When Life Gets Uncomfortable, Will You Rise Above...
Or, Lay Down & Surrender?
Above, 12 + hours in to our SEALFit Challenge, we NEVER Gave Less Than Our Best
NO Quitting... EVER!!
This blog post is gonna PISS off a LOT of people, mainly the quitters. It's a straight up RANT!
I am prefacing this post stating that if you move forward from here on, you MUST read every single word and watch ALL the videos. Don't be a chicken shit skimmer who half asses your way through this post.
If you question why I am so aggressive and WHY I push people so hard it is because this is what I do.... I PUSH people to be their f**ing BEST, and I expect NOTHING less of you, regardless of you being a member of Team Underground or someone who reads my blog. I PUSH people to achieve their BEST and Beyond. Period.
If you can't handle my intensity then that is your cue to check out, go to another web site. I will NOT change and conform to the norms to fit in with all other Coaches in this world, on the internet, etc.
This is a TOUGH time in NJ right now. Hurricane Sandy f**ed us up. Period. The stress is high and gas stations have lines up to 2 miles long, lasting over 3 hours, REGARDLESS of the time, even at midnight, the lines for gas are LONG.
I have a PROBLEM with independent gas station owners price gauging and jacking up the prices. What happened to taking care of one another? Reminds me of my neighbor at The Underground Strength Gym. I THOUGHT neighbors are supposed to take care of one another?
I've been told a MILLION times, "You're Too Nice."
Well, right now is NOT one of those times!
My neighbor at the gym treats us like shit. He parks his car to block us from dragging sleds yet there are 20 empty parking spaces and his business is hanging by a thread, there are barely ever ANY cars at his garage. He complains to the landlord about Team Underground yet NEVER has the balls to speak like a man and say what he has to say to my face. That is PURE mother f**ing WEAKNESS. Being weak is pathetic.... I have NO tolerance for it.
"Being Strong or Weak Is A Personal Choice"
Right now, it's QUITTING TIME for many. At The Underground Strength Gym we train a lot of wrestlers but we also have Football players, swimmers, LAX players, Baseball players, Soccer players as well as adults.
Many will become "too busy" to train for less than an hour once a week as soon as their sports season begins. I GUARANTEE we can tally up the time they spend on a computer or text messaging to go OVER 1 hour a day, forget about 1 hr a week.
Priorities people.... PRIORITIES.
Is Winning In LIFE A Priority Anymore?
As much as I made countless mistakes as a high school wrestler in the early 90s, I ran every other day a solid 3 - 4 miles. It might have been 5 miles on some nights, I'll need to take a drive and track the distance. I went out in the freezing cold weather from December through March in my layered clothes and Sony Cassette Tape Walkman (YES, it was THAT long ago!!!) and I f**ing RAN!!!
After running, I would jump rope in my garage.... yes, literally, it was a ROPE! I had to tie a few washers in the middle of the rope to make it turn with speed and make sure I didn't take out my eye or clip my head in the jump rope process.
My garage was colder than the outside, which always confused the hell outta me how it could be so cold, regardless, I JUMPED that f**ing rope after every run!
I never missed homework during the season. NEVER. Not sure why everyone else is so busy nowadays, I assume it's them sitting on a phone confusing activity with accomplishment. But hey, those who want to be successful find the time to do the little things that amount to BIG successes. This holds true for ALL sports, business owners and life in general.
ALL week I've been moving my heavy ass generator around, in and out of the garage, lifting our double garage door manually as NO power is available. Every time I lift it, carry it, I am reminded of WHY it is so critical to have strength in mind AND body to withstand "training" like this in imperfect circumstances that we call "LIFE".
Leaving a 300 lb barbell in my garage for months as I deadlifted a few reps, a few times a day trained my body to be Strong and Ready, without any warm up. Some call this GTG / Grease the Groove, I call it Training for Life.
NOT once has the lifting of generators or waking up several times in the middle of the cold night bothered me physically or emotionally. I wake up 3 times a night to fill the Generator with gas or move it from front of the house, to the side of the house, then into the garage as thieves and looters are stealing generators. I DO this work WILLINGLY. I take PRIDE in being STRONG. Not just physical strength, but mental strength.
YOU too should take pride in being strong.
This week, during the tough times post Hurricane Sandy, we opened the Underground Strength Gym on Wednesday and Thursday. We e mailed our newsletter subscribers, and, we have been telling parents / athletes to subscribe through ALL our media channels: physical newsletter, blog, facebook, twitter, flyers at the gym, etc.
Yet STILL, MANY were calling if we're open. They did NOT take action with something we have given directions to do countless times through countless forms of media. Attention to detail is critical to succeed in life.
When we trained this week, I took a line from Muhammad Ali, NOT to count reps until they started to HURT. I must have squatted 20 sets on Wednesday.
There are MANY people in my hometown who LOST their homes! EVERYTHING... gone! We will rebuild!!
But here, I see athletes who quit.... they lay down when times get tough. They get busy beyond a normal schedule and they break down and go into excuse mode.
If you're a parent, you should NOT allow this. I remember a business coach telling me I should NOT take so much pride in working hard because the "way of the universe" will make life tougher for me, as if I should pray to be some chicken shit who only hopes for EASY times. NO.
I cherish hard work and I see that hard work and a STRONG Mind coupled with a STRONG body creates good for yourself and for others.
I am making BIG changes to The Underground Strength Gym starting NOW.
The workouts are gonna get harder, the requirements more stringent and tougher. If you quit, you're DONE. It's called SELF motivation. I am NOT running a gym to motivate others. Hell NO, YOU bring the motivation yourself.
For those who think that squatting, curling and deadlifting at your school, your home or some other gym is the same, you.... are.... WRONG. ANY idiot can do the exercises, yet 99.9% STILL do them wrong. On top of that, NO science is applied.
Training requires science..... at The Underground, we blend it with some HELL, as too many people are just straight up WEAK in mind, body and spirit. This is a stressful time for NJ people, and, many have decided it's QUITTING time.... Time to use this Hurricane and power outage as a vacation from life, training and getting after it. That is inexcusable.
Below, excerpt from The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength
I can hear the excuses now.... "I don't have power, there are no lights in my house, I can't train."
WRONG, you simply do NOT want to WIN.... in sports, life or anywhere else. I can NOT teach this Go-Getter attitude. You need to dig for it, deep within and I HOPE there is a "Fire in the Gut". If you're an adult, FIND it yourself. If you're a parent, your expectations and actions will reflect on your children.
Get out and train ALL bodyweight. Lift stones. Sprint the hills or on the sidewalk. Push your truck. There is always a way, it is a choice of excuses vs results. It ALL comes down to doing the work or not.
I am a parent, I know this feeling all too well because I am a Coach and a Parent; I look at both sides of the coin and the expectations I will have of my kids.
I am going through the effects of the hurricane myself as well. I have learned to stay calm under stress and to rise above the obstacles, refusing to cave in. If my arm was cut off I would STILL go to the gym. I see the excuses every time someone gets a little booboo, aka "injury". You broke your arm? Show up! You have 2 legs and another arm we can work with.
People of the world, we MUST rise UP and get stronger. Athletes of The Underground..... Parents of The Underground.... if this is too hard, requires too much of a commitment 1 hour a week, then by all means, this is NOT the gym for you.... NOT the web site for you.
SEAL Team 6 Operator Impressed With Underground Strength Gym Athletes....
I am VERY honored...... VERY HONORED.... as we received a phone call and e mails from The Navy SEAL who authored the book NO Easy Day, who was part of SEAL Team Six that took out Osama Bin Laden. He has told me how impressed he is with the hard working, highly motivated athletes of The Underground Strength Gym.
It tells me we ARE doing the right thing, pushing everyone to be better, stronger, more intense and raising our standards HIGHER than everyone else.
Some might see me as being an asshole with my hard hitting words, but, maybe you need to see this as a Coach who TRULY Cares, this is my way of showing Tough Love, and I expect the same from my own kids. Team Underground IS my family. I LOVE everyone at The Underground, BUT, I am NO longer convincing athletes or parents to do the right thing with us.
It is now like BUD/s, if you want to quit then go ahead and RING THE Bell.
The Underground Strength Academy is about making people STRONG for life. The training is organized in a way to develop dominant athleticism as well as strength for Life. The two go hand in hand. You're either IN, or you're IN the way. Period. End of story. Excuses don't fly around here.
When I was a teacher, I remember ALL the excuses parents made for the kids who misbehaved, who were lazy, who didn't even try..... the teacher was the enemy, administration laid down and let excuse makers walk all over them.
Well, this ain't school. This is the REAL world. Around these here neck of the woods, if you don't get after it, kick ass and take names, then you ain't gonna cut it, Charlie.
It MIGHT be quitting time for you, but, it will NEVER be quitting time for me. EVER! HOOYAH!
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Check out our LIST of Underground Strength Courses, HERE, ALL of them blending science and success. Why? Because Strength is MUCH more than a big deadlift, it's an attitude that NEVER SAYS QUIT!
Click HERE to Learn From Navy SEALs, The Underground Strength Method & One Of The Strongest Men Of His Era.
Click HERE For Russian Lion Power
19 Responses
Great stuff Zach! I never appreciated what I learned in wrestling until just recently. When I look back I see times that reflected my lessons learned, but at the time I didn’t appreciate them. Self consumed in what was going on, but now I see that the wrestler kicked in and instead of relaxing while staring at the lights I bridged with everything I had and threw off that burden, that obstacle. I truly believe that those that want to get wiser will with age. Those that want to maintain will, and never progress past their comfort will stay.
Everyone of us have that “F!!K it!” moment when we feel our lungs burning for air. We want to let go of our dream so we can swim up for air. We want to quit. Even the hardcore! Admit it or not Mr.Comfort sets in. Excuses run through your mind. You feel yourself shrinking in size. Then the strong will look up and scream, “F!!K You!” and pick up the pieces and start over. Always moving forward.
Those that stop/quit I pray that some day you will find that strength again. It is beautiful! To look out at a crowd of people and know in your heart that you are strong, driven and determined. That no one there can match your passion or intensity. You may not win every contest, but you never quit!
That is the biggest lesson I learned of myself in the past few months. I was not a stud wrestler. Average at best, but I didn’t quit. I pushed until the final whistle. Sometimes at the top, and others at the bottom, but I did not quit.
As I work on my starting my business every possible obstacle is being thrown my way, but I do not quit. I could easily give in and say hello to the global gyms as a trainer. Make a living, but just getting by doesn’t cut it. I would rather die going for my dream than to drop the stone so I could get a breath.
Today I will put myself through a mental toughness workout of my design. I will channel all my energy to you, your family and friends. I will not quit on you. As you have not quit on me! I will push myself to the point of failure. For myself and my family.
Those that quit will always quit. You can only hope that someday they will come to understand the error in their ways.
Dustin, you’re the MAN! Psyched to see you end of the month for The Cert! Thanks for the good wishes, homie!!!
Jersey Mental Toughness:
1a-600# Tire Flip(40ft)
1b-600# Tire Farmer Carry (40ft)
1c-100# Tree log clean press (5 reps)
1d-Bag Relay 100/150# (80ft each)
1e-Snatch/overhead carry 100# (150ft)
10 sets
3 mile hill fast walk.
*Training done in T-shirt/shorts. To feel the cold. Feel the pain!
At the end I was sweating real good. Jumped into the truck and drove to the hill. I cooled down and the sweat started to dry. I jumped back out into the 40 degree day with my T-shirt/shorts. I started to walk. Sure I could dig deep and run(hate running) but walking doesn’t get me sweating. I had to feel the pain of the cold. Start shivering. Breath fogging the glasses.
I could of taking off running to warm up, but that wasn’t the point. I needed the pain of the cold!
Hang tough Jersey!
I am geeked to come on the 30th.
Hell yeah Zach !!!! Excuses get old – real old ! You are spot on ! Hang in there Jersey !
You know what ? I’m gonna keep commenting here because I’m fired up – I went down to New Orleans for work after Katrina. I didn’t get there right away – it had been at least a month or so after the hurricane hit and you are right about excuses…there were babies and excuse makers and then there were the ones who got to work. There were quitters and there were workers – it was unreal to see the stark difference. When the shit hits the fan – like Katrina and now Sandy it really shows who is made of what. You are seeing it now Zach in your hometown. “Normal” times don’t separate the whiners from the workers but a hurricane sure will. You are getting a golden opportunity to see just who is forged out of steel and who is made out of butter !!!
When I have time I will watch “No Reservations” on the Travel channel. He was in New Orleans to eat (that is what the show is about) and he went to a little place that was located in the hardest hit areas. They were open for business the day after the hurricane hit.
Make money!? No they wanted to show that it will take more than a hurricane to shut them down. Plus, they have been a staple of the community for over 50 years. They opened so that they could unite the community, and provide a service that had been their comfort for years-Food.
Stay strong Jersey!
damn, love it!!!
Zach, you have always had “it” and I am glad you are able to explain “it” in a way that is digestible to the rest of the world. This is why I come back to your blog. I spent a great deal of time in Naval Special Warfare and can absolutely confirm that the stuff that was said in those videos isn’t just a bunch of words, WE ARE WINNERS..period. Its pretty cool seeing AJ in that video,brings back memories. I just spent too much time writing this, time to go hit some strongman training. Keep kicking ass and moving forward!
Dennis, thanks, my brutha, for your protection of this country first & foremost & for taking time to read & comment.
AJ wrestled for JFK in iselin, nj, a neighboring town of Edison where my gym is located
Looking forward to connecting my friend!
Training for life, Zach! Training for life….
Magnificent post today, bud. Cast out the excuse-makers, time to separate the boys who lack the balls to Men of Steel.
My heart goes out to you, your family, and to everyone in New Jersey. You all are in our prayers in the time of need. New Jersey will rebuild and come back stronger.
Train hard, own your domain, and never let your guard down.
this is awesome, you’re the man Zach!
Thank YOU, Brutha!
I’ve gotten admit, I quit this post about half way through. But only because I knew where you were going and knew I already agreed with you. Two thumbs up.
Ashley, BIG thnx!!! You missed some GREAT stuff in the second half!
Zack, your words are from the heart as always and that is the reason so many of us follow you. It’s not just for your knowledge, experience and generosity in sharing it with us all. Hang in there brother and make sure your family gets what it needs during this trying time.
Great post Zach, I am really sorry to hear about the devastating effects of the hurricane but your mind of steel and your willingness to persevere and attack life even in these difficult circumstances is beyond inspirational.
Your athletes are lucky to have you and I hope everything goes back to “normal” in New Jersey. Stay strong and thank you again for this awesome post!!!
Zach, as I read your last two blog posts much of what you had to say resonated very deeply with me. It seems that in times of adversity the true nature of people’s character comes out much stronger, whether good or bad. It can be frustrating at best or even downright infuriating to witness individuals preying upon others to try to take advantage of them in their most vulnerable times. Out here in CA, there is an attitude of entitlement that is so pervasive that it is actually used to attack those of us that strive to be self-reliant; believers in free enterprise are often maligned as the bad guys in this whole economic mess.
Here is some #TRUTH – NICE GUYS DO FINISH FIRST!!
It’s called the law of sowing and reaping and I believe that it is a law in the same sense as the law of gravity. You can call it karma or attraction or whatever you want, but it is irrefutable. The bible says it like this (and no I’m not preaching… or maybe I am?) “GOD cannot be fooled (nor can man fool himself), whatever a man sows, THAT is what he will reap.” So in light of that truth, Zach keep doing it the way you are! The code is the code, and it is the honesty and integrity and character that shine brighter than any other fakers and imposters; in fact it acts to shine a bright spotlight on their foolishness and selfishness and fakeness.
As I read your emails leading up to and during the hurricane I had the image in my mind of you standing outside in the midst of the storm’s fury and screaming out “IS THAT ALL YOU GOT SANDY?! IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?!! (Like Muhammed Ali said as Goerge Foreman was pounding him on the ropes, “Is that all you got George?! Is that all you got?! And we all know how that one ended!)
So what else can I say to offer encouragement to a man who is the epitome of self reliance? (It’s like what do you get for the man who has everything…)
Two quotes come to mind:
“O, do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men! Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks! Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle.” Phillips Brooks, 1886
“Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” Abraham Lincoln
Stay strong Zach and live the code! Whenever a thing is damaged or knocked down, when it is rebuilt it is even stronger and more resilient than before!
I am pround to be a part of the Underground Nation!
Great, great post Zach.
Thing is – you got to train to be strong – physically as mentally. When adversity hits it’s definetly too late for that.
Keep it up.
Cheers
a very inspiring post as always zach! sorry to know how the hurricane messed things up, but it’s more than obvious it won’t be enough to take you down! your words took me back to when I just began training and what I was pursuing: strength! the ability to move your body freely, to face unexpected challenges and obstacles, to never quit, etc. even though I live in another country, I study regularly at university between 10 and 12 hours right now, and I need to hurry and get to the gym to workout because it closes at 10 p.m! it’s exhausting when it happens, but I still do it, because I know that mental attitude counts first and foremost! there was also a time when I had tendonitis for a year, but I persisted, reading and trying everything I can to cure it for good (even mental visualisation) and I succeeded! all because I knew not to give up and wanted to be feel healthy 100% really badly! I see excuse makers every day that could be right now at olympic level fitness if they had spent as much time training as complaining! there are enough people like that, no need to fatten up those legions!
that was pretty long, sorry about this but you inspired me that much! thanks for that, I’m now pumped up for the whole week, and I really hope you and your family will be alright!