I remember as a kid reading Arnold's bodybuilding books and his Encyclopedia mentioned how he uses Deadlifts. He said to do "a few sets of a few reps". I took that as keeping it fast & furious, never killing the Deadlift or it will kill you. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and done. 3 x 3. 2 x 2. Any of the simple combos above seem to work very well. I recall when I Deadlifted 545 I never went heavier than 405 in training. Of course, I squatted heavy, did various rowing exercises, weighted … [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...]
15 Year Anniversary of Underground Strength Academy
It's been 15 years since I started The Underground Strength Academy! Feb. 2005 is when it ALL began! I was partnered at first with Ryan Lee and I was writing articles and taking photos from every garage gym training session that I could. Back then there was no iPhone. I used a digital camera and then wrote at least 1 article a day for 3 months. Once we had a few months of content we launched the site! With the site I added seminars, books, DVDs, live teleseminars...... It was … [Read more...]
Full Body Strength & Shoulder Health Tips
First off, the pic above of my thick handle dumbbells needs to be addressed. I feel bad mixing Sports Authority weights with York Dumbbells. I had those plates sitting in a milk crate for ages so I just had to put them to use. I should have picked up all York Plates and I hope the Iron Gods have mercy on me for this rare mistake I've made with weights. Now..... Onto our topic of the day and something I'll address in depth at our Maine Seminar. Shoulder Health. I started … [Read more...]
186 | Mike Guadango | Speed Training, Strength Coach Lifestyle & Grit
STRONG Life Podcast ep. 186 with Mike Guadango. In this episode we talk a LOT on Speed Training, the Strength Coach Lifestyle & Grit. This is my 2nd time with Mike on The STRONG Life Podcast and it was awesome. Here are just SOME of the topics we crushed: … [Read more...]
3 Reasons You Must Attack Deadlifts & Calisthenics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_aSMy9RQyk Give me nothing but a Barbell and I will Build a BadAss. Do you have the discipline, drive and dedication to train with nothing but a barbell? If you do, then we can make it happen. But the truth is that MOST don't desire the simplicity. They crave the fancy. They crave the fads. If my business could be run like a simple training hall we can certainly weed out the not so serious. Add some bodyweight bodybuilding aka calisthenics and now we have a … [Read more...]
Shoulder Health + 10 Minute Mobility MASH For Better Mobility & Bigger Lifts
I have been learning like a madman lately.... actually, since 1989! But lately, the amount of new info I am learning is amazing and inspiring me. I am learning new lifting techniques, new breathing techniques and how to take my health and longevity to the next level. I don't want to end up being "that guy" who used to be fit and strong and is now unable to stand up straight or play with his kids without pain, all because I was too hard headed to learn. You Must Learn Learning is the key … [Read more...]
Proper Warm Ups For Mind AND Body: The Shyt No One Wants To Talk About
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...]
5 Shoulder Health Exercises Eric Cressey RX’d For Me
Guest Post by Eric Cressey Zach Even-Esh isn’t just a friend of mine; he’s also a pseudo-client. You see, roughly once a year, Zach does something he’d never let one of his athletes do – and winds up with a cranky shoulder. He’s like a bull in a china closet, but that’s one of many reasons we love him. With that in mind, with the launch of my new resource, The High Performance Handbook, it seemed only fitting that my guest post for Zach would be all about how to take care of your … [Read more...]
Healthy Shoulders Are Worth Their Weight In Gold
When your shoulders have issues, the rest of your body will suffer. Trust me. Been there, done that on MANY fronts. Back in high school I remember feeling like someone was stabbing my shoulder with a knife every time I perform the dumbbell press with the elbows out. I had half a brain and tested elbows in and it worked. In my mind 20s my brother and I wound up wrestling and I was in a precarious position and refused to let go. The result was a tear to the rotator cuff. It was so painful I was … [Read more...]