I was in my early teens and training at my first "Hardcore Gym". This gym was 7,500 sq ft. NO AC, just a bunch of stand up industrial fans. ALL the plates were deep dish Ivanko plates and there was rumbling throughout the entire gym, blended with some old rock cassette tapes that blasted through the gym. Usually AC/DC or Metallica, sometimes Def Leppard. The back 1/3 of the gym was lined up with leg equipment. Plenty of squat racks, 2 leg presses, 2 hack squats, 2 leg extensions, 2 leg … [Read more...]
9 Training Tips for Re-Building Athletes Post COVID
Photo Cred HuskerMax.com In mid June in NJ the Governor granted permission for "gyms" to train outdoors. I always say, The Underground Strength Gym is a Private club, but the government and governor don't really understand this. When mid June came around, I knew that I would have to start at 50 or 60%. The plan was to add 10% of work / intensity each week so that by the 4th week, we would be almost at "normal". Which nowadays, I really do not enjoy that word, "normal". With 3 months of … [Read more...]
Kettlebell Workouts Anywhere, Anytime
It was the Winter of 2002, maybe 2003..... I remember it was a freezing cold night. I had connected with a Kettlebell instructor to finally purchase my first 2 pairs of Kettlebells. Back then, we would all chat on a Kettlebell forum, sharing training tips and more. I connected with a Coach from NJ and he was getting a 10% discount on the Kettlebells. Back then, they were pricey to say the least. I ordered a pair of 53s and a pair of 70s. Before that, I purchased a DVD and studied how … [Read more...]
How to Build BEAST Athletes Who Dominate, From Youth to D1 to Olympians
When the beginning of COVID locked us all down, I was helping friends near and far with interviews, workouts and support for their gyms. My buddy Jim Kelly reached out to me. Jim is in Iowa operating Citadel BJJ and Eastern Iowa Wrestling Club but we've known one another since the early 2000s when I was starting to put out content and Jim was competing heavily in BJJ / Grappling. This Video was an Awesome QnA loaded with training questions and mindset to help Jim's students. It's great for … [Read more...]
STRONG Life Ep. 242 QnA: In Season Workouts, Ultimate Warrior Lessons & Mental Toughness Training
STRONG Life Podcast ep. 242. Here we GO! In this QnA episode we dive into a variety of topics and they ALL will get you fired up to move forward in Life AND Lifting. … [Read more...]
7 Tips on Developing Superior Physical Conditioning + 19 Sample Underground Strength Workouts
I wrote about “Strong & Useless” in my Encyclopedia of Underground Strength & Conditioning. It’s when an athlete can move big weights on the barbell but can’t do basic bodyweight exercises such as lunges, pull ups, pushups, sprints, and jumps. I always say, Strong is Strong. This is why I don’t chase the 1 RM testing you see so often in high school weight rooms. The first athlete who demonstrated Strong & Useless to me held all the weight room records for his high school … [Read more...]
Strength Coach Business QnA: List Your Prices? Garage Gym Start Up & COVID Business Tips
I love helping my fellow Strength Coaches grow their business. Why? Because when you have greater business knowledge, you can impact and change more lives of athletes. With all the confusion out there for Coaches, it's important to keep it simple and be yourself. Your goal is to change lives through strength & fitness, I get that. I've been on this path full time since 2002. I began coaching adults and athletes in 1995. As an independent / private gym owner, the truth is, you MUST … [Read more...]
Can Deadlifts Cure Your Back Pain?
My back was going into spasms on the craziest things: doing dishes, warm ups with DB side raises, bent over row with a light barbell. It felt like a shot of lightning was hitting me in the back. I spoke to some "experts" and they all insisted I was having disc issues. I got tired of hearing how the world was going to end with my "bad back" and decided to go back to something I did in 1996 after my first knee surgery. What is that very thing? Listening to my OWN body & figuring it out on … [Read more...]
241 | Fergus Connolly: We’re Coaching PEOPLE, Not Athletes
STRONG Life Podcast ep. 241 with Performance Coach & Consultant, Fergus Connolly. This was a GREAT conversation that lasted over 2 hours and if neither of us had to go, we would have kept on going! Fergus has worked at the D1 Level, in professional sports from the NFL to the best of the best in Military, Soccer & Rugby. His books have influenced thousands upon thousands around the world as has his Tedx talk which is featured below. Fergus and I got into the deeper, inner … [Read more...]
Why You MUST Build Muscle In Your 40s + 5 Tips for More Muscle, Strength & Joint Health in Your 40s
"Before my father died, he said the worst thing about growing old was that other men stopped seeing you as dangerous. I've always remembered that, how being dangerous was sacred, a badge of honor." That line from the movie Act of Valor always struck a chord with me. And I've had an older friend say similar to me. How when you're 175 lbs nobody moves out of your way. He doesn't mean that in an arrogant way or in a insecure way. I understand what he meant. He meant that other men don't see … [Read more...]
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