I was 12 years old, maybe 13 when I first came across the training of Mike Mentzer aka Mr. Heavy Duty. I remember thinking to myself, Holy s--t, this guy looks like he's been carved from stone! Mike had a different physique than the others and the photos of him in training were INTENSE. He looked like he was destroying the gym along with his training partners Casey Viator and Ray Mentzer (his brother). With The Iron Roots Podcast, it's important for me to bring back and share many of … [Read more...]
Iron Roots Ep. 10 – Wrestling Physical Conditioning Encyclopedia by John Jesse
This book was gifted to me in the early 2000s by Josh Henkin, creator of The Ultimate Sandbag. I will never forget how grateful I was and still am that Josh shared this book with me! This book was written in 1974, before I was even born! Coach John Jesse was WELL ahead of his time, in fact, this was a time period in athletics where many Coaches were warning against weightlifting because You'll become muscle bound or Your muscles will turn to fat if you stop training. If you're ready to … [Read more...]
Iron Roots Ep. 9 | George Hackenschmidt aka The Russian Lion
MANY years ago I got my hands on a book titled The Way to Live. I loved the book. It was so simple yet so powerful. I was training athletes from my garage back then and I was already tired of the poser, fake BS in the "fitness industry". I read this book about George Hackenschmidt aka The Russian Lion and damn, he was an animal. He was using basic dumbbell and barbell lifts, his nutrition and sleep / lifestyle habits were also basic. But his results were world class. … [Read more...]
Iron Roots Ep. 8 – Göerner the Mighty
Iron Roots Podcast ep. 8. In this episode, I talk about a BEAST of a man, Hermann Goerner. The Mighty Goerner was known for his tremendous feats of strength such as wrestling an elephant and Deadlifting almost 800 lbs with a hook grip. Take a step back in time and learn from 1 of the most impressive circus strongmen to ever walk the earth! … [Read more...]
Iron Roots Podcast Ep. 7 | The History Behind The Box Squat
In this episode of The Iron Roots Podcast, I get into the History behind the box squat. I also share how we use the box squat at The Underground Strength Gym along with proper application of the box squat. I see a LOT of mistakes with the use of the box squat, including when I see footage from D1 University weight rooms. That is NO good. My first exposure to the box squat was from watching Louie Simmons' Westside Barbell VHS tapes. Louie learned how to Box Squat from these original … [Read more...]
Iron Roots Ep. 6 | Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding
Here we go! Iron Roots Podcast ep. 6. This episode is about 1 of my favorite AND most recommended books, Arnold's Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. It was the mid 80s and I wasn't even a teenager yet, I was 11 years old or so and it was the Summer time in Israel. I was with my older brother and we walked to the local book store in town because my brother was getting into the whole training thing. He knew that the better athletes were strong and big so if he wanted success he was gonna … [Read more...]
Iron Roots Podcast Ep. 5 | Strength & Health Magazine
Here we GO! Iron Roots Podcast Episode 5. This is THE magazine that I WISH I had when I began training. For me, it was Muscle & Fitness ad FLEX Magazine. These magazines were all about training for asthetics and appearance. It was very rarely about heavy lifting and performance. I still remember telling my friends, It doesn't matter how heavy you lift, you gotta squeeeeeze the muscle and feeeeeeel the muscle. Hence, why I struggled with my sports performance. Check out the … [Read more...]
Iron Roots Podcast Ep. 4 | The Touch System
Iron Roots Podcast Ep. 4. In this episode, I talk about a technique used for spotting that is more psychological than it is physical. In fact, I was using this myself in my late teens when I began pushing heavier poundages in the Squat & Bench Press. Little did I know, this was being used in the mid 60s, originally by the ORIGINAL Westside Barbell crew in Bill Peanuts West's garage gym! Check it out! … [Read more...]
Iron Roots Podcast Ep. 3 | Training for Life | Dr. Ken
Here we go! Iron Roots Podcast, Episode 3. In this episode of Iron Roots, I talk about someone I NEVER met, yet he was a mentor to me from all of his writings & videos I had come across through the years. I am talking about none other than Dr. Ken Leistner. Dig in and enjoy the show! … [Read more...]
Iron Roots Podcast Ep. 1 | 5 X 5 Strength Training + The Power of Push Ups
Here's your Underground Strength Challenge for this month along with Iron Roots Podcast episode 1 where I dive into the History behind the 5 x 5 strength training program! It's ALL about the basics in this one, post your comments, weights used, etc in the comments section. I also added The Iron Roots Podcast episode on where The 5 x 5 Strength Training system originated with Reg Park as well as the way Bill Starr implemented 5 x 5 in his book, The Strongest Shall Survive! … [Read more...]