At age 25 I was going through a hellish time in life. I had a bad case of "God complex" and left a job (voluntarily) which I loved and was very successful at with hopes of making a difference at a new position. Guess I thought I could save the world, which, for teachers, is the way you MUST think if you wanna do a GREAT job and it pushes you to think outside the box and bring better and better things to the students. But, trying to save the world wasn't my job, and I learned the hard way. I … [Read more...]
9 NO B.S. Strength & Muscle Building Tips from THE Renegade
Jason Ferruggia has been through the ringer, literally. He used to be a hardcore follower of Westside Barbell Methods, and, he got strong as hell doing so, as well as his athletes. I remember him telling me of his bench workouts with 315 for 12-15 reps for several sets! But, with all those years under the bar comes great experience. And.... when the bar is HEAVY, you get banged up. If you're smart, you adjust your training regime into something that works on a regular basis while consistently … [Read more...]
Louie Simmons: Westside Barbell Training Methods, Part I
Article by Louie Simmons There is much talk about training philosophies, methods, and methodologies. It seems everyone has their own, which they devised on the basis of their own experience. They recommend such strategies as doing reps to failure to eliminate assistance work and doing only the squat, bench press, and deadlift. Have you ever wondered what the author has accomplished as a lifter, a trainer, or a scientist? Did they ever total Elite or field a team of Elites at a national … [Read more...]
How to Kick Ass, Get STRONGER & Get JACKED in a 1 Car Garage Gym
I remember I was 25 or so, and decided to stop training at the local gym. I was finishing Graduate school which was an hour drive each way. Graduate school was wiping me out in addition to working full time, studying my ass off and trying to train in a hard core gym. Hard core gyms were dead..... Somehow, someway, people in the mid 90s began thinking that being Strong & Jacked was not a cool thing. I swear to you this is NO lie. Magazines came out for this specific look and many gym … [Read more...]
Combat Conditioning for Bad Ass Muscle
Hey Bruddahs and Ladies... Thanks for stopping by again, I LOVE it when you visit :) Below is a workout I cranked with "General Chow", a D1 collegiate wrestler. The pace was not as furious as normal, and, please forgive my new movie making skills as I JUST STARTED working the Hollywood skills on my MAC :) Check the Video and then read on.... In a nut shell, here is the run down of our combat conditioning workout: 1) Bench Press - worked up to 2 heavy sets ** Followed the Bench Press with 3 … [Read more...]
There Are NO Secrets
Some say they have secrets for packing on freakish amounts of ripped muscle and insane amounts of strength. Continue reading if you want the truth. Freak Strength, Brute Strength, Functional Strength & Rugged Muscle - if you want ALL of these traits, then you better Squat and Deadlift. I've been using these terms for well over a decade now and I'm sure you see other Coaches trying to be market savvy using the same words with their training courses. These words came about with me countless … [Read more...]
How to Get Strong & Build Muscle. Period!
I get busy again and finish off the workout and give you the low down on what it REALLY takes to get strong and how you can build muscle. Plus, you can see that I get BUSY because I am sweatin' buckets after my workout! In a nut shell, so you can see my workout, here is how it all went down: 1) warm up with movement prep, soft tissue work, indian club training, bands, abs 2) Barbell Military Push Press: 2 heavy sets 3A) dips 2 x max 3B) mixed grip chins 2 x max 4) 1 Arm dumbbell row (Kroc … [Read more...]
How to Pack SERIOUS Muscle on Your Upper Body
I've got 3 exercises for you below, on video, that if you attack them on a regular basis, you will FORCE your upper body to pack on muscle like never before. I'm pushing these 3 movements HARD lately, and because I am, they are upping my deadlift, my bench press, military press and of course, adding muscle..... Check the video.... You're gonna need TWO things if you wanna push through barriers of strength and building muscle. One: You need an Unbeatable Mind Set. You simply can't push the … [Read more...]
Why Use Kettlebells to Build Muscle, Build Strength & Mental Toughness
I'm here in Louisville, and on the way out here I stopped through Ohio to meet some friends of the iron game, took a trip through Westside Barbell club & recorded 15 minutes of it for Underground members. Above, the custom Harley Davidson of Jim Wendler I Spent a few hours in the Elite FTS Compound with Jim Wendler and AJ Roberts. Jim showed me his new Harley, hoping this would score him some coolness points, as I have been educating him on the ways of being a COOL Bruddah :) NO easy f … [Read more...]
Jim Wendler Interview
I got a chance to grill my homeboy, Jim Wendler. Jim is 100% through and through a super genuine guy, and although a bit crazy, you want to listen carefully to his methods for building brute strength. His training isn't pretty or fancy, but damn do they produce powerful results, period. In the end, results are what count. It's NOT about how cool your program looks or how flashy the exercises are. The strongest and smartest lifters know to use and respect the basics. Click the … [Read more...]