and feel and perform a lot better.

For athletes who train twice per day I recommend doing the first workout fasted with some BCAA’s before and then having a protein and carb meal afterwards, but not more than about 30 grams of carbs. Then, during the second workout or practice they could have the during workout drink and load up again the rest of the night when they are all done.

A lot of people mistakenly believe that you need carbs immediately before training. That’s not necessarily the case. As long as the glycogen is in there from the previous day you’ll be fine in most cases, unless you are doing a triathlon. Pre workout carbs tend to make people a bit more tired and can have a negative effect on CNS output. I’d wait til about 20-30 minutes into the workout to start carbs and save most of them for after.

The point of post workout carbs isn’t necessarily to replenish your glycogen stores from the work you just did but rather to refill them for the workout you’ll be doing tomorrow. We just have them during the post workout period because it’s harder to get fat at that time.

5)  You mention some rules in The Renegade Diet regarding when one can and can not start, dealing with metabolism, body temperature, etc. You’ve done a lot of experimenting with this through your gym and online students. How do you know if you are ready or the timing is right to get started?

This is simple. Just take your temperature. If it’s below 98 degrees you have some problems. If it’s below 97 you have some more serious problems. And if it’s 96 or lower you’ve got major issues. In a situation like that it means you have somehow ruined your metabolism from years of crash dieting or some other type of quick fix gimmick.

Or you could just have been eating far too few calories for too long. When this happens your thyroid output slows down and your metabolism comes to a screeching halt. So the only possible solution here is to start eating more.

People freak out sometimes when you tell them that they have to eat more to get leaner. Girls lose it. But it is the only possible solution. There is no way around it physiologically. You need to boost your calories until your temperature gets up in the normal human range of 98.6 degrees.

Once you get there you will need to keep it there for at least another 2-4 weeks before you can start dieting. During the first few weeks you will get leaner. Then you may get fatter for a week or two but you HAVE to endure and stick it out if you want a permanent, long term solution.

Now, you could eat according to The Renegade Diet schedule of eating or you could eat six meals per day, every two hours. It really doesn’t matter as long as you bump up the calories significantly enough to see your temperature climb.  The most important thing is that you get it up where it needs to be then keep it there for a few weeks before you start trying to lose fat. If your goal is muscle gain this should never be a problem.

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If you would like to save this QnA with Jason Ferruggia and The Renegade Diet, please click this link and “Save As” to your computer: ==> Renegade Diet-E Book-Q&A-PDF

For more details on The Renegade Diet Click HERE

Hope you enjoyed this QnA.

If you feel those you know would enjoy this QnA please do me a favor and hit the facebook LIKE button. HUGE thanks in advanced!

Time to get Lean & Mean….

–Z–

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Team Underground – I would LOVE any olympic lifting training tips you can drop below pertaining to my technique on this olympic lift in the video below.

HUGE thanks in advance, I am learning some NEW stuff and LOVING it. It’s a challenge to say the least! Please see my video below…..

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Just drop your comments below, you can even throw in a link to a video if it will help.

HUGE thanks, Undergrounders!

MUCH respect

–Z–

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With our upcoming seminar, ‘Training for GOLD!’ (Details HERE), Jason C. Brown and I will be covering a myriad of a training methods, principles, tools and program design methods.

Before I get into the details and reveal these 3 videos below with GSP in action, a NJ MMA Fighter & Martin Rooney, I will tell you a shortened version of a story I revealed during this past weekend’s USC Cert.

I spoke about when I trained Football players & Wrestlers from my garage using odd objects, backyard training, training with sleds, sprints, playground workouts, truck pushing, etc down on a field…. NONE of our athletes EVER got hurt, either in lifting OR during competition.

Then, when I opened The Underground Strength Gym in a warehouse, I no longer had access to training on the field, performing hill sprints, jumping and climbing on, over and around playground equipment…. the workouts became VERY strength focused. It was then I realized we were building strong, slow and useless athletes…. as well as seeing the bigger guys getting injured.

I remember the moment as if it was yesterday, I said to myself, “That’s it…. I’m gonna start training ALL our athletes like full blown athletes….. like wrestlers…. NO matter how big or small they are, we’re gonna start using a longer warm up, more bodyweight exercises, the pace will be fast and furious and everyone will develop mental toughness….”

As soon as I made the change to train everyone for athleticism, which in essence is an optimal blend of strength, speed / explosive power, conditioning, mental toughness, agility…. the results of our athletes when competing went through the roof and the injuries went waaaaaaay down.

Watch these 3 videos carefully, and you will see that training for overall athleticism is THE ticket. You will also get a deeper understanding as to why I use cross training for ALL my athletes as well as why our Football players get trained like our wrestlers.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Many may argue this point, but as you heard Martin Rooney, his NFL players, MMA Fighters, etc ALL do the same warm up which in and of itself is a workout!

Whether you compete in combat sports or not, do NOT miss THIS seminar.

Details HERE, space is extremely limited

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You’ve seen my past few blog posts and videos, ALL of them are always inspired by something DEEP within. In the video below I explain who, what, where and why.

You’ll also see another video by a Navy SEAL who has influenced me as well.

Watch those videos.

Learn from them.

Take ACTION and DO something with your new information.

Check it out…..

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Date of The Underground Strength Conference is June 8, 9 and 10.

Lock down those dates. There is a possibility of needing to make it June 7 – 9, but either way, lock those days down NOW, you will NOT wanna miss this shyt!!

Now, on to a video that REALLY solidified some of the things I’ve been missing in my life, please check this out, special thanks to Doc Frog, David Rutherford for these videos….

Click here to view the embedded video.

4 Critical Mission Steps to TEAM Life from a Navy SEAL:

Mission # 1) Commitment from the HEART, nothing less will suffice, 100% or it does NOT count

Mission # 2) You MUST Train HARD to make you and your team better, every day, something MUST be done to make your team better

Mission # 3) Communicate Openly, do NOT expect people to read your mind. Be clear & precise with your message through words AND actions, don’t assume your team understands you, commit to effective communication day in and day out

Mission # 4) Embrace Your Role As A Leader. Sometimes you are doing the grunt work, other times you are not. That is fine, it’s NEVER  perfect 50/50 blend so be willing to LEAD from The Front. That means if you gotta pick up the slack then DO it.

Please let me know your thoughts on these 2 videos by dropping a comment or sharing it on your facebook page. Thanks for being part of Underground Strength Nation. MUCH Respect & Gratitude!

Peace

–Z–

Sign Up for The ‘Train 4 GOLD Seminar’. This seminar is for coaches, athletes, parents and competitors…. Anyone with an open mind to learn. Time is running short and only 4 spots are left. Click HERE for Details

The Austin, TX USC Cert is 4 weeks away. Next year I will travel elsewhere, if you’re close to Tx, mid west or west coast, make it happen rather than waiting for it to happen in your back yard.

We regularly have international attendees who change their life. The lifetime of support AFTER the Cert has been priceless, below a few Coaches speak….

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Austin, TX Underground Strength Coach Cert

Details HERE

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Check out this podcast I cranked with Mike Robertson a month or two ago.

In this conversation, Mike asks me about:

- How The Underground Strength Gym got started

- How & who I was influenced by in training and business to go full force as a Strength Coach

- What I learned about life and lifting after an injury sidelined me BOTH physically AND psychologically

Please share with anyone you feel would enjoy this, thanks! MUCH Respect!

For more details on the resources mentioned in this interview, please see the links below:

- Strength Coach Success

- Bodyweight Bodybuilding

If you have any questions or comments, please join the conversation and drop your comments below

Peace!

–Z–

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I’m often asked if Bodyweight Bodybuilding can be incorporated WITH an existing program that the person is already following. To be clear, this program is not so easy that you will need an added program or a variation of it.

But, I KNOW how many people are when it comes to actually following a training program as prescribed. They buy a program and then they want to change the program to something else, I guess this is human nature. But, those who follow the program to the T are the dudes who get best results.

Knowing what I knew would happen,  I added the 5 x 5 + Bodyweight Bodybuilding course as a Bonus, to help soothe your “fix” for heavy lifting and making some form of a change to the program.

But, let’s say you refuse to let go of your current program or perhaps you want to experiment on yourself and see how it works when combining another program. I completely understand the desire to be your own Mad Scientist

So, here are 3 ways you can take Bodyweight Bodybuilding and combine with an existing program or modification:

1) Perform your own program one day followed by Bodyweight Bodybuilding the next day OR after a rest day. Then, the 3rd workout return to your existing program, the 4th day back to Bodyweight Bodybuilding. I often times train like this. Hitting a modification of 5 3 1 or a full blown Underground Workout, the next day, going ALL bodyweight and a 3rd day is a rest day.

2) Perform a BIG movement FIRST, then jump into a Bodyweight Bodybuilding workout. Examples could be starting with a powerlifting, strongman / odd object or Kettlebell movement. Hit that main lift hard and heavy as you normally would. Roll out a bit, then, jump into a Bodyweight Bodybuilding Workout.

Here’s a sample workout:

- Tire Flip 4 hard sets x 10 seconds of MAX reps.

- Foam Roller / Soft Tissue Work

- Bodyweight Bodybuilding Workout as prescribed, do NOT shorten or modify the workout. Follow exactly as prescribed.

3) I’ve had a LOT of CrossFit fanatics snag Bodyweight Bodybuilding. Many have said they were injured and beat up from their workouts and needed a program to challenge them yet alleviate the joint aches and pains. Other CrossFitters wanted to 2 a day workouts.

BOTH options work. If you’re feeling beat up and banged up, follow Phase 1 of Bodyweight Bodybuilding for a month and then go back to your normal training. When you feel the need to get away from the heavy lifting, return to Bodyweight Bodybuilding and perform Phase 2, etc.

If you want to use Bodyweight Bodybuilding with CrossFit, then it does NOT matter if you do your workouts first or second in your day. The goal of CrossFit is to have your training constantly varied so I suggest alternating workout by workout regarding Bodyweight Bodybuilding first in the day and the next day last in your day.

What’s my favorite way to use Bodyweight Bodybuilding?

Now that I’ve gotten rid of my injuries, aches and pains I am mostly in line with follow Jim Wendler’s 5 3 1 or a 5 x 5 lift FIRST, then hitting a Bodyweight Bodybuilding Workout.

I also follow the version of performing one of our workouts from my Underground Strength Gym, the next day, crank Bodyweight only followed by a 3rd day of rest. This 2 on 1 off seems to work very well for me.

If you have started testing various options with Bodyweight Bodybuilding, please drop a comment below and let us know how you modified the program with your own.

Thanks for reading and please share this article with your friends on facebook and twitter. I always appreciate you showing the luv! Thank YOU!

Peace

–Z–

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Training young athletes is my passion. I LOVE helping skinny, weak kids go from Boy to BEAST….. not just physically, but mentally as well.

But, I feel HORRIBLE for the athletes who are forced to train with a Coach who has NO clue as to WHAT the hell to do with regards to Safe AND Effective training. Some Coaches do NOT want to learn. They use their EGO to control the kids and force them into training in shitty conditions.

NOTE: For those who want to learn about training athletes, I HIGHLY recommend THIS Book.

These kids end up getting injured and perhaps even worst, they are unable to reach their true potential because they are NOT maximizing their ability to get stronger, more explosive and adding necessary muscle. I have PERSONALLY been there and done that, this is why you see me getting fired up when I get into the topic of training athletes.

I figured I would address a few tips for training high school athletes as I get these questions on a frequent basis. By no means is this a complete, exhaustive list, just a few tips……

1) Should an inexperienced high school lifter be doing power cleans, squats, benching & deads?

NO.

NOT even with a light weight, the coordination is simply NOT there….. yet. It takes TIME. Train for the long haul, not for today and tomorrow only.

Build up their coordination with VERY simple exercises that yield a fast return in strength and coordination. Movements such as push ups, pull ups, bodyweight squats & lunges, sled drags, light Kettlebell farmer walks, ab exercises, high handle trap bar deadlifts, grip exercises and tons of band pull aparts.

2) Should young athletes max out every month for 1 rep?

NO.

Instead of using only the 1 rep max as an indicator, why not see if they get stronger from month to month or week to week on specific movements, or as Dave Tate calls them, indiciators.

Once you begin testing 1 Rep Maxes with young athletes form goes out the window.

If you keep a training long or simply remember in your head what you did for Trap Bar Deads 3 weeks ago for 5 reps, see if you can get a lil’ stronger for your 3 – 5 rep set today.How many pull ups did you get last week or 2-3 weeks ago compared to today?

Every workout is an assessment and every week you are testing yourself to see if you’re stronger as a young athlete.

Strength is NOT always in number of reps or amount of weight. It could VERY well be a greater demonstration of body control or control over the weight.

For example, an athlete does 5 pull ups but his legs are swinging up on each rep and he squirms his way to the top. 2 weeks later he bangs out 5 TIGHT reps, abs and legs are rigid, upper body pulls in a straight line with NO wiggle room. THAT is a Legit increase in strength. The reps are the same, but each rep looks 20 x better, you dig?

Don’t forget, make these workouts FUN… not just the style of training, but the atmosphere AND environment must be FUN and Competitive…..

Click here to view the embedded video.

I was in a high school weight room when a Football team was testing their 1 rep max on squats. I could NOT believe what was going on in there and how anyone with half  a brain couldn’t see from a mile away that this was some seriously dangerous stuff! The weights being used were waaaaaaay beyond their control and even the exercises selected were too advanced for these skinny kids.

NOTE: If you need to add a BIG Ass Pad to the bar when doing squats you need to get OFF the squat bar and focus on building your body up to handle a heavy bar across your back with OUT the BIG pad. Instead, build up your back, traps, legs, trunk / ab stability and entire body FIRST. EARN your way to the squat rack, that’s the bottom line!

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is also why I am NOT a fan of timed workouts.

I have found that NO matter how much you tell an athlete to stick to form and technique during a timed workout, the form goes to shit.

Shitty form = shitty results…. and soon enough, injury, especially if timed workouts are with added resistance.

Watch the video below, and even though only bodyweight training, watch how a timed workout alters the focus on technique and quality to a focus on racing others and achieving a better time.

Click here to view the embedded video.

As you can see….. even with repeated coaching and even threatening their life the form of these bodyweight exercises went OUT the window.

We deleted ALL times from this entire challenge at the gym & told the athletes that if technique is legit, NONE of it counts.

There are OTHER occasions where time can be implemented safely and effectively.

Here are a few of those times where we’ve experienced success doing so.

1) Running - You can’t half rep the runs! Race for 400 – 800 or 1600 meters! Race for 40 yd dash……

2) Underground Sandbag Challenge - The bag MUST touch the ground each and every rep and the bag must get ON top of your shoulder each and every rep.

3) Bench Press Your Bodyweight x Max Reps – Touch the chest every rep and lock out the arms every rep, leave 1 rep in tank for technique. This is cut and dry. The bar must touch the chest every rep, lock arms every rep.

As you can see, I am on the constant improvement of my training methods for my athletes.

On the flip side, adding competition to workouts fires these kids up, so you MUST find a way to incorporate competition within workouts but focus on technique. If technique wasn’t up to your standards (and you should push for HIGH standards) then it doesn’t count.

Should young athletes take their set to max effort or failure?

NO.

Even experienced lifters are learning more and more, optimal workouts WIN, NOT Maximal Workouts.

This Book is a PERFECT example.

Listen to Louie Simmons talking maximal training VS optimal training…. He encourages lifters to leave with energy in the tank. Athletes even more so should leave with energy in the tank because the reason behind their training regime is to improve their sports performance.

Check this freshman wrestler out, 14 years young. He started with us exactly 3 months ago, trains here 2 x week. He began weighing 105 lbs and got to 117 lbs, adding 1 lb a week for 12 weeks. He’ll wrestle at 113 lbs this season.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

He attacks the basics:

- Kettlebell farmer walks

- Pull Ups / Push Ups / Handstand Push Ups

- Sleds

- Back Extensions / Swings

- 1 Arm DB Rows

- Dumbbell Benching

- Kettlebell / Dumbbell Clean & Press

- Trap Bar Deadlifts

As you can see, ATTACK the basics!

By the way…. beginner or NOT, you need to attack the basics for LIFE. The movements listed above are regulars in my workouts as well. Why? Because they are LEGIT for producing results. Period. End of Story. DO Them.

But… Here are a few CRITICAL elements of a training program for high school athletes in addition to performance improvement:

- Improve Mental Toughness

- Increase Self Confidence

- Teach Discipline / Commitment / Intensity / Passion

Remember, we want to train these young kids for LIFE both on AND off the competitive sports field. People nowadays are soft, always whining, crying, making excuses and overall, are mentally weak. F**K that, some of your workouts need to be hellish (once they are ready for them) so these athletes understand what it means to go through a battle and fight to come out on top.

Click here to view the embedded video.

QOD (Question of the Day): How did you train when you were a teenager? What do you WISH you knew back then that you know now?

Peace!

–Z–

PS: USC Cert is coming soon, step up and make 2012 the year you experience a life changing weekend. Whether you’re a Coach or Not, this weekend will blow your mind. 2012 is coming, NO more waiting for things to happen, you start MAKING shit happen.

As Mr. Warrior says, start building it, brick by brick, punch by punch, you take your life back!

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In case you missed Part I, click HERE

For Dan’s latest book that kicks ass, click HERE

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s how we can keep this video interview series with Dan John rolling:

- Drop a question for Dan regarding training and we’ll set up another Underground QnA for you guys. Just leave your question in the comments section, I’ll collect and compile the questions and when we get enough questions we’ll get more gold from Dan John. I SERIOUSLY wish this type of access was available for myself when I started training and I cherish the ability to do so NOW!

Drop a question for Dan John below.

Make sure you read up on his latest book, co authored with Pavel. This book is BadAss – check it HERE

Peace

–Z–

Every month, members of Underground Strength Nation get an exclusive interview with a Strength Coach, an exercise of the month with video instructional and a Live QnA Teleseminar with myself & other members of USN.

If you’re serious about old school strength & muscle building click HERE

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