Sometimes we have new athletes training at The Underground Strength Gym and I see fear in their eyes. They are in a NEW World and have never been pushed to these new areas.
I see the Fear in their eyes clear as day…..
- FEAR against a heavier weight
- FEAR against pushing into a pain zone
- FEAR against the feeling of throwing up
Let me give you some advice:
Don’t FEAR the pain, CHASE it! Stare it dead in the eyes and say “F**K YOU!!!”
Go for broke when you lift, NO limits style!
Unless you are truly busted up with injuries or have a serious limitation you need to stop fearing the Pain.
Once you begin chasing it, you stop feeling the pain because you no longer view it as pain, instead, you view it as pleasure.
It becomes something you are numb to and something you fall in love with all at the same time. 
And…. NOT ironically, you will become more successful in your life, in ALL areas.
I’ve applied these rules to my life and overall business ventures and it helps me kick ass where countless others quit or stop short. It has been a HUGE driving force behind the success of all actions I take in life and business. If I always allowed Fear to control me, rather than let it work FOR me, I would never have experienced the success I am today.
I haven’t given you a workout in a while, so try this one on for size.
Monday should be a day of battle for you.
It starts the week off on the right note. Don’t be that typical gym nerd who does Chest every Monday.
Time to stop following the rules and “conventional wisdom”.
Here WE go, we’re in this battle together:
** Warm up thoroughly First **
1) Farmer Walk with Dumbbells or http://UndergroundKettlebells.com 5 x 200 ft.
2A) Handstand Push Ups 5 x Max Reps
2B) Rope Climb 5 x
3A) Squat Jumps 3 x 10
3B) Lunge Jumps 3 x 10
4A) Kettlebell Swings 4 x 10 reps
4B) Sprint x 100 Meters
Finish with some hard ab work.
I’ll be hitting this workout myself today.
Let’s rock this sh*t together.
Strength & Honor.
REMEMBER: Don’t fear the pain, chase it and DOMINATE.
Adjust movements above for your own strength levels.
Lead from the FRONT.
–Z–
PS: If you’re ready to be ultra committed to training with me, then this is for you:
===> The Underground Strength System
PPS: Please check out my New Fan Page, click HERE
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Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Success, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on May 11th, 2010. 3 Comments. 
I got TWO kick ass vids for you today:
1) A rockin’ Kettlebell workout for you to test drive and you can see my kick ass friend, co owner of Urban Athlete in Philly, Pamela Mcelree – this girl is bad ass, watch and see….
2) Part II of our Underground Strength Cribs with the boys from http://UndergroundStrengthCoachNW.com
Man! That Underground Strength Crew in Kirkland, Washington is BAD ASS!
So, drop a comment, let me know your thoughts on the Kettlebell workout and of course Belton and Rommel’s brand spanking new Underground Strength Gym out in Kirkland, Washington.
Lookin’ forward to your comments!
Peace!
–Z–
PS: USC Cert is around the corner baby ==> http://zacheven-esh.com/coaching.php
PPS: Operation Thunder is sick, sick, sick! I am adding a special DVD set of a closed door, Underground Mastermind caught on film! Workin’ hard to bring it kids!
PPPS: Those of you who are Level 1 USC Certified, I am thinking of cranking a Level 2 in November, 12 people Max. Hit me up if you’re interested!
Learn my training AND business system so you can kick ass and take names
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Filed under Announcements, Articles, Calendar, Strength Building, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Sep 28th, 2009. 10 Comments.
I’m here in Louisville, and on the way out here I stopped through Ohio to meet some friends of the iron game, took a trip through Westside Barbell club & recorded 15 minutes of it for Underground members.
Above, the custom Harley Davidson of Jim Wendler
I Spent a few hours in the Elite FTS Compound with Jim Wendler and AJ Roberts. Jim showed me his new Harley, hoping this would score him some coolness points, as I have been educating him on the ways of being a COOL Bruddah 
NO easy feat, but he is learning!
We got to talking training and unleashed hell on how to get stronger, bigger, faster, develop mental toughness, how to optimally train athletes, how to train as you get older, avoiding injuries and tons more was spoken and exchanged, it was AWESOME.
You KNOW I LIVE for the iron game and talking iron is Golden to me!
It was pure gold and I LIVE for that stuff.
Above, just SOME of the Kettlebells from Westside Barbell Club
If you saw on Facebook, I posted a few pics of Westside Barbell Club and all the Kettlebells they had.
One Kettlebell was oversized and specially made, shaped like a small stone.
The powerlifters, MMA fighters and Football players there ALL use the Kettlebells for the following:
- prehab / rehab
- strength
- speed & power development
- grip strength
- mental toughness
- improving conditioning and fitness levels
It was great to see the strongest gym in the world staying on the cutting edge by using OLD pieces of “equipment” such as the Kettlebell.
I began using Kettlebells 6 years ago. They challenged me unlike any other training tool I ever used, and they also kicked my ass!
But, they REALLY did push my mental toughness to a new level, and with regards to “functional” strength, they have been KING.
Performing several movements back to back as I recently did with my athletes, or, performing sets for time, 4, 5, 6 minutes non stop without putting the kettlebells down is also a serious test of mental toughness yet at the same time develops strength endurance, power endurance and also increases muscle size….
especially in the shoulders, back, traps, hamstring areas.
I call this Hybrid Training, where you mix various movements of kettlebells
Mixed with bodyweight work, it is highly effective for the development of
brute strength, fat loss, speed development and improving conditioning.
The constant swinging of the kettlebell through your legs,
pulling & pushing the kettlebell overhead….
It packs on muscle and helps develop brute strength unlike any other training tool I have ever used.
Plus, you can take them anywhere, as I often do when I want to get away and train in seclusion, I carry them into the trails of the large park near by and perform my training amidst Mother Nature.
A recent Hybrid Kettlebell Workout my athletes performed, mixing kettlebells, bodyweight training and sled training pushed their mental toughness and physical conditioning to a whole new level.
Try adding this Hybrid into a workout:
1A) 1 arm Kettlebell snatch 3 x 5 reps
1B) mixed grip pull ups 3 x 5 reps
1C) ring push ups 3 x 5 reps
2A) 1 arm Kettlebell clean & press 3 x 5 reps
2B) mixed grip pull ups 3 x 5 reps
2C) ring push ups 3 x 5 reps
** THE Punisher **
Perform 1 set of # 3, Below, aka “THE Punisher”
3A) 1 arm snatch x 5 + 1 arm clean & press x 5 reps (perform both exercises before switching hands)
3B) mixed grip pull ups x 10
3C) ring push ups x 10
The above is just some of the ways I perform Kettlebell Hybrid Training.
These WILL build brute strength and mental toughnes beyond what you ever had before.
Try it and make it happen!
Peace!
–Coach Z–
PS: I just added my Bonus, never seen before Hybrid Kettlebell Training 6 week Course HERE ==> http://tinyurl.com/n4l72u (On Sale till Friday)
PPS: If you want to snag Kettlebells, I get mine right here, they have a thick handle, withstand all types of weather (left mine outside in the winter for 6 months with NO rust) and are the best prices ==> http://UndergroundKettlebells.com
PPPS: If you found this informaiton helpful and you enjoyed it, please tell your friends, family or colleagues about the Blog or share it on facebook / twitter by clicking one of the little buttons below
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Filed under Announcements, Articles, Strength Building, Success, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Sep 10th, 2009. 9 Comments.
Check out this rare video done in the Pizzaria next door to my gym.
I talk about how my business started, my early influences, my lack of money, my first time Tire flipping, how I got my first clients, grip training, kettlebell training, rope training and sandbag training.
Enjoy this video and drop a comment on your questions and thoughts. I am psyched to see what you guys have to say about this kick ass video!
Thoughts, comments, questions?
Drop em’ below!
TONS more like this to come.
Lost Secrets of Strength coming VERY soon.
Thank You for Watching!
Peace!
–Coach Z–
PS: BIG Events around the corner HERE & HERE.
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Filed under Announcements, Articles, Calendar, Q & A, Strength Building, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, marketing, muscle building by on Aug 6th, 2009. 15 Comments.
This is round 1 of a 5 round circuit. Check the video below…..
That was not an easy workout headed by Uncle Mike Stehle and The Milkman (Both Beasts pictured below).
Uncle Mike
Stehle of course had his favorite pasttime blaring loud to keep us amped up, Social D all the way baby!. These are just SOME of the perks of running your own biz, you don’t have to be subjected to the punishment of sappy love tunes and other fitness bunnies talking on their cell phones while you try to push through your set of heavy squats or kettlebell snatches.
Wait! Most “normal” gyms don’t even have Kettlebells, and if they do, you can bet they are using some SCARY technique!
Now, getting back to the workout that kicked my ass….
I rarely, if ever, train in such a manner, with all these circuits and timed rounds for metabolic conditioning.
But you know the old saying, right?
If you suck at it – that’s probably the workout you SHOULD be doing!
Uncle Mike and the Milkman usually hit 3 metabolic conditioning workouts each week and 2 strength and power endurance workouts each week.
Next time I head down there I’ll be redeeming myself and showing up for a strength and power focused day, ha ha ha ha!
Here’s the exact workout we did that day. Give it a shot and post your comments below to share how you did and how you felt. If you own a gym, unleash this bad boy on your clients and show them some Jersey LOVE!
For 5 rounds.
Perform each exercise for 30 seconds work / 15 seconds rest.
After you complete 1 round, rest 1 minute and repeat.
1) Battling Ropes
2) 2 Hand Kettlebell Swings
3) Prowler Push (High & Low)
4) 2 Hand Kettlebell Hi-Pull
5) Air Dyne Bike
6) Burpee Pull Ups
If you don’t have an air dyne bike you can hit the Battling Ropes for another round.
I gotta tell ya, Milk Man & Uncle Mike Stehle impressed me BIG time. These guys are in serious shape and strong as heck to boot! You may have noticed me straightening out Paul Reddick on the hi-pulls
So, you have 2 Options:
1) Perform the Jersey Shore Challenge as described and post your comments below….
OR
2) Tell us about a time YOU got your ass kicked from a workout. Make sure you post the details of the workout.
Preferably, I wanna see you rock out The Jersey Shore Challenge because your last ass kicking may have been YEARS ago. Sometimes we all need a GOOD ass kickin.
I am PSYCHED to read your comments and responses!
So get busy!
Peace!
–Z–
PS: A few spots are left for The July 18-19 Underground Strength Gym License. Wanna run a gym like mine or like the Milkman and Uncle Mike? You can even run your little Underground Strength Gym part time, on the side of your full time gig, and STILL kick ass doing so! More Info HERE (Click ME NOW)!
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Filed under Announcements, Articles, Calendar, Strength Building, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Jun 30th, 2009. 12 Comments.
You’re about to watch video footage of a early 1970′s Polish Olympic Weighlifting Team – and these guys are World Champions, not just the average gym rat, yet note how much emphasis their Coach places on their ability to master their body to improve their Olympic Lifts.
Check this killa, short video out ….
1) PULL Ups RULE! I ALWAYS placed emphasis on pull ups – and I used every single variation I could possibly think of. Pull ups jack up your back, biceps, shoulders and forearms.
Having a strong back improves your bench, improves your 40 yd dash time PLUS, a rugged, thickly muscled back looks downright awesome, don’t you agree?
Nowadays, I encounter varsity athletes, bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts, countless of which can not perform 5 strict pull ups.
This is pathetic.
A program of strength and muscle building requires a foundaton to be built, and pull ups, push ups and squats with bodyweight are a MUST have.
When I would travel to Israel there were no gyms in the area until I was 18.
Before then, my workouts consisted of an every other day pull up regime, 15 – 20 sets total.
I walked to the local playground and began with 10 sets of overhand chins, the last 10 sets had various grips and hand placements.
I still eat pull ups for breakfast, and at 220 lbs bodyweight I can easily do 20 + reps.
2) Mr. Gonzales Kicked My Ass AND he Can Kick Your Ass To! Back in undergrad it was required for Physical Education students to take a full semester of Gymnastics, 2 x week. Our instructor, Mr. Gonzales was a bad MoFo.
Read more on Top 3 Reasons Bodyweight Training Kicks Ass…
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Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Jun 7th, 2009. 23 Comments.
So, the last video really had your emotions stirred up. Some were pissed off that I was pissed at a kid who was once natural went the drug route and talked a BIG game with nothing to back it up.
When I’m asked to describe my own workouts, they tend to be coined as something called Power-Bodybuilding.
We are ALL “bodybuilders” – we build our body, period.
Here is a recent workout of my very own, check it out:
1) Zercher Squat 5 x 1 – 5 reps
2A) Double Kettlebell Clean & Press 4 x 5
2B) Mixed Grip Pull Ups 4 x max reps
3A) Grip work using Rolling Thunder, Hex Dumbbell Holds & Captains of Crush for 6 sets total
3B) abdominal work using gymnastics rings for stability and various angles of planks.
4) Sled / Prowler work: 4 x 200′
Tell us about a recent favorite workout of yours and what your goals are.
Looking forward to seeing and sharing some kick ass workouts!
Kill it!
–Coach Z–
PS: I have a FREE training manual for you HERE. You definitely wanna check this out!
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Filed under Announcements, Articles, Strength Building, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Apr 1st, 2009. 11 Comments.
Wow, I was just perusing through my book shelf and stumbled across two books: one from 1888 (Yes, 1888, NOT a typo) and 1 from 1947.
1 Book on Gymnastics and the other on using sandbags, medicine balls, logs and homemade fitness equipment and obstacles.
Amazing stuff! Well, the pics are amazing, the language is foreign and unfortunately I can not read them 
This “stuff” has been around for centuries.
In some countries, stone lifting is part of their culture.
And, during certain times in the USA, a long time ago, Physical Culture was more popular and fitness was held in high esteem.
Today, too many idiots think they created something or were the first to come across.
With books dating back to the 1800′s, I bet they were not even the first to come up with these training tools and fitness systems.
Older doesn’t necessarily mean better either. Better means Better.
Check out this old video of some sandbag training footage from back when I was filming my very first videos for http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com and some footage snuck its ways onto You Tube.
Check out an e mail from Ray Johnson, who just completed his Underground Strength Cert and see what he says about training with sandbags and kettlebells:
“Whats up JERSEY IRON? I’ve read your training methodology for countless hours and I don’t see a flaw in it. I spent the last few weeks training hard with these principles of sandbags, endless multi-grip pull-ups, dead-lifts, tire flipping and your painful kettlebell workouts. I gained 4 pounds and play with a 96 pound sandbag like its my bitch. I’m going to send you the photo of us at the UNDERGROUND and I was hoping you would sign it and send it back. You always addressed your great mentors like Alwyn Cosgrove and I would like to address mine. I want to put you next to Pavel in my gym. Thanks for the IRON.
Sincerely,
Ray”
Ray is dubbed ‘The Captain of Crush” – this guy was tearing shit up at The USC Cert no doubt!
If you read his statement, you’ll notice he is using a variety of tools: barbells, sandbags, kettlebells, bodyweight, etc.
Put em’ all together the right way and you have a powerful combination.
Kill it!
–Coach Z–
PS: Want OLD School? You gotta check out the videos I’ve been adding to my Underground Members Only Area - 1 is from Europe filmed back in the early 70′s with shocking footage!
If you’ve never been there, Click HERE for a 7 Day Trial – you’ll have access to me 24-7, hundreds of videos, hundreds of articles, a members only monthly teleseminar and a BIG discount on my USC Certification.
Click HERE for your 7 Day Trial.
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Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Mar 17th, 2009. 3 Comments.
Man, if there is 1 thing engrained into my DNA, it must be that I LOVE to train hard & heavy.
But, lately, I’ve been straying away from the heavy barbell, rocking the dumbbells, kettlebells and bodyweight a lot more.
I’m feeling healthier, and still strong as a mofo.
It doesn’t make me feel good when my back is so f**ked up that it hurts to change diapers.
As I grow, I evolve.
Does this mean I will never touch a barbell again? Hells NO!
I still use them, but I am finding “other” ways.
Check out the video below…
The complex above is one I sometimes hit, and often times heavier, like 225 – 275.
Lately, the dumbbells and kettlebells have been getting abused by me
Till the next time, Kill it!
–Z–
PS: Until Friday, Midnight, I am offering some hard core, bad ass videos as a bonus to http://REALManMuscle.com – a strength training system I evolved into as life became busier and busier as a father, husband and biz owner. You will Love these Bonus Videos and all the hard hitting content inside the training manuals.
Check it out & get your Bonus Videos.
Kill it!
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Filed under Announcements, Articles, Strength Building, Success, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Mar 11th, 2009. 16 Comments.
While I was training athletes, some of my athletes were filming away, watching my homeboys at Diesel Crew rock the feats of grip strength….
Check it out below, these homeboys are strong as hell….
as I always said, Strong Hands = A Strong Man (or woman
Don’t you worry, the show gets crazier and crazier….
What kidn of crazy shit would go down in your Underground gym if you had one?
Or, maybe you do own a hard core little gym, what’s going down in there?
Post your comments / questions below!
Kill it!
–Coach Z–
PS: I’ve been getting quite the number of e mails from Underground fans in the white collar community: lawyers, accoutnants and tech dudes. They wanna ditch the tie and do their own thing, stop working for “the man”.
I agree, life is too short and before you know it, you’ll be 40 or 50 and have passed up opportunity because you were too scared. F**K that!
As you can see, I’m in a “mood” lately
Kill it HERE if you wanna do what you love and kick ass 100%!
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Filed under Strength Building, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, muscle building by on Jan 19th, 2009. Comment.
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