My lil' bro was home while I was givin' the crazy tour and I checked his bedroom for my old bodybuilding trophies. He told me he thinks they were stahsed in the ol' attic.Come with me into the attic, you'll never guess what we found up there! What's in your attic, garage or basement? I bet you have some old goodies stashed away! --Coach Z-- … [Read more...]
Underground Strength Show, Episode # 7
My old bedroom and my old book shelf! You gotta see this! Am I wrong here? Did the Golden Era really rock today's lifters? Today we have less comraderie, more complainers, more cry babies, more fancy methods and people still want more fancy methods. Here and there I get a complaint about me not showoing anything new. Is new better? Maybe I can hang myself upside down, use a kettlebell, rubber band and a wooden spoon, that's new! There ya go, it's my next video!I sure wish the camraderie would … [Read more...]
Underground Strength Show, Episode # 6: Lost Treasures of Strength
Check out this trip through my early beginnings and a hilarious story of what started out as my weakest day from over 20 years ago! How many of you remember your beginnings in the world of strength? I'd love to hear about them, post em' below! --Coach Z-- … [Read more...]
The 80/20 rule
Tim Ferriss encourages the 80/20 rule like a beast to keep your business kicking ass. It simply means 80 % of your results often come from 20% of your actions. He's correct. Now it's time to apply these rules to getting ripped, getting stronger and getting in better condition. This rule is basically telling us that much of what we do can be wasted time, maybe, possibly, perhaps? YES. I feel the same rule applies with your training. How many movements are REALLY helping you get where you … [Read more...]
I don’t see this much…
Just making sure you're deadlifting....if not, maybe this pic will motivate you. Lift big weights off the ground, lift them overhead, pull them from the ground up, push them and pull them....squat them.... Get to work. --Z-- PS - Wanna develop a thick, rugged, strong as hell physique? Check THIS out. … [Read more...]
Smokes, Drinks and Can Still Kick Your Ass
Back when I was paying my way through Grad School I was bartending on weekends at a shot and beer joint. Bar tending was also mixed with bouncing. Saturday nights got wild because bands played most Saturday nights. It was often standing room only and because this was a shot and beer joint, the drinks went fast and people regularly consumed an average of 8 drinks no problem. I met some serious drinkers, who smoked quite heavily as well, who worked at the nearby factories and industrial plants. … [Read more...]
Try This
Sometimes I do one exercise for an entire workout, or one type of movement for an entire workout. Not only is this a great challenge but it is also a great way to overload the body like never before. Have you ever done all types of carries for an entire workout? I talk about this a lot at The Underground and have discussed the power of this method. We will carry any and every training tool we have from different positions: - Barbell on back - Sandbag in arms - Kettlebells … [Read more...]
I Thought You Needed This..
The squat has been the lift that has been responsible for developing all around strength. When you squat heavy and low, you work your quads, hams, glutes and entire back side like nothing else. The squat has that amazing effect on the rest of the body where it tightens up your abs, making them strong and sturdy, it adds muscle to the upper body and stokes your metabolism. If you haven't been squatting, then what the hell have you been doing? Check our latest article on Rack Training at The … [Read more...]
The Farm Boys I Met Years Ago…
Wow, today's workout was bad ass. It was a mix of indoor and outdoor training. The cold weather really hits the lungs and I miss that feeling which I experienced back in the day of my nightly winter runs during wrestling season. That was in the early 90's, and that was also when Rocky IV was already out, why didn't more of us learn from that movie? The way he trained with stones, chopped wood, pushed sleds, ran through snowy mountains and performed pull ups on the wooden beams was … [Read more...]
Old School vs New School!
It's the famous saying, "What's old is new again." I never invented the training with odd objects, or anything else I have done or am using. There have certainly been new ways in program design and physiological feedback thanks to state of the art equipment, but the boat most people have missed is consistency, effort and regularity of the basics and progressive overload. The design of the program is key, because when it organized optimally (notice I never said perfectly as there is no such … [Read more...]