As of this article / podcast being posted, I have listened to this Bonus podcast with Al Vermeil and Josh Bryant 4 times! Yes, it is THAT GOOD! This STRONG Life Bonus was given to me by Josh Bryant who interviews Al Vermeil and I gotta say, this interview was not only inspiring and educational, it was refreshing! There are MANY times where I am just fed up with the BS of the fitness industry and the strength coach industry. Too many people worried about likes and reposts instead of … [Read more...]
201: NFL Strength Coach, Jesse Ackerman | “The Work is the Reward”
STRONG Life Podcast ep. 201 with my man, Jesse Ackerman who is currently the Strength Coach for The Atlanta Falcons. We had a GREAT chat about training (both the physical and mental aspects) as well as life. Jesse shares his early history as a high school athlete and the powerful lessons he learned from those coaches and how it has shaped his philosophy today. We also get into Jesse's vast experience coaching at a variety of colleges and how those experiences shaped his coaching … [Read more...]
Program Design Tips for Athletes / Coaches & How We Train Youth to D1 Athletes at The Underground Strength Gym
With the release of The Underground Strength & Sports Performance Course, I wanted to give you a taste of what you'll be learning as you begin your journey towards becoming a Certified Underground Strength Coach. How do we run things at The Underground Strength Gym and how can you take these methods and apply to your existing sports performance program? Well, things have certainly changed since 2002 and guess what? Things change here on the regular. A BIG reason why is of course … [Read more...]
Iron Roots Podcast Ep. 3 | Training for Life | Dr. Ken
Here we go! Iron Roots Podcast, Episode 3. In this episode of Iron Roots, I talk about someone I NEVER met, yet he was a mentor to me from all of his writings & videos I had come across through the years. I am talking about none other than Dr. Ken Leistner. Dig in and enjoy the show! … [Read more...]
QnA Football Strength & Conditioning
In a world where blaming others and lack of responsibility is running rampant, I want to turn the page for a moment. I am asked often about "sports specific training" and running 2 gyms and listening to parents and athletes get duped has me questioning when the bull shit will end. Parents talk to me about "football specific workouts" or "baseball specific workouts"..... Is squatting, deadlifting, throwing objects, jumping, sprinting, carrying and lunging NOT specific? The development of a … [Read more...]
Does The Bench Press REALLY Matter?
[youtube width="640" height="360"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz6qKsWVA7U[/youtube] I train a high school Football Player / Wrestler who broke his hand / wrist in 8th grade. Now, he's a sophomore and strong as hell (naturally :). After his hand and wrist were fixed via surgery, it wasn't quite fixed. Ironic, right? Benching and holding horizontal weights in the hands is tough, the wrist deviates big time & causes pain no matter how strong we work the hands, wrist, grip, etc. … [Read more...]
Muscle Building Formula: Build Strength = Build (A Lot) More Muscle
The amount of complicated BS training is getting out of control. The truth is, it is simple. And, NOT easy. It also takes time. Not months, but YEARS of work. The formula to gaining size? It starts with STRENGTH. If you want to get BIG, then you better plan on getting stronger, period. Heavy weights, low to moderate reps, some high rep sets for finishers, lots of quality food, quality rest, basics, basics, basics. I know, ground breaking, right? Yet on the regular, so many … [Read more...]