You’ve heard me talk about how The USC Cert has changed lives.
It’s true. I’ve been to events, met people, experienced events, etc that have changed my life forever. It’s in my blood to help this happen to others as well.
I can’t allow my cert to simply about training, exercise, working out, etc. I bring my passion, share it, open my mind up to you…. I am an OPEN book for you and I see NO other way to run this cert, EPIC is the least I will allow it to be!
Check out Underground Strength Coach, Matt Ellis, from Rhode Island, speaking from the heart, REALLY getting me choked up!!
This is The 2nd Time The USC Cert is Coming to The #ATX.
The Location? Red Black Gym in Austin, TX
The Red-Black Gym was modeled and built after a crew of 10 + Coaches from CrossFit Central rolled up to The Underground HQ in Edison, NJ, for a specialized certification JUST for the coaches of CC, all of them traveling from Austin, TX to learn in the trenches and bring back our training methods to their hungry community of athletes & fitness fanatics.
NEVER have I seen such a LARGE crew of passionate Coaches coming from under the same roof, must be something in the waters of Austin, heck, Lance Armstrong lives there!
If you want IN, get after it and see the details below…. we’ve got a growing army of Underground Strength Coaches who are LIVING their passion.
AFTER the cert, you will LOVE the LIFETIME of support you get, as we have a private Mastermind area where you are able to connect day in and day out with what other USC Coaches are doing AROUND the world. It is a VERY powerful support system that will catapult your success and knowledge 10 X faster at a minimum.
Check out some post USC Cert success stories from two guys that escaped from Omaha while working at a commercial gym, we’ve got MORE to come…..
I am psyched to hit The #ATX again, the energy and atmosphere have REALLY blown my mind. The majority of certs I hold tend to be ALL men, but when I hit The ATX we have a large number of serious Coaches rolling through who are women, and these Girls Kick ASS!
All details for our ATX Certification are HERE
If you have questions feel free to connect with me on my Fan Page – HERE
Filed under Kick Ass Business, Kick Ass Life, Success by on Jan 30th, 2012. 2 Comments.
You’re NEVER too old to learn new things. NEVER too old to become better. It’s OK to change.
Many people take pride in the fact that they will never change. Change means you’re evolving. If you evolve, you are growing from within and that is of utmost importance.
Without growth, You die.
I’m going to challenge you to do some things that you may not be doing….. perhaps you’ve NEVER done these “things”…. perhaps it’s been a long time ago…. I’ll ALWAYS be here to challenge you. I do the same to my athletes and I do the same to anyone I connect with on a coaching level, and by reading this blog, I see myself as your Coach.
Many think I’m too hard on them or too hard on others. Too harsh, tough and not forgiving enough. I simply see it as tough love and if I don’t tell you the truth I am cheating YOU and lying to myself. I lay the law down with my athletes and I truly see no other way.
These athletes MUST realize the opportunity they have and how the world CAN be their if they WANT it.
I tell the parents outright how pissed I am at them when they allow their child to quit a sports team because practice was too hard. I tell them how pissed I am when they allow their child to blame the coach for not starting. Whatever happened to responsibility? Why do we enable how soft people are getting…. America is SOFT. That is #TRUTH and it pisses me off.
Excuses SUCK and so do the people who use them…. got excuses?
YOU suck. Period.
Why are so many athletes quitting in sports…. quitting in life…. and why is it ALL allowed & accepted!?!?
A BIG reason I left teaching was because parents would blame teachers and attack teachers when their child wasn’t getting straight A’s.
I HATED how this “system” was contributing to The Pussification of America.
I refused to partake in the lies, excuses and bull shit so I left it ALL….. built my own world…. Underground Strength Nation.
Do I have excuses for things? Absolutely. I am NOT perfect but I RAGE against it when I allow Mr. Resistance to get the best of me and I fight back, tooth and nail, blood, sweat and tears.
When I catch those excuses I slap myself in the face and kick my own ass and do a complete 180. NO quitting, just brutal honesty with myself, you need to do the same for yourself if you want success.
When I saw 4 comments on THIS Kick Ass Blog I told Underground Strength Nation to check their pulse because that video was so f**ing inspiring that it fired me up how no one had words to evoke after such a video!
How are you NOT fired the HELL UP by intense videos!?!? Come on, Undergrounders…. Lead WITH me or get the Hell outta the way!!!
Some NEW things I am learning:
- Saying “sorry” more often and accepting my mistakes….
- Saying “I love you” more often to those who put up with my craziness and love me unconditionally. I am NOT an easy person to deal with and I imagine it’s tough being on the other side of the relationship with me….
- Nutrition consulting with my friend, Jason Ferruggia. My health has taken a priority like never before since late last winter after experiencing so much pain in my body due to abuse in training and average nutrition. I am pushing more and more for better nutrition and health from the inside out.
- Reaching out to people I’ve lost touch with through the years….
- Refocusing my business to the select few things that I can deliver best in. These areas of my business allow me to bring my best foot forward, giving you the best I’ve got makes YOU better. What makes YOU stronger makes US stronger. That is what Underground Strength Nation is ALL about.
Make NO mistake about it….. These changes have NOTHING to do with a new year or a resolution. They are driven by passion and what is important to my family and Underground Strength Nation. Period.
When I want something I F**King DO it, I don’t wait for dumb ass new year resolutions or any other shit like that. NOW is when I do everything I want. NOW…. not tomorrow or later, NOW.
I suggest you do the same. If you have demons, face them now. If you’ve been putting shit off, do it NOW. You MUST be honest with yourself, dig deep, look yourself in the mirror and look those you love in the eyes and tell them the TRUTH.
The world has enough liars, con-artists, bull shit artists, blame artists, excuse makers and enablers of the weak and lazy.
NOT in THIS House. Undergrounders are a RARE Breed. I know it and so do YOU.
Drop a comment and tell us how you’re going to change for the better. We’re an Army of Bad Mother F**kers, Be PROUD and stand TALL.
Underground 4 Life
-Z-
PS: If you think my Blog is loaded with passion, wait till we connect at the next USC Cert. Austin, Texas it IS.
I LOVE The #ATX, don’t hesitate and say “I’ll go to the next one….”. WHAT “next one”. To Kick Ass & Take Names the time is NOW.
Sign Up HERE, it’s time to change your life.
Filed under Articles, Kick Ass Business, Kick Ass Life, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos by on Jan 26th, 2012. 42 Comments.
Mindset is THE KEY to kickin’ ass & takin’ names…. I can talk, talk, talk ALL about this, BUT, let me show you a few videos that will tell you EXACTLY what it takes to kick ass in LIFE…..
Special thanks to Chael Sonnen for speaking from the heart…
2012 is gonna reveal some SIC shit to Underground Strength Nation. Enjoy these videos and by ALL means, DO something with the info in these videos, it would be a crime NOT to….
Dan Gable speaks on training like Rocky, training old school and NOT allowing yourself to get comfortable….
Check the highlight below with some footage from Underground Trained, Anthony Ashnault…. Inspiring whether you wrestle or NOT!
Drop a comment with your thoughts on these “videos of the mind”…. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Live The Code, Underground 4 Life
Peace
–Z–
Filed under Kick Ass Business, Kick Ass Life, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, old school strength by on Jan 19th, 2012. 11 Comments.
NOT Work / Family Safe
I am shocked…. sometimes disgusted…. sometimes sick to my stomach….. when I see people who have NO passion for anything in life. I get sick to my stomach when I see athletes who don’t care if they win or lose in the sports they play. These people are going through the motions, merely existing, nothing more….
Read more on Life WithOUT Passion is NO Life at All…
Filed under Articles, Kick Ass Business, Kick Ass Life, Success, Videos, man up monday by on Nov 30th, 2011. 76 Comments.
“Better to Live Your Dreams Than to Dream Your Life”
The USC Cert is a life changing weekend, for those who attend and for myself.
I get to meet hungry Strength Coaches…. hungry to turn their passion into profits with a burning desire to leave behind a life that feels unfulfilled with a job that makes them miserable. Been there and done that and it damn near killed me.
I am NOT a believer in “Just Do It” without some planning and a strong foundation. I DO, however, believe in making the jump and putting yourself in uncomfortable situations that push you to elevate your game, whether it be life, business, fitness, etc.
Ya gotta push the envelope or you’ll end up living a life of quiet desperation, wishing you did this or that. A close friend of mine once told me: “Why tell people that you dream of this day or dream of doing something, why not life your dreams instead of dreaming your life?”
He musta told me that when I was in high school, I was 15 I think, some 20 years ago, and I never forgot those words.
Food for thought….
Hope you got fired up and enjoyed some highlights and feedback from The USC Cert.
Next Cert is around the corner at The Underground Strength Gym, check the details HERE
Question for YOU: The quote at the very top was shared to me MANY years ago, perhaps when I was 15 or so by a friend while I was in Israel. I STILL remember the day he explained it to me and it drives me to follow my passion. What is Your Favorite Quote that has resonated with you for many years?
Peace
–Z–
PS: Do what you love. Find a way to make this a reality, rather than a dream. Time goes waaaay too fast and time is one of the FEW things you can NEVER replace once it’s lost. If you’re a Strength Coach or warehouse gym owner or aspire to be, then YES, that means making the trek to NJ a life changing weekend.
PPS: For updates on upcoming certs, business info, biz coaching, etc. please click HERE
Filed under Articles, Calendar, Kick Ass Business, Kick Ass Life, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos by on Jul 13th, 2011. 12 Comments.
Filed under Kick Ass Life, Q & A, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos by on Jul 10th, 2011. 5 Comments.
If you let your passion slide then you might as well be dead.
Question for YOU: Have you let go of something that you were once passionate about because of some Bull Shit excuse? Step UP & get it rolling again. Be accountable, drop a comment, tell the world what you’re gonna do to bring your passion back to life again!
Peace!
–Z–
PS: When I was 13 I KNEW I was gonna open a gym…. a hardcore gym….. I NEVER let the dream go.
When I was in elementary and middle school I was die hard for my BMX & Freestyle bike, I wanted to learn how to surf and I used to bomb down the hill behind the Edison water towers on my skateboard!
My passion doesn’t die and excuses won’t stop me and they shouldn’t stop you. This is YOUR time, make the most if it or you are NOT TRULY LIVIN’.
PPS: The die hard Strength Coach or aspiring Strength Coach, Click HERE & make it happen.
Filed under Articles, Kick Ass Business, Kick Ass Life, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos by on Jun 29th, 2011. 7 Comments.
Above, former Edison, NJ homeboy, Mike Vallely – must be something in the Edison Water!
As soon as I moved to Edison, NJ, I built some tight friends in my neighborhood, now we’re more like brothers. That was 1980, some 31 years ago! We fell in love with BMX and Freestyle and we lived for getting up early on our bikes and meeting up to tear up the streets and BMX tracks all through the day and night.
We read the BMX magazines, bought the BMX & freestyle VHS tapes and even attended the pro competitions to be inspired. If it was raining we still rode, snow never stopped us either.
I have MANY vivid memories, such as getting my first new bike stolen in front of my face at the age of 9. I poured every weekend allowance and every dollar I made from my paper routes into that bike, a chrome and blue Schwinn Predator! A crew of high school kids rolled up and tore the bike away during a Football game. I’ll never forget that moment and how it felt to be weak AND helpless.
Before I bought my Predator, I would jog to the Ford’s bike shop every weekend and SIT on the bike, grip the handle bars and pretend it was mine. I put the bike on lay away and deposited money every weekend after collecting from my paper routes. I can only imagine what the owner thought of me. Every weekend got me closer to making enough money from my paper route to pay that bike off in full!
I now guard my bike with a deep rooted attachment that brings me back to the days of having my bike stolen. If anyone tried to steal it again, I would probably bring them close to death and have no remorse about it. It ain’t easy to let go of a few select things in life, my bike memories are certainly ONE of those things.
I was also an avid skateboarder. Not as die hard as my bike though, I felt FREE on my bike, able to travel anywhere I wanted with NO boundaries. Through backyards, trails, streets, down flights of stairs…..My skateboard was able to travel with me on family vacations, which kept me sane if I was bored.
If we were at the beach my parents would always take me to a surf and skate shop where I could buy some
cool skate shirts and check the surfboards, which I always dreamed of doing. My first shirt was a Mike McGill shirt from Powell & Peralta. I owned that bad boy through college, that shirt was to tough to let go of
Then, early in 8th grade it seems like the passion for BMX, Freestyle and skateboarding disappeared somewhere, somehow. Bikes became less and less about self expression and more about a mode of travel. My skateboard collected dust in the garage.
Not sure what spurred on this removal but man, the itch came back and even when no one else was out there on a bike or board I would here and there take my Dyno out for a ride.
Enter my early 20s and I picked up my first ever Mountain Bike and began riding with friends at Cheesequake State Park.
Life got busier and there went my bike riding days.
It angered me as I looked back, time was lost and time is the ONLY thing you can’t get back. Lose money, no sweat, you can earn it back. Lose time or waste time, it’s gone…. forever.
I decided those days of passion were not to be lost ever again. I began bike riding again, I now have 3 different skateboards, 2 mountain bikes and 2 surf boards which I will learn to ride.
Just because you get older doesn’t mean you need to let go of childhood dreams and passion. I ALWAYS have immense respect for the coaches who attend my USC Cert AFTER being in a career for 20 years or more and STILL want to get after their passion of being a Strength Coach. They don’t need the money, they just wanna do what they love.
It sounds cliche to tell you that it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks about you but it’s the truth. At least it’s the truth in my world.
I do what feels right for me and my family, same goes for my business. Integrity is # 1. If you give me a headache or don’t meet my standards I cut you loose. Every day is about doing what I love with those most important to me and my family and friends.
I don’t follow the proper or most perfect business methods nor do I care to. I am happiest when I take care of my fans and clients knowing I am giving the best I got to make them happy and make their lives better.
I don’t feel comfortable amongst the norm in this industry and sometimes (actually often times) this “industry” seems like a bunch of con artists and bull shitters. The far and few left with integrity and quality info earn my respect, the back stabbers and bull shitters have been crossed from my list.
Passion. Time & Integrity.
With my love for the action sports and being outdoors I had dreams of living in California. I took a 2 week trip to Cali in my early 20s. I was CLOSE to having my parents send socks and underwear and starting over. I had an amazing job in NJ and LOVED it.
I thought I would NEVER be fully happy living in NJ, I felt Cali was IT.
Years and years later my wife took me to the Manasquan Beaches and town. I LOVED it. I saw kids AND adults riding beach cruiser bikes and skateboards, surf boards were on top of countless cars and the town was chill and non pretentious.
After every beach trip I would drive around and check the homes for sale. We put our home in Edison for sale in the down market when the recession was hitting us hardest, it was TIME to stop losing TIME and focus on passion and doing what would be best for the family.
We made it happen during a time of imperfection and uncertainty.
I don’t wanna ever look back and wish I did this or that. Instead, I just do it, I’m suggesting the same for you but then again, it’s your life, not mine
Now my kids can grow up in a place where it’s OK to be a kid no matter what your age, where the air is clean and the people have manners. I can look back on all my mistakes and know I did at least ONE right thing in my life.
Question for YOU: What passion have you let go of that you plan to reignite? Perhaps it’s not a hobby, perhaps it was a friend or someone you loved. Drop a comment, let’s see some action HERE. I’d love to see 100 comments, yep, 100 comments.
Peace
–Z–
Passion for becoming a Strength Coach? Time to stop dreaming and start doing, click HERE for a life changing weekend with me.
Filed under Articles, Kick Ass Business, Kick Ass Life, Monday Motivation, Success, Videos by on Jun 27th, 2011. 29 Comments.
It was 5 years ago…. On April 1st, 2006, I uploaded my first ever video to you tube.
I was running my training from my garage at the time, training ONLY Wrestlers & Football players, kinda like what I do now
I was rockin’ a self made web site and a simple blog because web designers back in the day were charging over $ 200 per hour. OUCH!
My lack of knowledge with web sites never stopped me from trying my best to spread the word about my training methods.
I still remember recording that very first video. I went up stairs & asked my wife if she could record a quick video for me as a favor
I was using a digital camera back then and as you can tell, my garage was heated, I was sweating bullets during my workout
Friends AND family thought I was crazy, thinking something was wrong me because I had ideas of teaching people how to get strong on the internet. The BIG joke is that I could barely use a computer, unable to even create a PDF document!
Truth be told, I AM CRAZY, this is probably why I am successful.
My craziness blended with my mental toughness AND my passion for strength and muscle building is unrivaled. It drove me to where I am today, all the way back from age 13 when I dreamed of opening my own gym one day…until finally making it happen, even if the start was in my garage…
It was heaven…. I always wanted my own gym. I used to have my Dad drive me all around NJ so I could visit the gyms and see what type of equipment they had and how they ran things. I saw myself as a gym owner, I KNEW it would happen one day!
Beginning in my garage and training only the athletes I wanted to work with was a dream to me. Others laughed while I kept charging onward & upward.
I remember when my wife and I bought that house, I was hunting for a home with a 2 car garage because I KNEW what I wanted to do
I knew I would begin my business inside my garage while working as a teacher.
The ceilings were barely high enough for my hands to punch a hole in the ceiling, there might have been 1 inch of clearance, NO kidding!
Before you tube was in existence, I was working with Wrestlers and Football players from my parents back yard and their tiny 1 car garage. Imperfection didn’t bother me in the least, on the other hand, lack of action DID bother me. I knew if I just worked my ass off, good things would finally happen.
I TRULY miss those simple days when the internet was still young, where the “noise” was less and everything
was extremely raw and natural. There were less Bull Shit artists on the internet and certainly less copy cats and cry babies.
There were maybe 4 or 5 web sites that you could truly go to for quality training information compared to nowadays where there is an overabundance of information that confuses everyone to no end.
I would go to wrestling clubs to train wrestlers with bodyweight only, often times selling workouts and training manuals that I self made from Staples with a 3 ring binder that I shoved inside my red Adidas Bag.
I went out and trained with real people in the real world, yet today, so many people only see the outer layer of The Underground.
They see a big following and a popular blog on the internet, a busy warehouse gym…. they think it all happened easily and overnight.
People rarely dig deep to see what REALLY exists and how it ALL came to fruition. The late nights, the early mornings, the work on weekends, the working during my lunches and never listening to the radio for countless years on end as I would only listen to training or business related CDs to gain more knowledge and bring my closer and closer to my dreams.
I did this as a married man with kids, trust me, it would have been WAY easier if I wasn’t a family man, BUT, my family motivated me to kick ass, I wanted my kids to always be able to look at me as someone who took charge of life and lived his dreams rather than dreamed his life. I KNEW if I did it, my kids would do the same with their own dreams
It was a struggle and people often told me to quit. I was told to keep my teaching job with my pension and health benefits safely lined up.
My training days go back further than many dare to imagine. When I was 19 or 20 I got a job as a trainer in a hospital fitness center. I loved it and worked my way through undergrad and still kept some hours when I was a full time teacher. Then, I began grad school while coaching wrestling and teaching full time.
Somehow, someway, I found time to travel to people’s homes and train them in their living rooms.
At the end of the night, around 9 PM, I would be found in the gym, training with my walkman on, because that was sooooooo damn long ago there was NO such thing as an I POD!!!
In high school I would stay awake late at night, reading all my bodybuilding magazines until 1, 2 or even 3 AM in the middle of the night. Today, it’s NO different. I have vintage training books scattered all around my house so I can read them on a regular basis. I can’t put them down, I can’t let them go.
As they say, Every overnight success story has a long 12 year history.
For those of you reading my blog and hoping to become a Strength Coach and run your own Warehouse Gym, let me tell you…. it takes WORK, a LOT of damn hard work.
With the internet, people forget about real life human interaction, which is what REALLY counts.
Wanna know when I feel MOST at home & most comfortable? When I’m training athletes or working with other Coaches in my gym, where the music is loud, the weights are rusty and I’m sweating bullets. That is ME. It’s where the proving grounds REALLY happen.
One guy told me I could grow my business anywhere because I’m a “Marketing Machine.”
ha ha ha
How soon we forget and how quick we are to judge when we do not know the journey of a man. The ability to grow my business comes down to the fact that the athletes I train become Bad Mother F**ers. They become one man wrecking machines and the RESULTS are what count the most. Period.
Want “marketing”? It’s called getting AMAZING results and showing your clients you truly & genuinely care for their success in sports AND life.
Those who see the surface think a fancy web site with cool logos will do the trick. Then, they wonder why they haven’t made millions of dollars after their first year. Give me, Give me, Give me…. go to Mc Fucking Donalds if you want instant gratification.
In the REAL World, you gotta earn your success, there are NO hand outs.
The weights are my passion and my blood.
It’s what has ALWAYS driven me and it’s what I live and breathe. I want to lift heavy shit and be around heavy shit. I want to learn about ALL things strength because chasing strength helped me build my mental strength and save my life in the process.
Nothing I have ever came to me easily. There have been MANY struggles and I had to earn everything I’ve achieved through blood, sweat and tears.
500 videos in 5 years is a small milestone.
A large reason why I am still here is because of my wife and kids, and, a small group of close friends who believed in me and guided me along the way.
And… a HUGE reason as to why I bust my ass so much is because of the feedback I get from YOU. I have gained so much from the world of strength and muscle building and I see what it does for others so this is just the beginning. You can expect MUCH more from me, every time, I’ll be giving my ALL, it’s the only way I know how to roll!
Thank YOU
Peace!
–Z–
Filed under Articles, Kick Ass Business, Kick Ass Life, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos by on Mar 31st, 2011. 21 Comments.





















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