Talking about warm ups just isn't "cool". Talking about feeling your age is something people fear to admit, but the truth is the truth and I wanted to give you some insight into how I warm up, how I train, what runs through my mind as I prep to train and how you can smart about training and STILL train hard enough to satisfy your Warrior mindset. A great warm up allows you to continue lifting heavy while getting rid of joint aches and pains. … [Read more...]
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Encylopedia of Underground Strength & Conditioning
BIG Announcement on the release of The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength & Conditioning in this video. You'll also see some heavy duty footage of our athletes attacking The Underground Strength gym. This book truly is my heart & soul. I poured everything I had into these pages. Your support means the world to me, here's a quick inside look.... … [Read more...]
Is The “Perfect Workout” Holding Back Your Bad Assery?
My wife would tell me I HAD to put the air conditioning on for the athletes. I told her I would. I didn't want her worrying. Then, I told the athletes, if my wife ever asks you guys if I turn the air conditioning on, you better say, "YES!". Now, before you start telling me that I'm so mean, let me explain that everything I do is for the best interest of the athletes. I've seen countless athletes KILL their training with heat over 100 degrees. Making their workouts comfortable will work … [Read more...]
STRONG Life Ep 22 w/ Barbell Shrugged: HOW to Get STRONG. FAST.
In this episode of The STRONG Life podcast, The Barbell Shrugged Crew and I discuss program design and reverse engineering training AND life. We break down how we look at safely, effectively and quickly help people build themselves UP, both physically and mentally. These are the methods used at The Underground Strength Gym for youth athletes all the way up to Olympic level athletes. Give this a listen and make yourself smarter and STRONGER. WHY? Because we are ALL Coaches. You either coach … [Read more...]
New Video Series – How We Train at The Underground Strength Gym?
How do we train at The Underground? The question is always asked, and the honest answer is this: Every group is different, every kid is different. I might have a general template for the crew to follow but each kid needs something unique and different and they get exactly what they need. Cookie cutter programs for everyone? That might work elsewhere, but not here, and I'm gonna tell you why. … [Read more...]
Why Your Training Must Mirror Life AND Sports
There are MANY ways to train. MANY training methods are highly effective and trust me, MANY are horrible on even their best days. It all depends on HOW training is being implemented and is the training being done at the appropriate time and place? When I look at training for myself or when writing programs for others, I look at their goals and what life looks like when they perform. Nothing complicated, straight, simple and to the point. I am NOT impressed with the Coaches who TALK fancy. I … [Read more...]
Don’t Fool Yourself With These 3 Strength & Conditioning Mistakes
It's easy to get caught up in using exercises and workouts that might look cool and effective on video, BUT, at the end of the day, the flashy exercises and cool looking workouts don't deliver the bottom line results that REALLY count for you to succeed and achieve your high level goals. You want to avoid these mistakes, avoid getting sucked into using these "magic bullets" and fads that pull you away from the basics and the result proven exercises & methods that never fail you or anyone … [Read more...]
How To Squat Heavy, Even When You Get “Older”
I've heard many tales of how as you get "older" you should stop squats and deadlifts because your body won't be able to handle these exercises anymore. What age constitutes being "older", anyway? I've heard people call over age 25 or 30 being old. Let's cut the B.S. and kill the excuses, shall we? … [Read more...]
The BEST Sets & Reps for MAX Gains In Strength & Size
I've come across some VERY popular training programs online and reviewed them to see if there were any BIG takeaways. I am always on the look out for learning more, it's the constant pursuit of excellence, living the code.... When I saw a program was promoting a specific set - rep combo for beginners and intermediates and saw it was off base, I was inspired to create this video to set the tone straight. … [Read more...]
Underground Strength Program Design Tips – Part 2
Here is Part II on our Underground Strength program design tips. My training model, for the most part, follows the concurrent method, where we focus on training strength, power, conditioning and muscle building in one workout. In this video I address the following: … [Read more...]