STRONG Life Podcast ep 302 is a solo episode where I discuss the following topics: - My recent business seminar at Varsity House Gym and how attending / investing in these events is crucial for your success, regardless of your profession - The power of getting away from your normal environment and learning / getting inspired from other people who are achieving success in their life and business - My inspiration to hit a lot more bodyweight training after a conversation with Jim … [Read more...]
301: Scott Mendelson | Nutrition for Fat Loss & Boosting Testosterone in Your 40s
STRONG Life Podcast ep 301 with Scott Mendelson of Infinity Fitness. Nutrition for men in their 40s on fat loss and boosting testosterone naturally. This was a great episode to help men get rid of the confusion and go straight to the expert source on how to eat to dial in fat loss and boosting your testosterone naturally. Time to get your learn on! Enjoy the show. … [Read more...]
9 Training Tips for Re-Building Athletes Post COVID
Photo Cred HuskerMax.com In mid June in NJ the Governor granted permission for "gyms" to train outdoors. I always say, The Underground Strength Gym is a Private club, but the government and governor don't really understand this. When mid June came around, I knew that I would have to start at 50 or 60%. The plan was to add 10% of work / intensity each week so that by the 4th week, we would be almost at "normal". Which nowadays, I really do not enjoy that word, "normal". With 3 months of … [Read more...]
The Value of Calisthenics for Athletes & Men – Training for Performance and Strength
Training for Performance – The Value of Calisthenics. Let’s dig into performance. Performance for sports and performance for life and work. Bodyweight training is a big component to improve your strength and muscular endurance for sports. In high school we see varsity athletes, both boys and girls who can NOT perform 1 proper push up. This is dangerous. The weaker an athlete is, the more likely he / she is to get injured. Weakness is a liability. … [Read more...]
The Benefits of High Rep Bodyweight Training
After going through my Bodyweight Bodybuilding course for some edits, reviews and updates, I changed up some programming for the athletes at The Underground Strength Gym. 1 of those updates was organizing their extra days with more volume of bodyweight squats. Yes, the simple bodyweight squat! I will post a photo below with that sample "extra day" along with some video footage. So make sure you read the entire article.... Now, almost 20 years ago I recall studying Indian Wrestling … [Read more...]
Do These 3 Bodyweight Only Exercises, Inspired by Herschel Walker
There are 3 crucial bodyweight exercises that everyone should be able to do AND, that everyone should put a lot of energy into. 1) Push Ups - we learned these as kids and surprisingly, I don't see too many people doing basic push ups anymore. If you're shoulders are banged up from heavy benching and squats with a straight bar, then get busy on push ups and give the barbell a break. Focus on doing high reps and of course, perfect technique. Imagine your body is a 2 x 4 or a ruler, … [Read more...]
The BIG Reasons Behind Bodyweight Training for Athletes
Yesterday I exchanged text messages with a friend of mine who has been lifting for 20+ years. He was talking about how he can relate to everything I went through as we've been both training hard and heavy for well over 2 decades. The nagging injuries, the strange pains in our feet, injuries from simple daily tasks like walking down the stairs in the morning. Today, we laugh at these injuries because back in the day we would NEVER have guessed that being so strong could contribute to … [Read more...]
Don’t Get Stuck Being Strong AND Useless
In a recent interview I was listening to between Mike Robertson and NFL Strength Coach Joe "House" Kenn, Joe was asked an interesting question. He was asked what he would like to see more of AND what he wishes he focused on in his younger years. His answer was...... MORE Bodyweight Training, More Playground Workouts and the ability to Move your Own Bodyweight. I've personally deadlifted over 500 lbs, squatted 455 for reps, benched over 300 lbs and at 220 lbs can perform 25 pull ups … [Read more...]
The TRUTH About Bodyweight Workouts
Franco Columbu was a BEAST when it came to pull ups. He cranked them from all angles AND added weight to them as well. High reps AND low reps. Reminds me of my OLD Bodybuilding training partner.... We almost always began our workouts with chins and progressed to weighted chins. He would build up to chin ups with THREE 45 lb plates strapped to a weight belt. His back was THICK! It freaked people out! Heavy Chins and HEAVY barbell rows were his ticket. Back to the legend of Franco … [Read more...]
Bodyweight Workout For Size & Strength Using The “Ladder Technique”
I've spoken often about using the "ladder technique" with my Bodyweight Bodybuilding training course, but also with Kettlebell Workouts and sometimes with deadlifts as well and had great success. The ladder technique is a powerful way to increase your strength, pack on muscle and if used with an aggressive pace, you will also improve cardio and stimulate fat loss. Here's how I train when using ladders with bodyweight exercises: … [Read more...]