Recently a gentleman stopped by my gym to gift me with some very, very, very rare gifts. This shocked me BIG time.... This gentleman, named John, stopped by my Underground Strength Gym unannounced. Normally, I am not a fan of unannounced visitors as they want to talk and take me away from the # 1 focus I have, training my athletes. John was DIFFERENT. He waited until ALL training was done for the night before he introduced himself to me. John watches my Underground Strength Show, a … [Read more...]
Search Results for: books
Old School Strength with Sandbags & Gymnastics
Wow, I was just perusing through my book shelf and stumbled across two books: one from 1888 (Yes, 1888, NOT a typo) and 1 from 1947. 1 Book on Gymnastics and the other on using sandbags, medicine balls, logs and homemade fitness equipment and obstacles. Amazing stuff! Well, the pics are amazing, the language is foreign and unfortunately I can not read them :( This "stuff" has been around for centuries. In some countries, stone lifting is part of their culture. And, during certain times in … [Read more...]
Old School Strength Training Rules, Period!
Today I was about to close up shop at the gym until an old friend strolled in to wish me a happy birthday. Johnny and I competed against each other in the 1995 Teenage Mr. NJ! That was a loooong time ago. We both competed in the middleweight division which means we were under 176 lbs! Johnny showed up today weighing 250 and looking lean and mean. Me? I think I'm hovering near 220. We spoke about his current regime of heavy squats, heavy deads, heavy military pressing, 120 lb dumbbell hammer … [Read more...]
Episode # 71: Influences in Grip Strength Training
How can you deny those who taught you? My book shelves are filled with books and videos from guys like Joe DeFranco, Alwyn Cosgrove, Ross Enamait, Diesel Crew, old school Strength & Health magazines, John Jesse, Josh Henkin, Louie Simmons, Pavel Tsatsouline, JC Santana and many, many more! I love the ways of old school, raw, serious training.... In this vid, I've been inspired by John Grimek, who was born in Perth Amboy, which is less than 5 minutes away...who remember the Atlantic … [Read more...]
Episode # 32 – THE Rant!
I'm not one to rant, but, man, some of these situations seriously irk me. Why are poeple taking part in life to be average? I say we set these half assers straight.... What do you think of half assers? Kill it! --Coach Z-- PS: Read more of one of my favorite books and was loving the story of the former NFL athlete, how he grew up on the farm, the work he had to do and why he was so damn strong. This book should be in the hands of every serious strength coach and athlete. PPS: a few spots … [Read more...]
Purposeful Primitive Book Review
Above, Kirk Karwoski, world record powerlifter trained under Marty Gallagher, Author of The Purposeful Primitive. One week ago I got a new training book I ordered in the mail, 'The Purposeful Primitive'. It's been a while since I got excited about a book that was published in today's day and age. Most of the info I tend to find accurate, effective and awe inspiring is at least a few decades old but this book has shocked me! All I can say is this: Holy s**t is this book rockin' my world! … [Read more...]
He was a freak and had freakish training methods
He walked through waist high water for over an hour, lifting his legs out of the water on each step to develop work capacity. He would snatch throw a 220 lb. barbell for 100 reps backwards over his head as a warm up to his olympic lifting workouts. He trained in solitude. He trained in training hall or his backyard. There were times he would train with a barbell in the water as well, diving under and emerging seconds later with the barbell ripped through the water into a power … [Read more...]
No Respect for Basic Strength Training? Lift in the Garage
I have had some interesting conversations with Jim Wendler. One in particular struck a chord with me quite heavily. In fact, it has helped mold a process I use at my gym when training new athletes. Jim and I spoke about the lack of respect for the weights nowadays, specifically by those who spend too much time on the internet and at these fancy gyms. I see how kids casually skip workouts that their parents pay for without a care in the world. I see how countless high school athletes don’t … [Read more...]
BONUS: Jim Wendler Throwback Interview, 2006
This is a STRONG Life BONUS Podcast episode. It's a Throwback, from 2006, so please understand the audio quality back then was NOT what it is today. Instead, enjoy the Information. Jim is 100% through and through a super genuine guy, and although a bit crazy, you want to listen carefully to his methods for building strength without all the complications. NOTE: This audio interview is OLD, long before fancy recording equipment was out. It was recorded on a landline phone! So don't cry … [Read more...]
Muscle Building Back in My Early Days…
When I first began setting up shop in my new home, in my 2 car garage, I was starting fresh. A brand new life of weight lifting. No more lame gyms, crappy music, depressing environments and finally, NO more rules! The energy was awesome, whether I trained alone or with a friend, it was like being in Heaven, I can only imagine :) This got me feeling like I was starting my training all over again, age 13, back at the OLD Metuchen YMCA. It was a hardcore place, lots of rusty York olympic … [Read more...]