Since day one I have encouraged Football players to wrestle and vice versa. In the mid 90s, Coach Nis from Edison High School told me that he had a wrestler who took 4th in the Region tournament his sophomore and junior year. Back then, 4th place did NOT qualify you for the state tournament. Coach Nis told this wrestler to go out for the Football team his Senior year because he felt the wrestler was lacking grit and toughness. Coach Nis knew that tackling and hitting as well as getting hit … [Read more...]
331 | Strength Training QnA: Beginning of Year Training Tips for Strength Coaches, Cramping vs Poor Training Methods, “Game Speed” + NEW Movie Recommendations
STRONG Life ep 331 is a repost of my other podcast, The NJ High School Strength Coach Podcast. Brought to you by http://ZachStrength.com - Get your FREE Training Course & Discount Coupon for my Store Topics covered: - Training & Organizational tips for the high school Strength Coach for the beginning of the school year & for beginners in the weight room … [Read more...]
320: Honor & Integrity among Strength Coaches & Athletes, Training Outdoors like the Early Days of The Underground Strength Gym
STRONG Life Podcast ep 320 Honor & Integrity among Strength Coaches & Athletes, Training Outdoors like the Early Days of The Underground Strength Gym & Updates. In this episode brought to you by http://ZachStrength.com , Zach discusses the following topics: … [Read more...]
STRONG Life Podcast ep. 280: Coach Al Vermeil | The Art of Coaching, Building Tough Athletes & More!
STRONG Life Podcast ep. 280 with legendary Strength Coach, Al Vermeil. Brought to you by SORINEX - the leaders in strength training equipment. If you're a Coach, google Coach Vermeil to see his bio and experience in coaching. Coach Vermeil has been involved in coaching for longer than I've been alive. I love listening to his practical common sense approach to training athletes. It's something that is missing in today's training because of the abundance of software and technology, yet … [Read more...]
5 x 5 Strength Training QnA
Where did the 5 x 5 program originate from? Well, it's been around for DECADES. To my knowledge, Reg Park started the 5 x 5 program. As 1 of the strongest bodybuilders ever, and, a man who could bench 500 lbs, I actually NEVER recall reading about 5 x 5 in my teen years. And I read EVERY bodybuilding magazine and a TON of bodybuilding books. I WISH I came across this program in my high school years. I was too busy doing pump up bull shyt. Although I DO recall a kid I used to lift with … [Read more...]
Ep. 214 | QnA: Sports Specific Training, Power Cleans & NEW Training Tools
Here we GO! STRONG Life Podcast Ep. 214. I wound up doing this live on Instagram with hopes of getting more questions and the audio gets a little crappy in the middle but hang in there, because as always, the information is AWESOME. Plus, I am just NOT into that Hollywood BS, trying to impress everyone with perfection. On the flip side, when I post opportunity for questions on Instagram, I want to see MORE questions. You should question everything. You should desire to learn more, to … [Read more...]
How I Train Athletes & The Fight Against Strength & Conditioning Fads
Strong is STRONG. You can't fake strong. Some athletes / people might LOOK strong but when it's time to perform, they can not perform. How do I know? I was there myself in my high school years as a wrestler - I followed too much bodybuilding work and I LOOKED strong, but I was NOT able to perform with dominating power. When I began getting heavily into strength & conditioning, the industry was really pushing the "functional training" craze. Back in the early 2000s, this meant you had … [Read more...]
Training In Your 40s VS Training High School & College Athletes
The older you get, the harder the training gets! It's tougher to make gains and you can forget about that "maintenance" BS program. As you get older, the last thing you want is that WEAK attitude of "I'm just maintaining". If you're not getting better, you're getting worse. I NEVER use the word "maintenance" when training anyone, including in season for athletes. Think about it, how weak does it sound when you say "I'm just trying to maintain." It sounds like you fear the work. It … [Read more...]
163 | The TRUTH About Youth Strength & Conditioning
STRONG Life Podcast Ep 163 hosted by Joel smith of Just Fly Sports. In this round table I was able to share the floor with 2 of the best in the industry, Jeremy Frisch and Jorge Carvajal. I've been involved with youth athletics before I ever owned a gym or even started the garage days of The Underground Strength Gym. My experiences have taught me so much and this podcast brings a lot of my experiences into the light. Being able to express our experiences and thoughts on this podcast … [Read more...]
How to Squat: DEEP Squats and Dinosaurs – Are BOTH Extinct?
Walk into a typical high school weight room and you'll see a 1 rep max test on the squat every month. Typically, you'll see kids hitting 315 to 495 on the squat. Kids that weigh 185 lbs are doing this, some weight 135 lbs and squat 315. Amazing. On the bar is a THICK Pad to cushion the back. The thick pad replaces the need to build up the traps. After all, who needs a set of BIG, thick traps to support the neck and reduce chances of neck injuries while playing football? Perhaps you'll … [Read more...]