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. 
My training, as I’ve stated so often before, comes from my heart & soul. I let my emotions & energy levels dictate what the workout will look and feel like.
But….. this is NOT how I program workouts for others or for my athletes…. I’m talking about how I train myself. Most of the time I simply go by feel, expressing how I feel through strength.
This is another SOUL Lifter workout. It begins with a set of max pull ups and then onto ladder drills of the Kettlebell Snatch, inspired by Pavel.
My self expression doesn’t always come from lifting, but, it almost always comes through movement. That might be skateboarding, mountain biking, running….
Question for YOU: How do your express yourself?
In Strength,
–Z–
PS: I am getting more and MORE fired up as the USC Cert draws closer to Underground HQ. Sign up HERE for a life changing weekend, and NO, you don’t have to be a trainer or coach, you might simply be looking to experience a time and place to help you grow as a person.
No matter who you are or what you do, this weekend will change your life. Psyched to see you!
Filed under Articles, Kick Ass Life, Strength Building, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Jun 23rd, 2011. 3 Comments.
Here we go, 2nd workout of the day. First workout involved dumbbell quick lifts, bodyweight training and plenty of soft tissue work and mobility. Sweatin’ was easy since it was almost 100 degrees.
Want a second workout but the experts cry a river and say, “NOOOOO!!!! Rest!!”
I do what I feel and I feel what I do. My advice to you… Know Thy Self. Live for the iron and Live to train. Harley Davidson would dig us, NO doubt.
I’ve been using LOTS of ladders lately with both Kettlebells & Bodyweight. I’m feeling AWESOME on these. Although my shoulder is a bit bothersome, things are on the mend and I am WAY better than the last few weeks.
I’m also back to running thanks to this course, mountain biking and of course, it’s time to hit the beach and soon enough the water will be warm enough to hop in and learn to surf!
Time to get this day rollin’. I’ll leave you with a few words and thoughts.
- To know thy self you must ALWAYS search deeper.
- Train often and train with variety, expose your weakness both physically and mentally.
- Get comfortable being UNcomfortable.
- You can train anywhere, any time, any place. Don’t discriminate against training – use the many effective methods and dig deep, you will find yourself and eventually, you just might “Know Thy Self.”
Peace.
–Z–
PS: I’m unleashing 7 BadAss gifts HERE. It’s not like everything and everyone else. I unleash everything on the “other side”. Click HERE to dig in. Enjoy.
Filed under Articles, Kick Ass Life, Strength Building, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Jun 9th, 2011. 5 Comments.
Check out these next two videos of stone training. The stones weren’t crazy heavy so I cranked away with a circuit for strength endurance and conditioning. This is a great way to condense your workouts while still building strength, muscle and stamina.
If you’re a family man / woman, you know ALL about being limited on time. Check it….
I’ll be back to mixing the various odd objects in my workouts with powerlifting once again. I miss the barbell TOO much. Deadlifting and squatting make me feel stronger and more explosive, even if I don’t attack them with full blown heavy loads, which isn’t always the best way!
Question for YOU: How has your training evolved in the past few months. Looking forward to reading your comments and sharing with others!
Lead from the FRONT!
–Z–
Recommended Resources:
30 Day Trial Underground Inner Circle
Underground Strength Coach Certification
Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Sep 4th, 2010. 19 Comments.
There are TOO many excuse makers out there.
Age tends to get the blame most often, or is it time that gets the blame?
Check this video below of Laird Hamilton and then read on with me….
Laird Hamilton has not allowed age to limit him, and since following him as a kid, I have noticed that he has only become stronger and better at everything he does. NO Excuses.
35 is around the corner for me, and I have changed things up to keep me “under the bar” where as most men I run into make excuses to keep their ass on the couch. The male species is becoming weaker and weaker and I see way too many following suit.
Heck, even kids nowadays are following suit. They sit on their ass all day and show less and less willingness to become a Warrior. With weak parents how can we expect the kids to have the desire for strength in mind and body?
This is why it’s always refreshing to me to work with wrestlers, they chase the pain and desire to be a Warrior. Certainly not the norm nowadays!
I’m sure you’ve run into those “men” who are glued to the couch – I can’t believe we just gave them the honor of being considered “men”.
Being a warrior you tend to wanna listen to your mind rather than your body, so even when you need to back off you still go balls to the wall with your workouts. Backing off takes mental discipline, so I have made many changes to my way of life, my training and my nutrition since I have gotten older, but none of them hold me back from being STRONGER as a Man!
As Bruce Lee said, “Absorb what is useful, discard what is not.”
My Changes:
1) 2 or 3 Intense workouts each week + 2 or 3 bodyweight workouts each week.
2) More variety in my training implements and NO machines: more kettlebells, more bodyweight, more dumbbells, more sandbags
3) Less loading of the spine via back squats and deadlifts
4) More soft tissue / recovery work
5) Less red meat, more fish, veggies & fruits
6) More movement / athletic training: sprinting, swimming, surfing, skateboarding, trail runs, mountain biking
7) More intuitive training: Remember, I’m a “Soul Lifter” – I simply love to lift and move so the rules of program design are completely modified for my own instincts
If you look at the above, in essence, I am becoming a kid again.
Less structure, more “playing” and movement and more overall athleticism. Being big without the ability to move or play with my kids is of NO use to me.
A smart man will adapt and adjust to his own needs and will not copy me.
A Man of NO Excuses will continue to train and go through the battle and still find a way for intensity. If you’re getting injured or feeling mental burn out this is your body’s way of sending you messages to back off, change it up but DON’T Stop altogether.
Always find a way to blaze a trial.
NEVER allow yourself to become the guy who tells a younger man, “I used to be just like you…..”
NO Excuses.
Shut the F**K Up and Make it Happen. Period.
Lead from the FRONT.
–Z–
PS: Here’s where I give the blue print on how I “Make it Happen”. NO Excuses, this is the REAL Deal inside my life of lifting AND living:
==> Underground Strength Coach Trial
PPS: New Web Site, please check it out & share with as many kick ass peeps you know!!!
===> http://GetWrestlingStrength.com
Filed under Articles, Q & A, Strength Building, Success, muscle building by on May 17th, 2010. 14 Comments.
Sometimes we have new athletes training at The Underground Strength Gym and I see fear in their eyes. They are in a NEW World and have never been pushed to these new areas.
I see the Fear in their eyes clear as day…..
- FEAR against a heavier weight
- FEAR against pushing into a pain zone
- FEAR against the feeling of throwing up
Let me give you some advice:
Don’t FEAR the pain, CHASE it! Stare it dead in the eyes and say “F**K YOU!!!”
Go for broke when you lift, NO limits style!
Unless you are truly busted up with injuries or have a serious limitation you need to stop fearing the Pain.
Once you begin chasing it, you stop feeling the pain because you no longer view it as pain, instead, you view it as pleasure.
It becomes something you are numb to and something you fall in love with all at the same time. 
And…. NOT ironically, you will become more successful in your life, in ALL areas.
I’ve applied these rules to my life and overall business ventures and it helps me kick ass where countless others quit or stop short. It has been a HUGE driving force behind the success of all actions I take in life and business. If I always allowed Fear to control me, rather than let it work FOR me, I would never have experienced the success I am today.
I haven’t given you a workout in a while, so try this one on for size.
Monday should be a day of battle for you.
It starts the week off on the right note. Don’t be that typical gym nerd who does Chest every Monday.
Time to stop following the rules and “conventional wisdom”.
Here WE go, we’re in this battle together:
** Warm up thoroughly First **
1) Farmer Walk with Dumbbells or http://UndergroundKettlebells.com 5 x 200 ft.
2A) Handstand Push Ups 5 x Max Reps
2B) Rope Climb 5 x
3A) Squat Jumps 3 x 10
3B) Lunge Jumps 3 x 10
4A) Kettlebell Swings 4 x 10 reps
4B) Sprint x 100 Meters
Finish with some hard ab work.
I’ll be hitting this workout myself today.
Let’s rock this sh*t together.
Strength & Honor.
REMEMBER: Don’t fear the pain, chase it and DOMINATE.
Adjust movements above for your own strength levels.
Lead from the FRONT.
–Z–
PS: If you’re ready to be ultra committed to training with me, then this is for you:
===> The Underground Strength System
PPS: Please check out my New Fan Page, click HERE
Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Success, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on May 11th, 2010. 3 Comments.
Lots of questions always fill the in box with “How do you train, Zach” – so, this is me, on an “off” day, doing some extra work, training that won’t get me sore but helps with conditioning and keeps me mentally sane as I have a tough time laying off from any form of exercise.
On these extra days I simply train by feel. Remember, I’m a SOUL Lifter and now that I live by the beach my workouts will be returning back to a form similar to my younger days when me and my buddies would go on crazy mountain biking treks.
It was a brutal workout to be trekking through trails for 2 – 3 hours in the summer heat, yet awesome fun and crushed the legs!
My Jet Black GT is about to hit the streets, the boardwalks, the trails and who knows where else!
My new running sneaks should hit The Underground Monday.
I expect and plan to transform myself to a MUCH higher level then ever before, as always, it’s gonna be a way to Lead from the FRONT!
Peace!
–Z–
PS: BIG, BIG Thanks to all who replied to my last e mail telling me what they wanted to see from me in the near future! You guys F**ing ROCK! THANK YOU!
PPS: Locals, last chance to get in on The Va. Beach Underground Mentorship, Guaranteed to be the best damn seminar you ever took part of! Sign Up HERE.
Filed under Announcements, Articles, Calendar, Q & A, Strength Building, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Mar 14th, 2010. 10 Comments.
I started lifting weights back when I was 13, it was 2 weeks before 8th grade was over. I used the weights my older bro had in his room down stairs on an old school Weider Bench.
Some of those weights were sand filled and I still remember doing dumbbell benching and sand would fall in my eyes and mouth – ahhhhhhhhh, those were the days
Through the last 2 decades, I have gone through many phases in my training. All of these phases were based on my goals, my intuition, experience, injuries, motivation, joy and most importantly, how my family inspired me and in a manner I was drawn to.
Some may not understand what I mean by being “drawn to the weights” but it is very similar to the manner a surfer is drawn to the water, no matter what shape or form it has. Surfers such as this are considered Watermen or Soul Surfers.
Bruddahs like Laird Hamilton, Uncle Mike Stehle and Kurt Gregory are ALL Watermen.
They also ALL train with that Underground Style – No Rules, training as they see fit, sometimes with barbells, kettlebells and bodyweight, other times outdoors at playgrounds, in backyards, on the beach and in the water.
It is about whatever is drawn to you and whatever you are drawn to, they both go hand in hand.
I guess we can be considered “Soul Lifters” and “Iron Men” – we love to train, regardless of the tool, where, what, when or the shape or form, we just love to train.
Of course, the more natural the setting and the tool, the more connected we are to this style of training.
Laird Hamilton surfs with any tool available and doesn’t discriminate much and even uses “machines” to extend his surfing to the next level, very much like powerlifters wear suits to lift bigger weights.
His surfing and life are guided by his family, his connection to nature, peace, adventure and his roots, which is water, as my roots are training.
I think if we stopped focusing so much on simply the physical benefits of training and more of what it can do for our soul, we would have a lot more people getting way better results in the physical realm.
If you’re not a Soul Lifter, if you’re not an Iron Man, then you’re missing out on some of the most beautiful things “training” can offer.
Think about that for a bit….
So let me ask you, are YOU a “Soul Lifter”?
Drop a comment below and let me know.
Peace Bruddahs!
–Z–
PS: By the way…. I am Running out of copies of Lost Secrets of Strength FAST. Orders have come from some VERY cool parts of this world, one of which I had never even heard of, The Faroe Islands! I LOVE helping people around the world! Follow your passion – it’s NO joke!
PPS: It was AWESOME to see 2 people sign up for the 1 Day USC Certification with less than 24 hrs to go, one cruising down from Canada with his Dad as part of a “Bonding” road trip! I LOVE seeing people going after dreams in their life, following their passion and Making it Happen!
Other USC Certifications are available HERE ==> Follow your passion, Achieve your dreams, make it happen!
Filed under Announcements, Articles, Calendar, Strength Building, Success, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Aug 21st, 2009. 22 Comments.
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