My workouts have been going VERY good lately and after this past weekend's seminar at my gym with Mark Bell and Jesse Burdick, I have a gained a MUCH greater amount of knowledge AND respect for powerlifting and straight up getting stronger and more explosive.
I have many more videos to share regarding last weekend's powerlifting seminar so hang tight for these 🙂
The seminar seriously blew me away and I am still shocked at how many coaches and lifters didn't want to invest their time or money to learn. From a Coaching and Business stand point, it is a stark reminder to me that too many people believe they KNOW enough, and not enough are in Learning mode.
Those who keep learning, keep climbing to the top. Those who "know it all" will hit a wall with their success both in training and business.
The amount of knowledge I gained during my first 3 hours of that seminar was awe inspiring. Jesse Burdick coached me and a crew through speed squats and then some heavy deadlifts during our first workout.
EVERYONE was hitting PRs left and right, either in strength, speed or BOTH. Having a Coach not only educates you to be better, but it also inspires you to be better.
I ALWAYS invest in Coaches for myself. Be it training or business. I do this because it pushes me to grow. I don't view coaching as an expense, I view it as an investment and having an abundance mindset is THE KEY.
See in the Video Below....
[youtube width="640" height="360"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xy_disOG7Y[/youtube]
After logging a TON of hours (tens of thousands of hours) training since 1989, I NEVER felt like I knew it all or knew enough about training, I was ALWAYS hunting for more and better info for myself and my athletes.
When Jesse and Mark spoke about training, injuries, life, motivation, etc I listened to them as if I was a rank beginner, and, compared to their knowledge, I was!
I asked over 50 questions on the first day. I couldn't learn enough.
Ironically, I contacted a good 30 or 40 coaches throughout NJ, NYC and Pa regarding this seminar and NONE of them even replied to my e mails. I wish I didn't care, but I ALWAYS question why people are satisfied with "good enough".
I realized how people in general don't want to sound pushy or arrogant, but the bottom line is that as a country, we are NOT getting stronger. Athletic coaches get fired for working athletes "too hard" yet the coaches who year after year in the high school have a losing record keep their jobs? I am confused.
I find it strange and somewhat annoying that Strength Coaches are not interested in learning how to become stronger from 2 world class coaches? Something about Strength Coaches not wanting to learn from two experts regarding strength, speed / power and training methods confuses me.
After all, if you're a Strength Coach, Strength should be respected, right?
I get pissed when I see people NOT respecting strength, experts of strength or the tools of strength.
END RANT!
Strength Coaches should know and study from men like Ed Coan, Louie Simmons, Kirk Kaworski, Bill Seno, Mark Bell, Marty Gallagher, etc. Educating yourself on training is similar to the approach you take towards training in general - consistency. You train regularly, you should also learn regularly.
You can learn TONS from watching video footage of people training: olympic lifters, powerlifters, etc. What can you learn from this video of Ed Coan, below? TONS. What about the inspiration that comes from this video?? TONS!!!
[youtube width="640" height="360"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9L5XJta3Ag[/youtube]
I can learn from any source: books, videos, seminars, phone conversations, e mails, etc. If you're serious about breaking records and gaining strength then you should find a way to learn like this as well.
It's time for strength to gain it's respect once again. If you're considering yourself a Strength Coach then you need to learn how to become strong and explosive. Period.
All this lack of respect began in the mid 90s, when fitness came onto the scene. Soon, there were skinny guys 
on magazines who weighed 140 lbs sporting abs. Somewhere along the way being weak with 6 pack abs became the "In" thing for a large crew of people.
Hardcore gym owners somehow lost their brains and shut down their gyms thinking hardcore was over, BUT, they were WRONG.
Hardcore strength addicts had nowhere to go, I was 18 or 19 years old when this happened, and I was left to find my own community because I felt alone and like odd ball out inside of a gym packed with people who looked at you strange because I was constantly chasing MORE strength and MORE muscle. Those who left either stopped training altogether or they built garage and basement gyms.
Heavy barbells and dumbbells, power racks for squats, benching and deadlifts. Dip stands and pull up bars. NOTHING fancy, just a burning desire to get strong as hell and jacked!
I'm sure the resourceful guys went to scrap yards to pick up anvils, used free weights and car axles for deadlifting with tires on each end.
If you respect strength, I'm proud of you! I'm disappointed in myself for being disappointed at the "Strength Fitness Coaches" for not even attempting to learn about strength. This seminar blew my mind and motivated the heck out of me!!
Now it's time to pass on the great info to my athletes and Undergrounders around the world.
More videos to come, just wait and see!
Please leave your comments below, looking forward!
Live The Code 365
--Z--
15 Responses
I lift heavy shit to make me myself feel awesome! If people don’t like the look of it sound of feeling of it the get the hell out of my way because I don’t have time or patience for the tire kickers and I can’t do it people. They suck me dry of energy just being around them and it pisses me off!!
Thanks to you Z for keeping it real and alive! See you in less than three weeks at HTKA seminar and many more to come!
Peace
The lifelong pursuit of knowledge is so important in any field, recently attended seminar and I sat through 4 hours, most of the stuff was repetitive and fundamental, on a break a person next to me was complaining, “I know all this stuff, I can’t believe I paid for this”. I looked at him and said “I paid for that one thing I may get in this 4 hour session that could take me to the next level”, “that one AHA moment”. You know what, no matter what training seminars I attend I am always looking for that one thing, that one AHA moment. If I get one thing that takes me to the next level , the time and money is well invested.
Always a white belt = always learning.
Those who know it all are in trouble….
Argh! Some strength coaches sit in their ivory towers and recite articles about strength training techniques. Never once grabbing the bar. I once had the opportunity to look at a college strength program and ask the player why was he doing a routine designed for a lineman. Also, he was complaning of back pain from the load he was told to perform and I asked his coaches solution to the problem. “Suck it up!” Was his response.
My degree is in Philosophy and one of my favorite quotes came from a my favorite philosopher Socrates-“all I know is that I know nothing of what I do know I can not prove it to be true” he stated this after the Oracle of Delphi called him the wisest of all. He set out to find knowledge through dialogue. Just like going to a coference or presentation. You may know what they are talking about but that is the goal of knowledge and a way of proving what you believe to be true is true.
The deluxe version of the Underground Strength Manual is on sale for $47. AWESOME! Right now I don’t need a program because I have committed to 531 for at least 6 months to get my overall strength up and technique down (plus at least one day a week of Strongman training and/or odd object conditioning medleys). But I still plan on getting it while it is on sale (NO BRAINER) for the information alone (yours and all the audio interrogations). THANKS Zack for selling this way underpriced so that your readers have a chance at getting a great program dirt cheap.
About the article, you said contacted all these local “Strength” coaches but none replied, but Smitty and Joe Hashey were there tearing it up (right?). Anyhow, great post!
Reading guys like Z.E-E and Louie Simmons, then being somewhat of a CF junkie (especially the Welbourn stuff), it baffles me why coaches are so against what powerlifting and olympic lifting has to offer for their students. So much knowledge is passed along freely, or at a greatly reduced price, that it is hard to understand the neglect.
I’m fortunate enough to be a coach where my boss/AD is very forward thinking, and allows me to push the ways that I think are best. But, the results (in the weight room, not so much on the football field, YET!) really speak for themselves. Anytime you have a 148lb high school kid throw up a 1235 PL total, people start to ask what you are doing…
Enough about me, I can’t say enough how appreciative I am to guys like Zach Even-Esh, Louie Simmons, Greg Glassman, Mark Rippetoe, John Welbourn, K-Star, and the likes who put out valuable information on a daily basis.
Keep up the good work, the few that follow will become the many!
Many people didn’t want to invest the money, that’s THE main thing
Coaches will buy 300-400$ barbells but ony the serious ones invest that $ in learning seminars….
The others won’t learn outside of youtube videos.
It’s the sad truth but it’s the human food chain!
Good post, Dustin! 😉
Zach, it’s always great to see your passion in your article.
It is unbelievable that the look of skinny guy with a 6 pack has become more normal than a big dude may be not so lean but definitely stronger.
Would love part 2! Whens it coming?!
ha ha
LIKELY NEVER!
Love the passion!! So much respect for what you do and how you do it my friend. Thanks.for always pushing and inspiring me to be better.
Back atcha, Jim!
Frustrates me but doesn’t surprise me mate. I spent about 5 hours with Smelly at a seminar down under a few years back and we had about 10 people there! Mark Bell comes to Western Australia and hardly fckn anyone gets off their ass to learn from him! I see it again and again. I’ve travelled to the other side of the world, numerous times, to learn from the best.
Keep chargin’ mate and leave the wasters behind!
Your dedication to learning is a direct reflection of your success in business, life and lifting!
I have started with a coach for lifting. I am loving it. Embracing the suck is something i lost for a little but now getting stronger and more explosive is the only goal!! and man is it helping my tennis game!! Keep killing it Zach!!!