Above, Jesse, before The Underground and 2 months after.
Below, a compilation of Jesse’s progress through the months at The Underground Strength Gym.
Tales of an unlikely BEAST…..
Dude shows up at The Underground looking to prepare for his future…. classified shiz, NO joke.
Former collegiate fencer, pissed off at his physical abilities, motivated like hell to become a BEAST.
He changes hit nutrition, gets rid of the crappy carbs and chows down on loads of fruits, veggies, trail mix and various meats.
Trains 3 x week, fighting through his first few weeks of nausea and shock, he pushes, going neck to neck with high school kids hunting for state wrestling titles and respect on The Gridiron, he begins to pass them on strength and conditioning.
9 months in at The Underground, we now see a completely changed man, inside & out, the video above doesn’t come close to doing justice for this man’s strength, speed and conditioning.
He’s f**ing relentless!
Time to Man the F**K UP!
BEAST Mode.
Questions or comments, feel free to drop em’!
In Strength,
–Z–
Recommended Resources:
Filed under Articles, Kick Ass Life, Strength Building, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, muscle building by on Mar 19th, 2011. 13 Comments. 
I was finishing off my workout and wanted to finish with some bodybuilding work…. POWER-Bodybuilding, that is. HEAVY stuff that most Jersey Shore fans would be lifting light and easy, watching themselves in the mirrors and making sure the hair looks good and the sun glasses don’t fog up in between text messaging and 5 minute rest periods 
For me, the transformation is ON, time to get rid of the BIG hair and attack the weights, I see no NO other way to attack.
Side raises don’t need to be performed with dumbbells only like some pretty boy bodybuilder. Instead, I used chains and the thick handled Rolling Thunder.
Heavy lifting is what you need you need to eat, lift and mix with your morning coffee. You dig?
The BEASTS of The Golden Era didn’t mess around, hard work on the basics was the gist, and they were Power-Bodybuilders, BEASTS of the gym that we simply don’t see nowadays 
For the gun show it was more chains, cheat curls with a slooooow negative and the JM press on the floor coupled with close grip pressing. BOTH are great for pumping out the GUN SHOW but also, for improving all your upper body strength lifts.
You NEED strong friggin’ arms to help your bench press, military press as well as helping your critical bodyweight movements such as dips, chins, rope climbs, handstand push ups and more.
Don’t be afraid to crank the gun show AFTER you cranked your efforts on the heavy basics.
Remember, if you wanna eat your dessert, you gotta eat your steak and potatoes FIRST…. NO excuses.
Peace!
–Z–
Recommended Resources:
Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Mar 15th, 2011. 4 Comments.
Sometimes, ya gotta push the envelope. The body says stop, the mind says to charge…. upward and onward.
Sure, there are MANY times when I don’t train the way yous see below, actually, I take that back. I’m ALL about the iron. It has changed my life and it can change your life as well.
It’s NOT just about training the body but the mind as well. Gladiators ONLY…. Here we GO!
This workout was NOT just to develop stronger, bigger legs. It was to develop my mind, push me out of the comfort zone.
REMEMBER: Get comfortable being UNcomfortable.
Question For You: How do you organize your workouts to train your mind AND body? Please drop a comment below and share. Gladiators UNITE!
In Strength,
–Z–
Recommended Resources:
Mark Bell Super Training Seminar at The Underground
Underground Strength Coach Cert
Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Jan 8th, 2011. 8 Comments.
After being sick through the month of December and chowing down on lots of food lately, I’m gonna put good use to these calories!
My appetite is finally back and my motivation is that of a run away freight train.
I am psyched to get back to tearing it up again.
The more I train, the better I feel.
The more I train, the faster my shoulder begins to heal. Injuries are what help you become smarter at what you do, ironically.
I’m back to cranking more floor pressing and dumbbell work in favor of traditional flat benching. This is what works best for me, so keep that in mind when you watch my videos as these are inside looks as to what I do.,.
Learn from me, but, tweak and apply for your best needs. The one thing I will not and can not deny is my need to lift heavy.
Becoming stronger has proven to be the best way for me to pack on muscle and improve my speed.
Besides, moving heavy weights is in my DNA. Maybe I’m part Gorilla, who knows, because I LOVE rope climbs and pull ups.
I have rings hanging in my garage and although it’s close to freezing in there, I’ll be hanging a set of ropes up as well. Climbing rope is not only good for me, but, for my kids to grow up and have a garage with gymnastics rings and a climbing rope can only be a GOOD thing.
Here’s a quick look into the beginning of a recent upper body session: Swiss Bar Floor Presses + Chains combined with explosive pull ups, making sure my chest hits the bar on EVERY rep.
Question for You: How did your December health & training go? Got any resolutions that you’re about to kick into high gear? Share them and pass along your tips and ideas! Looking forward!
In Strength,
–Z–
Recommended Resources:
Underground Strength Coach Certification
Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Jan 2nd, 2011. 8 Comments.
Hells Yea, SON! I’ve been busted up and banged up by the Jersey Virus that has attacked countless people through NJ. Finally, I am feeling healthy again and my appetite is back….. so is my hair
I’ll be spending the next few weeks using some Golden Era inspired power-bodybuilding type workouts to regain strength and pack on some muscle again.
Some short sprint workouts and sprint repeats are in the works as well.
Here is a short glimpse of my first workout of being back in action. I felt strong but my shoulder is still weak and limiting pressing strength. I am keeping reps low to avoid aggravating my shoulder again.
Check it and enjoy….. pardon my insanity, I was excited to get back after it again!
Question for You: Drop a comment if you use any old school power-bodybuilding methods either for yourself, or, if you’re a Strength Coach, to train others. Drop some tips, I wanna see what everyone else is cranking!
In Strength,
–Z–
Recommended Resource:
Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Dec 30th, 2010. 15 Comments.
It was 2003, maybe 2002, and I had drawn the line.
I was up to my ears in work as a grad student and working full time as a teacher. Not to mention, I was also coaching Wrestling and the season was not far away. My time was pressed to say the least.
It was the first time in 7 or 8 years that I was unable to make the trek to my favorite hardcore gym, Diamond Gym. I was too busy to drive 30 minutes each way, and, with the risk of hitting traffic, you never know how long the commute will take.
I started checking classified ads like a Hawk and I got lucky. A few gems were found, as a few men (lucky for me, NOT for them) had some gym equipment to sell after their gym business went under.
I snagged a 300 lb barbell from CostCo. It was a piece of crap but what the heck, it was all I needed and it was only $99, perfect for a young guy piled high in debt.
I bought a flat utility bench, a pair of 50 & 100 lb dumbbells and a gun rack so I could squat.
If I wanted to do incline dumbbell benching I placed a heavy duty tool box underneath. Worked like a charm.
I trained 2 – 3 x week, it was a blend of powerlifting and bodybuilding. I was most influenced by the stories of guys like Dave Draper, Arnold, Franco and Mike Mentzer as they trained heavy and attacked the basics.
A steady diet of benching, rowing, squatting and heavy accessory work is what worked in the 50′s, 60′s and 70′s and those guys looked better and actually WERE strong compared to the bodybuilders of today.
On the weekend I would go to a different gym as my garage had NO heat. I locked on my headphones and went to town. I was stronger than ever before and also developed a muscle thickness and maturity that I had never developed either.
Not having access to machines, cables and all the other “pump up” bull shit was GREAT.
Every day I ran 1 mile with my Dog, Arnold. It was a balls to the wall run as he would sprint and pull me until I could no longer maintain his pace and then I would get him to show mercy and walk for 15 seconds.
The hard running was great and ramped up my overall work capacity. Running short distances at aggressive speed is something I highly recommend to all of you as long as you don’t have any injuries or conditions stopping you.
Those garage days marked the beginning of an era for me, a new life actually, as I NEVER went back to a regular gym since those days. I drew a line in the sand and never looked back.
I fell in love with training without all the fancy equipment that was never necessary. I cherished having awesome music being played loud as hell and I sure as heck didn’t miss seeing guys on their cell phones right before a set of squats, or checking their hair in the mirror, or reading the paper in between sets!
Life was good as it was the first time I began to go against the grain.
The gains I made in such a short time with the minimal equipment was shocking to myself and others.
I felt like a Gladiator. I felt like I was one of the crew from The Golden Era.
Stay tuned, I’ll be giving away a copy of ‘The Gladiator Program’ and the only way to find out is to subscribe to The Underground Strength Journal.
In Strength,
–Z–
PS: Your FREE chance to get ‘The Gladiator Program’ will ONLY be announced to those who subscribe by entering your e mail in the form below or top right. Stay tuned!
Filed under Announcements, Articles, Strength Building, Success, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Nov 26th, 2010. 24 Comments.
Once in a blue moon you come across an athlete or a gym rat who, as some of us may have said, is “Built like a Brick Shit House”.
In my 21 years of getting under the bar, traveling the world and being in countless gyms I have seen my fair share of Dudes who are built like BEASTS.
You know the look I’m talking about, right? It’s that Powerful look, thick, densely built muscles that you AUTOMATICALLY know represent the look of Strength, Power and Might.
There aren’t too many guys like this in globo gyms nowadays because they have all defected to training in basements, garages, warehouses and hidden dungeons that only the world of hardcore lifters know of.
Most of today’s problems regarding the pussification of the human race would be solved if gyms stopped sounding off sirens anytime someone dared lift heavy or grunt.
Hard Training has now been outlawed by pansy ass gyms such as Planet Fitness – I am still confused why they don’t understand that it’s OK to train hard and heavy and perform exercises with dumbbells heavier than 50 lbs.
What if a gym was created where there was nothing LIGHTER than 50 lbs and sirens went off and your membership was revoked every time some half assed lifter checked his cell phone or wasn’t training with gut busting intensity?
Now THAT would be a GREAT GYM!
If you want that thick, power look then you need to push the limits and get strong as hell using the following lifts with barbells or dumbbells:
- Squats of all variations: back squat, box squat, front squat, zercher squat
- Power Clean, Hang Clean & High Pulls
- Clean & Press or Push Press
- Barbell / Dumbbell / T Bar Rows
- Bench Press, Floor Press, Incline Press
- Farmer Walks
- Deadlift Variations: Romanian Deadlifts, Trap Bar Deads, Rack Pulls and traditional Deadlifting
You should also make some of your own training tools such as heavy handles for swings which can be loaded up with a bunch of 25 lb plates. Swinging heavy weights is excellent for developing your hips, hamstrings, glutes, low back and upper back.
Let us not forget your ability to dominate movements such as chins, dips and rope climbs. Don’t gain fat and excess body weight if you can’t pull yourself up for double digit reps or perform dips and push up variations for high reps.
Can you run? Fast? Sprints of all types are excellent for leg power and even adding muscle to the legs. I suggest Hill Sprints.
Come to think of it, on weekends, go to an empty parking lot and push your car or truck around with the engine off and geared in neutral.
You need to be with me on this mission to end the pussification of the human race.
Drop a comment below.
Peace!
–Z–
PS: If you want workouts to help you build that thick, dense, rugged, powerbuilding look, then you better be training like THIS – The BEAST Workout.
PPS: Want your own hardcore training business? maybe you just wanna get neck deep into the world of hardcore, no nonsense training?
Check our mentorships:
March 20th, Click HERE
Filed under Announcements, Articles, Calendar, Strength Building, Success, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Jan 28th, 2010. 37 Comments.
WOW!
Lots of emotion heated up from yesterday’s video with Ricky Bruch.
But, even though some disagreed with what may have been Ricky Burch’s past (who can say for fact what he did or did not do and deep down who gives a shit), let’s look at what we can learn from his videos.
That’s how I like to view things: How can I LEARN from X, Y, Z, rather than finding the negative.
There is enough negativity on the internet, I ask you to please not bring it here.
This light of trying to learn and find the positive rather than the negative has been a LARGE factor in my success, which is largely in part due to my mind set.
Check this next video out, a favorite lift of mine is hit HARD in this video with Ricky Bruch:
That movement? we can call it the power curl.
It’s a hybrid hang clean and cheat curl, and it places your wrists in a more comfortable position than a typical olympic style hang clean.
Is one better than the other, it all depends on your goals.
If you’re an O lifter, than obviously the olympic style clean is best.
I have cranked these power curls sometimes FIRST in a workout, hitting 205 on a straight bar and curl bar.
I was FIRST exposed to these while training with a super heavyweight bodybuilder at my old stomping grounds, Diamond Gym.
The guy who cranked these would hit several sets of 6 – 10 reps during a workout with 275 lbs! The guy was a PURE beast and strong as hell, he LOVED to train heavy and would routinely do 4 – 5 EASY sets of deep squats for 10 reps with 495 lbs, NO joke.
The power curl will pack muscle on your back, shoulders, traps, biceps and forearms.
I suggest you give it a go, with a straight bar, thick bar or an ez curl bar.
The Power Curl will NOT be performed with 95 lbs.
I don’t suggest cranking these until you can perform them properly with at least 135 lbs.
Let me hear your thoughts on other unorthodox lifts and this last video of Ricky.
I do like the low budget gym he is training in, it’s amazing the type of results one can get from inside these “hole in the wall” warehouse gyms.
Peace!
–Z–
PS: Love the unorthodox lifts? Get busy with my 30 Day Trial to The Underground HERE.
Filed under Articles, Calendar, Strength Building, Videos, muscle building by on Oct 15th, 2009. 14 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.
Check out my son, Ethan and I kicking back on “Man Day” (soon to be a International Holiday
The guys from Pumping Iron trained HARD & HEAVY! They had physiques that were granite hard and man could they move some BIG weights!
It was a mix of powerlifting and bodybuilding, something I like to call Power-Bodybuilding, and I feel it is the ultimate way to develop insane strength and an awesome physique!
Check out footage from one of the stars from Pumping Iron, and Arnold’s training partner, Franco Columbo, aka The Sardinian Strongman
If you want to mix bodybuilding with powerlifting and strongman training don’t forget, if you pick up a copy of http://UndergroundMuscleBuilding.com, simply forward your receipt to my e mail and I will mail you a copy of my 2 hr DVD, Behind the Walls of The Underground, where you’ll get an inside look at how we train to develop awe inspiring strength and a Gladiator’s physique.
Kill it!
–Coach Z–
PS: Check out my previous Blog Entry and you’ll see a highlight of the DVD you’re about to get as a gift when you take action and get your copy of http://UndergroundMuscleBuilding.com
Filed under Announcements, Articles, Strength Building, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, muscle building by on Apr 8th, 2009. Comment.
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