At the time of this writing, my body is on the mend since my knee surgery and blood clot last March, 2021. My knee is not 100% and as we get older, if you have had an injury or a surgery in the past, I believe it is safer to DOUBLE the length of "recovery time" to ensure you don't rush through the full healing process. So if the Doc says 6 months, I do not believe that in 6 months you have the green light to go ALL out. Instead, take months 6 - 12 to rebuild to greater heights. Use … [Read more...]
Dealing with Complainers + Training for YOUR Health
I woke this morning unlike any other morning. Nothing special. Today would be another day of work and another opportunity to get better. I've got 13 days left on crutches after my full meniscus repair. I remind myself that every morning I rise is another day closer to freedom with no crutches. Hard work is my normal. If you have ever been a fan of 20 rep squats and struggling under a bar, most likely you've taken those lessons and applied them to your life. I say "most likely" … [Read more...]
Building Muscle is NOT As Complicated as the “Gurus” Say
I am fired up as I write this. After 3 weeks on crutches, I finally was able to return to my high school to coach the athletes. I am also back at The Underground Strength Gym coaching. After training the Football team, I spoke to the guys about how I was proud of their efforts. We crushed a training session and then I left it on them to hit hill sprints. "Train as hard as you want to Win" is a phrase I often use. It puts the responsibility on them to do the work. Being a bit limited with … [Read more...]
Are You Training Too Hard? Injuries? Lack of Progress?
Training too hard...... Who would have thought I would ever bring this topic up because if you go to a local gym, you'll see people sitting and lying on benches in between their sets, head down and locked in on their PHONE. It's crazy, people don't even get up between sets. But, for those of you who were training decades ago, perhaps you have gone through the ringer with intensity. And, maybe some of you today are copying the workouts of your favorite instagram lifter but simply don't … [Read more...]
Chuck Sipes Inspired Workout: The 1-10-1 Method
It was a Friday and I was feeling inspired to go through a tough training session with an old school feel to it. I dug up some old muscle mags with Chuck Sipes, one of the strongest bodybuilders ever from the 60s. He favored heavy lifting and I have written several articles on Chuck Sipes (Find them HERE). Chuck's home gym is where he trained most of the time. The other times he trained was at his work when he was a Youth Officer for The CYA / California Youth Authority. Chuck had a … [Read more...]
Strength & Conditioning Thoughts: “Perfect” Training vs DOING THE WORK
Above: The Dumbbells at Diamond Gym. To get to the heaviest weights, you must do all the work to get them from the bottom! In sports, you can be a Coach or even a fan watching practice or competition and there will be stand out athletes. If you don't know that athlete, then you have NO clue how that athlete achieved his or her skill. he may have worked his ass off for it or, he might be gifted and lazy. But in the weight room, ahhhhhh, that's a different story. You can stand against the wall … [Read more...]
Training In Your 40s, Bulgarian Power Burst, Bench Press + Deadlift Tips
With my hectic schedule I am going through some short training sessions, around 15-20 minutes a clip. Sometimes I get 2 mini sessions a day and instead of complaining, I simply get it done. Announcing how tired or busy I am is a waste of time. Nobody cares, including myself. I despise even my own excuses. While at school where I coach, I might go through 3-4 exercises as a circuit of 3 - 4 rounds. I've used bodyweight, kettlebells, fat bells and some basic machines (perhaps a lat pulldown or … [Read more...]
“REAL World Training” During these Dangerous Times
We are living through some dangerous, crazy times. NEVER did I imagine I would see civilians shooting each other in the streets. NEVER did I imagine such divide in our country here in The United States. It's NOT just enough to be able to lift heavy, run fast and know how to use your hands in combat (boxing, muay thai, jiu jitsu, wrestling, etc). Now we need to know how to handle ourselves with guns. How to handle others with guns. How to grow our own food (gardening, raising … [Read more...]
STRONG Life Insider Ep. 43 | Be TOUGHER Than Your Excuses
How many excuses can people come up with? Listen, I HATE my OWN excuses. But hearing everyone else with their excuses that never end makes me realize, holy sh-t, I am NOT on their level of weakness. Yes, I know, I know, who am I to judge? But here I am, judging, getting fired UP, hoping this short STRONG Life Insider fires YOU up so you can destroy anything that dares stand in your way. This episode is after receiving 2 replies to my newsletter from men who are TOUGH. Men who are … [Read more...]
Seek The Discomfort
Here is a short snippet From my morning newsletter aka The STRONG Life Insider. I am intrigued by people. MORE intrigued with who is tough vs who is not. Who quits vs who keeps going. Who punches the clock vs who does AWESOME work. Who genuinely cares about their work and how they work vs those who never gives a sh-t. What type of person are you? Normal people quit. A LOT. … [Read more...]