Charles Atlas has the story of the 97 lb. weakling, well, I've got one about an 88 lb. weakling. His name is Charlie Frankel. How I met Charlie is quite the story.... It was in the attic of a Church, where a hard core wrestling club was once housed. I brought a few 50 lb. sandbags and Charlie could barely carry our smallest sandbag without wrestling it and stumbling all over the place. At the time, Charlie was in 10th grade and wrestling in the 103 lb. weight class, except he had a serious … [Read more...]
Archives for April 2008
My trip down memory lane
I headed down to the local elementary school to vote for the town budget and wow did I have some flashbacks. This was my old elementary school. I remembered the gymnasium as being HUGE, but when I stepped inside today it seemed so small. The ceilings were low and I felt closed in. I voted and yes, I voted for the budget. These kids need more physical education equipment and better facilities. They need less crowded rooms and more freedom to move and learn. I remember running in that gym, … [Read more...]
Mark your calendar
Mark your calendar for Saturday, July 12th. Yes, I know it's a bit away, but, I'll be hosting a seminar here at The Underground Strength Gymnasium with a friend and long time mentor.....I won't reveal the name just yet. The seminar will be limited to 20 participants, and man is this gonna be one HOT seminar. The cool thing is that the two of us have different takes on how we train our clients and ourselves, but, we are both very influenced by one critical thing: RESULTS. That's all for … [Read more...]
Seein’ is believin’
I have been adding a boat load of videos to The Underground. I'm getting crazeeeeeee with these videos, let me tell ya, I can't even keep count of how many I have been adding lately :) It's finally a way for you to see how we do things at The Underground - raw and uncut. Our latest video is a circuit that we put many of our combat athletes through, but, it's perfect for anyone who wants to develop some sick work capacity. You'll see David Ellis going through the paces as he preps for … [Read more...]
Can they handle it?
I'm not sure if the newsstands can handle all the weight with 2 of my power packed, heavy hitting articles on them! ha ha ok, ok, that was likely to be the worsed joke ever, but, if you're at Barnes and Noble definitely check out my latest 2 articles in the following magazines: TapOuT and Fighters Only I can't tell you exactly what's in the two of them, but, without a doubt is more of my hard hitting information. Check em' out and let me know what you think. Time to eat some lunch! In … [Read more...]
the trail blazer
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 … [Read more...]
Modern Day Milo
If you've been visiting my Blog for a few weeks you may recall my old post about our young Football Player / Wrestler who carries a 100 lb sand bag on his back after every workout at The Underground Strength Gym. Well, as simple as it is, he is getting to be one strong mofo! His box squats are getting better and bigger.... His tire flips are looking meaner and more explosive..... His traps are starting to stretch through his t shirts.... His competition is paying the … [Read more...]
Inside the Gladiator training program
Every Friday our 'Gladiator Crew' shows up to battle it out with some intense training. A powerful mixture of powerlifting, strongman, old school bodybuilding and calisthenics are incorporated. They never know what might come next. Will it be a powerlifting focused workout, possibly tons of old school bodybuilding, or maybe an entire day of body mastery where we use nothnig but their own bodyweight? … [Read more...]
Stay away from egos and assholes, Part II
First off, thanks to all who responded to my "personal blog post" late last night. The responses have been very motivating to me. As you can see, I am very emotionally driven when it comes to training and life in general. If you personally know me, you cna attest to this :) I also know that not everyone will be on the same page as I am, and I don't expect them to. It does remind me of some very funny instances though, where I was told by a friend and colleague of mine how a big name strength … [Read more...]
My most personal blog ever
Wow, the past few weeks have been quite the whirl wind. I was feeling run down for a good 2 or 3 weeks, but somehow fighting things off. Probably adrenaline. I am pretty wired and can tough things out as needed. Slowly, slowly my strength and energy levels dropped until I finally hit a wall. I took 2 days off from all my work and didn't train for a good 8 or 9 days. I have NEVER taken this much time off since age 22 right after I graduated college when I took a good 3 or 4 weeks off from … [Read more...]