Here and there I catch myself getting away from training that is more Physical Culture based and end up chasing numbers. Now, there is NOTHING wrong with being Strong. But something was missing for me. I wanted to feel the toughness and challenge of working with circuits / complexes of Kettlebells, Fat Bell, Center Mass Bells. With my shoulder injury some years ago, I limit the overhead work but testing Donnie Thompson's Bow Tie made everything feel fine! … [Read more...]
5 Power Tips to Live The STRONG Life
I was the weakest kid on the block. I didn't get beat up often, but if I was ever in a fight, I never won. I had little if any confidence in myself. But things changed when I started doing push ups every day in 7th grade. Things changed more when I began lifting weights in June, 1989. Then, my confidence REALLY grew when I broke free of the demons holding me down in life. That was the Summer of 1994. I came across "mentors" perhaps you can say...... I trained with Joe, who … [Read more...]
Animal Warm Ups & Upper Body Training for Wrestling Strength (Bodyweight & Kettlebell Workout)
Anytime you think you're too busy to warm up, think again. Regardless of your age, it never pays to be "too busy" for a proper warm up. Give yourself 5 minutes to hit a warm up specific to your workout and mobilize 1 or 2 areas of your body that need attention. The "I'm too busy" excuse is never acceptable. Even for myself. When I say this BS excuse in my own mind or to others, I deserve a punch in the face. Whether or not you wrestle is also irrelevant. Although the Video below shows some of … [Read more...]
Is DAILY Bodyweight Training Effective & Safe For Muscle & Strength Gains?
This started all the way back in 1989. Every time I passed a pull up bar or anything I could grab on to over head, I banged out pull ups. This became a daily practice. Same for push ups. Push Ups for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Guess what happened? … [Read more...]
Is Modern Day Man A Disgrace?
"WHAT IF......" - What if one day you can't get to the gym? You're too busy, "life" happened.... Now what? - What if one day you show up and your gym is locked.... maybe out of business, shut down? Would you wait until tomorrow? Would you wait for the perfect moment.... the perfect workout.... when the time and the place were just right? … [Read more...]
Iron Roots Podcast Ep. 1 | 5 X 5 Strength Training + The Power of Push Ups
Here's your Underground Strength Challenge for this month along with Iron Roots Podcast episode 1 where I dive into the History behind the 5 x 5 strength training program! It's ALL about the basics in this one, post your comments, weights used, etc in the comments section. I also added The Iron Roots Podcast episode on where The 5 x 5 Strength Training system originated with Reg Park as well as the way Bill Starr implemented 5 x 5 in his book, The Strongest Shall Survive! … [Read more...]
Intermittent Fasting & Mental Toughness Workout
Last night was a rough workout for me.... as many of you know if you've been here for a while, my workouts don't focus on solely the physical development of strength aspect but largely on the mental toughness aspect and pushing myself to greater heights. Last night started with about 10 sets of snatches. My body felt like it was on "empty" from the get go. Once I finished my snatches, I told one of my coaches that it's time for me to crank a "mental toughness" workout. Once I finished that … [Read more...]
The Power Behind Push Ups
I always tell my athletes, "Eat your push ups & pull ups for breakfast!" You MUST be GREAT at these 2 exercises, they are the foundation for upper body strength and power and work wonders for muscle building. I recently got a copy of The Convict Conditioning Push Up Series Course and the FIRST thing that struck me was all the coaching techniques, regressions and progressions. I am ALWAYS shocked when I have athletes at my gym who trained elsewhere and they are NOT performing the … [Read more...]
Bodyweight Bodybuilding QnA
My buddy, Uncle Alwyn Cosgrove sent me some questions regarding Bodyweight Bodybuilding, check it out below and please enjoy.... 1) Why did you start dedicating yourself to bodyweight training recently? The BIGGEST changes came from recurring pains and injuries that I eventually couldn't even work around anymore. I had to address those injuries, they were messing up my life and negatively affecting my family. I SERIOUSLY had flash backs of our earliest conversations when you were … [Read more...]
Bodyweight Workout For Size & Strength Using The “Ladder Technique”
I've spoken often about using the "ladder technique" with my Bodyweight Bodybuilding training course, but also with Kettlebell Workouts and sometimes with deadlifts as well and had great success. The ladder technique is a powerful way to increase your strength, pack on muscle and if used with an aggressive pace, you will also improve cardio and stimulate fat loss. Here's how I train when using ladders with bodyweight exercises: … [Read more...]