It was a Sunday evening and I was exhausted. I spent the weekend catching up on some much need R&R and luckily, the crappy weather allowed me to do so. It had been raining non stop since Friday afternoon. After some shopping and family time, I planned on sitting down on the couch, something I rarely do, kicking up my legs and resting. But, my daughter wanted to go to the gym. Deep down I wanted to encourage her to rest, but my wife encouraged me to go with her. I knew the toughest part of … [Read more...]
Underground Strength from 1947 + the TOUGH Training of Mas Oyama
In the early 2000s when I began Underground Strength, it was truly "Underground". At the time, the "in thing" was training on one leg, on a bosu ball or physio ball. You had to use a medicine ball, rotating, half kneeling and doing what many today consider "circus tricks". That was when "functional training" became the buzz word along with the infamous "core training". Many of the "popular" Coaches laughed at me and made jokes. During an interview one day I remember saying, "I would put my … [Read more...]
Training Around Injuries + My Full Meniscus Repair
I've been around athletes for 25+ years now. Even dating back to my knee injuries in high school, I learned that it is always better to work around an injury rather than sit home on the couch and sulk. The year was 1993 and I was a senior in high school. During practice my R knee swelled up to the size of a softball. I limped to the team locker room and took off my knee pad. My Coach came in a few minutes after to check on me and caught me crying. I wasn't crying from pain. I was crying … [Read more...]
4 Kettlebell Garage Gym Workouts
I began using Kettlebells back in 2003. Those were some GOOD times. I didn't own a warehouse gym at the time so my training was in my garage or my buddy and I would train at parks and playgrounds with a few Kettlebells, a sandbag and a sled. I sometimes, I just want to go back to those simple times. And so I go to my garage or a playground where nobody is there. Solitude is great. The other day I had that feeling coming back again. I went outside to shovel first and get the body working. I … [Read more...]
Best Muscle Building Tips with Short Workouts
I recently had a "moment", at least I did in my own mind...... I was feeling a bit run down a few weeks ago and 1 of my training sessions was simply nothing to write home to Mom about. And so I simply thought about these time crunched training (sorry, I hate using that word "workout") sessions I've been having with my athletes at the high school that are limited to 30 minutes. One of the athletes at the end was sweating and had gotten worked quite intensely. He said to myself and the crew, … [Read more...]
Random Thoughts November 2020
Sometimes I write for no other reason than to write for myself. That's right, just for me. It's a great way to cleanse the mind and get something out of your head and onto paper or in this case, on the computer. I don't care that "blogging isn't cool anymore" or whatever other bull shyt people like to spout. The photo above is because I often talk about a "cabin in the woods". Yes, that will happen. I look forward to that day..... OK, here goes, for the rare few who actually read and … [Read more...]
Strength & Conditioning Thoughts: “Perfect” Training vs DOING THE WORK
Above: The Dumbbells at Diamond Gym. To get to the heaviest weights, you must do all the work to get them from the bottom! In sports, you can be a Coach or even a fan watching practice or competition and there will be stand out athletes. If you don't know that athlete, then you have NO clue how that athlete achieved his or her skill. he may have worked his ass off for it or, he might be gifted and lazy. But in the weight room, ahhhhhh, that's a different story. You can stand against the wall … [Read more...]
Training In Your 40s, Bulgarian Power Burst, Bench Press + Deadlift Tips
With my hectic schedule I am going through some short training sessions, around 15-20 minutes a clip. Sometimes I get 2 mini sessions a day and instead of complaining, I simply get it done. Announcing how tired or busy I am is a waste of time. Nobody cares, including myself. I despise even my own excuses. While at school where I coach, I might go through 3-4 exercises as a circuit of 3 - 4 rounds. I've used bodyweight, kettlebells, fat bells and some basic machines (perhaps a lat pulldown or … [Read more...]
Building Stronger, Tougher & Faster Athletes: Eventually, Athletes Need a Heavy Bar on their Back
Times have been changing for quite some time..... Strength training with the basics is just not "cool" anymore. "Experts" hate on squats and now we have high school kids who can barely squat bodyweight. And this COVID shutdown of gyms didn't help. When gyms were open, at least the kids were in there training. Now, parents are afraid to send kids to a gym and we have everyone locked down in a "safety bubble" You see, many athletes took it upon themselves to do NOTHING during the COVID … [Read more...]
9 Short on Time Workouts for When You’re Busy & Tired
If you're an entrepreneur or business owner, you have likely gone through some hectic times where you said to yourself, "I just don't have the time to train....." Maybe you were a first time parent, you said the same thing. Not a minute to breathe you thought to yourself.... Well, there IS always time. It's not gonna be easy. You're gonna wanna go home, eat and just sit down and get a minute to relax. But, let me tell you, that is NOT your best option. You NEED to move your body. You … [Read more...]
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