Sometimes.... ya just gotta get The damn job done. Period. What to eat, how to train, optimal sets and reps, how long to rest, circa max phase, belt or no belt? I get these questions ALL the time and I go back to my days of lifting at The Metuchen YMCA in 1989 and 1990. Many of the guys in that crammed, old school weight room were built like brick shit houses. … [Read more...]
Weekend Learning List Jan. 10, 2014
"The Hay Is In The Barn!" Lots of lifting and Lots of learning going on the past week. Keep up if you can. This is the Human Food Chain. If you're willing to do work, stay focused and get shyt done, you can achieve a LOT of success in any endeavor. The choice is yours. Let's get after it. … [Read more...]
1 Exercise Per Workout & Being AWESOME
It was New Year's Eve... well, just about. It was 3 PM on New Year's Eve and the dedicated crew of athletes & lifters rolled up to The Underground Strength Gym in Edison, NJ. Some had traveled as far as 1 hr to drive here & I let the thought enter my mind.... "Where are the kids who live 5 - 10 minutes away from here who keep telling me they're too busy during the season?" Instead of getting disappointed I get fired up by reminding myself to have ZERO expectations of people. I get … [Read more...]
Some of My Favorite Strength & Conditioning Books
I am constantly asked about my favorite books or what I'm reading right now. My library is constantly growing, evolving, adding books on training, business, lifestyle, mindset and inspirational autobiographies. If you use the search bar on my blog you can find some OLD videos of me showing you the library from my previous home. Type in phrases such as "strength books", "business books", "strength & conditioning books", etc. Those older videos were certainly from some years ago but I … [Read more...]
Minimalist Workout For MAX Muscle Gains
"In any war, you put your back to mine, I put my back to yours, and let's do what we gotta do." - Ray Lewis Here's a lil' inside look at how we roll at The Underground Strength Gym with our adult training crew. YES, we train adults just like we train our athletes. We are ALL athletes. Don't ever forget that! Underground Strength Tip Of The Day: Do ONLY what is needed to pack on strength & muscle and NO more. Pick 2 or 3 exercises, work up to 1 or 2 heavy sets and then move … [Read more...]
How To Train When In Doubt
"Science and experience have taught us that any athlete, even in ultra-endurance sports, who has not built a foundation of strength will fail to reach his or her potential." ~ Pavel, Author of Easy Strength As I work on my book and dig deeper on my philosophy on training, in between text messages with Jason Ferruggia discussing life and lifting, I keep coming back to what got me where I am today, as well as every other strong mofo out there. And that "thing" is the fact that those strong … [Read more...]
Top 11 Muscle Building Exercises
Here's a list of the Top 11 Muscle Building Exercises that you simply can't go wrong with (minus if you have any injuries, physical limitations, excuses, etc) if you wanna get jacked AND strong. Check em' out and decide how you can put them to use into your current training regime / workouts. My suggestion is to start with some hard work, mixed in with some heavy weight, sweat & consistency. You'll also a see unique video from one of my workouts this week at The Underground Strength … [Read more...]
Minimalist Training Tips for Full Body Strength
The more I utilize simple dumbbell & bodyweight workouts for myself, the more I realize less is more. Less variety and more focus = greater results in strength and size. I've been around too long and I want to challenge and question what REALLY works. I've seen the results of some of the most popular "programs" out there...... I wanted to see, do these athletes demonstrate greater strength? Greater speed? Greater physicality and more muscle? Well, the program looks impressive on … [Read more...]
Dan John Talks Life & Lifting, Part II
In case you missed Part I of my chat with Dan John, Please Click HERE For Dan's latest book that kicks ass, click HERE Here's how we can keep this video interview series with Dan John rolling: - Drop a question for Dan regarding training and we'll set up another Underground QnA for you guys. Just leave your question in the comments section, I'll collect and compile the questions and when we get enough questions we'll get more gold from Dan John. I SERIOUSLY wish this type of access was … [Read more...]
Dan John Talks Life & Lifting
Above, Dan John's Garage Gym. Every time I read any of Dan John's books, watch his videos or get the opportunity to talk training and life with him, I walk away smarter. I've been following Dan's articles and reading his books, watching his DVDs for close to a decade now. Check out our latest conversation on life and lifting. You will be educated and inspired. And who doesn't need more knowledge and inspiration? Enjoy! … [Read more...]