It was the Winter of 1995 and I was driving to Diamond Gym with my training partners. Our typical 30 minute drive to Diamond was the 3 of us getting fired up to destroy the gym as we blasted music from my special Kenwood stereo. Back then, I had cassette tapes that were special mix tapes with our favorite music. But this one time, the guys were strangely silent. I was scared. Scared that our workout was going to be a wash. The entire 30 minute drive I could just feel their lack of … [Read more...]
Us vs “Them”
No need to talk to me, I am here to do WORK. Before you even hit the gym, you've already been preparing for that training session. 24 hours in advance..... The day before you made sure your eating was on point. Plenty of protein to fuel yourself, some carbs to make sure the energy is on point because you know you're going to BATTLE it out in the gym today. You got to sleep a bit earlier than normal to ensure when you wake up, you feel READY. You are "mentally warming up" 24 hrs … [Read more...]
1967 Mental Toughness Tips from Golden Era Bodybuilding
It's amazing that even in a 1967 Golden Era Bodybuilding Magazine (Muscle Builder) that people were talking about "This generation has gotten soft". This article was called Mom-ism May be the Reason Why You are NOT a Champion. As a parent myself, it is a reminder that the easy life and giving your kids everything you didn't have is NOT helping our kids. In fact, it only hurts them. This is also why I HATE when people send me gifts. Call me crazy but I want to EARN it. I want to BUY it. … [Read more...]
STRONG Life Insider Ep. 37 | How to Use Golden Era Bodybuilding Methods / Volume Training to Gain Size & Strength
Volume training was a BIG deal back in the 70s and then it made a comeback in the past 5-8 years. What's old is new again but the truth is, there is a time and place for everything. Who needs volume training and when should volume work be applied? When is the best time to implement volume training and who is best suited for volume work? How can you still train smart when applying volume training compared to the mistakes I made in my younger years by incorrectly applying volume … [Read more...]
STRONG Life Insider Ep. 35 | Anabolic “Secrets” of THE STRONGEST People on Earth?
The unnecessary complications that people make for nutrition and training is staggering. It's mind boggling, actually. In fact, it is heartbreaking to be honest with you. Why the heck are people so confused nowadays? It's simple. Information overload. And, the most popular information is often times connected to supplements. The supplements fuel the marketing / advertising dollars. I am lucky that I grew up in REAL "Hardcore Gyms" where I began to learn that the biggest guys were the … [Read more...]
STRONG Life BONUS | Zach Gets Interviewed on The Hard Life Podcast
I had a GREAT time being interviewed on Doug Hershberger's Podcast, The Hard Life! We're in a world where the majority are busy making excuses, whining, complaining and blaming. People of ALL ages get offended by hard work. In fact, when you coach them through a tough workout, they perceive this as He doesn't like me. Or...... Don't you DARE tell an athlete that he cheated on the training. He will say, Everyone else did it. I have ZERO interest in being like "everyone … [Read more...]
STRONG Life Insider: The Development of Muscular Bulk & Power
From Anthony Ditillo's Book, The Development of Muscular Bulk and Power There is something about bulk and power training that invades your very soul. It is extremely hard to put into words. The exercise movements themselves are quite simple to perform. The routines one must utilize in order to gain rapidly that much sought after strength are not especially interesting or dynamic in appearance. All in all, powerlifting and bulk training is a rather mechanical robot like procedure, which is … [Read more...]
Safety Squat Bar VS The Straight Bar Squat for Athletes: Strength & Shoulder Health + 3 Week Squat Cycle
Above, Mark Chaillet Squats - Photo from Purposeful Primitive / Marty Gallagher After a recent squat workout with the athletes at The Underground Strength Gym, I began having a more serious conversation in my own mind regarding the use of the conjugate method, more specifically, how often to switch the safety squat bar vs the straight bar for squats with athletes, specifically, high school athletes. I share my thoughts in the videos below and in conversation form which you can also see … [Read more...]
RAW with Marty Gallagher: Strength Endurance, Minimalist Training & Fighting the Fads & Gimmicks of Strength & Conditioning
In this BONUS episode of The STRONG Life Podcast I join my friends of Iron Company on their podcast. We've got JP Brice, Marty Gallagher and Jim Steel. Marty's podcast is called RAW, and once you hear his unfiltered ways of conversing with me you'll understand exactly why! We discuss the following topics: - How my background in training began, from hardcore gyms to current days of The Underground Strength Gym - How some of the Powerlifters of the 60s, 70s and 80s trained for world … [Read more...]
Iron Roots – Ep. 11 – Mike Mentzer aka Mr. Heavy Duty
I was 12 years old, maybe 13 when I first came across the training of Mike Mentzer aka Mr. Heavy Duty. I remember thinking to myself, Holy s--t, this guy looks like he's been carved from stone! Mike had a different physique than the others and the photos of him in training were INTENSE. He looked like he was destroying the gym along with his training partners Casey Viator and Ray Mentzer (his brother). With The Iron Roots Podcast, it's important for me to bring back and share many of … [Read more...]
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