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:
If you have any questions or comments, please join the conversation and drop your comments below 
Peace!
–Z–
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Filed under Kick Ass Business, Kick Ass Life, Q & A, Success, Zach's Workouts, old school strength by on Feb 10th, 2012. 8 Comments. 
I’ve got some tips for you regarding training in your mid 30s, staying strong and staying healthy. Please don’t disregard this video if your NOT in your 30s. Even if you’re a teenager you should be listening and watching. NEVER stop learning…..
As you can tell, just because I talk about staying healthy doesn’t mean you can’t train hard or heavy. The key is learning how to do everything smart and optimally so you continue to lift hard all your life, not just for your first few years.
Gotta walk the talk.
Peace!
–Z–
If you’re focused on Health AND Strength, Check out Bodyweight Bodybuilding HERE.
Get Your Foam Rollers HERE
Show & Go Training By Eric Cressey – Strength AND Health Combined, Details HERE
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Filed under Strength Building, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building, old school strength by on Feb 10th, 2012. 11 Comments.
Time to lay down the law on those who listen and especially those who are “too cool for school.”
I’ve been there and done that & it led to a road called injured in a town called weakness.
This past week, I cranked 4 workouts this week, ALL of them stronger than the week before.
Progress is running smoother than ever.
Mind you, I NEVER feel strong enough, I’m always chasing bigger numbers, but most of all, Better Overall HEALTH.
It’s the idiots and morons who get satisfied with their strength or become too smart to listen to others.
Human Nature is ALL about staying in your comfort zone. If change is pending, people reject the new ideas and fear the change.
What FORCED me to change?
Last Spring I thought I had a Pec Tear.
I couldn’t even perform a push up without excruciating pain.
It was depressing me BIG time and I swear to you I was lost, ready to just stop training as the injuries were popping out of nowhere and I couldn’t figure this shit out. To say I was frustrated would be an understatement.
I called ALL the big guys in the industry who had the smarts with rehabbing injuries and they all helped me, some more than others, but I took every piece of advice given to me and used them all. Eric Cressey & Kelly Starret became my go to guys when it came to my situation as well as my own experimentation.
I organized their ideas and put them into MASSIVE action.
I also had to put together what worked for me, which was different than the norm and these changes were gonna be quite dramatic, not subtle and simple.
I turned my mind into that of a Scientist, learning from MANY and experimenting on myself. I never fear experimenting on my self when it comes to training and nutrition. It brings me back to my early years as a teen.
I had to restructure my training BIG time.
The plan started with ALL bodyweight for a while, a loooong while, but with some VERY unique twists that allowed me to go way beyond the norms of typical bodyweight workouts.
These bodyweight workouts were anything but typical. After 3 months of bodyweight only training, I started testing the barbell again.
I craved some cold steel in my hands.
I started benching again about 3 weeks ago.
Yesterday I hit 295 for a easy double. EASY.
I’m squatting and deadlifting again as well. I’m even teaching myself some olympic lifts.
It ain’t pretty, but it feels f**ing Legit!
So, after having a body that felt like a big lug of wasted crap, what’s the reason I got better?
Because I LISTEN to the advice when my expert friends tell me what to do. I went out on a limb and got waaaaaay out of my comfort zone and experimented on myself to see what will work and what won’t work.
If It makes me better, healthier and stronger….. I USE it.
Getting strong alone is NOT the answer.
Health is the answer. This is why the old school magazine was called Strenth AND Health. Those guys were agile, mobile and hostile.
They could lift HEAVY weights overhead while also being able to perform gymnastics and hand balancing drills. They were THE
standard, then, the steroid era came along with lazy meat heads and bull shit workouts that have you sitting on machines for an entire workout.
I am psyched to have moved onward and upward minus the aches and pains which plagued me and depressed me.
Time to become the NEW standard.
Your # 1 goal must be focusing on your health, when you’re healthy, you can get as strong as you want, IF you follow the right program.
Focus on your health.
Think about the old school magazines, they had it right.
I’m tellin’ it like it is. The truth can hurt.
Talk soon, stay tuned for my special announcement on Tuesday.
I am PSYCHED!
Peace
–Z–
PS: Tuesday is THE day.
The doors to ‘Bodyweight Bodybuilding’ will open up and you’ll wanna keep an eye on your e mail in box for that announcement.
PPS: This is also why my Coaches are going to run a seminar ALL about getting healthy and getting stronger.
Our athletes are following this system and the results are better & faster than our previous system.
If you’re in or near NJ, come to The Underground and check THIS Seminar, space is limited.
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Filed under Announcements, Articles, Strength Building, Success, Zach's Workouts, muscle building, old school strength by on Oct 23rd, 2011. 5 Comments.
I see MANY Strength Coaches REFUSING to evolve in their training. They sit back and poke fun at others, talk shit and act as if their methods are the end all be all method for training.
They are NOT evolving. As an athlete, a Coach, a human being… you must evolve.
My training is evolving BIG time right now, my warm ups are getting longer and longer, evolving into play AND training and I’m feeling 100 X better….
My lifestyle is also changing. I’ve gotten back to doing what I USED to do over 20 years ago. Skateboarding, running, biking, swimming. Nutrition is going through experimental phases now as well as some supplementation.
More to come, but for now, Here is Part 1. Please leave your thoughts, comments and questions when you’re done watching.
Got any added thoughts, comments or questions, please drop em’ below.
Peace!
–Z–
PS: At age 35, my training AND life take on a whole NEW meaning, the majority of my training is coming via bodyweight and kettlebells. If you’re not training like an animal with lots of bodyweight exercises you more than likely are developing injuries that are waiting to explode on you. I’ve been there & done that, those days are over.
Start implementing These Bodyweight Exercises into your overall training ASAP and you’ll feel infinitely better: stronger, faster, healthier, more energetic and more athletic. Click HERE.
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Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Jun 20th, 2011. 23 Comments.
Last weekend I had an AMAZING time chillin’ AND learning from my homeboy, K Star. I attended his Mobility Cert and it was THE MOST practical seminar I have ever been to. The amount of understanding and conceptual knowledge you gain from this cert is downright crazy.
By the way, K Star has got perhaps one of the most BadAss Gyms known to human kind, there are NO walls, no showers and no pretty bathrooms… instead, you’ll find the fresh air, TONS of weights from free weights to odd objects to no rules workouts near the Golden Gate Bridge…. want a roof?? How about a tarp to cover you from the rain…. did I just say BEAUTIFUL!!! Man that shiz is my kinda heaven. His Gym is HERE in case you’re lucky enough to live in his neck of the woods.
In a nut shell, here is the BIG issue with MANY lifters / athletes who have been at the game for some years, and, even for those who are new to the iron and athletic game.
Your body becomes like a Ferrari. You drive it 40, 50, 60 MPH and there are no problems. All is smooth sailing….
But, as you begin charging and speeding up, as we love to do, we hit 90, 100 and 120 MPH and suddenly the wheels are shaking, the dash board rattles and the steering wheel vibrates as if we’re off roading. Problem is, we’re NOT off roading, we’re just trying to perform at full throttle and our body can’t handle.
Enter K Star, teaching us a boat load of real world methods and concepts to start undoing much of the damage we’ve done to ourselves that come from the list below plus many more:
- over use injuries
- lack of warm ups
- lack of variety causing poor motor learning habits (overhand chins, overhand barbell work, etc.)
- avoiding the stuff we suck at
There is MUCH more to it than the list above, NO doubt, but, the bottom line is this:
Without your health, you have NOTHING.
Check out the 2 videos K Star shot while we were chillin’ at Trident CrossFit, owned by a Navy SEAL and Gymnast, you can bet this gym was as BadAss as they get
Take care of your health every day, NOT just after injuries come.
Unfortunately, this is how I had to learn. Injuries came and I had no clue what happened or how to fix it.
The 2 videos above will get you going, BUT, K Star has tons more for you to learn, click HERE and get busy.
In Strength,
–Z–
PS: We’ve dedicated an entire DVD on prehab / rehab and proper warm ups in The Diesel Underground Combat Course to get you driving like a Ferrari and kicking ass like Old School Mike Tyson.
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Filed under Articles, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts by on Dec 17th, 2010. Comment.
Yes, I admit it, people complaining about my workouts or calling them crazy only stokes my fire and makes me crazier.
Check out the inside look of my latest ‘NO Rules Workout’
More NO Rules Workouts to come.
If you want the Blue Print on Underground Strength Training and workouts to follow, and you do NOT fear crazy workouts, click HERE.
Expect to become stronger, faster, leaner and meaner than ever before with my Underground Strength and Muscle Building System.
Peace!
–Z–
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Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Dec 18th, 2009. 3 Comments.
Tonight, at 12 AM, EST I will close the doors for registration for the Gladiator Seminar with Steve Maxwell and myself.
This is going to be a super intimate seminar, with infinite hands on, personalized attention. I can easily say you will never find yourself in the company of such experts with so few around you to take advantage of.
Also, there has been an added bonus to the seminar attendees, raising the bonuses to $ 424 in value :)
The start time is 10 AM, and it is this Saturday, July 12th.
Last chance to register!
Go to http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html to take action!
In Strength,
–Coach Z–
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Filed under Announcements, Calendar, Success by on Jul 9th, 2008. Comment.
Sometimes, we all need a lil’ kick in the ass….
If you want a SERIOUS, BIG kick in the ass, and you want to learn some serious shit in the world of strength, conditioning, monility, strongman training, underground strength training and more, then join me and Steve Maxwell at The Gladiator Seminar, space is almost full and time is almost near.
Not for the faint of heart.
ALL participants will receive 1 year FREE membership to The Underground.
In Strength,
–Z–
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Filed under Announcements, Calendar, Success, Videos by on Jul 2nd, 2008. Comment.
I was watching some old MMA fights on TV before and it was interesting to see the different physiques each fighter had as well as their level of conditioning: strength endurance, power endurance and overall conditioning.
The bodybuilder type fighters had very, very poor levels of conditioning. They started with a bang and gassed out quickly.
Some of them even got knocked out quickly.
Then there were those who looked rugged, lean and mean. I had seen some of their training and knew that it would deliver in results.
They may not have looked like the guys on the cover of muscle & fitness but man could these guys move with serious speed and they had levels of strength that seemed to never quit.
I used to be a bodybuilder so I remember the feeling of looking like a stud but not delivering on the performance end.
Too many people are missing the boat here and it’s time to change that.
Do you want to make that change?
In Strength,
–Zach–
P.S.- There are a few spots left for The Gladiator Strength Seminar. This will be a very small seminar, where you can expect the utmost undivided attention.
==> http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html
P.P.S. – Or, you can “spend” your dinero on a seminar filled with scientific, fancy jargon that confuses you and does little for delivering on training that works BIG time in the real world. Fancy talk from book smart gurus who do little in the way of training others with awesome levels of success, let alone training themselves.
It’s time you learned from those who walk the walk and talk the talk.
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Filed under Announcements, Articles by on Jul 1st, 2008. Comment.
Do you want to be strong, or do you want to be highly conditioned?
Do you want to be explosive, or do you want to be agile, mobile and hostile?
How about training for all of these traits?
I know, many people say you must specialize to get optimal results. But, in the real world, you need everything. You gotta be “in shape”, and that means having the perfect blend of many physical traits: strength endurance, power endurance, aerobic endurance, and overall conditioning.
Finding the right balance is key, and most people don’t have the discipline to let go of what they enjoy doing, when they really need to focus on what must be done.
Can one truly blend powerlifting, strongman, metabolic conditioning, gymnastics based movements, mobility and more into an overall program?
Read more on What do you need and what do you want?…
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Filed under Announcements, Calendar, Success by on Jun 18th, 2008. Comment.
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