Click here to view the embedded video.

There are a few things that will help YOUR deadlift. Notice I put the CAPS on. What works for me may not work for you and vice versa. YOU must find the things that help and then dial them in. Here’s a few tips that you should test drive.

• Work 1 arm rows with heavy weights AND high reps. Whenever I slack on these my lats don’t have the strength to help me deadlift heavier AND faster.

Click here to view the embedded video.

• Don’t max out too often. For me, I will test a heavy single, but NOT a max single, every 6 weeks or so.
• Use submax efforts on the deadlift. Focus on moderately heavy weights and always leave a rep or 2 in the tank
• Squat. Yep, use squats to increase lower body and low back strength to up your deadlift. Too much focus on the deadlift will leave you with an injury in no time.
• Use a double overhand grip until you reach your heavy sets.
• Attack your posterior with glute ham raises, weighted back extensions, swings, heavy kettlebell cleans and good mornings.

That’s it, a short n’ sweet list to help you up the deadlift, one of the “Manliest” exercises anyone can do.

If you’ve got tips to add, please drop a comment.

If you enjoy this post, please share on facebook and twitter

Peace!

–Z–

Sign Up for The USC Cert in Austin, Details HERE

Test Drive Underground Strength Nation for 30 Days & Get 7 FREE Gifts, HERE

MANY years ago Pavel wrote a book called Power to The People, aka P2P. You can find details about it HERE.

The book was simply based on optimal training, minimal volume and frequent practice of basics such as deadlifts, military presses and a few other key exercises.

The more I grow in the iron game the more I realize that the name of the game is ALL about optimal workouts, NOT maximal. Certainly, when I was younger, I couldn’t tame my mind to change….. I HAD to go in and KILL myself every single time I trained, it was my wrestler mentality which to this day I still have inner battles against.

Do you ever feel that way? ha ha. I bet you DO!

I am much more in tune with what I now need so my BIG lifts are BIG time focused on optimal work, because anytime I push for MAXimal work I get injured and feel like shit.

As a father and business man, injuries are what can KILL my success so I stray far from them.

Check this P2P inspired workout in the videos below, note the low reps and optimal efforts.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I leave you with this final note / reminder: Although maximal workouts appease your mind and make you feel proud that you kicked your ass, they WILL eventually hurt you. Focus on OPTIMAL WORKOUTS.

Drop a line with your thoughts and comments! Psyched to see what your experience is with optimal VS maximal workouts and the results you’re getting.

Live the Code

–Z–

PS: Don’t forget…. Underground Strength Nation TRIPLES in price come January 2nd. This is DIRT Cheap for a Lifetime Membership. Click HERE for More Info

Let there be NO mistake about it. The Basics ALWAYS WIN. Don’t try to deny it. As soon as you accept this as the “Golden Rule” you will go from Boy to BEAST.

Squats, Deads, Benching, Presses, Chins, Dips, Farmer Walks & Sprints. Add Steak & Eggs to Multiply the effects of transforming yourself from a Boy into a BEAST.

Click here to view the embedded video.

As soon as you accept the fact that you can work these basic lifts and basic bodyweight exercises for years on end, heck, even DECADES on end, you WILL make progress. As you can see from the video, I’m STILL attacking the basics. Remember: I began training at age 13, just turned 36….. I focus on basics NOW, MORE than when I was younger.

When I was younger all the fabricated stories in the magazines steered me the wrong way. I had to fend for myself, learn on my own, YOU, are lucky…. you can come HERE and learn from all my mistakes and speed your progress 10 fold.

Basics ALL the Way, Kids! Don’t Deny it!

QOD (Question of the Day): Drop me a comment… What are your favorite Barbell and Bodyweight Basics. Tell me WHY they work so well for you. Psyched to see your Top List of BadAss Basics!

Peace!

–Z–

PS: Here’s that Book recommendation I was talking about. Click HERE, this book is straight up awesome. How can it NOT be? Dan John & Pavel = Bad MoFos!

PPS: For those looking to experience a life changing weekend, stop waiting for new year’s resolutions and become part of a wrecking crew, a crew of people who Live the Code and take ACTION. Click HERE for details.

As much as I LOVE bodyweight training I still use the deadlift and the squat in some form of another with added weight. When I bail on deadlifts and squats my legs get WEAK, and as a man, I have NO room for weakness.

The squats and deads help me run faster and jump higher. Running is NOT my forte so anything that helps with my runs is a plus in my book.

Even if you don’t squat or deadlift till your eye balls pop out of your head, that’s fine, the main thing is that you do “The Thing”.

In Pavel’s Power to The People, you are deadlifting on an almost daily basis but with a “tamed intensity” if you will, DEFINITELY book you should be checking out, click HERE for this must have book.

In a nut shell, let’s close this bad boy out:

- Use the squat or deadlift 1 x week or more. Your frequency of use depends on your intensity, personal physical / emotional effects from these lifts, etc

- Perform jumps of ANY type at least 2 x week. Broad jumps, vertical jumps, box jumps, squat and lunge jumps, etc. To take your jumps to the next level use the power jumper

QOD (Question of the Day): Without talking about lifting or training, what do you think are “2 things every man should do”? This oughtta get interesting. Drop your comments below. Looking forward to reading these!

Peace

–Z–

PS: I’m working on a new bodyweight training course, looks like we’ll be ready to open the doors around the first week of August. Make sure you are signed up for updates and members of The Underground Inner Circle will get in FIRST.

Might as well get your 7 FREE Gifts Now, check it HERE

I gotta address something ASAP, this is becoming a BIGGER and BIGGER problem. I’m sure this will anger many and then we’ll have a few that can argue against this but it’s time to unleash some TRUTH.

It’s starting to piss me off because we have all these “strong” people who can’t perform in the “Real World”.

I’m done with simply chasing a bigger bench, squat and deadlift and you need to end that route as well unless you’re a powerlifter and willing to live with the pain that comes with it.

Chase that dream and let me know how your back feels every morning, how your shoulders feel and how it interferes with doing anything besides squatting or deadlifting.

Try playing with your kids with your back all jacked up. It ain’t cool, trust me, been there and done that. I HATED myself when it was happening. Don’t e mail me that you got hurt getting out of your car and pulled your lower back, or, strained your shoulder taking out the garbage. This shit happens.

At my recent Underground Strength Coach Cert, I had a MovNat Coach who shocked me by signing up. He’s a former Commando Marine in The French Army as well as a free diver and expert in various close quarter combat training methods. His great knowledge and fitness is NO secret, as I see that he is ALWAYS learning and expanding his knowledge.

I LOVE seeing Coaches out to learn more. Vic flew 27 hrs to attend the Certification where as countless local Coaches had excuses for not needing to learn more, what a shame.

On the second day of The USC Cert, Vic found no taxi for a ride to the gym so he traveled by foot for an hour and THEN we trained all day. For the normal person this would have been a struggle, but not for Vic, he is the new breed of man, or, perhaps, the older breed of man, when men were strong, fit and agile and had respect for their mind and body unlike the majority of today’s men.

It’s embarrassing to see the new breed of men and to even hear about this sad state that is on the rise. Sure, there are some FAT powerlifters and olympic lifters who can jump and run but they are far and few between. In addition, I’m talking about health, what’s going inside the body, not just on the outside.

I see this “Too Strong, Too Fat, Too Slow” issue with MANY athletes, especially football players who simply chase strength and pack on excess fat. They are USELESS on the Gridiron. Too fat & out of shape to make it through a full practice or go full force through an entire game.

Sure, they can squat, bench and dead heavy but they can’t even perform a bodyweight lunge, a jump, pull ups, rope climbs or sprints.They’re always hurt, tired, crying, whining and complaining. The solution is to shut the f**k up and CHANGE, don’t complain.

I see it in adults as well, especially those who fall in love with powerlifting or non-functional bodybuilding and make excuses for not performing athletic based movements, animal training and in a nut shell, exactly what we do HERE.

They complain that performing a longer warm up will interfere with their ability to train heavy. FIRST, be in shape….. if a warm up is a problem for you, then you’re probably a fat, lazy bastard.

Here’s the issue: you get too strong for your own good, training through only one plane of movement, negelcting all other movement planes, then you become weak anytime you step outside of that same ol’, same ol’ straight up and down movement. In essence, you’re weak unless you are doing the typical squat / deadlift motion.

Well, welcome to the real world because that ain’t gonna help you when it’s time to MOVE.

In life & sport, nothing is certain, this is why I utilize various training tools along with bodyweight to allow for varied movement patterns and maximum results. I’ve been performing lots of kettlebell windmills and bent pressing to open up my body more so, as well as going back to more odd objects and gymnastics based training.

You’ll feel healthier, stronger, more athletic and all around more agile, mobile and hostile. After a while, it’s the process that matters, not the numbers. REMEMBER: be a Soul Lifter.

I’m unleashing these methods to those who want to learn. If you’ve got excuses for not moving like an animal and remaining a fat bastard then this will anger you because it will take you outside your comfort zone.

Remember what I’ve always told you: Get comfortable being UNcomfortable.

Click HERE to learn my newfound methods, workouts, exercises and overall way of living so you too can take your training, health and mindset to the next level.

Peace

–Z–

PS: I just opened The USC Cert again, on sale for now, and, to be held at Underground HQ in The Dirty Jer-Z. Bring it & prepare for a life changing weekend!

==> Click HERE to take action <==

This scenario might anger many, but, it may also be a stone throw away from happening to you. Check out this e mail and see my thoughts below:

Zach,

Just wanted to send you an email to let you know how much I appreciate how many bodyweight resources you are giving us. We’ve spoken via email before, but to reiterate, I played 4 years of college football at a small D3 school in Chicago.

During my time there I developed chronic neck injuries that left me with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. Luckily it’s not bad enough to inhibit any of my daily activities, and I am currently employed as a police officer.

The only symptoms I have left are stiffness in my neck, occasional numbness and tingling in my left arm, and weird spasming of my left pec for days after I bench press with a barbell (though oddly enough, not dumbells).

However, I noticed that loading my spine seemed to worsen the condition. Which means that, at least for the time being, my beloved deep barbell squats are out of the question. For a time I was somewhat lost, with my knowledge of bodyweight exercises being limited to pushups (which I was doing with improper form), pull ups, and bodyweight squats.

After ordering and watching, rewatching, and re-rewatching your Bodyweight U and Combat Seminar DVD’s, and reading a lot of Steve Maxwell’s stuff, I have completely changed my training. Lots of bodyweight movements supplemented with Kettlebell’s (I now have a modest collection of 3) and odd object training (like an old 100lb heavybag I bought cheap).

While I am still bummed that the focus my training had to shift, I find that the new modalities of training you and Steve Maxwell have shown me has:

a) left me feeling better than I have in years

b) increased my mobility

c) increased my kinesthetic awareness.

I feel that this method of strength training has translated more to my BJJ training than my days of nothing but powerlifting. I can no longer squat 500 lbs, but my knees are more stable, my shoulders are more mobile, and I no longer suffer from my neck injury as I once did!

PS: I ordered Convict Conditioning, and I very much look forward to receiving my copy.

Brian – first off, Dude, you’re a f**ing animal.

I respect BIG time how you are constantly investing in your knowledge to improve your health and strength. Most people make excuses about not being able to afford training courses or training tools that will improve their health. They want hand outs and still complain, they are contributing to the Pussification of America, I’m grateful you are raging against the norm.

It makes me question their priorities, as I always say, “Without your health, you have NOTHING.”

When it comes to gaining knowledge for my health, I invest without thinking twice about it. I’ve got 2 book shelves packed to the hilt, along with book drawers piled high with books. In my garage, due to running out of space, I’ve got more boxes filled with more training resources!

So, let’s get to the BIG concern you have along with many others. Will powerlifting have to end for you?

Perhaps the 500 lb squats will end, BUT, you can still find ways to squat, bench and deadlift, only now with variations that keep you feeling good and still allow you to get stronger and faster.

Here are some tips I use for the powerlifting variations as we get older and more banged up, yet still allow us to perform them and feel GREAT.

Squats – Try performing your squats with a safety squat bar or the zercher variation. If loading your spine with any type of bar on your back feels like hell, go ahead and hit some moderately heavy zercher squats. I used this movement when I severely strained my low back a few years ago and they felt great.

I also used zercher squats with 315 + lbs 36 hrs. prior to my last knee surgery. Keeping my legs strong helped me make an extremely fast comeback after knee surgery. Strong legs are the foundation of your entire body, never forget their importance.

Deadlifts – Deadlifts can suck for some and be heaven on earth for others. For me, it all depends on the style of deads I use along with the intensity. If deads crush you, then try to use moderately heavy weights and avoid maxing out.

Rack pulls always screw up my back, but, deficit deadlifts feel great. A few heavy sets while leaving a few reps in the tank often keeps progress coming, max out regularly on the deadlift and you’ll often get weaker, slower and eventually….. injured. Find what works best for you, don’t deadlift every week, maybe every other week or 2 – 3 weeks on, 1 – 2 weeks away from the deadlifts.

Bench Press – Avoid wide grip benching, instead, try shoulder width or slightly wider than shoulder width. Try using a swiss bar, a thick bar, floor pressing and add chains to help with shoulder stability.

The bench press is an awesome exercise, but, it may not be for you. If it hurts, find an expert to critique your form. If it still hurts, cut your losses and move on.

Push Ups with Rings are one of my favorites, can’t go wrong. Get some Kick Ass Rings HERE.

As you grow older your needs change and your body changes as well. Your training must continually evolve and the most important thing is staying healthy is your health dictates what you can and can not do.

Stick with me, brutha, I’ll show you the way.

In Strength,

–Z–

PS: After training since the age of 13, I’ve seen the fads and gimmicks, I’ve experienced what hurts, what works, what doesn’t work and have clawed my way to the top with plenty of bumps and bruises to teach me some serious lessons when it comes to getting bigger, stronger, leaner, etc.

The truth is HERE for those who want to remain focused and stray from the confusion.

I just got home after a kick ass weekend in Austin, TX.

Austin is a cool as hell town, reminds me of a blend between my hometown and San Diego. The people are cool as hell, the cabbies are slower AND more laid back than Spicoli from ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ and the girls are straight up Ass Kickers – I’ve never had such fit and powerful girls come through my cert like the girls of Austin (this is the 2nd time as they’ve been to NJ & now Austin).

I cranked my USC Cert to a sold out crew at one helluva gym and man did we light it up! Stay tuned for some highlight video footage.

I arrived Friday night for what was called ‘Project Mayhem’ – there must have been about 60 guys, ALL dressed in black going full out, tearing up the gym and every ounce of the parking lot with:

- truck pushing and truck pulling with a thick rope

- Keg Lifting, ground to overhead

- Pull Ups & Sandbag Carries

- 1RM Deadlifts

- Tire Flips

After these guys went through hell and back they tore up a meal fit for Gladiators along with plenty of beer to wash down all their well earned food. This training was one of the most intense workouts I’ve ever witnessed, coupled with their camaraderie I was seriously blown away with motivation & inspiration.

During our weekend USC Cert, many preconceived notions were laid to rest as many people think that the cert is all about choosing sides, aka, using one style and not another. Strongman only training.

Nothing could be further form the truth as we spent a large portion of time doing what I call “Animal Training” – it opened up everyone’s mind as to how we can train for power, speed, strength, athleticism and most importantly, optimal health.

Makes no sense to train with a certain style if it leaves you banged up and broken down.

Must it be strongman and odd objects vs powerlifting?

Or….

Perhaps it is bodyweight only, or kettlebells only.

NO…. Eventually, training with one style, for the majority, will lead to boredom, burn out, overuse injuries and lack of progress. Notice I said “for the majority” as there are always the rare few. There are few who make non stop progress with bodyweight only or kettlebells only, the men below are bodyweight only BEASTS, they are a rare few, certainly not the majority.

I do what works for me and apply the same principles when training my athletes. Not every athlete I train benefits from heavy deads or heavy squats, sounds strange, but the bottom line is getting results and as I spoke about in my last blog post HERE, some exercises can be your enemy and another man’s best friend.

We do, however, train like animals, the USC Coaches who just finished this weekend’s cert will attest to that.

We used bodyweight training through jump training, all types of climbing drills, animal training, plyometrics, jump training and gymnastics based training.

We tore apart the Sandbag training WAY beyond the basics and used various complexes and unique forms of “loaded conditioning”.

Yes, we used powerlifting AND strongman as well.

I take what works and remove what doesn’t work, as should you. It’s a form of ART, learning what works for you and those you train.

For my own personal workouts, it means working hard on certain things, easier on others. Easy on the powerlifts, hard on the animal training.

If you’re over 30 years of age you will really need to begin paying close attention to the way your body responds to all types of training AND nutrition.

Done for me are the days of aches, pains, injuries and training that simply crushes the body. If it interferes with my ability to play with my kids and live a pain free life then I am kicking it to the curb.

Optimal training, NOT maximal training, that is THE ticket. Learn it and Love it.

Stay tuned, the video footage I’m gonna set you up with from last weekend’s USC Cert is gonna be SIC.

Till then, pick up your 2 FREE gifts when you sign up at The USC Inner Circle, 30 day trial HERE.

Be an action taker and a leader.

Blaze a trail, take action and storm through brick walls.

Lazy peeps have no room here, there is no middle ground.

You’re either in or you’re in the way.

And now you know.

Peace.

–Z–

PS: See you on the other side, you will dig your 2 FREE gifts, get em’ NOW:

==> 30 Day UIC Trial

PPS: I’m adding three new Coaches to The UIC Expert Panel

TWO of these guys attended the http://UndergroundStrengthCoachCertification.com
and they are the real deal.

The other has been through my biz courses and tore up some nasty workouts at my Underground Strength Gym along with me.

He’s the REAL deal, strong as hell and walks the talk.

These guys are animals, literally.

The way they train, eat and move – it’s the way training was meant to be.

It’s a lifestyle.

They don’t pretend or fake it, they live it.

==> http://UndergroundInnerCircle.com

PPPS: The next USC cert will be in Florida, sign up HERE

One Coach is traveling all the way to Florida from Thailand, I saw training footage of him and he blew me away, it is going to be a eye opening and life changing weekend for ALL who take action and attend.

==> http://UndergroundStrengthCoachCertification.com

Remember that OLD school tune with Rage Against the Machine, “Know the Enemy”?

Yep, Yep… well, with training, it’s the same difference.

After training for 22 years I am still learning more and more about my body, sometimes, ya gotta learn the HARD way.

The other day I saw a video of Louie Simmons hitting rack pulls, I was inspired, and decided I too, need to do rack pulls.

Problem is, I’ve been injured on them before, even with light weights well below my max.

Well, as my boy Jonny Hinds says, we’re part of the knuckle head crew. We KNOW not to do certain things but we still do them.

Squats of all types and trap bar deadlifts work plenty fine for me, and, eventually, ya just gotta cut your losses and eliminate some movements.

Heavy rack pulls and even light rack pulls don’t get me stronger OR make my back feel good.

Speed deads work great for me and yes, NO deadlifting works quite well, too.

I remember when I first opened my gym, I was in there a lot and wanted a lil’ change of scenery and some motivation. I decided to train at the gym next door as I was about to deadlift. I knew that people watching me would fire me up.

I hadn’t deadlifted for 2 months! But…. I had been doing plenty of similar movements such as squats with barbells, kettlebells, sandbags and even stones.

I was also doing lots of sled work at the end of each workout as well as 2 – 3 trips during my warm ups.

What happened?

I went in and deadlifted 515 for an easy single, beating my best 500 lb deadlift. I realized then I didn’t need to deadlift to break a deadlift record, but, sometimes we fall in love with an exercise and overdo it.

Be smart and LISTEN to your body, do what it tells you to do. Right now, I am in rest & recovery mode, something I haven’t done since I graduated from undergrad and finished a stressful 4 month internship. My body was wiped out as was my body. I rested and stopped training until my body told me it was time to get back in action.

The Bench Press is awesome, BUT, if it kills your shoulders even after you’ve worked with experts in the field to make it better, f**k it, get rid of it and do what works and what feels good for YOU.

Don’t be afraid to veer from a program that you love, but may be causing you some bodily harm. The more you train the more things change – your body begins to respond to things differently and you need to keep tweaking your program to find what does two things for you:

1) What makes you stronger, bigger, faster, etc – improves overall performance

2) What makes you feel GREAT, not just good, but GREAT. If the training bangs you up, change it up and drop out of the knucklehead club.

In Strength,

–Z–

PS: I’ll be laying low on external resistance until my body tells me it’s time to get back to it. As I am in rest & recovery mode, my next assault will be on taking my bodyweight & gymnastics based drills to a new level.

Follow along with me, This is Legit – The Convict Conditioning Workout

Walk into a typical high school weight room and you’ll see a 1 rep max test on the squat every month.

Typically, you’ll see kids hitting 315 to 495 on the squat. Kids that weigh 185 lbs are doing this, some weight 135 lbs and squat 315. Amazing.

On the bar is a THICK Pad to cushion the back. The thick pad replaces the need to build up the traps. After all, who needs a set of BIG, thick traps to support the neck and reduce chances of neck injuries while playing football?

Perhaps you’ll see a bungee chord to let them know when they’ve performed a full squat… errrrrr, I mean half squat.

There will be 3 spotters, one on each side and one from behind.

The Coach will stand with a clip board in hand to make sure you broke last month’s record.

This is the typical high school weight room, YES, there are some high school weight rooms with great Coaches in there, but they are far and few between.

If my athletes tell me they tested at 405 in the squat then they probably squat 225 – 295 on the bar when at my gym. Maybe. Often times, MUCH less.

Why?

Because full range squats are what I want to see. The truth is what I expect, brutal honesty is what allows one to TRULY measure gains in strength.

In the weight room, you can’t lie to anyone, especially yourself. Same goes for life AND business.

Technique is # 1, slow and steady progression of weights is # 2.

The half squattin’, shitty technique is NOT considered a squat. Sorry.

There is NO need for a big ass pad on your back either. Rather than make excuses for the bar hurting your back, you need to build your upper back up with the basics that ALWAYS worked:

- trap bar / straight bar deadlifts

- shrugs

- farmer walks

- 1 Arm DB Rows / Barbell Rows

- Pull Ups of ALL Variations

- Band or Gymnastics Rings for Pull Aparts, Scare Crows & Face Pulls

The full squat is becoming extinct in gyms around the world, just like Dinosaurs, they roamed the earth many moons ago.

Not sure why, but perhaps the thought of being brutally honest with oneself has become too painful in today’s generation of “Now, Now, NOW!!!”

Honesty means not moving up in weight until your upper thighs are slightly below parallel.

Honesty means that if your bench is bigger than your squat, ANY extra work needs to be devoted to building up your legs, plain and simple. It hurts the ego to realize your bench is bigger than your squat, unfortunately, I’ve seen this MANY times. The good news is that building up your squats will help build the rest of the body…. quickly.

Here are a few critical tips for squatting properly and getting set under the bar properly:

1) Get psyched before you get under the bar. If you’re unsure or scared about the weight you see on the bar you’re going to get buried alive. Crank some hardcore music and get your mind in the right place. I often times play a movie in my mind, where I can literally see myself squatting the weight up and down with ease before I even perform the physical feat!

2) Set your hands on the bar evenly. Do NOT be a half asser and pay no attention to where your hands go on the bar. Each hand should be on the same spot on the bar.Nothing should be uneven.

3) Grip the bar like you’re trying to crush the bar to dust in your hands. The tighter your grip the tighter your entire body will become. When squatting, it’s NOT just leg work, it’s your entire body.

4) Next, squeeze your shoulder blades together, pull your elbows down, arch your back and get under the bar, setting the bar in the middle of your traps. Your BIG traps should be raised up, providing a “shelf” for the bar to sit upon. If you ain’t got BIG traps then follow my tips below and jack those Bad Boys UP.

5) Set your feet shoulder width apart or slightly wider. Inhale with a BIG breath and HOLD your breath to stabilize your torso. Squat the weight up and take ONE step back with each foot if you’re in a power rack. If you’re in a squat rack, ONLY take enough steps back to clear the rack.

6) Readjust the width of your feet if necessary, I prefer a slightly wider than shoulder width stance when squatting without a box. With a box I vary my foot stance.

7) Inhale a BIG breath and hold your breath before you squat down. Go down slow and low, aiming to get your upper thighs to parallel or slightly below. Blast UP explosively. Do NOT breath out on the up phase. Hold your breath during the entire rep to remain tense.

After each rep, take another DEEP breath and repeat. Do NOT lose tension in your body. Keep the back arched, shoulder blades squeezed tightly together and your entire body tight as all hell.

If you are having trouble gaining weight or packing on muscle, get busy with squats every week.

Eat like a Mack Truck, protein AND carbs at every meals, NOT just post workout.

Those who can’t pack on muscle are devoid of a few critical things:

1) Not training hard enough

2) Not training heavy enough / breaking records

3) Not eating enough

4) Not eating enough QUALITY nutrition (get rid of the empty calories that won’t help you build a powerful, rugged physique).

5) Consistency

6) Mental Toughness

The truth will set you free, so if I just called you out then you KNOW what you need to start doing.

You can get started today by throwing some weight on that bar and squatting DEEP.

Keep it old school, Kids!

In Strength,

–Z–

Recommended Resources

The Underground Strength Coach Cert – Florida

The Gladiator Experiment

Inner Circle

First off, BIG thanks to Dan Gibson for hooking me up with a kick ass shirt and a HUGE congrats to him for his success. I LOVE hearing success stories from Dudes who’ve rolled through my Underground Strength Coach Cert.

As you can see, I believe in constant education, regardless of whether or not you’re a Strength Coach or simply an active lifter chasing greater strength, muscle, speed and overall BadAss-ness (is that even a word!!??).

I ranted before about contacting coaches through NJ, NYC, Philly & Pa. and NONE of them responded to the powerlifting seminar. The better way to view this is to understand the food chain. Those who didn’t take action will likely be at the bottom of the food chain, i.e. LESS successful.

Now, onto the upper body blast workout….

This is the first part of my upper body workout and I cranked several variations of the floor press combined with several variations of pull ups.

The floor press variations were:

- varied grip width to attack different areas of the chest, shoulders and triceps

- Use of bands for greater resistance than my body is used to (doubled a mini band around the swiss bar)

- used a swiss bar (neutral grip) to take undue strain of my shoulders

- used chains to accommodate resistance (heavier at the top, lighter at the bottom). The chains also force the shoulders to stabilize more as the chains sway and pull the bar around

- used the sling shot on the last set for less resistance in the bottom, coupled with high reps for a burn out set. This CRUSHES the triceps!

For my pull ups (which I eat for breakfast by the way I cranked varied grips and bar handles as well:

- underhand

- overhand

- thick handle close grip for added grip work

- recline rows on ropes for added grip work

- mixed grip (one hand over, one hand under)

As you advance in your training it’s important to use variety on the BASICS. Don’t get carried away with being too fancy and wild, the stuff that works ALWAYS will work, and that comes down to the good ol’ basics and their many variations.

In speaking with some of the strongest men in the world, they always remind me to stick to the basics, don’t get caught up in the fancy stuff that has a cool name or a cool ring to it. Often times, some of those workouts from overseas were specifically made for gifted athletes who were hand picked by coaches to experiment on.

Make small changes to the basics:

- add some chains

- change the bar you use

- If deadlifting try rack pulls or deficit pulls

- If squatting try switching up your stance. Do you always use a box? Try NO box, or, vice versa.

- Do you always bench with a straight bar? Try a swiss bar or a thick bar. Try floor pressing instead of bench pressing.

- Do you ALWAYS go heavy? Try getting in sets of 8 – 15 reps and your body will get an ass whoopin’ like never before.

- Are you always deadlifting heavy and straining through reps? That will kill your back in no time flat. Try going lighter and doing higher volume with short rest periods.

- Always squatting with a bar on your back? Try putting the bar somewhere else, like THIS.

In the end, do NOT be afraid to have FUN while you train.

That’s what it’s ALL about. When you start having fun you’ll keep getting stronger.

I just gave you a good number of ways to switch up your training while sticking to the basic strength and muscle building exercises.

Now, it’s up to YOU to do something about it.

By the way, I DID promise you a video of Dan Gibson back when he was training inside his father’s unique auto garage and training like a true Underground BEAST. Check his video below, I love it!

Peace!

–Z–

Recommended Resources:

Russian Lion Power Course

How to Kick Ass (LAST One)

REAL Biz Uncensored

The Gladiator Experiment