STRONG Life Podcast ep. 271. HERE WE GO! This is a POWERFUL episode so I am sure you'll want to listen to this episode multiple times! Brought to you by Sorinex. In this episode, Joe and I discuss the following topics: … [Read more...]
Building Grit & Mental Toughness in Athletes “Safely” + 5 Training Tips
Mental Toughness. Here we go again. One of the most overused phrases in the coaching world. What is it? How do you help athletes "Get Tough" and why is it even important? Well, being a kid who grew up in the 80s and experiencing countless training styles and coaches, I am smart enough to see the changes and the evolution. And with all this experience comes a lot of mistakes and knowledge. What worked in the 80s and 90s doesn't always work today. As a high school athlete, my coach … [Read more...]
Zach Goes on Mark Bell’s Power Project: Life, Business & Training Athletes
In this STRONG Life Bonus Podcast, prepare to go DEEP into a 3 hour podcast with my bro, Mark "Smelly" Bell and his team members, Nsima Inyang & producer, Andrew Zaragoza. We go deep down many rabbit holes and many have reached out to me telling me they did NOT know about a lot of these stories and experiences. Here's just some of the topics we get into...... … [Read more...]
260 – Coach Bill Gillespie | 40 Years of Coaching Experience: Sets, Reps, Exercises & Strength Coach Career Talk
STRONG Life Podcast ep. 260 with Master Strength Coach, Bill Gillespie Bill brings 40 Years of Coaching Experience and MANY world records in the bench press and has benched over 800 lbs in competition. Bill's Bio is HERE Contact Bill for Consulting / Education: Bill@sorinex.com In this episode, Bill and I discuss and exchange stories of training that go back to the 70s as we discuss Sets, Reps, Exercises & to cap it all off, some heartfelt Strength Coach Career Talk! Prepare … [Read more...]
253 | Joel Smith on Speed Training, Program Design & the Strength Coach Profession
STRONG Life Podcast ep. 253 with Joel Smith. This was a powerful podcast as we dug deep into ALL things Speed Training along with the ins and outs of the Strength Coach profession. Joel has been a Coach at the D3 and D1 University level and now in the private sector. Joel is also the author of the book, Speed Strength. We broke this podcast into 2 parts Make sure you connect with Joel HERE. Here are some of the topics we cover in this episode: … [Read more...]
250: Jon Torine | Strength Coach & Life Lessons from 17 Years in the NFL
STRONG Life ep. 250. WOW, believe it or not, we're 25% of the way to 1,000 episodes :) Jon Torine spent 17 years as a Strength Coach in the NFL and then continued to work with NFL athletes when he was done coaching as a EXOS consultant to help players transition from pro sports to "the real world". John's first Strength & Conditioning job was with Buffalo and then 3 years later he was with The Colts making him the youngest head Strength & Conditioning Coach in the NFL. This was … [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...]
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...]
STRONG Life Podcast ep. 239 with Jake Tuura | Strength & Conditioning, Knee Rehab & The Art of Coaching
STRONG Life Podcast ep. 239 with Strength & Conditioning Coach, Jake Tuura. This episode is a powerful deep dive into training athletes, from the mindset to the technical aspect. We also discuss Jake's research on knee pain / knee rehab and how he rehabbed himself from years of patellar tendon pain to being able to dunk a basketball every week. I highly recommend you dig into Jake's work, from his YouTube Videos to his Training ebooks. BIG thank you for supporting The STRONG Life … [Read more...]
199 | Rachel Balkovec Interviews Zach on Childhood Upbringing, Coaching Philosophy & More!
Here we go, STRONG Life Podcast ep. 199 with Rachel Balkovec. Rachel interviewed me for her Theta Wave Podcast while on my drive to teaching and we got into some awesome history behind my training, my childhood and how these experiences have shaped my coaching philosophy. I share the infamous story of "Andrei The Giant" from Israel and lots of history from The Underground Strength Gym including how my mindset has changed from the business focus to the coaching / teaching focus. Prepare … [Read more...]