Here’s a lil’ taste of my training goin’ down at The Underground Strength Gym, in good ol’ Edison, NJ!
There ya have it, some of my favorite lifts:
Squats: I’ll squat anything and anyway possible. I’ll use a box, no box, with bands, chains, sandbags, kettlebells and thick bars for zercher squats.
Deadlifts: I’ll use a regular bar, thick bar or trap bar. This is the ultimate exercise to develop serious, brute strength and a barn door back!
Bench Press: Using thick bars and all types of specialty barbells, the bench press gets a bad wrap, but it’s only a bad wrap by those who have no clue how to use and perform the bench press properly. And for the record, it doesn’t matter if your sport doesn’t require you to lay on your back and press, if you need strong, powerful pushing muscles, then you should be benching in some form or another unless you have an injury preventing you from benching!
Kettlebell Training: Kettlebells are NOT the magic bullet, BUT, they do require skill and athleticism to use them properly and effectively, and if you want to become a better athlete, they WILL help. The details required to master Kettlebell Training can separate the men from the boys.
Who is willing to focus and stay committed to learning the proper skills and technique, OR, who will quit and give up when frustration sets in as they learn the details of proper Kettlebell training?
Bodyweight Training: Pull Ups and all bodyweight pulling movements such as rope climbing and all the different grips you can use for chins and pull ups are a MUST have if you wanna be strong and develop a barn door back.
If you can’t pull your own body then you need to get stronger and lose excess body fat, plain and simple. Master your own Body. Period.
Drop a comment below with your favorite lifts.
Peace.
Lead from the Front!
–Z–
Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Jan 25th, 2010. 28 Comments. 
Last night I was so tired when I was done training my athletes at The Underground I was ready to just call it a night and drive home.
But I knew I just couldn’t quit! I had to go hard and dig deep.
It’s been a LONG week with my son, Ethan, being sick all week and waking up all night and my daughter at 6 AM every morning.
But, as a Dad, I have to walk the talk and represent for my family.
So I cranked an old school power-bodybuilding routine out in 25 minutes, and it reminded me of those days in my Dad’s garage when all I owned was a barbell, a set of 50 & 100 lb dumbbells and a gun rack got squatting or racking weights at waist height.
Here’s what I cranked..
1) run the rack standing dumbbell military press: 15 x 5, 25 x 3, 35 x 3, 45 x 3, 60 x 2, 70 x 2, 85 x 2, 90 x 2 (rest 15 sec. between sets)
2) Barbell High Pull x 3 reps ea. set: 135, 185, 205 for 3 sets : changed the weight and did the next set
3) Barbell Clean & Press x 1 rep ea. set: 135, 185, 205
4) DB side raises drop sets: 35 x 8, 25 x 8
5) Bent Over DB raise drop sets: 40 x 8, 25 x 8
6) DB Hammer Curls drop sets: 85 x 5, 45 x 6, 35 x 7
Quick and brutal. Felt like a million bucks when I was done!
Tell us about your favorite power-bodybuilding workout. You know, the ones that pack on muscle and strength faster than any of those fancy, gimmicky, super gadget workouts.
Looking forward to seeing what you got!
Kill it!
–Coach Z–
PS: I picked up HUNDREDS of pounds of vintage weights today! They need some cleaning up but man are they a thing of beauty!
PPS: I also video toured this dude’s vintage basement gym for you, and one of his York Blobs was just purchased by The Grip King himself, Richard Sorin, to be shipped down his way Monday. Amazing stuff I tell you!
Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Success, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Apr 11th, 2009. 3 Comments.
You’ve seen me tour Henri Skiba’s gym over the summer, it got sick, sick reviews and peeps loved it.
It’s an Undergrounder’s dream, it’s a nightmare for those Planet Fitness lovers 
Henri has his annual powerlifting meet coming up, and, depending on whether or not my daughter goes to a birthday party will depend if I can be there. You can easily see who runs the house, certainly not me
Here are the details:
The Skiba’s Gym Power Challenge will be held Sunday, Jan. 25 from 10am until 6pm.
The address is 199 Washington Ave in the main gym of Carteret High School.
Several big time lifters will be in attendence:
-John Bott
- Gene Rychlak
- Zane McClasin
- Dave Kershen
All proceeds will be used to keep Skiba’s Gym running.
Henri’s gym is not a BIG profit center. Many of the kids are in there to stay off the streets. It’s a place where iron saves these kids. What could be better?!?!
There will also be an Indian Club demonstration and York Barbell will be represented.
I know this will be a great time and hopefully I can get there!
Questions can be directed to Henri himself at astroboy252@mac.com
If you can help spread the word in anyway possible, please share this blog post with others
Thanks in advance!
Kill it!
–Z–
PS: Now more than ever is THE time to run your own biz. This is why there must be a time in your life when you sau “F**K it” and start learning how to do what you love and make a living doing so.
Life goes too fast, will you spend it doing what you DON’T love?
Become a certified Underground Strength Coach, more info HERE.
Next Certification is February 21st and 22nd.
Filed under Announcements, Calendar, Success by on Jan 18th, 2009. 1 Comment.
Damn!
Remember my poem from good ol’ Diamond Gym that hung above the rusty squat rack right next to an old school, black and white photo of Tom Platz squatting 500+ lbs?
“There are those that do
and those that don’t
Those that will
and those that won’t”
Well, check out this e mail I just received from David Lee, The REAL World Strength Coach …..
“YO BRUDDA sorry i missed the event last week but it looks like it was crazy!!!!!!!
Got to get back to the Underground NO EXCUSES!!!!!
But I’m really checking in to say THANK YOU again! Finding your site and taking the certification is one of the best things that’s has every happened to me besides meeting my wife!
You have no idea how my life is changing by following your example!
2009 is going to be a big year I am not sitting back I am jumping at opportunities and making stuff happen!
I just got done last night meeting with 45 or so women and 2 men who are on 3 different dragon boat teams and I am going to be their off season trainer now that they want REAL WORLD STRENGTH and I’m going to give it to them 100% see I’m getting fired up over here!
You would not have known this Z but I am a terrible public speaker, I get nervous, my hands shake, I stutter and have butterfly’s in my stomach and I was freaking out about this presentation last night but guess what… getting up there and talking about training, something I love and have so much passion for, I, in the words of a great man, KILLED IT!!!!!
Big time bro! I mean I rocked it! I had them all laughing and getting up and trying out the kettlebells and asking all types of questions and the lady who got me to speak to them who thought I might be good for some of them said that we may get a few to sign up around 10 or so as 1 of the teams is a 50 and over cancer survivor team and they might be nervous to jump onto the program.
At the end of the presentation she asked how many people were interested and almost everyone in the room raised their hand! I was overwhelmed! We are going to have to find more time and space @ their location to handle it!!!!!
I am also almost finished with the conversion of my 2 car garage over into my own little strength layer, one of my guys called it the black box cause I just painted the walls all black, once you are in the box, “NOW YOUS CANT LEAVE”!
Big things are happening, I am just getting out there and hustling, hustling hard and making things happen.
Thank You again Z. If not finding you this passion and fire may have layed dormant inside of me but I say WATCH OUT world cause here I come and I am going to help as many people as I can!”
**********
Wow! My homeboy David Lee is a perfect example of what happens when you follow your passion with a precise action plan and take massive action to make it happen.
Check out what 2 other Underground Strength Coaches are doing out West….
Mike Rojas, opened his own gym called Strong 101
While Matty Holmes is rockin’ the fitness boot camp scenes….the 2 of these beasts have organized a West Coast Strength Seminar that would kick Snoop Dogg’s ass up and down the streets of Compton
Check it…
Tonight, 10 PM EST
Don’t forget, I’ll be holding a LIVE Chat for Q & A regarding The Underground Strength Coach Cert!
Kill it!
–Coach Z–
PS: Follow me on http://twitter.com/zevenesh – I am unleashing my craziness
Filed under Announcements, Articles, Success, Videos, marketing by on Jan 13th, 2009. Comment.
Last weekend I had the pleasure of instructing the 3rd Underground Strength Coach Certification.
Each crew gets crazier and crazier, this crew REALLY blasted through workouts like they were on fire.
The coaching they learned and picked up really made me proud!
I am beyond honored to be in this position and the guys who came here, 2 from the UK, really make me feel blessed.
I put together a highlight reel of their craziness, and much of coursr wasn’t caught on film, but these guys got me BAD with a practical joke that almost had me going BIG time.
So, as many of you know, I am quite the prankster myself so now I must plan my revenge! ha ha
Enjoy the video and post your comments and thoughts below.
Till the next time,
Kill it!
or, as my homeboys from the UK taught me, “SMASH it Up!”
–Coach Z–
PS: Can’t make it to an Underground Strength Coach Certification? Your best bet is to get my home study course:
Physical Version ==> http://UndergroundStrengthKit.com
Downloadable Version ==> http://UndergroundStrengthManual.com
Filed under Success, Videos, Zach's Workouts by on Nov 4th, 2008. 3 Comments.
I wanted to send this as a newsletter but my words never come out right when I type so I figured a lil’ video will work better.
It’s day 1 of The Underground Strength Coach Cert and I am home now after dinner with the wrecking crew and I was just getting a little mushy starting to feel honored and blessed and lucky and grateful and everything wrapped into one.
Now, I would love to tell you to kill it, as always, but my homeboys from the UK have a different saying….
it’s quite bad ass I must admit: “SMASH IT UP!”
Your choice:
A) Kill it!
or…
B) Smash it Up!
–Coach Z–
Filed under Announcements, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos by on Nov 1st, 2008. 4 Comments.
Mike Rojas was part of the first crew to become a certified Underground Strength Coach.
This dude is like me, he bleeds iron, he also eats it. He is a beast with a true love for training people.
He sent in his Underground Inspiration contest today…..and damn, look what this homeboy did..
Mike is about to open the doors of his Strong 101 Gym in Riverside, Cali.
Connect with this guy and find out how you can train under this homeboy!
Mike’s e mail: mrojas1@sbcglobal.net
Bring your A game if you wanna train with Mike, I know he’s like me and hates whiners and cry babies!
And, if you’re not in the area, go ahead and send Mike an e mail, show some love and send the dude support. He just quit his job to follow his dreams!
Oh shiiiiiiiz, I like that!
Kill it!
–Coach Z–
PS: Who else wants to kill it as an Underground Strength Coach? Go here and sign up, we have 4 spots left for November 1st and 2nd
Filed under Announcements, Articles, Success, Videos by on Sep 16th, 2008. 2 Comments.
Check this bad boy out on e bay, I added some sick, sick bonuses:
Here’s the link for My Personal Copy of The Russian Lion, Train with Zach & Pick Your Favorite E Book!
Here and there I’ll be posting some of my e bay freak-isodes so stay tuned!
Have an awesome day!
Kill it!
–Coach Z–
Filed under Underground Strength Show, Videos by on Aug 13th, 2008. Comment.
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