STRONG Life Podcast ep 387 / The HARD Way Podcast with Joe DeSena! Joe DeSena & Zach discuss Why You MUST do HARD Things to Achieve MORE Success in ALL areas of LIFE Joe's Podcast - The HARD Way Zach's Newsletter & FREE Training Courses HERE Joe DeSena on Instagram Zach on Instagram … [Read more...]
STRONG Life Insider: Ep. 38 | How to Take Ownership & Destroy The “Good Enough” Standard
The little things count BIG time. In training, it's where you place your hands on the bar and the position of your feet. In work, it's picking up the thread of garbage on the floor or walking past it. It's doing something for someone before they ask you to do it. Details separate the good from the great. The greats KNOW this while the average do NOT care about the details. … [Read more...]
Passion & The Utter Disdain for Anything Less Than Excellence
When I talk about passion, it's hard to not think about Tom Platz! And of course, who was a BIG inspiration to Tom? It was none other than Dr. Squat himself, Fred Hatfield! Most people will never understand Platz's intensity (insanity) in his training but to me, it ALL makes sense. When I was a teenager and in my early 20s, before smart phones were around and the ability to film my training happened, I trained "crazy". But, I could NOT hold myself back. I couldn't stop myself. I HAD to … [Read more...]
176 | Strength Coach Toughness & Success, Training Athletes Today vs Early Days of The Underground Strength Gym
STRONG Life Podcast Ep. 176. This is a Power packed blog post because I added a hard hitting, TRUTH Bomb intro for Strength Coaches before sharing my interview with Joel Smith of Just Fly Sports. Joel asked me some awesome questions and this was my second time being featured on his podcast. Also below is a question that was asked to me regarding how I overcame my tough times 5-6 years ago as a Strength Coach. From opening multiple facilities to working at two D1 Universities, I have … [Read more...]
STRONG Life Success Story: From Sleeping In A Garage, Training on Homemade Gym Equipment to Law School
I love getting e mails like what I'm about to share with you, below. If you're not subscribed to The STRONG Life Insider, Sign up HERE. Life is tough, there are no 2 ways about that. But, the tougher you get, the better you become at transforming obstacles into opportunities. The mind must be treated like a muscle. Train hard and get stronger. The easier you train, the softer you get. Same goes for the mind. Read the e mail below, name withheld to protect identity yet this young man … [Read more...]
Do You Ever Feel Like You Don’t Fit In? GOOD!
I feel like I just don't fit into this world anymore. Do you ever feel like that? I recall that feeling many times as a kid and a teenager. MANY times. When I do feel normal, I am with the Wrestling Coaches at Rutgers or training the team. I am in the 90+ degree Underground Strength Gym drenched in sweat, training athletes who see the hard work, the intensity and the struggle as "normal". These people see the work as the gift! I feel normal when I am among Strength Coaches who talk … [Read more...]
The Lost Art of Showing Up, Working HARD & Being AWESOME
I told my son who just turned 9 that I already had a job at his age, delivering papers everyday after school. My neighbor told me he wanted his newspaper in the morning so he told me I should deliver the paper before school to the neighbors, that it was the right thing to do. I listened and did as he told me to. I had my bike stolen in 3rd grade, so, I got another paper route and began delivering one route before school, another route after school. My Dad didn't offer to buy me a new bike … [Read more...]
10 Things I Learned Interning at The Underground Strength Gym
Intro: Zach here and I wanted to share a small project I gave to Andrew Prascak, who is finishing his internship at The Underground Strength Gym. Some notes of my own are below and interspersed into this blog post to preface & compliment Andrew's list of lessons learned. First off, I openly admit and even warn people, I am tough to work with. As I always say, "Good enough is the Death of Greatness". Sometimes I wish I didn't care as it IS emotional stressful to find yourself more … [Read more...]
Overtraining VS UNDER-Training Your Mind
The mind is the key. Let me explain. I began training in 1989...... Experiences from my own training and in training 1,000 + athletes, I have seen some crazy SHYT happen. How can a lazy athlete who lives a poor lifestyle accomplish sports accolades that the hardest, "perfectly" trained athletes can't come near achieving? The Answer: Mindset / Attitude Going back 1995, I was preparing for a bodybuilding show and training with others who were "chemically enhanced". I let it get to my head a … [Read more...]
Keep Waiting & You Will NEVER “Get There”!
I remember my earliest training partners..... They were a few local guys a bit older than me and they would complain about one another behind each others back. Excuses were running rampant...... They would complain that they only could train with me. They NEEDED my motivation, they told me. But now I know. I KNOW much, much better, some 25 years later. Excuses Suck. NO Excuse is truly valid. The only thing you NEED to do is to be able to count on YOU. Punch your excuses in the face. And … [Read more...]