When the beginning of COVID locked us all down, I was helping friends near and far with interviews, workouts and support for their gyms. My buddy Jim Kelly reached out to me. Jim is in Iowa operating Citadel BJJ and Eastern Iowa Wrestling Club but we've known one another since the early 2000s when I was starting to put out content and Jim was competing heavily in BJJ / Grappling. This Video was an Awesome QnA loaded with training questions and mindset to help Jim's students. It's great for … [Read more...]
7 Tips on Developing Superior Physical Conditioning + 19 Sample Underground Strength Workouts
I wrote about “Strong & Useless” in my Encyclopedia of Underground Strength & Conditioning. It’s when an athlete can move big weights on the barbell but can’t do basic bodyweight exercises such as lunges, pull ups, pushups, sprints, and jumps. I always say, Strong is Strong. This is why I don’t chase the 1 RM testing you see so often in high school weight rooms. The first athlete who demonstrated Strong & Useless to me held all the weight room records for his high school … [Read more...]
Why Coaches Must STOP Training Athletes with Stupid, Dangerous “Workouts”
I am always in shock with how abundant information is, both good and bad, yet still, when left to their own devices, sport coaches are implementing crazy, stupid, BS "workouts" for their athletes. I know this article and video will hit a nerve with coaches. In fact, I know of Coaches who threaten their players that if they DO train at The Underground Strength Gym, they will be reprimanded. How's that for caring about the kids? It doesn't take much work to research what is safe and … [Read more...]
BONUS: Early Days Underground Strength Gym, Strength Coach Influences & Success Tips
I had a great time going on The Rugby Renegade Podcast. In this BONUS of The STRONG Life Podcast we tackle some awesome topics: - Early days Underground Strength Gym / Warehouse Gym Start Up Days from the early 2000s - Influences from Louie Simmons and Dan John - Timeless books that I recommend to all Coaches - The type of work ethic I want to see in Younger Coaches - Special Strengths training methods for combat athletes Enjoy the show! … [Read more...]
STRONG Life ep. 235 | Raph Ruiz on Training Beyond “Strength & Conditioning”
STRONG Life Podcast ep. 235 with Raph Ruiz on Training Beyond "Strength & Conditioning". If you're a die hard performance coach, you're gonna dig into this episode and get fired up. My buddy, John Welbourn sometimes describes Raph as "The Best Coach You've Never Heard of...." My words won't do justice to this episode so you need to dig in and get your learn on. Prepare to listen more than once to this episode. Coaching for many is just sets and reps. But then you begin to learn that … [Read more...]
Rebuilding the Body, Fixing Old Injuries & Always Learning
I remember my left shoulder and right knee feeling the pain by the time I was 16 years old. At the time of this writing, I am 44. Time flies yet I have never stopped training, EVER. What am I to do? Sit home? On the couch? Do that and you literally become the couch. Training must go on. I must continue to learn and evolve. Not just for myself, but for all the athletes I train. Coaching others is a privilege. When an athletes tells me this or that hurts, I ALWAYS have an answer and a solution. … [Read more...]
5 Reasons Why You Need Circuit Training
Almost every Friday and anytime I am busy and fighting the clock, I have a Go To system for my training. I often do this on Fridays as a way of "Earning my Weekend". However, I usually get in a Saturday morning training session but sometimes I take the entire weekend off. Below I will outline how to design these circuits and you can perform them with heavy or light weights, or, blend it all together depending on your goals. … [Read more...]
Strength Coach Tips: Training Youth Athletes VS High School Athletes
I must admit, it breaks my heart when I see a “strength coach“ having a 12-year-old kid maxing out on the deadlift or maxing out on the back squat. I'm seeing kids who weigh under 100 lbs performing round back deadlifts, crashing onto a bench for a "box squat", benching while hip thrusting the heavens. This kind of dangerous training gives us ALL a bad name. Parents do NOT know the difference between the Coach who is training a young kid in the same manner of an adult powerlifter. In … [Read more...]
STRONG Life BONUS: Zach Goes on The Garage Gym Coach Podcast
In this Bonus episode of The STRONG Life Podcast, I am interviewed on The Garage Gym Coach Podcast. We crushed some great questions for you and covered the following topics: … [Read more...]
Should You NOT Squat, Bench & Deadlift?
I was chatting with a friend over the weekend over dinner and I train his son for the past 2 years. He told me how another Dad was worried about training at The Underground Strength Gym because his son was 14 and he was afraid he would squat, deadlift, bench, etc. First off - These 3 exercises are NOT bad. Context matters here. Let me explain why...... … [Read more...]
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