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.
- 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–
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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.
Read more on Underground Home Gym…
Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Zach's Workouts, muscle building, old school strength by on Jan 21st, 2012. 7 Comments. 
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…..
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…..
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!
Filed under Articles, Kick Ass Life, Strength Building, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building, old school strength by on Jan 17th, 2012. 15 Comments.
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…..
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
Filed under Announcements, Articles, Kick Ass Business, Kick Ass Life, Strength Building, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Dec 23rd, 2011. 7 Comments.
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.
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
Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building, old school strength by on Dec 23rd, 2011. 12 Comments.
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…..
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
Filed under Announcements, Articles, Strength Building, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, freak strength friday, muscle building by on Dec 23rd, 2011. 6 Comments.
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.
Read more on 11 Ways to Get BIG Arms…
Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building, old school strength by on Dec 21st, 2011. 22 Comments.
I’ve spoken about this before and I’ll say it again.
Get Comfortable being UNcomfortable.
This video comes straight after cranking hill sprints after breakfast with my family. Check it out….
QOD (Question of the Day): Let me know your thoughts by dropping a comment below. Let me know ONE thing you’re doing to get Comfortable Being UNcomfortable.
Looking forward to your comments and feel free to share this with your friends.
Live the Code
–Z–
Filed under Kick Ass Life, Monday Motivation, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, man up monday by on Dec 18th, 2011. 19 Comments.
Can bodybuilding methods help improve athletic performance?
Well, that ALL depends on HOW you use bodybuilding and IF the athlete needs bodybuilding methods. When I use the word “bodybuilding”, I am merely talking about the method of packing on muscle. Don’t be confused….. so, let me explain.
And, a critical note to determine IF the athlete should use some bodybuilding methods for packing on muscle is described in this short, 57 second video:
Hold on to your thoughts there with what Louie Simmons just said regarding NOT adding muscle mass because I am NOT talking about world class athletes in this article although what he JUST said is what we are careful with during the in season for our wrestlers, allowing them to maintain weight, rather than gaining weight / muscle mass in season and STILL becoming stronger and more explosive in season.
What is NOT “Athletic Bodybuilding”?
I was recently at a “hardcore” gym and there were bodybuilders there…. sort of…. kind of…. NOT the kind of hardcore I was once upon a time used to at Diamond Gym. I think “hardcore” has lost it’s “Hardness” through the years. So maybe this was soft core….. or something…..
These “bodybuilders” were sitting on machines, performing 1 arm cable exercises out the ass and ALL while wearing gloves, cut off short, short jeans and a weightlifting belt. That is NOT the bodybuilding I wanna see. It will NOT carry over to the athletic field.
TWO things to do when using bodybuilding methods for athletes is:
1) Choose the right exercises
2) Choose the right set – rep patterns to stimulate muscle growth
As mentioned above, You can use bodybuilding for athletic performance by choosing the right exercises, sometimes referred to as functional exercises.
Movement such as squats, deads, presses of all types and bodyweight exercises as well. The way to pack on muscle will be via manipulating the sets, reps, speed of the exercise and the overall volume of work.
The powerlifters from Westside Barbell, known as the strongest gym in the world, perform 2 types of workouts:
- Max Effort, for the development of strength
- Dynamic Effort, for the development of speed / power
But, after each workout, they finish off with basic bodybuilding work, using moderate weights and moderate reps, which helps pack on muscle. Now, here is where you wanna pay attention. A typical athlete, not ALL, but MANY, need to add muscle to their frame before we can even think of using pure athletic movements to improve their performance.
MOST athletes are so skinny and so weak that simply by adding muscle to their frame we improve performance. It’s like looking at a tiny car engine…. a small car engine can NOT be manipulated to make it more powerful.
The optimal way to blend everything together is to organize an athletic workout like this:
1) Begin with a warm up. While warming up, mix in mobility, flexibility & soft tissue work.
2) As the warm up intensifies and the mind & body begin feeling prepared, you begin incorporating some speed / power work (See THIS DVD for the best Explosive Power Exercises). A beginner will likely NOT be ready to perform simple jumps such as box jumps, rebound jumps, etc due to lack of coordination & lack of strength & stability. But…. you CAN very likely utilize various medicine ball throws to begin training for power / speed.
I also HIGHLY recommend jumping rope during the warm up to increase athleticism, coordination, improve foot work and utilize the jump rope as a simple form of jumping. I am STILL in SHOCK at how many high school kids do NOT know how to jump rope. It speaks poorly of the Physical Education programs being used in the USA.
3) After the warm up and the speed / power work has been utilized, go into a heavy full body lift, or, heavy upper or lower body lift. Heavy for one might NOT be heavy and intense for another. A GREAT and simple variation for beginners and intermediates is the tried and true 5 x 5 method.
It’s a great blend of strength and muscle building. I also like Jim Wendler’s 5 3 1 method.
4) After you finish the heavy lift or what I like to call our “main lift” you can then move onto “functional bodybuilding exercises” but use them with moderate reps which is where your bodybuilding will come in.
A set – rep pattern of 3 – 4 x 8 – 15 reps works great on these lifts. It’s a GREAT way to build muscle and if you want to add some conditioning then create a circuit with 2 – 3 exercises and perform them back to back to back to combine muscle building with muscular endurance.
Listen to how one of the most feared powerlifters on earth would train after he finished his “Main Lift”. Watch the video below…
Now, these were certainly just a few methods for adding and utilizing bodybuilding methods to help you become stronger for life, lifting AND sport.
Build up that foundation by building muscle FIRST. This is why we don’t skinny bastards deadlifting and power cleaning with tight technique, it’s often times because their muscles are too damn weak or, they simply Do NOT have muscle to begin with.
Live The Code.
Peace
–Z–
PS: The cool think about bodyweight training is it can be used for beginners, intermediates and advanced. Check out THIS program where you get built up the right way and progressively move into free weights. Time to become Agile, Mobile & Hostile! Click HERE to get started.
Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building, old school strength by on Dec 12th, 2011. 16 Comments.
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…..
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
Filed under Announcements, Articles, Q & A, Strength Building, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Dec 9th, 2011. 16 Comments.
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