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!
Share and Enjoy
Filed under Announcements, Articles, Calendar, Strength Building, Success, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Aug 21st, 2009. 22 Comments. 
Well, lots of trash talking going on here, ha ha, just what I expected
I need to step up my game and crush some of you BIG mouths! muahahahahaha
Watch me prepare!
Going back to my roots: hard core, old school, gladiator style workouts!
Comment below and let us know how your training is going!
Kill it!
–Coach Z–
PS: Wanna see my blue print for developing brute strength? Check it out at http://UndergroundStrengthManual.com
Share and Enjoy
Filed under Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts by on Oct 21st, 2008. 11 Comments.
Slightly over 2 years ago a young wrestler began training with us….
He weighed 88 lbs at the time and was 1 month out from wrestling season in which he would be wrestling at 103 lbs.
We had little time to prep before the season and in the first 3 weeks of the season he broke his collar bone during a wrestling match.
When you’re weak and have little strength and muscle, you can bet that your ligaments and bones are also weak.
Through the years we trained him with our Underground methods and every year he kept packing on the muscle and adding lots and lots of strength.
Believe it or not, we did not use a whole lot of barbell work….no back squats and no bench presses.
We didn’t have the need for them for the most part. Everyone needs something different, we can’t prescribe the same thing for everyone all the time, and this was certainly one of those times.
Read more on How I trained an 88 lb. weakling…
Share and Enjoy
Filed under Articles, Q & A, Success, Zach's Workouts by on Apr 23rd, 2008. Comment.
Time for some action.
Time to do it your way, finally, not anyone else’s way.
Seriously. Stop doing what you see everyone else doing. Stop copying the concentration curls, the lat pull downs, the smith machine presses….everything performed seated of course.
Every workout does NOT have to be the perfect balance of push / pull, or upper / lower body work.
Who ever said that everything must be in total harmony and balance is full of it. Ask the guys in the pen about balance and instead they’ll tell you about benching, curling and doing sit ups every single day. They’re also stronger than the majority of gym goers I have ever run into!
Breaking the rules is what leads to success very often in performance. Notice I didn’t say all the time, absolutes are impossible to come by.
I’m talking human performance and business performance. Not the type of legal rules that can put you in jail so stop making excuses before we even get you to break ONE rule.
STOP training like a pussy, plain and simple.
It’s time to rebel, to break the rules and to train like a Gladiator.
This is how Underground training was birthed….
Read more on the trail blazer…
Share and Enjoy
Filed under Articles, Zach's Workouts by on Apr 12th, 2008. 2 Comments.
I received a call today from someone asking
where the heck to get started with all my training.
I have so many products he was unsure which would best fit
someone trying to get started with my style of training.
This was a great question and we had a few laughs when
he tried to pull one over on me asking if I had something
that would work for a 7’9″ behemoth.
He had me for a second
He also asked if all the people on my site who sent in testimonials were “roided up”. Read more on How to get started with Underground training…
Share and Enjoy
Filed under Articles, Zach's Workouts by on Apr 11th, 2008. Comment.
The Friday wrecking crew I train at The Underground is truly one of a kind.
They’re ALL getting stronger than a run away freight train, every week, the gains keep coming.
What’s more important is the knowledge they are gaining by training here. This knowledge will stay with them forever.
They’ve been schooled on the right way to train, the most effective methods and tools for the trade, and because of this “education”, they will become better at anything and everything they do.
Why will they become better at Everything?
Our training develops the mind AND body together, into one, powerful, high performance machine. In addition, being strong is something we do not take lightly. They understand that being strong is critical and is to be held in high esteem.
Ironically, I just received an e mail from a friend out West who left his health club because of the horrible atmosphere. Before that, I received a phone call from a Police Officer in West Va. who had just purchased Ancient Training Methods and has been using this style of training for the past 3 weeks.
Read more on A Priceless Experience plus a Poem for You…
Share and Enjoy
Filed under Announcements, Articles, Zach's Workouts by on Mar 28th, 2008. Comment.
Mind over Matter…
If you don’t mind, It don’t matter.
Put your mind into your training with a NO
fear attitude and you’ll start taking
your training to a whole new level.
Last week many of our athletes were used to
flipping the 400 lb tire.
I then told them how “Curls”, one of our
Beasts was flipping the 600 lb tire with ease.
This sparked some fires within the minds
of our training crew and they began focusing
their attention on the 600 lb tire instead
of the 400 lb tire.
Every single athlete flipped the 600 lb tire
that day.
No matter how hard the battle was, each athlete
wrestled and fought hard to get that tire moving.
Read more on Mind Over Matter…
Share and Enjoy
Filed under Articles, Zach's Workouts by on Mar 26th, 2008. Comment.
This oughtta piss some people off
I am a student first, teacher second. My primary goal is to learn more and more so I can pass on the knowledge to those who want to learn.
Still, I receive some funny e mails from people who claim to be “experts” because they were using stones, or sandbags and kettlebells before anyone else was.
I must laugh at this egotistical behavior, but it’s also why we have a rule at The Underground web site: No Assholes, No Egos.
Some people feel the odd need to claim their right as being first to have used something or done something first. Truth be told, these tools have been used for countless centuries. Maybe the Kettlebells have not been around for centuries, but stone lifting is common place in many countries, so when people say they did this first, I must be getting e mails from humans that roamed the earth slightly after the Dinosaurs.
The fact is this, what we do today has been done before, the methods of program design have certainly advanced greatly, which is a big reason we are getting phenomenal results with our athletes.
Sure, it’s easy to squat, press and row all the training tools we have available, but, designing programs which train other optimally is where the magic comes into play.
The gurus who feel the need to claim to be the first of the first have already lost, because they are no longer students, they feel they know it all already. Good for them.
The ironic thing is, these gurus tend to talk about what they used to do or they simply hide behind the keyboard and type endlessly on negative forums.
Beware of these gurus, they’ll try to bring you donw with them, not a pretty place to go.
As I continue to learn I’ll pass on my knowledge. Just like great books that are meant for passing on as opposed to sitting on shelves, great knowledge should be passed on. Then again, if you know it all, feel free to pass.
Dedicated to your success,
Zach Even – Esh
P.S. – The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can not are both right.
Share and Enjoy
Filed under Articles by on Mar 19th, 2008. 2 Comments.
We haven’t been following a ton of rules here at The Underground. This is a BIG reason why our clients are developing in strength and muscle so quickly.
Compare our style of training with the typical program that has light dumbbell curls, lat pull downs, crunches and calf raises to someone flipping tires, hoisting heavy barbells overhead, deadlifting and squatting hundreds of pounds – it’s no secret why the old school program works better than today’s “powder puff” workouts.
Sometimes all we do is press weights overhead, from the ground to over our heads on every single rep of every single set, using different implements every few sets.
Start with a barbell for a few sets, then some kettlebells, next up…an anvil, next up might be some old round head dumbbells, next might be sandbags…..on and on, ripping weights from the ground to overhead, pushing the body into foreign territory.
The mind and body will let you go where ever you desire, so push past your limits, soar to new heights and demand more of yourself.
Go get em’!
In Strength,
Zach Even – Esh
P.S. – Wanna take your training to new heights, see how break ALL the rules HERE!
Share and Enjoy
Filed under Articles, Zach's Workouts by on Mar 15th, 2008. Comment.
Recent Comments