I am always learning. I find podcasts or articles, even old books from decades ago to see how the "What's old is new" philosophy can help me become a better coach & lifter. Recently, I have been listening to an interview with Dave Tate & JM Blakley. I will share the video below as it's over 3 hours long. I listen to the interview while driving. And the 1 part that hit home for me was when JM said that we are not all that different. We like to THINK we're so different and that we all … [Read more...]
STRONG Life BONUS | Zach Gets Interviewed on The Hard Life Podcast
I had a GREAT time being interviewed on Doug Hershberger's Podcast, The Hard Life! We're in a world where the majority are busy making excuses, whining, complaining and blaming. People of ALL ages get offended by hard work. In fact, when you coach them through a tough workout, they perceive this as He doesn't like me. Or...... Don't you DARE tell an athlete that he cheated on the training. He will say, Everyone else did it. I have ZERO interest in being like "everyone … [Read more...]
How to Prepare Yourself for The Police Academy
Recently I was at a commercial gym and about to head out after my training session until 1 of the guys introduced himself to me and asked me if I was a cop. He had seen me training as I went back and forth in superset style fashion. He thought I was in training for something but that fast paced training is common for me. It's funny because I used to get that question quite often back when I buzzed my head, people thought I was in the Military or Law Enforcement. Anyway, we got chatting when … [Read more...]
STRONG Life Insider: The Development of Muscular Bulk & Power
From Anthony Ditillo's Book, The Development of Muscular Bulk and Power There is something about bulk and power training that invades your very soul. It is extremely hard to put into words. The exercise movements themselves are quite simple to perform. The routines one must utilize in order to gain rapidly that much sought after strength are not especially interesting or dynamic in appearance. All in all, powerlifting and bulk training is a rather mechanical robot like procedure, which is … [Read more...]
207 | Pete Bommarito on Training Athletes & The Business of Strength & Conditioning
STRONG Life Podcast ep. 207 with Pete Bommarito! This podcast is PACKED to the gills with awesome info! Pete and I discuss all things strength, speed and athletic performance as well as the business aspect of being a GREAT Strength Coach. This will get you fired up whether you're a Coach or not because remember: SUCCESS LEAVES CLUES! Here's just some of what we cover in this episode of The STRONG Life: … [Read more...]
Strength Coach Tips: Training Youth Athletes VS High School Athletes
I must admit, it breaks my heart when I see a “strength coach“ having a 12-year-old kid maxing out on the deadlift or maxing out on the back squat. I'm seeing kids who weigh under 100 lbs performing round back deadlifts, crashing onto a bench for a "box squat", benching while hip thrusting the heavens. This kind of dangerous training gives us ALL a bad name. Parents do NOT know the difference between the Coach who is training a young kid in the same manner of an adult powerlifter. In … [Read more...]
DESTROYING Your Sensitive Mindset & Choosing STRENGTH in Mind AND Body
There's lots of sensitivity floating around nowadays. Everyone gets offended by your words, not just from people but from words on the internet, from people they don't know and will likely never meet in person. People argue over politics, training programs, taxes, etc - then they waste hours on end posting their thoughts and feelings on websites or comment sections that will never create change in this world. The truth is, your Instagram or YouTube comment is NOT going to create … [Read more...]
Should You NOT Squat, Bench & Deadlift?
I was chatting with a friend over the weekend over dinner and I train his son for the past 2 years. He told me how another Dad was worried about training at The Underground Strength Gym because his son was 14 and he was afraid he would squat, deadlift, bench, etc. First off - These 3 exercises are NOT bad. Context matters here. Let me explain why...... … [Read more...]
5 Thoughts (Tips) on Program Design for Athletes
I love studying and talking program design. But even more so, I LOVE Coaching. You see, LOTS of books, articles, "influencers" can TALK about program design but can you COACH? Can you COMMAND the room? I want to share these 5 thoughts (maybe you will see them as tips, maybe not) regarding Strength & Conditioning. If you're hungry to learn, this is for you. If you're "good enough" or "too busy", get back to searching for fads and gimmicks. Move along, nothing to see here, … [Read more...]
5 X 5 Training + Bodyweight Bodybuilding Tips
Yesterday on my IG I shared the above cover and tips on how to use 5 X 5 along with Bodyweight Bodybuilding. Then yesterday afternoon I came across the news that Franco had passed away. It was heartbreaking for me. It hit home for me as Franco and Arnold were heroes to me as a kid. Seeing your hero passing away is crushing. You begin to realize that YOUR time on this earth is also limited. As a kid, I devoured Arnold's Encyclopedia and his Education of a Bodybuilder. Doing so made me … [Read more...]
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