It’s GREAT to be Strong.
It’s GREAT to be Conditioned…..
But it’s BEST when you have BOTH Strength AND Conditioning.
If I can pit one example of this I’ll use my friend, Jim Wendler, shown in videos below. He keeps everything simple.
Jim’s strength work is centered around his 5 3 1 program.
Jim’s conditioning is centered around hill sprints and prowler sprints. He punishes himself on these 2 conditioning methods.
I’ve found that when you’re in shape, you get stronger much easier and vice versa.
If you pay NO attention to conditioning and only attend to strength you will:
- increase chances of injury
- carry around excess body fat
- your intense strength workouts will fatigue you too quickly, not allowing you to get the most bang for your buck, tiring yourself out before it’s time to crank your assistance work
If you pay NO attention to strength & only focus on met-cons and conditioning work you will:
- Feel like sh*t when a heavy bar is thrown on your back or in your hands
- Heavy lifting will fatigue you too quickly and likely increase chances of injury under heavy lifting as your tendons / ligaments have not been prepped for heavy loads & straining
Note: Jim doesn’t drop the 150 lb dumbbells. Why are people unable to do this with only 50 lb dumbbells, let alone the 150s!?
Here are 3 Ways to Blend Strength AND Conditioning:
1) Start with 1 strength lift in a 5 x 5 or 5 3 1 format, followed by a circuit of your assistance work.
Example:
1) Zercher Squats 5 3 1 Style
2A) Glute Ham Raise 4 x 10 – 15 reps
2B) Double Kettlebell Cleans 4 x 6 reps
2C) Lunge Jumps 4 x 6 / 6
3) Ab Circuit x 4 exercises x 15 reps each
2) Perform your normal workout & finish with 10 minutes of sprint intervals
Example:
Perform your upper, lower or full body workout
Set the clock for 10 minutes and perform as many short sprints as possible in that 10 minute time period. You can time them for 15/15 or 30/30 if this time of work:rest is feasible. If not, perform a hard sprint, then rest 30 seconds and repeat until 10 minutes is over and done with
3) Lift one day, condition the next……
Example:
- Train upper body one day, hit sprints via run, bike or swim the next day
- Train lower body the following day, condition the next day.
After 3 -4 days of training in a row take a day off.
If you’re like me and have exercise ADD then condition through a variety of methods. I like being outside so being in the ocean, mtn biking, running with my dog, battling ropes, runs, etc ALL give me lots of joy.
The key is this, and, “this” was inspired to me by Warrior Man’s video below. NEVER allow yourself to fall “out of shape”. If you’re not sure and you’re asking yourself if you’re “in shape”, then you’re out of shape. Period.
I am on a mission to push my conditioning to greater levels.I’m NOT satisfied. I love feeling like I got my ass kicked after a workout but I also HATE it because I want to be BETTER.
Drop a comment below and tell Underground Strength Nation what YOUR mission is.
Peace
–Z–
PS: TWO Underground seminars around the corner:
- Combat Seminar with Jason C Brown & I – Training for GOLD
Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Underground Strength Show, Zach's Workouts, muscle building, old school strength by on Feb 6th, 2012. Comment. 
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.
Read more on Improving The Deadlift…
You’ve heard me talk about how The USC Cert has changed lives.
It’s true. I’ve been to events, met people, experienced events, etc that have changed my life forever. It’s in my blood to help this happen to others as well.
I can’t allow my cert to simply about training, exercise, working out, etc. I bring my passion, share it, open my mind up to you…. I am an OPEN book for you and I see NO other way to run this cert, EPIC is the least I will allow it to be!
Check out Underground Strength Coach, Matt Ellis, from Rhode Island, speaking from the heart, REALLY getting me choked up!!
This is The 2nd Time The USC Cert is Coming to The #ATX.
The Location? Red Black Gym in Austin, TX
The Red-Black Gym was modeled and built after a crew of 10 + Coaches from CrossFit Central rolled up to The Underground HQ in Edison, NJ, for a specialized certification JUST for the coaches of CC, all of them traveling from Austin, TX to learn in the trenches and bring back our training methods to their hungry community of athletes & fitness fanatics.
NEVER have I seen such a LARGE crew of passionate Coaches coming from under the same roof, must be something in the waters of Austin, heck, Lance Armstrong lives there!
If you want IN, get after it and see the details below…. we’ve got a growing army of Underground Strength Coaches who are LIVING their passion.
AFTER the cert, you will LOVE the LIFETIME of support you get, as we have a private Mastermind area where you are able to connect day in and day out with what other USC Coaches are doing AROUND the world. It is a VERY powerful support system that will catapult your success and knowledge 10 X faster at a minimum.
Check out some post USC Cert success stories from two guys that escaped from Omaha while working at a commercial gym, we’ve got MORE to come…..
I am psyched to hit The #ATX again, the energy and atmosphere have REALLY blown my mind. The majority of certs I hold tend to be ALL men, but when I hit The ATX we have a large number of serious Coaches rolling through who are women, and these Girls Kick ASS!
All details for our ATX Certification are HERE
If you have questions feel free to connect with me on my Fan Page – HERE
Filed under Kick Ass Business, Kick Ass Life, Success by on Jan 30th, 2012. 2 Comments.
You’re NEVER too old to learn new things. NEVER too old to become better. It’s OK to change.
Many people take pride in the fact that they will never change. Change means you’re evolving. If you evolve, you are growing from within and that is of utmost importance.
Without growth, You die.
I’m going to challenge you to do some things that you may not be doing….. perhaps you’ve NEVER done these “things”…. perhaps it’s been a long time ago…. I’ll ALWAYS be here to challenge you. I do the same to my athletes and I do the same to anyone I connect with on a coaching level, and by reading this blog, I see myself as your Coach.
Many think I’m too hard on them or too hard on others. Too harsh, tough and not forgiving enough. I simply see it as tough love and if I don’t tell you the truth I am cheating YOU and lying to myself. I lay the law down with my athletes and I truly see no other way.
These athletes MUST realize the opportunity they have and how the world CAN be their if they WANT it.
I tell the parents outright how pissed I am at them when they allow their child to quit a sports team because practice was too hard. I tell them how pissed I am when they allow their child to blame the coach for not starting. Whatever happened to responsibility? Why do we enable how soft people are getting…. America is SOFT. That is #TRUTH and it pisses me off.
Excuses SUCK and so do the people who use them…. got excuses?
YOU suck. Period.
Why are so many athletes quitting in sports…. quitting in life…. and why is it ALL allowed & accepted!?!?
A BIG reason I left teaching was because parents would blame teachers and attack teachers when their child wasn’t getting straight A’s.
I HATED how this “system” was contributing to The Pussification of America.
I refused to partake in the lies, excuses and bull shit so I left it ALL….. built my own world…. Underground Strength Nation.
Do I have excuses for things? Absolutely. I am NOT perfect but I RAGE against it when I allow Mr. Resistance to get the best of me and I fight back, tooth and nail, blood, sweat and tears.
When I catch those excuses I slap myself in the face and kick my own ass and do a complete 180. NO quitting, just brutal honesty with myself, you need to do the same for yourself if you want success.
When I saw 4 comments on THIS Kick Ass Blog I told Underground Strength Nation to check their pulse because that video was so f**ing inspiring that it fired me up how no one had words to evoke after such a video!
How are you NOT fired the HELL UP by intense videos!?!? Come on, Undergrounders…. Lead WITH me or get the Hell outta the way!!!
Some NEW things I am learning:
- Saying “sorry” more often and accepting my mistakes….
- Saying “I love you” more often to those who put up with my craziness and love me unconditionally. I am NOT an easy person to deal with and I imagine it’s tough being on the other side of the relationship with me….
- Nutrition consulting with my friend, Jason Ferruggia. My health has taken a priority like never before since late last winter after experiencing so much pain in my body due to abuse in training and average nutrition. I am pushing more and more for better nutrition and health from the inside out.
- Reaching out to people I’ve lost touch with through the years….
- Refocusing my business to the select few things that I can deliver best in. These areas of my business allow me to bring my best foot forward, giving you the best I’ve got makes YOU better. What makes YOU stronger makes US stronger. That is what Underground Strength Nation is ALL about.
Make NO mistake about it….. These changes have NOTHING to do with a new year or a resolution. They are driven by passion and what is important to my family and Underground Strength Nation. Period.
When I want something I F**King DO it, I don’t wait for dumb ass new year resolutions or any other shit like that. NOW is when I do everything I want. NOW…. not tomorrow or later, NOW.
I suggest you do the same. If you have demons, face them now. If you’ve been putting shit off, do it NOW. You MUST be honest with yourself, dig deep, look yourself in the mirror and look those you love in the eyes and tell them the TRUTH.
The world has enough liars, con-artists, bull shit artists, blame artists, excuse makers and enablers of the weak and lazy.
NOT in THIS House. Undergrounders are a RARE Breed. I know it and so do YOU.
Drop a comment and tell us how you’re going to change for the better. We’re an Army of Bad Mother F**kers, Be PROUD and stand TALL.
Underground 4 Life
-Z-
PS: If you think my Blog is loaded with passion, wait till we connect at the next USC Cert. Austin, Texas it IS.
I LOVE The #ATX, don’t hesitate and say “I’ll go to the next one….”. WHAT “next one”. To Kick Ass & Take Names the time is NOW.
Sign Up HERE, it’s time to change your life.
Filed under Articles, Kick Ass Business, Kick Ass Life, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos by on Jan 26th, 2012. 42 Comments.
If you wanna make it to the TOP of ANYTHING you do it starts with the MIND. You can train as hard as you want but if the mind is not straight expect little to NO success.
Same goes for Business. If you don’t believe you will not climb to the top of the mountain. Success comes to those who work for it, believe in it and EARN it!
I’ve got some new business courses about to be released, a mix of mindset and skill set combined with a heavy dose of #HUSTLE. I’ll announce through The Underground Biz Journal, HERE.
QOD (Question Of The Day): If you could give someone ONE piece of advice to achieve success in LIFE and Lifting… What would that ONE thing be? Drop your comments below.
Live The Code
–Z–
PS: Texas, I’m a comin’…. step up and let’s kick some ass, join the growing army of Underground Strength Coaches who are kickin’ ass & takin’ names. Click HERE for details
Filed under Announcements, Kick Ass Business, Kick Ass Life, Monday Motivation, Success, Videos, man up monday by on Jan 21st, 2012. 8 Comments.
Deadline to Post Your Video Below: Monday, Sep. 19, 2011 @ 9 PM EST
Winner Gets a Lifetime Membership to Underground Strength Nation and a FREE Underground Strength T Shirt
Psyched to see your Inspiration Video!
Remember: title your video as “Underground Strength Nation Inspiration”
Post your video in the comments section below. Use the embed code. If it gets marked as spam let me know & I’ll fix it 
Good Luck!
Peace!
–Z–
PS: Underground Strength Nation will open it’s doors on Tuesday, make sure you are subscribed for e mail updates by entering your e mail at the top of my blog (& get your 5 FREE Gifts!).
PPS: USC Cert is coming soon, next one won’t be for a while. Don’t be “That Guy” who always says he’ll do the next one, ass kickers take action NOW!
Filed under Announcements, Calendar, Kick Ass Life, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos by on Sep 16th, 2011. 17 Comments.
It’s NOT Monday but f**k it, success waits for NO man and I don’t wanna wait till Monday to unleash the motivation! Besides, this is a critical video I wanted to share it pronto, Ryan Riess, a kick ass Underground Strength Coach in Washington shared it with me.
I used to watch Pumping Iron on VHS over and over and over….. not sure how that VHS tape survived!
I used to keep taking out ‘The Education of a Bodybuilder’ in high school, sophomore year – senior year, over and over and OVER again. I didn’t want anyone else to learn “Arnold’s Bodybuilding Secrets”, ha ha
I don’t agree with everything Arnold has done, but I don’t cry over it or stop learning from him.
These success tips are legit, if you have any more success tips, please add them in the comments section
Kick Ass & Accept NOTHING Less!
Peace
–Z–
PS: Are you an aspiring Strength Coach, or perhaps you ARE a Strength Coach…. yet you keep saying, “I’ll come to the next USC Cert“…
- Want to learn the training system we use to develop dominant athletes?
- Want to learn the marketing methods I used and continue to use today that helped grow The Underground Strength Gym from $5 workouts to a 6 figure warehouse gym…. part time?
Why wait for the NEXT cert?
I work with go-getters and action takers, ethical strength coaches…. honest, genuine and hard working.
Success waits for NO man, success comes to the man who grabs life by the balls and lives life on HIS terms, it ain’t easy, no one ever said it would be easy…. you just gotta go and get it YOURSELF.
USC Cert this October, Bring IT!
Click Here to Kick Ass, Follow Your Passion & Jump Start Your Success Ten Fold
Filed under Kick Ass Business, Kick Ass Life, Monday Motivation, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos by on Sep 1st, 2011. 3 Comments.
Found myself a killa little playground, still in need of finding pull up bars and dip bars that are up HIGH.
We filmed a TON of footage at this playground for the new book, it is gonna be a SIC book, I can’t wait for this bad boy to be unleashed!
Now, although I’ve been cranking LOTS of bodyweight workouts at the playground lately, you might be asking how I train the lower body…. GREAT question, as I wonder the same when I see the BEASTS on the playgrounds, it’s ALL Upper Body work and NO lower body training.
Remember: If you wanna be as strong as a house, you gotta build the foundation (your legs!).
I mountain bike 2 x week now, yesterday I took a solo trek on the mountain bike for about 2 hours in the brutal heat and it felt GREAT. The bike riding is brutal on the legs and great for conditioning.
I also do the bodyweight exercises in the FREE E Book you get when you sign up for My Top 5 Bodyweight Exercises (Top Right, just enter your best e mail).
And.. I have been hitting some light deadlifts 2 x week to keep the legs and back strong. Nothing crazy on the deads, but enough to feel em’.
This week I’ll be busting out my Power Jumper as well for squat jumps, box jumps and broad jumps.
QOD (Question of the Day): Have you put together a kick ass bodyweight workout, full body? If so, drop a comment with your bodyweight workout challenge, let’s see who has the most kick ass bodyweight workout that they have TRULY used (basically, do NOT make shit up and post it as truth, I only want the REAL TRUTH).
Peace
–Z–
PS: Did you pick up my favorite bodyweight training book? If not, click HERE & get it.
PPS: When you attend my USC Cert you will go through my entire progression, regression system of bodyweight training so you can train athletes anywhere, anytime. No need to own a gym to get your training business going, click HERE to take the biggest step towards changing your life.
Filed under Articles, Strength Building, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Jul 25th, 2011. 16 Comments.
Do what you feel & feel what you do.
I was definitely feelin’ the urge to move heavy objects on this day. Kettlebells have been feeling GREAT and have helped my shoulder feel 100 X better!
Almost every workout has some form of windmills or bent pressing involved, whether it be the warm up OR the workout, I work those Kettlebells!
My focus on Bodyweight Strength is on a whole new level lately, I’m pushing hard to get the muscle ups down, on the bar AND rings. Back when I had college gymnastics I was banging bar muscle ups with ease, that was when I was 210 lbs or so but nowhere near as powerful as I am today, so I need to rework that technique and learn MORE.
I have also been studying lots of the Bodyweight Masters on video, like the crew below, and it’s NOT just about WHAT they do, it’s how they organize their training, i.e. program design.
Can BIG guys move? BIG guys can’t have excuses for being unable to move their body…..
If you’re not attacking the Bodyweight Training, get started HERE and eliminate the excuses.
Question for YOU: Are you a Bodyweight BEAST? If so, drop a comment with your Top 3 Bodyweight Training Tips! Looking forward!
Peace
–Z–
PS: A large portion of my USC Cert will be focused on Bodyweight training. Bodyweight training is your foundation and offers NO limits. In addition, you don’t need a gym to apply and use the power of bodyweight training to grow your body AND your business.
Sign Up HERE for a life changing weekend! BOOM!
Here is some footage from one of my favorite USC Certs, check em’. Oh…. lemme know if you can spot “The Bartenda” in this video…..
Sign Up HERE for a life changing weekend! BOOM!
Filed under Announcements, Articles, Calendar, Kick Ass Business, Strength Building, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts, muscle building by on Jun 25th, 2011. 5 Comments.
Not EVERY post on this Blog will be about lifting. I don’t think lifting is the end all be all, perhaps you’ve heard me use the phrase, ‘Kick Ass in Life AND Lifting’? If not, read the book HERE!
Here’s a bit of my day and how things are rolling for me lately…
I’ve had a slam packed day and normally I do more work, but today was different. Many ask me how I get so much done and still have so much passion and energy on top of such a hectic schedule.
Well, # 1, I focus on my passion, and that is my family, living life to the fullest and moving my body in any way, shape or form.
My alarm was set for 5:30 AM but I woke at 6:30 instead. I went to bed after midnight so I wanted to get 6 hrs of sleep. Most days I am up before 6 AM, especially when the weather is nice out.
I like to get up early, not just because it’s quiet and allows me to get work done, but because I know many others do NOT wake early and I LIKE doing what others won’t do.
I like to be different and ahead of the pack. Being a conformist or part of the pack always made me feel out of place, ironically.
Fired up my only cup of coffee for the day and then I cranked a bit of work on the internets before my wife and kids woke up, then I make breakfast for the family.
Egg omelets, french toast, chocolate chip pancakes… you name it, I make it. Today was pancakes and egg omelets.
Then, it was off to tennis in the AM with my daughter and my son came to watch and run around like a wild boy does Afterwards, my son demanded a trip to the bagel deli, so we went! ha ha
The kid is GROWING, what can I say!
After brunch with Ethan, I did a lil’ work on the internets and then got some new wheels on my skateboard.
I’m doing LOTS of stuff that I used to do as a kid and living by the beach is bringing me back to those good ol’ days of playing all day and night.
I drove 45 minutes north and spent time chatting with my homeboy, Jonny Hinds, inventor of The Power Wheel.
We spoke about a TON of stuff, as we always do:
- bodyweight training (we ALWAYS get fired up talking training)
- life
- business
- skate boarding
- NYC & life in the city of Chicago
- jiu jitsu training now vs BJJ in the past
- the importance of recovery
- Rickson Gracie
- The Bartendaz
….and planned a mini hang out for a few days now that I fly
We always end up chatting about our passions and bodyweight training always brings inspiration, so, check out some of the guys we we were talking about who inspired the heck out of us!!
I got up north and shopped for the final prizes for the http://LiftSTRONG2011.com benefit. From there, it was time for Toys R Us.
Then, I shopped for birthday gifts for Ethan, he turns 3 this Sunday! I am psyched and wanted to get him tons of awesome gifts. The reactions he has when opening presents and tearing off wrapping paper is priceless!!!
I also bought my daughter a gift, I can’t let her watch Ethan unwrap gifts without her getting a gift as well
I finished shopping and flew over to open The Underground and trained athletes from 4 – 6 pm. We tore it up with bodyweight, dumbbells and strongman training.
After 6 pm crew was done training, off I went, food shopping for Lift STRONG.
I bought 8 hamburgers and 50 hot dogs amongst other things. These Dudes better be
HUNGRY! I dropped the food off at my parents pad since they still live up north near my gym.
I had a nice home cooked meal from my Mom, chicken and brown rice, then drove home to crank some final work. I coulda called it a day but shit needs to get done and most peeps would quit, I ain’t most peeps.
I went through a lot of blog comments and answered them and was really humbled by all the kind words people are saying on the blog.
Is every day this hectic?
Heck NO.
My days are usually very carefully planned, by the hour, broken down. Organized and committed to getting things done! Today was a wild day and I also need them here and again to get away from work, work, work.
After 2 days of heavy lifting, this was a rest day. A well deserved rest day! Train hard = Rest Hard!
I got time to spend with my kids and that really matters most to me. Time to hit the bed and get ready for a strong day tomorrow.
Question for YOU: What else do you want to see from me on my blog? Do you want me creating a specific product, training or non training? Please describe in the comments section, thanks!
Peace
–Z–
PS: By the way, I just opened my USC Cert up, back in NJ again
Not all attendees are coaches, many attend for personal growth.
Many are looking for a weekend to challenge them both emotionally and physically.
They want to experience a life changing weekend that they will NEVER forget, a weekend that will solidify them as an Underground Strength Coach.
I am psyched for this cert, especially after traveling away from home, I KNOW the energy is always at it’s best when I’m home, at Underground HQ, kicking ass and taking names with YOU.
Sign up and be ready for a life changing experience:
==> http://UndergroundStrengthCoachCertification.com
Filed under Articles, Calendar, Kick Ass Life, Q & A, Success, Underground Strength Show, Videos, Zach's Workouts by on Jun 23rd, 2011. 13 Comments.
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