Blog of Zach Even - Esh

The New and Improved Blog!

2008-02-05T21:23:00.003-08:00

It's here and we have a NEW home.

Just click on the banner below!

See you there!

http://ZachEven-Esh.com

The Russian Lion is Coming!

2008-01-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

Next week, I will announce the release of The Russian Lion Power Course.

Once again, this will be serious, hard core, heavy hitting training information.

This is information that heils from the early 1900's.

You will have the opportunity to upgrade to a Deluxe Russian Lion Power Course which will include a 2 DVD set that can be obtained nowhere else, without exception.

Prepare yourself....

In strength,

Zach Even - Esh

P.S. - I will announce the release of The Russian Lion Power Course via e mail, so make sure you're signed up at http://zacheven-esh.com

You can't afford to miss this incredible course!

What the heck is Beast Training?!?!

2008-01-10T04:50:00.000-08:00

I always call the guys at our gym Beasts after I've seen then work their asses off to transform themselves from what and who they once were.

I say what AND who because changes occur inside and out. The training here effects the emotional and psychological as well as the physical aspects.

Below you'll see a video of one of our BEASTS, David Ellis, a Judo Black Belt and Brown Belt in BJJ. At 185 lbs or so he is very unassuming, but when he trains he unleahses a ferocious intensity that sends shockwaves through the gym!

As you know, we follow the guidelines I lay out in The Ultimate Underground Strength Kit.

Our Football players follow suit. We want to develop an insane amount of work capacity, and this means developing strength, speed and conditioning that NEVER quits.

But, here's the REAL beauty of finding a training program like This.

It becomes a time and place where you lose yourself and find yourself.

The training has a very spiritual and emotional aspect to it that makes you feel great from within.

Once you begin changing who and what you are from within, the physical will take care of itself at a whole new level, faster than ever before!

It's time you began your journey with a system that gives you much, much more than simply bigger muscles.

In Strength,

Zach Even - Esh

P.S. - With all the craziness that we encounter on a day to day basis, the stresses of life, you need a place of calming, a place that brings you back to feeling great about yourself and life.

Yes, this will become a kind of therapy for you, and it's a beautiful thing when you get to experience the powers of our Underground Kit!

Go here to start changing who and what you are TODAY!

--> http://undergroundstrengthmanual.com

Video of our wrestler dominating

2008-01-08T20:37:00.001-08:00

Derek DelaCruz dominates his way through the East Brunswick Tournament.

Only a sophomore, Derek is a Beast at 112 lbs.

Check him out in action!

Don't forget, we've got a special going on now,
if you join http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com for one year,
we'll give you an added Bonus, 3 Months FREE!

This special ends Wed. night, January 9th at midnight.

With hundreds of articles and regular updates, this beats the value of any book or product
you might invest in because our information keeps on growing!

Go get em'!

In strength,

Zach Even - Esh

P.S. - Get your 3 FREE months when you sign up for a full year, at http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com

What's a Strength and Health Picnic?

2008-01-06T19:42:00.000-08:00

Turn your speakers up, this is the ever magnificent song of the awe inspiring movie, 'Pumping Iron' - even better is 'Raw Iron' - where you see the footage that was NEVER included in the first movie.

Well, below you will see bodybuilding and weightlifting great, John Grimek.

John was actually born in Perth Amboy, which is a neighboring town, 5 minutes away from good ol' Edison.

Then, John lived in Pa., and was a few houses away from a young Richard Sorin, 'The Grip King', who I just interviewed for a NEW project you're about to feast on :)

Now that I have seen this video, you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be hosting a 'Strength and Health Picnic' - Not sure how, but Spring time this must come to fruition.

You see, I'm a nostalgic kinda guy, I belonged in the Golden Era, I yearn for the days when egos were gone and jealousy and animosity was non-existant. Too many cry babies and whiners in the strength and conditioning field nowadays, it's ridiculous.

This picnic will be open to anyone who wants to train and or watch and have a good time.

That's the agenda, FUN, plain and simple. The more who attend, the more we can all learn from one another.

Check out the video and you'll see some amazing feats of strength, one of the toughest is the TIGER PRESS UP. It's a hand stand on the forearms, and then you push into a handstand!

Plus, look how strong Grimek is, looks like he's tossing around about 300 lbs. in the clean and press like Nothing.

Talk about muscle control...watch those triceps!!

You can also look forward to the following events from me:

Click HERE for a list of events I will be presenting at.

Early Spring expect the first ever Underground Strength Coach Certification to take effect, right here in Edison, NJ.

In strength,

Zach Even - Esh

The Combat Complex Video

2008-01-04T04:51:00.000-08:00

Many people have asked me about my "Combat Complex" w/Kettlebells.

Below is that video, used with a 70 LB Kettlebell.

Here's the Combat Complex in Detail:

1. 1 arm snatch x 5

2. 1 arm clean & press x 5

3. 2 hand squat x 10

4. 2 hand lunge x 5 each

5. 1 arm high pull x 5

6. 1 arm row x 5

7. 2 hand swing x 10

This is a brutal complex!

Start light and build up in weight.

Good luck, this is a toughy but more than physical readiness it requires mental toughness.

There is NO Quitting!

Check out our hard hitting, power packed 'Kettlebells for Combat' Kit at the link below:

http://combatgrappler.com/KettlebellsforCombat.html

Stay strong!

--Zach--

This Guy's Secret: Commercial Fitness

2008-01-01T17:24:00.000-08:00

You may or may not know who this "guy" is, depends on your age.

Those of you who do know this man, you know just how deadly he was on the Football Field.

What he says here is a BIG reason why:

Too many people want to try to lift weights first, use olympic lifts, etc - 99 % of the time people are NOT ready to touch weights.

All of our athletes start off with what Herschel is talking about, plus some select few sled and farmer walk variations with different implements.

One of the Manuals in The Underground Strength Kit is dedicated to tons of bodyweight movements that can be performed with a partner.

The manual is the 'Ultimate Guide to No Rules Training' - it's part of the entire kit.

If you train in groups or with a team, you need to have this manual so you can use this arsenal of exercises to develop the raw power that eludes so many men today!

I love the idea of cranking out push ups, pull ups and squats during TV commercials. I have been advising this for years, good to see I'm in good company with my advice, don't you agree :)

Till the next time,

stay strong!

--Zach--

P.S. - The Underground Kit comes in 2 variations. A hard copy and an e book version.

You can save about $ 80 with the e book version, but for some of you, you may prefer the ease of carrying your books around plus, the hard copy comes with a DVD - The Underground Guide to Sled Training (I filmed this bad boy on a hot, humid day of 100 degrees!)

hard copy: http://UndergroundStrengthKit.com

e book: http://UndergroundStrengthManual.com

THE Critical Video You Must Watch

2007-12-30T21:03:00.000-08:00

Watch carefully, the backyard gym Wanderlei had set up seems more efefctive than the craziness in the Xyience Center. Still, his intensity was super high.

Now, Chuck uses the same Ancient Training Methods Wanderlei used back in Brazil.

I have seen a different UFC All Access where Chuck gets trained by John Hackelman in his backyard, where tire flipping took places, sledge hammer work, wheel barrow runs, hill sprints and more were happening.

Back when I first created Ancient Training Methods the DVD, I sent it to John Hackelman, that's a wild story all in itself, let me tell you :)

This "backyard" training is similar to when Clubber Lang trained in his basement in Rocky III, and then we saw Rocky training out in junk yards using sledge hammers. Is this all for show, or does it work?

Look at the success of our athletes and those around the world who have used Ancient Training Methods, you'll see for yourself soon enough, this stuff works, and it works BIG Time.

Kick ass in 08'!

Best,

--Z--

P.S. - Get your Ancient Strength DVD and a limited time bonus with me for our FIRST ever Underground Teleseminar!

--> http://combatgrappler.com/ancient.html

Log Training for Speed, Power and Agility!

2007-12-30T07:14:00.000-08:00

Lots of people are missing out by training with traditional only methods.

You MUST get yourself and / or your athletes out training with or in the elements.

I will never forget the words people were sending me after they started training with the methods found in our Ancient Training Methods Kit.

You'll see ALL the testimonials when you check out this link.

What you can do right now is find a tree company and ask them if they would be willing to drop off a log or two that is 5 - 6 feet in length and yes, you'll need to pay them a little, and probably no more than $ 10 or $ 20 bucks.

You will NOT be disappointed with what you can do with these logs.

I remember the first time I carried my log around my back yard! My entire back was struggling like NEVER before, it was amazing! After a few weeks of our wrestlers carrying these logs they were developing takedown strength and speed like never before.

The mental toughness benefits were amazing as well. The struggle to go through these carries through a hilly back yard tested them mentally, and because they had no option except to carry the log without dropping, they carried over this "never quit" attitude to their wrestling.

And yesm we had our Football players training with logs as well. Funny thing is, those same 2 guys who were using our logs received more than their share of awards after this past season.

One received Defensive Lineman of the year for his team, the other received 10 or so awards, including 2nd team all state and MVP Fall Athlete for his school! Beasts I tell ya!

Time for you to call your local tree company and get some logs!

Get your Ancient Training DVD asap!

Check out this crazy video!

In strength,

Zach Even - Esh

The Trump Speaks Out

2007-12-29T17:28:00.000-08:00

This Blog takes some slight turns as my own life changes and turns.

But, one thing I always had for the iron was Passion.

Passion makes the "work" easy, so all the sweat and pain that I go through, it's enjoyable, no matter how tough, I always love it. In fact, I hate workouts that offer no challenge.

Being a business man, much of my information, knowledge and practices are often learned through athletics and the iron game, and The Donald knows this all too well.

Even if you don't own a business or run a company, you should check this clip out:

Happy New Year to you my friend, thank you for being part of my blog, and remember, New Year Resolutions suck :)

Resolve to take action NOW, it's always the best time!

In Strength,

Zach Even - Esh

http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com

The Grip Master Speaks!

2007-12-28T09:17:00.000-08:00

Wow, I just finished a LONG interview with Richard Sorin, the FIRST man to ever close the COC Gripper # 3!
We chatted about his first days of training in his cellar, how he made equipment from wood back then, grip training, olympic and power lifting, his biggest influences in the strength and iron game plus TONS more!
Here's a sneak peak of what's about to be released....there are several parts to this kit, so keep in mind, this is ONLY one little peak :)

I love listening to how men trained from the 1800's and through the 1970's. This was a very prominent time where strength was coveted. Today, the focus is not on being strong anymore, but, I know there are many of us in cellars, basements, garages and small warehouses who love the old school iron game.

Check out this video of Richard Sorin talking grip training....

Enjoy the grip talk, this is some awesome nuggets of Gold coming from the Grip Master himself!

More on the way when our Russian Lion Power Course gets launched. Stay tuned by clicking HERE!

Have the best ever New Years!

Stay Safe and Healthy!

In Strength,

Zach Even - Esh

Log Training in Tribal Villages?

2007-12-25T19:05:00.000-08:00

Watching a past episode of 'Last One Standing' - see my video below - you see the members compete in a log run, a relay race, around and through a village.

It's amazing as you watch the men AND women run with a 100 lb log, or heavier.

One of the members, Brad, is a strongman competitor, so he took his training philosophy of using a heavier implement during training to make the actual race easier. Smart man.

Before the main race, they decide to have a "warm up" race before the main event and they actually use the heavier log.

We've been using logs since day one, we carried them, jogged with them, power cleaned em', squatted em' and tons more....you'll see what I mean in my Ancient Strength Secrets Kit.

The best way to get yourself a log is to either contact a tree cutting company and offer them cash to deliver a log or two to your house, or, you might get lucky and see a tree company cutting trees in your neighborhood.

As you see you shall find!

Happy New Year my friend :)

In strength,

Zach Even - Esh

P.S. - Don't forget to check out the Ancient Strength Secrets Kit w/our log training. You'll feel the warrior within you come alive as you begin this "ancient" style of training.

Last One Standing

2007-12-22T10:25:00.000-08:00

I caught the final episode today, and, if you know me, I don't watch TV, but, some shows are dowright awesome and I hate to miss them.

Of course, I would always watch Sopranos and Entourage, always will :)

But Discovery Channel has some awesome stuff.....

Check this one out and look for the repeats or order the box set when it comes out:

The competitions and training look very tough, and what I saw today was brutal!

It's quite amazing, I'm sure guys like Tim Ferriss would fit in perfectly fine on this show :)

Stay strong,

Zach

P.S. - Just found out my story of "Underground Beginnings" is in a VERY cool book, which you can find HERE. I've been cruising through this book and love every ounce of info I have found, especially, public domain info. You'll be seeing an OLD book I have re-created and added MANY, MANY more goldmines of information to soon enough! How'd I learn how to get the info your way? You guessed it, Mr. Yanik Silver himself taught me!

Savin' the Day with a Truck Push

2007-12-21T19:02:00.001-08:00

I used to push my truck A LOT through an empty school lot, as did my athletes.

Wow, that worked the legs and upper body big time!

It's been a while since I've done it, and w/winter here, my sled and prowler work is really at an all time low :(

But, Last night, I was leaving the mall LATE at night and I parked FAR away from civilization, as did a group of ladies. Looked to be Grandma, Mom and 3 of the girls.

Guess what? The good ol' Mini Van was NOT starting. I saw the girls and Mom trying to push the Van.

I said to them, "Where are you trying to push your van to?" They told me the van won't start and they wanted to get to the main parking lot...a good 150 yards away. I told them to ALL get in the van, put it in neutral and steer for me.

It was about 10: 30 at night so lucky for me the lot emptied a lot and I had a nice straight path to push them through. Those speed bumps didn't help much, but damn I got that van moving at a sweet pace and got them to the main lot, where security could easily find them and call for help. I waited till security came and man, that push had me breathing heavy and feeling the legs!

Maybe it's time to get back to my OLD roots and push my truck down at the school lot.

It's always special when you go back to your FIRST place where something began. There's certainly magic in the air, and I think this incidence happened for a reason.

I helped someone get home safely and feel safe. That's all that really counts in the end :)

Wishing you the most magical Christmas (or any holiday you celebrate) and New Year ever!

In strength,

Zach Even - Esh

A Kettlebell workout to kick your A**!

2007-12-20T20:49:00.001-08:00

I've been taking one of my clients through some regular "Loaded Conditioning" workouts using the beastly Kettlebells.

He loved it, and he was also rocked, as is anyone else who tries to step up and go toe to toe with 2 rounds of "Loaded Conditioning".

Once I put the finshing touches on this incredibly powerful Kettlebell training resource I'll give ya a holler.

I was lucky enough to get an interrogation with Kenneth Jay from Denmark, and man did he really wake me up to some bad a** combat preparation methods using Kettlebells and barbells.

I can't argue with KJ's methods because his results are phenomenal and man, he is one strong dude.

Until I get this Kettlebell kit all tidy and ready for you, I want you to sweat it out with this workout:

Perform the workout as a circuit and don't forget to warm up as well as hit one light set before getting into the heated battle below.

You will total 5 rounds with 60 second rest between each round.

1A) double push press x 5
1B) double bent over row x 5
1C) double swings x 5
1D) farmer walk x 50 ft.
1E) overhead walk x 50 ft.
1F) rack walk x 50 ft.

Get your mind ready for this one, the pain will be high and I know you'll be battling all the way through your 5 rounds.

If technique falters, do not stay with heavy weights, feel free to grab some lighter kettlebells.

Stay strong!

--Zach--

http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com

********

Kenneth Jay in Action...

9 Power Packed Minutes of Strength Secrets

2007-12-16T15:15:00.000-08:00

Enjoy my gift to you :)

This is a 9 minute, power packed audio message from me all about how to develop strength quickly, all during the holidays!

You're going to love it!

Please send this Blog Link to your friends and colleagues!

Until the next time,

stay strong!

--Zach--

P.S. - Did you enjoy this audio? If so, let your friends know by sending them our BLOG link!

P.P.S. - For more Holiday survival workouts, head on over and see what we have for you at The Underground!

Here's your special $ 1, 7 day trial link: https://www.undergroundstrengthcoach.com/public/279.cfm

3 Holiday Survival Workouts (plus more)

2007-12-13T09:56:00.000-08:00

Most people slack big time come the holidays.

I'm not sure what it is besides "lack of time", but maybe some people feel it's OK to kick back and be like the regular Joe who watches TV non stop chomping away on twinkies and ring dings.

I use a little method that helps me get in plenty of workouts, and also keeps the metabolism stoking at a Very, Very high rate.

You'll see these over at The Underground as well.

Check out these 3 workouts, use them and I mean Really use them, start doing them today.

There is no better time than NOW!

Holiday Workout 1:

Perform the following 4 times throughout the day:

1) 50 squats
2) 50 push ups

I suggest upon rising, then lunch, then afternoon, then evening time.

This will give you 200 reps total of squats and push ups in one day. Each "workout" should take you 3 or 4 minutes.

If you're not strong enough to hit 50 reps straight through, pick a lower number. You'll get there soon enough with this program. This program is great for building strength as well.

Holiday Workout 2:

1) V Ups x 20

2) Handstand push up or handstand push up hold x max

If you can't do a handstand push up, kick up into the handstand position against the wall and hold for max time.

Hit the above workout 3 times in one day: Morning, Afternoon and Evening.

Holiday Workout 3:

1) Push Ups x 25

Work the 25 reps of push ups as often as possible through your day.
Dropping down for 25 push ups will take 1 minute.

We all have 1 minute several times a day, right?

I would hit these "Holiday Workouts" more than 3 times a week.

We have several "Holiday Survival" articles over at http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com

We know this is a time sensitive time of year, and, I know that even if it wasn't the holidays, you may be time crunched, as I often am.

So you'll find workouts that last 20 minutes or less and help pack on strength, muscle all while burning fat around the clock.

I will leave you with this: "All the strength you need is already Inside of You"

Remember, time waits for no man, and Tony Robbins always said this to the person who procrastinates:"How about NOW would be a good time?"

Yes, it is written in question, but truly it's a statement, an Action statement!

Go get em' !

In Strength,

--Zach--

P.S. - Discover how to maximize your inner strength. I kid you not, the above mini workouts will improve your strength more than you can imagine. It's the same method I used to take me from 13 or 14 pull ups to 25 pull ups in under 2 weeks.

In full detail you'll find this rogue strength training method at http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com

Did You Forget??

2007-12-12T04:59:00.001-08:00

Don't tell me you forgot about the 12 Days of Fitness.

There are endless gifts coming your way, and if you like FREE stuff, might as well dive in and get yours!

I can't believe how much free stuff they are just giving away here!

Check it out and sign up at http://12daysofFitness.com

--Z--

How they prepared for battle

2007-12-10T18:38:00.000-08:00

Above, the infamous 600 + lb tire!

One of our clients headed off to wrestle at the D 1 level this year.

If you received my last e journal regarding Coach Reeve and my thoughts on D 1 wrestling, you know that the D 1 level is no joke.

Well, with all our hard core training methods, we seriously packed this kid's muscles with dynamite.

When he had to partner carry his wrestling partner up the Football stadium stairs during wrestling practice it was no problem. He had already been there!

When he performed wheel barrow walking up stairs he flew up the stairs, been there, done that.

When the tires were being flipped he smashed through them while the others were screaming, yelling and sturggling through the unknown. Flipping 600 lb tires makes a 350 lb tire feel like child's play!

With the new year coming it looks like people are starting to rethink their current strength regime, or, they are planning on doing things differently for those they train.

I wish other Coaches were trying new things, because the art of strength development seems to have gotten lost amongst machines, plyometrics, incorrect percentages and other unnecessary tools and actions.

The strongest men keep their training very, very simple. They stray from fancy and they know that the main factor one must develop is strength.

Of course, skill in your specific sport is number one, but, imagine what happens to performance when your strength is at a very high level AND so is your sport specific skill.

I've seen what happens, and if you've seen our athletes compete, so have you.

One of our Football players just received the MVP award for his team as he scored countless touchdowns and blasted through oponnents like a run away freight train.

Oh yea, this was AFTER getting his shoulder reconstructed and only getting 2 months of training time with us.

We KNEW that to get him faster and incredibly powerful we had to develop the strength of a Mack Truck.

These are the secrets your competition doesn't want you to have.

Oh well, it's their loss and Your gain.

In strength,

Zach Even - Esh

P.S. - Follow our ultimate training plan for packing your muscles with dynamite.

The e book is here and saves you a lot of dinero:

--> http://UndergroundStrengthManual.com

The hard copy is here, and although a little more dinero, you get to carry this around with you anywhere you go as well as enabling you to play all the power packed audio interrogations in your car.

--> http://UndergroundStrengthKit.com

Tales of Arnold Schwarzenegger

2007-12-09T21:34:00.000-08:00

I remember reading about Arnold training at a very primitive gym in Europe.

He was in a place that had less than optimal equipment, and by today's standards, people would cry if they saw this.

For me? I would be in heaven because I KNOW the power of old school basics.

Instead of the traditional incline benches for today's lazy ass, there was a bench like the one above, where you would lay back on the bench, body straight, legs straight.

So, before every set of incline benches, Arnold would have to power clean the weight up, lay back, perform the set up, and then somehow manage to get off the bench with the barbell in the rack position and still get down.

Arnold would end up performing barbell power cleans with 275 + lbs.

But, after a short time he saw the tremendous gains in strength and muscle that were added to his body.

Especially his shoulders, back and traps.

Stop thinking modern and start discovering the old school ways of training.

This is where the BIGGEST gains are made! See for yourself right here: http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com

In strength,

Zach Even - Esh

http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com

Feelin' like a Lumberjack

2007-12-09T21:26:00.000-08:00

Those days of training in my back yard....

Actually, those are sometimes STILL THE DAYS!

I have my climbing rope there and a 70 lb. Kettlebell.

I have some smaller stones for pinch gripping and light shoulder work if I want some extra endurance work happening.

But, it's those first days in my back yard that are like when you got your first bike.

Do you remember your first bike? No matter how crappy your first bike was, you still had love for it!

I definitely miss my backyard, garage and playground training days.

I LOVE the USC Gymnasium, but, we all have our first love and we tend to learn the most from our first love.

For me, it proves that it always pays to work your ass off on the basics. It's always been that way and it will never change. Not now, not tomorrow, not in a million years.

The basics will always give you the biggest bang for your buck!

Check out one of my favorite back yard workouts from years ago:

Max Rounds in 15 Minutes:

1A) rope climb

1B) double kettlebell clean & press x 5

1C) log carry x 1 lap around yard

1D) sledge hammer swings x 20 (switch top hand at 10 reps)

This workout killed me the first time after only 1 round, but I kept pushing and pushing until I could go for 5 minutes, then 8, then 12 and finally 15 minutes.

The simple method of progressive overload...use it!

Train hard & train heavy!

--zach--

PS - You can see my training methods, in depth, no holds barred at http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com - be ready for the most power packed strength & conditioning information on the web!

My 1 and Only, plus 2 Videos

2007-12-04T21:16:00.000-08:00

Yep, she's my one and only....

She's my daughter...

She's my everything....

She gives me strength...More strength than I ever had before!

My daughter is what motivates me into a whole new realm, for you, there is something else.

What that something else is, only YOU can decide.

Or, "it" will decide for you.

We all derive inner strength from somewhere or something else.

Dan Gable always wrestled as if his sister was watching over him. His sister was raped and murdered when he was a young boy. This drove him to ever greater heights of intensity, passion and dedication.

As a father, I believe, as you know for so long, I believe that ALL men should be STRONG, period! A weak man is NOT a man. He has allowed himself to fall apart and become weaker, when it can be totally different if he chooses to empower himself.

I know of no better way to do this than through hard, basic training. I talk about this endlessly at http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com

To some people, they might get tired of this, but hey, if you want to get strong, go back to 1950 and prior and you will really find some colossal training information presented by men who walked the walk and knew exactly how to obtain strength that the majority of today's men only dream of!

Don't make me tell you about BIG George...again!!

Do you remember my story of trianing in my Dad's garage with a 300 lb barbell and a pair of 50 & 100 lb dumbbells? If not, then the fact is that I got bigger and stronger faster than ever before while shocking others about how AND where it all happened.

I guess that was the beginning of my Underground training.

Some people simply need a reminder of what to do, others need some hand holding.

I won't do either. I'll tell you straight up, stop being a p***y and start training heavy and hard, using barbells, dumbbells, stones, sandbags and bodyweight.

Pick 2 - 4 exercises each workout and kick the living daylights out of them!

Tell me what your results are in 4 weeks, and then again in 8 weeks.

I've seen it happen to EVERY athlete and individual I've trained and I'll see it in you.

Imagine how great it's going to be!

Being strong feels great, NOTHING better than getting stronger and stronger!

Here's some new vids of me getting STRONGER...

T Bar Rows with the bar fully loaded and incline thick pressing with 220 lbs.

Notice there are no isolation movements and Nothing is pretty.

Check the vids....

Now it's your turn to train heavy and hard. I do it, and I want YOU to do it.

There's no room or any excuse left for allowing yourself to be weak.

Strength is THE Key!

Best,

Zach

P.S. - I've been getting a lot of calls and e mails from Football Coaches. Looks like they want to improve upon their last season's record, and they are hearing that Underground is the way to go.

I like how fast they act. Football season ended 1 week ago, the majority of kids and teams wait until summer to get moving....that's a 7 month lay off.

The next set of dedicated wait until after the New Year!

The REALLY dedicated get going the next week and they go Underground!

The New Age "Strength Coach"

2007-12-03T22:12:00.000-08:00

Looks to be like the New Age "Strength Coach" is more concerned with how wild and crazy their workouts are as opposed to results.

Are you doing things with agility ladders, cones, beams of light, special tubing, special cables, special machines and special everything?

I bet the athlete who climbs rope, performs handstand push ups, deadlifts, squats and the barbell clean and press will mash the athlete being trained "fancy shmancy".

Let's see some heavy turkish get ups, heavy deadlifts and endless pull ups, push ups and sled dragging.

I did some old school work today and man did it kick my ass big time.

Turkish get ups, dumbbell clean and press, dumbbell clean and jerk, dumbbell snatches, t bar rows and weighted pull ups.

Can you perform a turkish get up with a 70 lb kettlebell, how about an 88 lb kettlebell, or, change it up and use a heavy dumbbell.

These will rock your house but the strength you will be build will be the equivalnet of a foundation as solid as hardened cement.

Why do people avoid these tough exercises like the plague?

I'm tired of people complaining about how weak they are and still complaining about the basics.

The Underground methods have helped individuals and teams achieve strength like never before.

I've received countless e mails from Coaches who completely turned around their team from a losing record to a winning percentage of 80% and higher, all the way to undefeated.

Basics...train hard, train heavy or go home!

--zach--

P.S. - I received an e mail from another Strength Coach who really was psyched on how we were training after watching our you tube videos.

He said that he would put money on my athletes any day over some of the "gurus" out there who are busy bashing strongmen and powerlifters and touting their special routines as numero uno.

You can stop the power and strength of The Underground. Get the power in your own hands at http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com

12 days of ??

2007-12-03T22:09:00.000-08:00

Yep, it's back, and you can get a boat load of gifts once you sign up for them at http://12daysofFitness.com

I believe over 100 something strength coaches have submitted free gifts for you to benefit from, take advantage of this offer and snag anything you like!

Enjoy your gifts!

Best,

Zach

P.S. - Can you believe 2008 is aroud the corner? What powerful changes did you create in 07' and what do you plan even bigger for 08'?!?!?

3 Simple Ways to Develop Titanic Strength!

2007-11-27T19:55:00.000-08:00

Complications are what hold back 99% of the people I know.

It's not that they don't eat enough, or the exercises are no good, or they have poor genetics.

No.

It's the bottom line that the program is way too complicated to derive results from.

We've had some of the skinniest dudes walk through our doors and we've transformed them into rock solid Gladiators.

Wouldn't you love to be strong and solid? I know you would, so don't waste your time on the other crap and start paying attention now.

It's time to go to school.

You are going to use 3 very simple tools, all of which are very cheap, or free.

But, all of them are convenient, and I do mean ALL of them.

- stones (free)

- bodyweight (anytime, anywhere)

- sandbags (cheap and easy to make)

I've seen some incredible gains in strength and rapid muscle gains when using these "tools".

Does this mean no barbells and no dumbbells?

Heck no. If you got em', use and work the heck out of them, all basics.

But, if you don't have them, you may need to make a sandbag but loaded with magazines.

That's right, maybe you live in the city, and getting pea gravel isn't exactly easy.

So, you get a canvas army navy duffle bag from e bay, then load it with old magazines.

I saw a guy do this on a national georgraphic special following some guys around in prison.

Wow, this dude was built like solid steel and he was squatting with his sheet tied around a bunch of magazines. He was working with those magazines I tell ya, he was sweating buckets.

I've seen the power of these tools, the sad thing is not enough people use these tools effectively or correctly.

It's time to remove the complication from getting the strength of a speeding freight train.

Just squat, push, pull, press and carry - work hard, work consistently, the results will come flooding in like a tidal wave.

Are you ready?

I know you are, now go get em'!

In strength,

Zach Even - Esh

P.S. - That's right, it's time for you to get your hands on the information you need to develop titanic strength and muscles of solid steel.

No guessing, all the answers are here for you, at http://UndergroundStrengthManual.com

"My strength has increased, as has my endurance big time thanks to the information in The Underground Kit! The more and more I immerse myself in the "Underground" methods the more I feel like an animal in a cage just waiting to spring forward and destroy everything in my path with cold, calculating efficiency!

Thanks for all the support, great advice and tips Zach!"

Stephen Jessup / Attorney Sunny South Florida

What does Zach do when he has Pneumonia?

2007-11-25T13:12:00.001-08:00

Since last Monday I have been walking around with Pneumonia. It was kicking my ass all over the place.

I stayed home on Thanksgiving, so I'm not stuffed at all. Instead, I'm on an empty stomach, my appetite to eat just isn't there.

I hope your Thanksgiving went great, that is definitely one of my favorite holidays.

Little did I know that this was Pneumonia, I thought it was dear old friend of winter past, The FLU!

Luck will have no such thing, so, Thursday, unable to get up and move around without pain, I found a way to get to the Medemerge.

I'm feeling better today for the first time in a week, so my wife had my cleaning gutters, hanging Christmas ornaments and laundry. Hey, I'm human just like you!

Now I feel like shit again :)

This did give me a chance to do things I haven't done in ages.

I watched TV, rented a few movies and watched a little Football. I NEVER watch Football, but I wanted to see what 90% of other men in this country do, and that's sit on their ass all day and watch television.

I'm not impressed, sorry.

I was impressed with the Football, not the sitting on my ass all day part, which is why men are weaker, WAY weaker than they should be!

If I could find a way, I would be telling women to purchase a holiday gift for their husband such as Ancient Strength Training.

This way men could stop going to those sissy health clubs and start training like Gladiators. Heck, you can do this stuff in your garage, driveway, backyard or set up shop in a local warehouse with a handful of friends.

I should be getting back into it late next week. I am going to be smart this time and ease into it, as opposed to my past ways which would probably be starting off with a squat or deadlift day.

This time I'll work my way with lots of pull ups, push ups and squats - all bodyweight training, but different variations for each exercise on every set.

And, if you have read my previous post on "chunking", this will be an awesome way to get back into it. I'll be working several sets throughout the day before having a full blown workout.

Now, you must be wondering what movies I rented.

Well, I love inspirational movies and comedy. So I went that route.

We Are Marhall - Wow, this was a powerful movie and it really hit home how a group or team can have a tremendous impact. It also showed how a Coach can impact people for their entire life, as can sports. This was a great one!

Knocked Up - This movie was hilarious. You can watch this with friends, your girlfriend, wife, etc. I was laughing like crazy on this one!

Reign Over Me - This movie was great. It really hits home about living life. This was the movie with Adam Sandler as he was affected by the loss of his family from the 9/11 attacks.

Who ever would of thought I was a movie critic, but, I'm not. It was awesome to actually enjoy a movie for once, it's been ages, and it reminds me, I should take my wife to the movies more often. But, because I never watch TV, I have no clue what's playing, what's good, what's not good.

I'm sure I'll find a way!

What did I learn from being sick?

Well, for one, I better slow down, relax, and sleep a little more.

Also, a little TV in the way of a good movie is a good thing, and going to the movies is even better :)

If you're stuffed and feeling like an over-sized Turkey, it's time to transform that stuffing and dessert into muscle and energy. Head on over and start training like an Ancient Gladiator.

Go on, don't get lazy with the holidays here. Instead, treat yourself to a gift :)

That's how I always see it!

---> http://CombatGrappler.com/ancient.html

Until the next time,

train hard, train heavy!

--Zach--

Video of our Most Driven Athlete

2007-11-22T12:09:00.001-08:00

Jim Beshada may very well have been our most dedicated, most driven athlete.

Jimmy came to me after his sophomore year, where he did not make it out of the districts. This was when we were training in my backyard, garage and the field down the street.

His work ethic though, was phenomenal.

He would train 2 - 3 x week, no matter what, he never missed workouts.

If he was on vacation w/his family in South Jersey, he would drive 2 hrs. north to train and then head back down south.

He was one of those kids that handled adversity like no other, and you'll see in the beginning of the video, he's about to get pinned for a good 15 seconds, most kids would have been finished, he comes back and puts his opponnet to his back.

The weekend of the NJSIAA Wrestling Championship was when I was in Ohio to present at The Arnold Sports Fest with Randy Couture, that entire weekend I was communicating via cell w/his progress and going over warm ups and confidence building.

Jimmy took 2nd in the state, but man, this kid was the poster boy for work ethic.

Ever since he was a sophomore, he had his eye on the ultimate goal, which was winning the states. It is goals like this that can push someone to train for years on end w/out faltering.

In the end, everyone must have goals, short term and long term. If you don't have goals, I can bet that you're not making progress like you want to.

Better yet, write your goals down and post them somewhere highly visible.

Ask every wrestler who trains at my gym what their goal is and the LEAST they will say is qualify for the states. Right now the intensity is scarey and we have a few who can win the states, then again, once you make it to the states, ANYONE can win.

Our last workout with the wrestlers, the intensity was so high that the walls were even sweating!

Now go write your goals down!

In Strength,

Zach Even - Esh

P.S. - Want to know EXACTLY how we train our athletes? Go to http://UndergroundStrengthKit.com and you'll have The Underground Strength Bible in your hands!

"Forget what you know about weight-lifting and strength training!
Most likely you've been body-building your whole life. And if your goal is to merely look good when you go to the beach and rub hot oil on your body when you flex in the mirror, then this program is not for you.

However, if you're serious about making huge gains on your functional strength (a term Mr. Even - Esh is loathe to use), you'd be hard-pressed to find a better program than the one here.
If you want to improve your performance in your chosen sport, specifically combat sports, i.e. MMA, wrestling, BJJ, then this program is critical for your development.

There is a tremendous wealth of knowledge in all three manuals, the 4 audio interrogations and the DVD. The manuals are well-written and there are ample photographs to assist in the instruction. Zach Even - Esh discusses the use of various tools that at first may seem very unorthodox. Tires? Ropes? Hammers? Rocks? And the Kettlebell? However, he demonstrates how all of these can be successfully used as tools to make dramatic improvements in both your cardio and your strength level, simultaneously.

These workouts are intense, hard core, and very effective. Wimps need not apply. Accept the challenge and be prepared to work! You will love the results."

Harris Brumer
1997 graduate of U.S. Military Academy at West Point
4 x Varsity Letterwinner in wrestling
Purple Belt in BJJ
Officer in the U.S. Army for 6 years
Train at http://www.cityboxing.com/

The Power of Chunking 3 - 5 times a day

2007-11-19T20:08:00.000-08:00

Here is a little Q & A from one of our readers :)

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving in case you don't hear from me before then!

Zach ,

you mentioned in one of your e mails a technique where you train off and on throughout the day. You called it clunking. Can you briefly elaborate.

Eric

-----

Chunking is very similar to what one cna do in business. Instead of cranking it all out in one shot, you perform several, time intensive and laser focused "action steps". I studied like this in college as well.

On weekends, I chunk push ups frequently.

Simply take one or two basic movements and work them several times throughout the day, 1 set at a time.

This can be performed w/free weights as well, not just bodyweight. With free weights, choose a moderate weight to avoid injury since you are working the set when NOT warmed up.....then again, the argument may be in REAL life we are never warmed up and often must take intense, maximal effort / action. I agree w/that point as well.

I have done this with the following list of exercises:

- pull ups

- handstand push ups

- power push ups

- squats

- kettlebell bent pressing

- kettlebell push pressing

- rope climbing

- weighted pull ups

This has been a great way to get strong, and it keeps your metabolism revving all day long.

The set does NOT have to go to failure, it can be a submax effort set but the movement must be executed to perfection.

Imagine if you did this with push ups, pull ups and squats all week - by the end of the week your reps will be over 1,000 for push ups and squats I'm sure, and several hundred for pull ups.

The bottom line is I want you to find a way to make it work, all the time, no matter what, no excuses!

If you're with me, and I'm sure you are, then don't wait to get started, DROP AND GIVE ME 50!

Have a GREAT Thanksgiving,

Thank You for being a reader and subscriber of mine!

All the best,

Zach Even - Esh

The First One & It's Still On Fire

2007-11-19T19:59:00.000-08:00

A few years back I released a DVD called 'Ancient Training Methods'.

Back then, I was seriously poor, and could not afford to buy tons of weights.

I made everything I could with minimal investment, other things did not cost me a dime.

I got tires for free, sandbags were very cheap, pushing my truck was a given, bodyweight training at playgrounds was free.

As you know by now, all of this crazy stuff worked.

It worked so well that I was getting orders from countries I seriously had never heard of!

A Football Coach in Ct. actually implemented the entire system into his current program for his team and they went 9 - 1 the next season!

It was crazy as he sent me pics of his players using tree logs, tires, sledge hammers and everything else he learned from this power packed DVD.

The crazy thing is, I thought that the wave of excitement would finally stop. I figured there were far and few guys like myself in garages, basements and back yards training, but then again, I guess I was wrong.

I recently sent a handful of freebees to our troops inIraq.

Back when I was in high school, I was completely sold on traditional bodybuilding methods, I was always looking for the pump and worried about feeling the muscle work.

This was not true strength training, certainly not the kind of stuff that builds titanic strength that crushes and dominates opponnents. That's ok, mistakes are learned from and now I'm passing that information on to others.

Complications are gone, concerns of getting a pump are gone, feeling the muscle is also gone. I still see guys training the way I used to train next door to me.

The USC Gymnasium is next door to a bodybuilding gym, and law enforcement personnel, athletes and everyone else is not training with the methods necessary to get them the strength of a speeding freight train.

The information is out there and yours for the taking if you decide to do so.

Other people prefer training three times as long as we do and only getting half the results. Sometimes you gotta let go of the Kool Aid!

In Strength,

Zach Even - Esh

P.S. - Discover the DVD that has sold around the world, in countries I've never heard of, with athletes, young and old, near and far.

It's all here: --> http://combatgrappler.com/ancient.html

Check out these testimonials.....

"Zach Even - Esh has done his homework on the old school ways of training that made champions in the first place.

His programs for strength are right on target with what true athletes need to build explosive power. Everyone is looking for new ways to train. I say, why re-invent the wheel?"

Pat Miletich

5 x UFC Champion

-----

"Hey Zach!

Just a quick note. Love your Ancient Training DVD! I went to the tire yard and picked up some tires for dragging & flipping. Some of my guys were interested in what I was doing and what could be done with a small tire.

Well, after showing them some of the moves and the dragging variations they tried them. My strongest player did some of the rows and presses and he loved it. Others did the dragging and their legs were toast. Most of the guys love the grappler and strong man training that we learned from your Gladiator Training Manual more than normal weights.

Best thing is more guys are working out now on the team than ever before! I have some other players wanting to train this way now as well!"

Greg LaBelle / Football Coach / Ct.

Gladiators...are YOU ready?!?!

2007-11-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

This is a great video, and of course you KNOW my love for wrestling.

This is a highlight reel from when Buddy Lee, jump rope extraordinaire was competing in his mid 30's at The Olympics!

You'll also see John Smith, who I attended his intensive wrestling camps twice during high school. I still remember attending and going through 4 sessions a day!

I get goose bumps when I tell stories about how intensely he drilled - AND, he needed 2 drill partners, and TWO was not enough. He was smashing people while drilling!

Oh yea, you'll also see Chris Campbell, who was also late 30's, and a Westfield native, 15 minutes away from my house!

And now we have wrestlers coming to The Underground from Westfield!

My final words for you, my friend.....

"No matter what you do, sport or not, go for the GOLD, accept nothing less!!!"

Dedicated to your success,

Zach Even - Esh

Tree Log Training

2007-11-14T09:59:00.000-08:00

When I first moved to my house, it needed A LOT OF WORK.

We had overgrown trees in the back yard that needed cutting, and my wife's cousin took care of that asap.

He hauled away the tree except for two logs which were approximately 4 and 5' in length.

They were HEAVY!

He knew I would find a way to use them, and I did. I also used them w/my wrestlers and football players.

The work required to carry and squat these tree logs was brutal but highly effective.

Holding the logs worked the upper body while the carries and squats powered up their legs.

If you get the chance to find a tree company doing some work, take advantage and find a way to get this log to your house!

Train like a Farm Boy!

--Zach Even - Esh--

PS - Want more secrets of odd object training? Check us out at http://undergroundstrengthcoach.com/

Three Workouts You Must Use ASAP

2007-11-12T20:21:00.000-08:00

After not getting in the workouts I wanted over the weekend, I knew I could squeze in some quick workouts today.

My plan was to attack the lower body today,but all these mini workouts became a full body day in it's entirety.

How many mini workouts?

Try 3 workouts in one day!

Hey, what can I say, I love to train, especially if time allows.

I make time...

Workout 1,

9: 25 AM - 9: 40 AM

I had a break in the morning before work began, here's the workout:

push ups x 50 reps

pull ups x 10 reps

1A) flat bench press 4 x 3 - 6 reps, last set was all out

1B) weighted pull ups 4 x 3 - 5 reps

Workout 2, before clients began training,

4: 15 - 4: 30 PM

1A) barbell floor press 5 x 2 - 5 reps

1B) bent over barbell rows 5 x 6 - 8 reps

Are you noticing all my supersets to keep the pace fast whilst getting more work done in much less time?

Workout 3,

After clients,

8: 10 PM - 8: 25 PM

1A) recline rope climbs 3 x max reps

1B) suspended push ups 3 x max reps

2) heavy arm work with dumbbels for4 supersets

3) wrist roller - forearm work 1 set

"Holy shit" you might be saying, that's 3 workouts in one day!

Where do I find the energy when most people can't even get off their a**to move from the couch to the fridge?

I have passion in everything I do, period.

******

Check out my latest article in Men's Fitness magazine, on news stands now.

Plus, you'll also see my "Feats of Strength" tip with one of my favorite strongman moves.

Go ahead and try the workouts lusted above.

Don't forget, heavy leg workis a must, I'm hitting the "wheels" tomorrow!

Train heavy and train hard!

--Zach--

P.S. - To learn about the methods thatwe use to produce powerful results in strength, power,
stamina and rugged muscle, go to --> http://UndergroundStrengthKit.com

"Tired of the same old workouts? In 2006, there has been an exciting new explosion of information around innovative types of training. But you might be having trouble pulling it all together? The 3 manuals, 1 DVD and 4 audio interviews I received in this Ultimate Strength Kit showed me how to do just that!

Think about every sandbag, kettlebell, thick rope, sled, bodyweight and keg combination you can think of and DOUBLE IT! You will now begin to get an understanding of how big this package really is… I will be putting these audio interviews in the car with me so I can listen to them on the way to work or the gym."
Jim "Smitty" SmithThe Diesel Crew

******

http://UndergroundStrengthKit.com

Too many lies, or, is it 2 many lies?

2007-11-10T19:54:00.000-08:00

Since I have began training young athletes, I have met many who tell quite the tale of strength.

Parents tell me stories and kids tell me stories.

For parents to exaggerate boggles my mind, for kids to exaggerate, well, I guess their kids but honesty is still the best policy.

I heard about kids being able to squat 400 + lbs and then they start training at The Underground and can't perform ONE quality bodyweight squat!

I hear of kids who can do 30 + pull ups, then they do pull ups and do not hit double digits.

The only way to test your strength is by shutting up, and training, for REAL.

The truth always comes out when it's time to step up and prove yourself. This came up at the last Natural - Underground seminar. I used to follow the advice of many names on the internet, until I found out they don't even train themselves!

Wow, kinda tough to learn when you type a good game, but nothing more :)

This is why I love finding the OLD books of strength because the authors were men who walked the walk and really trained hard and heavy!

What would you do if you shut down your computer for 4 weeks and only trained according to what YOU learned? This would lead to less confusion and certainly MORE focus on one method as opposed to every new method under the sun.

Don't talk the walk...

Walk the walk!

--zach even - esh--

P.S. - This is me, walking the walk....go ahead, watch the video :)

Just do ONE of these

2007-11-08T20:42:00.000-08:00

The more I read about the strongest men in the world, especially those from the days of old, the more I realize they practiced the same few (and I do mean VERY FEW) movements over and over again.

Most of the men from decades and centuries ago did tons of overhead work. Ground based lifts were the norm.

There are days when I do this style of training and throw everything else out the door.

It might be all deadlifts, all pull ups, all clean and press variations, or all sandbag presses or shouldering.

Next time you train, ditch the endless variation of movements and exercises.

Instead, pick one exercise and work as many sets as possible in 15 or 20 minutes.

Do this on a regular basis and watch your strength soar to the sky. Reps can stay in the 2 - 5 range, and rest periods will be 1 minute or less.

Now it's your turn to stand up and attack your workout with unrivaled intensity.

Be different, Be STRONG!

--Z--

PS - Being strong is very different. Most people are weak. Want the secrets of strength? Get your free report at http://NaturalStrengthSecrets.com

Stop walking on your feet

2007-11-07T21:06:00.000-08:00

Instead, try walking on your hands as often as possible.

We did this today at The CJA Wrestling club, and man, these wrestlers were workin'!!

If you never walk on your hands you're missing out on a simply and powerful way to quickly develop animal like upper body strength!

I seriously feel bad for the opponents of our wrestlers because they do tons of hand walking movements to transform their upper bodies into bone crushing machines!!

Imagine if you totaled 5 minutes of various hand walking every day...

5 minutes every day

25 minutes every week / weekends off

100 minutes a month

It adds up fast, doesn't it?

Well, guess what else adds up fast? Your upper body strength adds up quickly - and yes, it's almost scarey!

What are you waiting for?!?!

Start making the basics work for you like never before!

--Zach--

49 and counting, SEE what I mean

2007-11-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

Have you subscribed to our you tube page yet?

http://youtube.com/profile?user=ZEvenEsh

If not, what are you waiting for?

We have 466 subscribers...and counting.

If you want to learn, and get some behind the scenes action, then go here:

--> http://youtube.com/profile?user=ZEvenEsh

If you are in NJ and REALLY wanna experience The Underground, then go here and contact us:

--> http://UndergroundStrengthGym.com

Remember, not everyone gets accepted into our program....

--Z--

Why aren't you doing this yet?

2007-11-05T08:22:00.000-08:00

I'm talking about hand walking.....

ANY variation of hand walking....

If you're not doing this yet, why not?

If you think hand walking can't help you, you're dead wrong.

No matter what you do, all variations of hand walking can help you.

This movement develops tremendous upper body strength and stability through the shoulders.

We often perform these with a partner holding ankles, or, we perform handstand push ups.

But, if you train alone, like I do so very often, you want to try the power wheel because it's UNREAL for hand walking, abdominal training and upper body training.

You can walk forwards, backwards, in a circle, perform walking plyo push ups, lateral plyo push ups, knee tucks, pike ups and MUCH MORE!

We have 2 power wheels in our gym now, and when Jon Hinds left the seminar yesterday, he sold out of ALL of them.

I also learned the RIGHT way to work my abs with this powerful tool, and what used to be done for 15 reps, was now only done for 1 or 2 reps! Ouch!

When you get the Power Wheel, try the 15 / 15 workout Jon took us through.

It only lasted 4 minutes and that kicked our asses pretty badly.

15 seconds work and 15 seconds rest: pike ups and leg curls w/hips elevated....BRUTAL on upper and lower body. My upper body was working so hard during the pike ups it was crazy!

Let me know how it works for you once you get your hands on this bad boy!

Go het em'!

--Zach Even - Esh--

PS - This is where you can get your very own Power Wheel, just Click HERE.

What a weekend!

2007-11-04T19:32:00.000-08:00

Wow, Jon Hinds blew everyone away with his methods, thinking and powerful knowledge.

I have been chatting with Jon via phone and e mail for over a year now, maybe about 2 years.

Pat Miletich tipped me off to Jon's methods and his gym 2 summers ago, I immediately e mailed Jon and we wound up talking by phone a lot, having the most amazing conversations.

We were always talking about the days of physical culture, and Jon REALLY had profound knowledge in this area.

Which brings me to another point, more on that in a minute...

This weekend really exposed my weaknesses, and, now I'm REALLY psyched to get more hand walking going on with my athletes.

Hand walking with the power wheel, with partner holding ankles, with feet against wall - walking in / out and sideways....the list goes on! You had to be there to experience everything!

Got back pain?

Who doesn't have or has had some form of back pain before? Jon took us through some powerful, yet very simple techniques to work away the back pain so many of us actually "live" with on a daily basis.

Does this mean I am done powerlifting, finished with strongman work? NO!

It means I now have more tools to add to my arsenal allowing me to train more optimally as well as safer, healthier and longer.

I learned I was doing a lot of stuff wrong, A LOT OF STUFF!

I learned because Jon AND his awesome crew of trainers came with him to help with coaching.

Bringing me back to my point...Jon's Coaches have a LOT OF TIME intensive hands on training themselves and others. There are many internet gurus who don't train anyone, but worst off, they never trained anyone. What's worsed than never training others? How about barely ever "Getting Under the Bar" yourself.

If you want to show others, you must learn yourself through the trial and error of training yourself in the real world.

If you train like a p**sy, then it doesn't count.

Till the next time,

keep kicking ass!

--z--

I wonder who REALLY used this?

2007-11-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

Above, a 150 lb. globe dumbbell. What a BEAUTY!

I have a real yearning for the physical culture days of training, back when training required moving BIG weights, allowed freedom of movements, gymnastics training, olympic lifting, power lifting - all ground based work....

Of course, feats of strength were always amazing, who wouldn't love that stuff?

Lucky for me and those attending, The Natural - Underground Seminar is going to bring those days back!

Now, when I saw that I lost a bid on this 150 lb beauty, I was heart broken. I thought noone on earth would want this 150 lb globe dumbbell as badly as I wanted it!

So, I lost but took immediate action for redemption!

I payed an extra $ 50 than the winning bid AND gave 10 years subscription to The Underground web site (that's a $ 1,270 value!!!)!!!

Hey, when you want something, you go and get it, right?!?!

My goal is to snatch that bad boy before high school wrestling season is over!

Let the games begin!

Go get em'!

Best,

Zach Even - Esh

PS - Where do you think that 150 lb "circus weight", as it was described, came from?

I wonder what types of exercises they used and how strong that person REALLY WAS?

makes ya wonder........

New 'Amazing Abs' Article

2007-10-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

I have a new article up at 'Amazing Abs'

Check it out HERE: http://www.amazingabdominals.com/

It's called 'Abdominal Economics' and you're going to LOVE it, definitely check it out NOW.

Also, don't forget, we have a special sale on our 3 e books, ending November 1st, 7 AM.

See the Previous Blog post below for details and links (50% off everything:).

And, still some time to sign up for The Natural - Underground Seminar,

go here to register and go behind the walls where Jon Hinds and I reveal ALL we do, it's going to be like getting a glimpse behind the old school "Iron Curtain" - I kid you not!

Go here now: http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html

That's all for now,

train hard, train heavy!

--Z--

These 3 will scare the you know what out of you

2007-10-27T19:46:00.001-07:00

I get a lot of questions regarding what is the best program for ___________ (fill in that blank with ANY question, you name it, I've got it).

The internet has confused the heck out of people!

There are people talking about programs noone has ever used or that they have never used themself.

It's a matter of integrity, and back in the day, men wrote books about how to develop REAL Man strength, but the difference was that back then, EVERY MAN who wrote the book actually trained hard and heavy.

Our information cuts through the hype and gives you the meat and potatoes of the how, what, why, where and when.

Take advantage of this, it's over the day AFTER Halloween!

Click Here and you'll see an entire list of e books at 1/2 OFF!

Happy Halloween!

--Zach--

P.S. - Here's that link again: http://combatgrappler.com/halloween-strength-sale.html

Do Kettlebells Really work that well?

2007-10-25T04:46:00.000-07:00

The question arises amongst many "new" tools in this training industry.

Are kettlebells a fad?

"Strongman training is a fad."

Well, these"fads" were around LONG before all of us ever stepped foot into a gym (or on earth:).

The simple truth is, all training tools work, yes, even machines.

It all depends on what you want or need to do.

Below, you'll see me going through a "combat complex" - That is only 1 of many we use here to prepare our combative athletes, and we also modify these for other objectives:

- strength endurance

- muscle building

- power endurance

We use Russian Kettlebells, I personally use them as well.

Same goes for strongman training.

Why do we use these methods / tools?

We use methods that bring about powerful results. Why waste time on things that give poor results, don't you agree?

I'll be discussing and going into specific details about my methods HERE.

I will take you through our exact warm up, through various workouts, post workout methods, discussion of program design (which is where the REAL secret to progress lies), alternative conditioning methods and tons more information that you've never witnessed or experienced before.

I want to arm YOU with the weapons necessary to achieve maximum results. Wouldn't you love that? I KNOW you would!

I can't wait to see what Jon Hinds has in store for us - Jon trained under Rickson Gracie before the UFC was ever on TV, and Rickson was so impressed w/Jon's conditioning he invited him to his home several times to share his training methods.

Jon was described like this, "He has the strength of an Anaconda!"

Enough said.

Stay strong!

--Z--

Secrets of Success: 5 Things

2007-10-24T21:11:00.000-07:00

I wrote an article a while back about 'The Secrets of their Success'

It was about my high school Football team, several time state champs, and how they followed a basic program, with only 5 exercises, yet they were strong as hell!

1) bench press

2) squat

3) deadlift

4) military press

5) barbell cheat curl

here and there I saw them doing some pull downs but it was rare.

back then, the weight room had 1 power rack, 2 flat benches, rusty dumbbells and some other crappy machines for legs.

There was a line of guys behind each bench, one after the other they would go, 2 - 5 reps per set, over and over again.

I have a lot more secrets to success than just 5 things right here, but I always remind myself and others of this story because the basics always work.

The basics are a cure for the weak.

We need more "Russian Playgrounds", don't you agree?

We're becoming a weak society and physical culture needs to come back in a BIG way.

Nothing wrong with adding heavy barbells and dumbbells to the mix :)

Can you quit going to your local gym and start training at home, or in the basement?

Imagine the fact that you could train anyway you wanted, no rules, your music all the time, nobody curling in the squat rack, nobody in your way, nobody stealing your thunder!

You can do it....just get some stones, a heavy barbell set off of e bay, some old dumbbell from e bay, make a sandbag or two, pull up bars - not much else needed. Your job is done and now it's time to take action.

Don't let the pretty clubs waste any more of your time!

kick ass!

--Z--

PS - 3 spots left!

Watch this video to get strong (strong profanity)

2007-10-24T04:49:00.000-07:00

Jim Wendler is a strong dude.

He is all about basics.

You can't argue with a guy who knows strength like Jim.

The guy has squatted 1,000 lbs!

Jim is not an "internet guru" - he's been training for nearly 2 decades, consistently!

** Strong profanity - please make sure kids are not around or don't watch if you get offended **

How many people can say they've trained for 2 years consistently, let alone 20!

People like you and I are the few, there's not many like us out there.

Believe it or not, we're a cult like group - we train hard, heavy, use odd objects, train outdoors, in basemenets, backyards and anywhere else we can move "weight".

How many of us are out there?

Countless!

I actually ran into a guy yesterday after an e bay purchase - I saw his backyard and basement and it was AMAZING! Totally "old school".

This guy had tons of thick bars, stones, tractor tires, farmer handles, the OLD Nautilus pull over machine, rear delt machine and dip - pull up - calf station! It was beautiful!

Even the photos in the gym were from the 80's, 70's, 60's and prior!

** I will re-visit this gentelman's home again and catch video clips for the members at The Underground.

Imagine what you could do, how strong you could get, using the equipment I listed above.

I had no clue until I finally left the commercial gym world!

The commercial chains have taken over, but there are MANY lurking in the basements!

If you're out there, I salute you!

Stay tuned for more!

Best,

Zach Even - Esh

Training in Russia

2007-10-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

The Eastern European countries have always had a tremendous impact on the way I train as well as the way I train others.

I watch the video below and could only dream of finding such a playground in the states. It won't happen.

I've seen kids unable to hold onto monkey bars because the only thing they've been trained to hold onto is a play station or cell phone.

Yep, this is a rant, I'm pretty fired up with the state of physical fitness, specifically in young kids.

I have run into kids that I used to know who were tremendous athletes, and now they play NO sports, they lock themselves in their bedroom to sit on the computer.

I'm changing things at The Underground Strength Gymnasium....

I used to NEVER allow middle school athletes into our program, but now I do. And the training is HARD, no reason to be easy or baby these kids. We're preparing just as the Eastern Bloc countries did decades ago (and still today).

The foundation is being developed early on.

I have also eliminated open enrollment in my Underground Boot Camps. It's back to invite only because I have had countless men walk into the gym and talk how they will join the program yet they never do. Those who do, can barely make it through a warm up of 2 rounds with bodyweight squats, push ups and recline rows.

Underground camps will now be application only, and there will be a contract lasting until the goal is reached or, if I used bad judgement to accept you, you'll be removed from the program.

We simply don't have time for half assers and wimps. It's not acceptable to be a man and be weak - the two do NOT go hand in hand.

Undertand that what you're about to see is NOT for everyone. Just as our training is certainly not for everyone.

Life has a top 3 %, and those people in the top 3 % are always willing and ready to do the extras required fr greatness, the others are satisfied with mediocrity.

Enjoy the video, it's time you do something with this information, I know you agree, the real test is what will you actually do about it!

The training you are witnessing in the video above will be covered in depth at The Natural - Underground Seminar as well.

If you're an athlete, parent or coach, you can't afford to miss this amazing opportunity to learn the secrets required to transform athletes from ordinary to extraordinary.

Choose the road less traveled!

--Zach--

http://zacheven-esh.com

P.S. - two spots remain available at The Natural - Underground Seminar. I hope you are the one who acts before space is closed!

5 Reasons You'll be Shocked

2007-10-18T18:54:00.000-07:00

People have e mailed me a lot about The Natural - Underground Seminar coming up quickly on November 3rd and 4th.

It's easier to answer questions here on my Blog, for everyone to read.

Plus, to be honest, I get exhausted hearing from people who say they want to do this or that yet neve rfollow through.

It's called integrity, so if that's you, then do what you say you're going to do, it's quite simple.

Why will you be shocked at The Natural - Underground Seminar?

I have 5 reasons / answers for you:

1) Jon Hinds is going to totally take you out of your comfort zone with training that attacks your weak areas and he will show you exactly how to bring your body back into a balanced state. Injuries, weak points, pain in your body - discover the secrets to bringing yourself back into a healthy state, once and for all!

Be ready to feel "weak" when you are first exposed to these Rogue fitness methods, but be prepared to make progress in strength and power faster than you have ever experienced before.

You can't argue with a guy who was dunking a basketball with his elbow touching rim all through the power of bodyweight and band training!

2) You will learn training methods that are NOT spoken about in books, ceritification seminars and other main stream fitness seminars. We are NOT using main stream methods but our results are phenomenal and can be used on anyone!

3) Discover the power of alternative training methods - no fancy equipment needed, just an open mind and an open space. You will see first hand what happens at The Underground and how we train athletes.

We take skinny, weak and under-developed athletes and transform them all into strong, powerful, explosive, extremely conditioned athletes.

Jon has utilized his Natural training methods on people of all ages and all levels.

You'll get to hear how Jon trains athletes in the NBA, NFL, MLB and everyone in between!

4) This will be a VERY private, small, hands on seminar. You will not be lost in a crowd of 40, 50 or 100 people. There will be less than 20 participants allowed and there is only 4 spaces left as I type this letter.

5) This may never happen again. Jon and I are BUSY! We've been talking about doing this since the first day we began chatting. Finding time to travel with our schedules is becoming insane on a good day. When and where will the next Natural - Underground Seminar be?

Who knows? We sure as heck don't, and that's why you need to decide if you're gonna finally do something for yourself.

Check out the latest clip of Jon and one of his clients. Jon has over half his gym doing this, and that includes the people over 60 years young!

Until the next time,

stay strong!

Zach Even - Esh

Steve Cotter Kettlebell Seminar..

2007-10-14T18:14:00.000-07:00

Today Steve Cotter held a Kettlebell seminar at The Underground.

Ironically, my First Ever KB seminar was taught by Steve.

Steve has always been instrumental in my own methods and what I teach others.

You can't argue with his success either. If you've ever seen him perform, you're in for a treat!

The funny thing is, today we learned only 5 movements.

Yep, that's not a typo, 5 movements!

Most people would be in shock, but not me.

Strength is a skill, we must refine that skill over and over again, practicing to perfection, as opposed to practicing countless movements in mediocrity.

Would you encourage others or expect mediocrity of yourself?

I didn't think you would.

This happened in a similar fashion at a Kettlebell seminar I taught.

We learned countless movements, and when we discussed program design, I said flat out, "We learned nearly 100 exercises today, but, for the most part, we use 2 movements with the kettlebells"

1) The clean & press

2) The swing

Ask anyone who is very strong, and they'll tell you that they stick to a select few number of movements because it is those BIG movements that produce the most powerful results and never fail to do so either.

Look at the training logs at http://elitefts.com/ - very basic, same movements with slight variations repeated over and over again, yet these are some of the strongest powerlifters in the world.

I've used the basic movements with variations myself - I simply change the tools.

I'll be cutting through the hype and going straight to the meat and potatoes at the Natural Underground Seminar.

Come see for yourself, we've only got 4 spots left, after that, we have to shut the doors.

Till the next time,

--Z--

P.S. - Don't let the door slam shut in your face, sign up now.

Question for you?

2007-10-14T18:11:00.000-07:00

I am going to be putting together an article compilation on the power of the barbell, the King of the weight room.

It will be posted at http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com

If you want to show us your best information while getting recognition for what you do, then you're in.

Oh, and of course, this has to be top quality stuff, don't send in any garbage, we want powerful stuff here.

Here's what you do:

Answer this question:

If you only had a barbell, what would your workout look like and how would you train.

Inlude the following points below:

* No bodyweight exercises, just a barbell, no power rack, no bench, nothing but a barbell and as much weight as you want.*

Send us a word document to zach@undergroundstrengthcoach.com

* include action photos *

Give us 3 sample workouts with exact sets / reps

* include your name at the end and any other important info you want everyone to know (web site, blog, business, location, etc.)

Looking forward to seeing some heavy hitting stuff!

The due date is on October 31st.

Get busy!

--Zach--

P.S. - If you don't have any action pics, feel free to just an e mail with your 3 workouts and a bi line about yourself at the end!

Jack Lalanne has some advice for you!

2007-10-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

Wow, Jack Lalanna is awesome!

I tell ya, I can really relate to what he is saying.

I have seen athletic teams or individuals lose the close batlles on a regular basis becaue they simply do not have the desire to win.

They are used to losing and don't have the enthusiasm or belief to WIN!

Then, on the flip side, there are individuals and / or teams who are sooo used to winning, that it is a habit for them.

Success can become a habit, if you decide it should be.

See what Jack has to tell you below.

Those who want to WIN in life will watch, the losers will skip the video because they think they have all the answers.

Now, what will you do with your newfound information from Mr. Jack Lalanne?

Take action my friend, that's the only option.

Stay strong!

--zach--

P.S. - Take action Here. The psychology of creating a life of health and success from the inside out will be discussed and addressed in great detail here!

Where were these and who used them?

2007-10-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

Look at these beauties I just snagged, a pair of 80 lb round head York dumbbells...yep, they're vintage, and I wonder who used, where they've been and what kind of exercises were being used with the 80's.

Back in the day, exercises such as bent presses, push presses, snatches, turkish get ups and 2 hand overhead swings were very popular, and of course, VERY effective.

Who performs these exercises nowadays?

Have you seen them lately in your gym?

I highly doubt it unless you're in a old school type of gymnasium.

Imagine if you could bring back the style of training mixed with what you know today?

The power of these routines are amazing, and I'm telling you from experience, because the athletes at The Underground use them with powerful results!

If you want to see how powerful old school training is, then click here and you can experience a new world of training that brings back the way people should be training.

Finally, strength and power will be the norm again!

See you at The Underground, registration will close in 2 weeks.

Train hard till the next time,

--Zach Even - Esh--

P.S. - The seminar information is here.

Remember When...

2007-09-30T18:18:00.000-07:00

When I was a teen and slightly before, my brother always read magazines such as FLEX, Muscle & Fitness and Muscular Development.

I used to read them when I could sneak into his room when he was away.

I read the darn things even when I wasn't into working out around the age of 10, 11 and 12.

I recall how much of the advertisements were for gaining weight and building muscle.

But today, the ads are all about fat loss.

Do you realize that?

Maybe you can relate if you're in your 30's and higher :)

What the heck happened?

I admit, kids don't know how the heck to "play" anymore.

Go to a playground during recess and kids are lost when it comes to organizing their own games of tag, kick ball and stick ball.

They fight and argue about everything, back when we were young we just had a do over, or, we said "Oh well, you're it / you're out"

Are you trying to gain weight and gain muscle or are you falling prey to the advertisements of today, where the focus is all about weight loss.

If people would simply train for strength, and ohhhh how simple it can be, then we wouldn't have so many fat people slaving to the fat loss / weight loss advertisements.

The Golden Era may be gone, but I still believe that if YOU can go back in time and do what the men and women of the Golden Era did, you will stop worrying about fat / weight loss because you'll be a lean and muscular athlete, strong and agile, highly conditioned, ready for anything at anytime.

Woudln't that be great?

Stay strong!

--Zach Even - Esh--

P.S. - Going Old School is coming back, bigger and badder than ever before! See for yourself HERE.

P.P.S. - the early bird special ends October 1st.

I could have died....

2007-09-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

I was waiting to turn into my gym when I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a car flying at me, I barely had 1 second to react.

I knew there was no way this car would be able to slow down in time.

I was gonna floor it but cars and 18 wheelers were passing me on my right on a tight road and I would have been slammed from both directions.

I saw the driver's head was DOWN, probably being the typical cell phone idiot sending a text message.

I held tight and in a split second, BAM!!

He musta been cruising at 40 - 45 MPH. He never even had a chance to hit the brakes, it was all speed, no brakes.

Doesn't sound fast, but I've heard of lethal accidents at 25 MPH!

My truck shot forward a good 30 ft. and rolled to the side of the street.

I got out and beyond belief, my truck was not damaged much, the guy who hit me, his car was totaled, it looked like an accordian!

I was also shocked that I felt NOTHING!

No pain anywhere, I walked out like an angel saved me.

A cop saw the entire accident and had me walk out of the street as I stood in the middle of the road. I wasn't sure what I was about to do, I was definitely in shock.

I told him I was fine, then literally 1 minute later, the neck pain began, then my jaw, my upper back and my head.

Right now, it's just my head that throbs.

Thirty minutes after my accident, I was training athletes and I refused the reccomendation to take an ambulance trip to the E.R.

The pain bugged me a bit, but what bugged me most was that this entire accident was my fault.

If you know me well enough, you know that I'm a believer in the Law of Attraction, and as a believer, I know attracted this car accident.

I've been working like a mad man, and complaining about not seeing my wife and daughter.

I was telling myself that I'm a dead beat father.

I was yelling at myself from within.

Complaining about X, Y and Z.

Well, fast forward to 7: 30 PM, I finished my CrossFit Underground class and decided I wanted to get a workout in.

Working out saved my life. I can see how people with no muscle are sore for days on end after a car accident. Some break bones and some even worsed!

I have heard of people "making it" because of wokring out and all the muscle on their body.

I just finished a 5 round circuit of kettlebell snatches and pull ups and then set up next for the flat bench, Bulgarian Power Bag and dumbbells for my next round of benching, power bag rotations and dumbbell shrugs.

The shrugs were motivated after knowing that having a strong set of traps and a thick neck saved me BIG Time.

While I was benching, my I Pod was blasting a song from The Foo Fighters, you know what song I'm talking about, right?

"There goes my Hero, watch him as he goes!!"

It got me thinking about the accident again.....

The road that the accident happend on is LOADED with trucks, I mean Loaded, it's a virtual highway for the 18 wheelers!

My daughter was not in my truck and neither was my wife.

It was just me.

What if a truck hit me instead of the 4 door sedan?

What if I didn't just get out of the car, walk away and go on with my day?

The song was cranking loud, and it hit me hard, and had me thinking that maybe to my family, I am their Hero, and maybe you are the Hero to your family or someone special in your life.

Think about that for a second.

Where would your friends or family be without you?

Without your strength, you may not be able to survive who knows what?

What if I was weak, never worked out and totally out of shape?

I would be useless for my family.

It could have been worsed, in fact, it can always be worsed, right?

You and I have the power to make it better, if we choose to do so.

I choose to make things better....

what about you?

What are you training for?

I never thought I was training for my life, but ya know what, maybe you and I BOTH are training for our life, it may not be the specific goal, but guess what, now you and I both know, that we better be ready for anything that comes our way.

Today hit me hard, literally and figuratively speaking.

I caused the entire chain of events, and now I am more grateful for what I have, instead of complaining about what I have.

This is my way of saying "Thank you".

Thank you for being part of my Blog, web sites and newsletters.

Thank you sincerely.

One day we may meet, or we may never meet.

Regardless, I am grateful for YOU!

Dedicated to your success,

Zach

P.S. - This seminar was only about training, but now, this seminar is taking an even deeper turn into something more spiritual, and much bigger than it ever was. I hope to see you soon at our Natural - Underground Seminar!

What would you do if...

2007-09-21T06:33:00.000-07:00

What would you do if you had the opportunity to learn a guaranteed style and system of training that brought about amazing results, time after time,without fail?

You would love it, wouldn't you?

I know you would, and I know you want more success, whether it's for yourself or for those you train.

Let's face it - if you're not improving, then you're on track to lose more soon enough.

--> http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html

This is going to be a pretty insane weekend!

It's rare that you can find two guys like myself and Jon unleashing our most powerful secrets. We're too busy training other people!

We are NOT internet gurus, we walk the walk!

When I started chatting w/Jon Hinds, his knowledge of physical culture and his methods blew my mind.

The physical culture methods developed brutally strong and explosive athletes, and they were all natural. The REAL Functional Strength they developed would shock today's most elite athletes!

Jon knows these secrets, and he knows how to use them, and now you're going to get the rare opportunity to learn these secrets.

Jon was having 60 something year olds performing handstand walking at his gym!

Utilizing bodyweight, medicine balls, resistance tubing and monkey bars
to develop world class athleticism and body awareness - who would have thought this is possible?

Jon has proven his methods on NFL players, NBA athletes, world class combat athletes and your average Joe! They work, ALL the time!

How can you argue with someonewho would show guys Like Rickson Gracie
his training secrets?

When John showed Rickson the way he trained Rickson loved it because he KNEW that 'natural training' was the way to go for developing the most powerful combination of strength, explosiveness, stamina and physical preparation.

When John was playing basketball he was touching his elbowABOVE THE RIM!

Oh yea, that was in his 30's, not like some 20 something year old youngsters!

--> http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html

The same type of results happened when we began using our Underground methods.

The training was primitive and certainly not crafted to perfection,but, it was the beginning of something powerful, even with all the flaws, our results were powerful and the athletes were dominating others.

That was without any gym, only training in the outdoors!

If you are a coach or an athlete, you can't afford to miss out on this powerful weekend!

In fact, we even set it up so you can travel and save more by signing upwith a friend.

--> http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html

The bottom line?

Anyone who gets this information in their hands and puts it touse will be at a huge advantage over their competition.

Coaches....

What can this do for your athletes?

The same thing it has done for our athletes:

99% of the time our athletes are dominating their competition.

Let's see who's ready to take a big jump and transform their knowledge.

Transform your knowledge and put it to use and watch your athletes double their success rate!

keep following what everyone else does, and keep getting average results.

Why waste time on average?

I know you've read this far because you want something more, you're tired of average, aren't you?

It's time to discover the methods that REALLY give you thunder!

--> http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html

Looking forward to seeing you in NJ soon!

Stay strong,

--Zach--

PS - This is for coaches, parents of athletes, or athletes who want to train themselves.

PPS - feel free to send this to any friends or colleagues who are interested in skyrocketing their knowledge!

CrossFit Underground Wants YOU!

2007-09-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

Yep, we want you here, but we won't lie, this is downright hard work!

But damn does it build you a better body, develops greater character and encourages a love for fitness!

People are really lovin' these classes, the atmosphere of our groups are electric and we PUMP THE MUSIC LOUD!

Check out our NEW CrossFit Underground times:

Monday: 7 PM

Wednesday: 7 PM

Thursday 7 PM

Friday: 5 PM

Saturday: 9 AM

- Train 3 x week / 12 sessions: $ 150 for a 4 week camp

- Train up to 5 x week (unlimited option) / 20 sessions: $ 175 for a 4 week camp

- Drop in Classes: $ 20 per class

** First time is on the house, aka FREE :)

Most people question our 30 minute classes, but when it brings down guys that can bench press 300 lbs. bench, squat 400 lbs and deadlift 450 lbs. - you know it works, and besides, being strong is one thing, but being strong AND ready to go at a moment's notice is a whole new world!

This is where we can say you've got "REAL World Functional Strength"!

I'll be getting into the deepest details of my program design methods soon enough at the up and coming Natural - Underground Seminar.

This is truly the secret to our success here because let's face it, we ALL know how to squat, bench, dead lift, pull ups, push ups, etc.

But why aren't you getting the results you want?

ANSWER:

Your program design methods are probably sh*t at best, sorry, but it's the truth :)

When you discover how to mold all your tools and knowledge together your results will be phenomenal and you'll have all the outsiders accusing you & your athletes of using illegal drugs.

The internet makes things very confusing, that's for sure. It's an information super highway out there, loaded with internet gurus who barely ever workout themselves.

Ya gotta get under the bar and get your hands dirty if you want to figure things out for yourself!

Stay strong,

--Z--

PS - Before the holidays are here and the shopping gets wild, take a trip and hang in NJ for a weekend, have a great time at our seminar, eat out and enjoy the great restaurants and bars in New Brunswick...You deserve it!

Check it out HERE!!

Those Rules Suck!!

2007-09-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

Training sucks when you follow the rules....

Whenever I break the rules, thing start happening at a lightning fast pace...

Are you still following the rules?

The rules of business?

The rules pf life?

The rules of fitness?

F**k those rules!

Check out the latest Natural - Underground workout...

1A) deadlift 4 x 5 reps

1B) handstand push ups 4 x 5 reps

1C) weighted pull ups 4 x 5 reps

1D) prowler run 4 x 175 ft.

1E) sprint around gym next door 4 x 30 seconds

Now....we all KNOW that any rational coach would tell you NOT to train like this, and maybe....just maybe, rightfully so.

It all depends on what you're training for...

Regardless, the workout above allowed me to train strength, power, conditioning, work capacity, as well as physical and mental toughness.

I don't train for a specific sport, but if you do, I bet we can still break the rules.

Take your body where it's never been before, take your mind to a new level and start doing things that you're body is NOT used to doing.

I'm sure you can find a way to improve your physical capabilities and qualities.

Go ahead, break the rules!

Stay strong!

--Z--

PS - We're breakin' ALL the rules HERE!

What would you have done?

2007-09-18T04:55:00.001-07:00

Last night, at 8 PM, we held our CrossFit Underground class.

It'll kick your ass, in 30 minutes or less :)

The benefits of CrossFit Underground?

- Stronger

- Faster

- Mentally & Physically Tougher

- Skyrocket Your Conditioning

- Burn Fat Like a Overheating Furnace

- Build Muscle Faster Than Your Lame Gym Workout :)

We had a serious mix of people last night: state trooper, a PhD student from Princeton, a Vice Principal, a working Mom, a working Dad.....

One guy RENTED A CAR to make it to the class!

What's your excuse for not working out?

The answer?

Now you know....there are no viable excuses!

"There are those that do

and those that don't

Those that will

and those that won't"

Who are you?

See you at The Underground!

--Z--

PS - Can't train with us on a regular basis but still want to leanr our secrets?

Don't miss The Natural - Underground weekend, coming soon & selling out FAST!

Steve Cotter Invades The Underground!

2007-09-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

Steve Cotter will be presenting at The USC Gymnasium on Sunday, October 14th.

Check out what Steve will be doing that day and get in on this asap if you're interested.

Space is limited due to the size of the USC Gymnasium.

I will not be presenting along side Steve this time around, my Big Bash is 2 weeks afterwards HERE.

Here's the low down on what Steve will be presenting, and let me tell you, this guy IS A BEAST! Steve was my FIRST Kettlebell instructor and he will blow your mind when he shows you the power of combining kettlebell and bodyweight training!

Here is your chance to learn the dynamic Kettlebell workout from world-renowned strength & conditioning coach Steve Cotter!

Steve brings his energizing and highly practical blend of kettlebell training, body weight conditioning and qigong breathing methods to North New Jersey for a hands-on, high-intensity training seminar.

In this course you will be see why kettlebell training is taking the fitness, martial arts and athletic communities by storm!

The world’s most effective and efficient workout that combines strength training, superhuman endurance, flexibility and extreme muscle tone in one tool-the kettlebell.

In this course you will learn:

-the foundation of kettlebell lifting---snatch, clean, jerk, swing, squat, press

-kettlebells for core, grip, back, legs and shoulders

-developing the ‘optimal’ warm-up for you

-Bodyweight exercise to round-out your kettlebell training

-the most important points for movement efficiency

--basic program layout

--structuring your strength & conditioning schedule for your sport

--Qigong (Chinese breath/energy art) and proper use of breath for training and recovery

This course combines the highest intensity conditioning with the efficiency of body mechanics that allow you to study the fine art of energy management.

Through breathing and applying fluid movement you learn to sustain your power for longer and longer periods of time. At the completion of this course you will have all the tools you need to develop your own comprehensive training program from A to Z, simple tools, clear information.

Your Instructor....

Steve Cotter brings a unique and dynamic blend of experience as a world class athlete and trainer who has trained such prestigious companies and institutions as:

US Navy SEALs (Virginia Beach)
San Francisco 49ers
US Marines (Quantico)
San Diego Chargers

You can learn more about Steve and his training programs at: http://www.fullkontact.com/

When OCTOBER 14th 2007

Where:

Underground Strength Coach Gymnasium
160 Talmadge Road (next to Apollon Gym)
Edison, NJ 08817

Time: 10am - 4pm
Local contact for questions: undergroundstrengthcoach@gmail.com

Cost:
Only $299
To register visit: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/javanof.asp?MerchantID=65332&ProductID=3772229

Hotel / Travel Information:
1/2 mile up the road, The Clarion Hotel: http://clarionedison.com/

=============

If you don't plan on attending The Natural Underground Weekend Seminar, then I highly reccomend attending Steve's one day event!

The only things to get posted on this Blog are the things I stand behind 100%!

--Z--

FREE 1 Week Trial at The Underground Strength Gymnasium!

2007-09-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

This is your chance to see what The Underground is all about!

If you live in NJ, this is your lucky day!

We're allowing you to test drive CrossFit Underground OR an Underground Athlete Training program for a FULL WEEK!

We will do this for the first 10 responders, otherwise it can get a lil' out of hand :)

We're offering 1 free week / 3 sessions to ALL ATHLETES:

wrestlers, baseball players, track & field athletes, military, law enforcement, martial artists and any other athlete or hard core fitness fanatic who is interested in becoming part of The Underground crew.

All you need to do is call us, or have your parent / guardian contact us at the gym (if under 18 years), 732 287 9990, to schedule the trial session.

This gives people a chance to see what we do and allows us to keep doing what we love, which is training people who want to become SUPER successful!

We're NOT into average and neither should you be!

Here's our information:

http://undergroundstrengthgym.com/

The time is now to start getting a BIG EDGE - something nothing and nowhere else can give you.

Here is our recent highlight film:

Looking forward to seeing you at The Underground!

In strength,

Zach Even - Esh

PS - Don't live in NJ but want to help spread the word? Please take a moment and send this or link this post to anyone / anywhere you feel will benefit others!

Thanks in advance!

Olympic Wrestler Used Natural - Underground!

2007-09-11T05:03:00.000-07:00

When I spoke to Buddy Lee about his physical preparation methods he said he was always training outdoors, using the elements.

He did this because he heard that this is how the Russians trained.

He did this in college, the military and during all his international and olympic wrestling preparation.

Of course, he knew who Coach Ethan Reeve was.

They both used to train at the Grandby School of Wrestling and this is where Coach Reeve picked up many of his "farm boy - Underground" methods.

Buddy told me he would train outdoors using stones, logs, sledge hammers, bodyweight movements, climbing rope and throwing odd objects (stones, tree stumps, etc.)

When you look at his accomplishments in the post below, you'll see exactly how powerful these methods can be!

If you want to learn the methods that have resulted in awesome success stories for countless others, then you need to spend a weekend in NJ!

Take advantage of the early bird savings!

Stay strong till' the next time!

--Zach--

PS - We've got an amazing weekend planned for you, when you go home, you're going to have so much powerful information your results will come faster than ever before.

Most weekends like this will cost you an arm and a leg, come with a buddy and you'll save even more.

See you at The Underground!

Back from CrossFit Cert!

2007-09-10T04:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a bad ass weekend this was, spending two full days learning, training, meeting great people and training some more!

This was held at the Quantico Marine Corps base and the gymnasium was located right next to the air craft musuem.

When I pulled up the garage doors were open and I saw a few old fighter jets being revamped and man did they look beastly. As you probably know, I was unable to take photos, and in addition, I always forget to take pics so you can expect that from me!

I hung out with Jeff Martone a lot over the weekend as well, Jeff is CF's resident Kettlebell expert. He's a cool guy and has better stories than anyone I know!

Buddy Lee, the jump rope phenome was there as well, demonstrating and instructing on proper jump rope skills - in 2 minutes he had EVERYONE doing double unders No problem!

Most people don't know that Buddy was a bad dude - how bad??

How about several national titles and Greco Roman Olympian -

In fact, this man is probably unknown to most combative athletes, as far as his accomplishments, so in a second, I'll tell you about him, but read this...

Buddy was watching us go through olympic lifts, explosive movements, intense circuits and various jumps and he was LOVING everything he saw!

We were being taught the hip snap and how to generate power through the hips, so, Buddy saw that this was EXACTLY the same movement we use in wrestling to finish a takedown with a lift.

He demonstrated this on someone and the guy was airborn so fast he had no clue what just happened!

Look at Buddy's accomplishments:

GRECO ROMAN Olympic Style

1992 Olympic Team 1988

Olympic Team 1st Alternate World Military Champion

3X National Greco Roman Champion 14X Armed Forces National Champion

FREESTYLE

Olympic Style 2X World Military Champion

SOMBO Judo & Wrestling Style

3X National Sombo Champion World Cup Bronze Medallist

COLLEGE American Style

Old Dominion University 3X NCAA Div. 1 All American

AWARDS

'96 Olympic Torch Bearer

3X Male Athlete of Year at ODU

4X Most Valuable Wrestler ODU

Sports Hall of Fame Academic All American

2X Marine Athlete of the Year

USA Outstanding Wrestler at '92 National Greco Roman Championships

Longest American overtime wrestling match: 19 min. and 58 sec. - at 1988 Olympic Trials.

1988 - 2000

I'll be interviewing Buddy very soon for our Underground web site so stay tuned.

This man has A LOT of information that the world has never heard about but needs to hear!

Learn more about Buddy HERE.

Well, our wrestlers are about to roll in and begin their energy system workouts as we prepare for the wrestling season.

September marks the beginning of some very intense workouts.

This is what must be done to get the edge over the competiton!

Until the next time....

stay strong!

--Z--

Did I ever tell you about this?

2007-09-02T09:21:00.000-07:00

I don't recall if I ever told you about this, it's Free and it's my gift to you :)

--zach--

3 Brutal Monkey Bar Pull Ups

2007-09-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

Try these at the local playground:

1) walk sideways on the outer bar of the monkey bars - your hands will slide to the right all the way to one end, then to the left traveling to the other end

when you get to the end of the monkey bars, perform 5 pull ups - the ultimate goal is to travel to one side, perform 5 pull ups, travel to the other side and perform 5 more pull ups, NEVER allowing feet to touch the ground!

2) using the monkey bars themselves, travel forwards just like you did as a young kid, get to one end and perform 5 pull ups, NOW, travel backwards and at the end perform 5 more pull ups - if you go forwards, you gotta go backwards to develop balance!

LAST ONE!!

3) grab - regrab pull ups: pull yourself up explosively with an overhand grip....at the top let go quickly and then regrab

this is a very advanced pulling movement and can cause injury if you are NOT physically ready or NOT warmed up. Use YOUR best judgement.

The velocity during the re-grab really works your grip and the upper body pulling movements....as you let go and re-grab, your body is moving much faster, thus, the velocity increases the force placed on the working muscles!

Our advanced guys switch grips mid air instead of keeping the same grip.

--Zach--

PS - Check out what happens when the creator of THE Monkey Bar Gymnasium meets the Creator of The Underground Gymnasium HERE!

Our Amazing Bodyweight Only Workout

2007-09-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

Try this bad bot on for size, 3 rounds, bodyweight only:

1A) wheel barrow hand walk x 50 ft.
1B) walking lunges x 50 ft.
1C) recline rope climb x max reps (lay on back and hand over hand pull until standing vertical, reverse to go down and go to max effort)
1D) push up variations x 25
1E) pull ups mixed grips x 10
1F) sled or prowler work x 150 ft.

** No sled? Then jump rope for 100 reps

** No partner for hand walking? Use the power wheel and do it solo, it works GREAT!

--Zach--

PS - Those 3 rounds are TOUGH :)

You can rest 1 minute between rounds.

Wanna killer 15 minute workout?

2007-09-02T09:06:00.000-07:00

I cranked this bad boy out in less than 10 minutes and so can you.

Not all workouts need to be long to eb effective.

Intensity is critical....

after my warm up...

1A) barbell thruster @ 95 lbs: 21, 15, 9 reps

1B) mixed grip pull ups: 21, 15, 9 reps

1C) rings dips: 3 x 8 reps

this was a variation of CrossFit's "Fran"

pretty brutal, test it out and see for yourself :)

Try CrossFit classes with us HERE

--Zach--

Your obligation is to be________

2007-08-29T20:05:00.000-07:00

You have an obligation to be strong, period!

man, woman....we're ALL supposed to be fit and strong, yet most people get hurt stepping out of their car or reaching for the top shelf....come on!!

How do you get stronger?

First, understand that exercise is hard work, results come from intense efforts, not wimpy workouts that require no sweat and no effort.

Like our CrossFit Underground Camps - we rock the house in 30 minutes. Yep, just 30 minutes!

We get done in 30 minutes what takes others over an hour!

I see the gym next door, people on their phone, they even stop benching mid way into their set to answer the phone! What the %$#@! - cell phones are NOt allowed at The Underground Strength Coach Gymnasium!

Hard work and sweat are always welcome :)

This is our obligation - to be strong.

Need help?

have you focused daily on push ups, pull ups and bodyweight squats?

I feel people should be able to do 10 pull ups, 50 push ups and 50 squats - all in a row, no matter your weight.

If you can't do a pull up, we have one or two issues:

1) you're too weak

2) you're too fat

3) you're both

Fix the problem by taking action.

Let's get in the face of weakness, laziness and obesity and kick some ass.

I recently met a very driven young man determined to become strong, lean and confident.

All his life he was overweight, weak and always picked on - Now he's on a mission to carve himself into a granite hard Gladiator!

I know he'll do it.

He has fire in his eyes!

Do you have fire in your eyes?

If you're in the Middlesex County, NJ area, prove it here.

Stay strong and get stronger!

--Z--

PS - Want the tools to change your life, your body and your mind?

get it Here.

Only Calisthenics - All Hype or Can it Work?

2007-08-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

Some people will only perform calisthenics.

Some people will never touch barbells or dumbbells.

Some people believe you hit a wall eventually when you don't allow yourself to get under the bar.

Jon Hinds would wipe the mat up with my face if we grappled, and Jon never touches a barbell or dumbbell. Sometimes he uses Russian Kettlebells.

He uses a lot of D Balls, performs tons of climbing / pulling on ropes and poles and of course uses LifeLine bands.

When Jon and I get together on November 3rd and 4th it's gonna be madness I tell you :)

Jon will bring his A game to the seminar and so will I.

Our philosophy of natural movements are very much the same, except I do a lot of heavy barbell work combined with the bodyweight movements.

Jon's angle on Natural training is going to floor you - push ups, pull ups, squats - these are all very basic exercises that many tout as being the greatest calisthenic movements, but Jon has boat loads on new angles that come with these movements, and if you're beat up and banged up from years of training or maybe just from incorrect training, you need to see this.

The center beam in my gym is inspired by Jon's Monkey Bar Gymnasium - rings, ropes, thick handled pull up handles....and next we'll be getting a rope from the wall to the beam! Inspired by you know who!

Imagine what you'll be able to do with your own training and / or the training of your clients after learning our most effective methods?

I've traveled across the country to see and hear specific Coaches speak and I've called and e mailed other top Coaches thousands of times, all in an effort to learn more and improve myself.

The results of my clients depends on what I know and they are limited by what I do NOT know.

What about you?

Do you know everything?

Or, do you truly know enough?

We've already got people flying in from the west coast, the carolinas, massachusets.....it's filling up quickly :)

I can't wait to learn from Jon....I'll be utilizing all his methods asap with my own athletes and clients.

Saturday Jonny is on, Sunday, we're both gonna unleash our methods in program design and how we use the odd objects and implements.

Jon and I always hear people saying, "I wish I knew this back when I was....."

Well, now is your time to take action and stop procrastinating. It's also time to live without regrets.

I know you'll take action, maybe now....maybe later.

--Z--

P.S. - The Buddy Special helps you save BIG bucks on this one....so bring a friend!

The Shadow of Death.....

2007-08-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

Ancient Gladiators they were....

Roaming strong and mighty, people feared them....

More people respected them because of their dominant physical strength.....

So I figured what the hell, might as well start training like Gladiators...

- train outside

- use your natural surroundings

- No machines

- Odd Objects

- Plenty of Calisthenics

- Focus on heavy Training and Incomplete Recoveries

Who ever said Gladiators trained like this anyway?

Well, if they were kicking everyone's ass they certainly weren't taking it easy, resting a lot, and confining themselves to limited movements.

It's ironic though, that even after so many new products, Ancient Training Methods for Modern Day Gladiators is still the most popular product!

Who would have known!

Simple will always be effective, but I never confuse simple with easy, and neither should you!

Until the next time,

stay strong!

--Z--

Check out the first ever Underground product, and still the most popular HERE!

The wrecking crew revealed or Try a Boot Camp!

2007-08-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

Wow, I always say (and so do a lot of other people after they see our results)..."I wish I knew about this stuff back when I was competing"

This is our 5 PM wrecking crew, a group of wrestlers, some who have been with us for a short amount of time, others who have been in the group for a few years!

No secret behind our success: hard work, consistency....repeat :)

In fact, last night I headed to Skiba's Gym in Carteret, NJ - a very hard core facility for athletes and powerlifters, and I spoke extensively on training young athletes.

Fact is, the majority are not even ready for loaded squats, benching and deadlifts - they're too weak.

Instead, I emphasized hand walking, sled work, push ups, pull ups, squats, sledge hammer work, rope climbing, various sit ups and leg raises, and then some very simple movements w/low reps:

1 arm Dumbbell military press

2 hand Swings

these are basic movements but man they wrok like magic.

When we get more physically prepared we begin to follow the more advanced methods in our Underground Kit.

At the USC Gymnasium, we will also be adding Underground Boot Camps with modified versions of our workouts, the results are going to be phenomenal as we have used them with non athletes and many adults, but now we're going to up the ante and bring the groups together.

The Underground Boot Camps begin this Monday, August 27th.

Camps times are:

monday and wednesday night at 8 PM

Saturday morning at 9 AM

classes will be 30 minutes in length.

If you want in, go and download the application page and come ready to rock n' roll this Monday.

These Underground Boot Camp classes are going to be off the hook!

Take a look at how we've carved up our Wrecking crew, we'll do the same for you!

Stay strong!

--Zach--

PS - If you plan to join our Boot Camp, please arrive early this Monday, no later than 7: 45 PM to take care of application and payment!

PPS - If you would like to learn the exact methods we use for our athletes, just click HERE!

Are These Conditions Ideal?

2007-08-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

How to get freakishly strong and powerful under poor conditions!

Look at this video...

crappy squat stands

skinny barbells

NOTHING fancy

Look at the results....

This is from over 30 years ago yet they are still WAAAAY ahead of what most americans are doing today!

Same thing goes for what we've composed for you in Grip Experts - Nothing fancy, yet the results will be what everyone is always after, and now you have the opportunity to discover the secrets and have it in your hands in only a few minutes by clicking HERE.

Strength Tales from a Tire Yard

2007-08-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

Very soon.....

You'll learn some of the hard hitting strength secrets I picked up after my buddy and I tried testing our strength at a tire yard. This is not to be missed, besides it's FREE :)

Ya gotta love FREE stuff, I know you do :)

There's a FREE report waiting for you HERE.

I am not telling you to buy anything,

I'm telling you to snag the FREE report First :)

You've got nothing to lose!

Enjoy it!

I know you will love these special reports, I was excited and amped up just writing about these!

Best,

--Z--

P.S. - Check it out, it's here:

---> http://GripExperts.com

P.P.S. - Not only will you get tips on how to make your own grip training tools that develop awesome strength, you will also get some of my favorite strength methods that build serious grip AND full body strength.

You're about to get the best of both worlds!

What the heck is Natural - Underground Training?

2007-08-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

On November 3 and 4,

Jon Hinds of Monkey Bar Gymnasium and myself, will be putting together an event unlike any "fitness" seminar you have ever experienced.

Instead, we will be going back in time, giivng you the experience of "Physical Culture", when fitness TRULY existed and people were molding their bodies instead of just building useless muscles.

--> http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html

This is going to be a full blown weekend event, Saturday and Sunday.
You will experience Jon's Natural training methods and then we'll take a full day to cover implement training and more gymnastics type movements and animal based bodyweight movements.

I have been so impressed with Jon every time we chat it really blows my mind when he tells me about the training they use at his gym out in Madison, Wisconsin.

--> http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html

You'll find out exactly what I'm talking about on that weekend inNovember, and I'll be side by side with you going through Jon's portion of the seminar.

We are limiting the attendance to 25 as you'll see when you visit the seminar page here:

--> http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html

If you bring a buddy you'll get an even bigger early bird discount.

We did this because we know a lot of people love to come with a friend or colleague so this helps you save more money, whichI know you love :)

The hotel info and travel arrangements are all on the seminar page.

If you're planning to fly in from afar, head to Newark - Liberty airport which is 25 minutes away from Edison, NJ.

Looking forward to seeing you at the first ever Natural - Underground Seminar!

--> http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html

Best,

Zach

PS - feel free to post questions here on the blog if you have any!

Bunch of Crazy $%^&*#@!

2007-08-10T05:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our Football crew finished a tough workout, 1/2 of them wenbt home when they were finished, the other 1/2 decided they weren't finished!

A little extra credit or bonus work if you will...

Sometimes you need these days for mental and physical testing, it keeps you in check and determines if you will only do what is required, or, will you go above and beyond?

They rolled out the tractor tire, dragged out a sled and carried out the prowler.

Sometimes, or, actually, OFTEN times, I feel a tractor tire, sled, prowler and bodyweight is PLENTY to get a lot of results, especially at the high school level.

This will keep kids away from sitting down and laying down all the time.

Imagine this:

- tire flips
- push ups
- pull ups
- squats
- lunges
- hand walking
- sled drags in all directions
- prowler pushing

compare the above list with the below list:

- leg extensions
- leg curls
- lat pulldowns
- bench press
- half squats (most high school teams squat half way - ** don't get offended if YOU"RE team does full squats ** - I said "most")
- barbell and dumbbell curls

Which team will win?

I'm sure you can figure it out.

You can get increasingly larger tires for the upper grades and / or bigger guys.

There are tractor tires that are as light as 100 lbs. out there!

Back to the story....

One of our guys must have flipped the 400 lb. tire well over 30 times!

He flipped it down the parking lot and back, an easy 150 total ft. Then he alternated flips with his team mate in an "I go - you go" fashion, an excellent way to develop strength and power endurance, as well as mental toughness.

Now, 3 kids stayed after and did the extra, without me telling them to do so, this was their choice and through their own motivation.

What if there were 20 or 25 kids on that team with the same attitude and work ethic?

Now that would be a HUGE problem for the other teams, wouldn't ya say so?

Take a look at yourself, or, if you're a Coach, take a look at your athletes.

Do they have the eye of the tiger?

If not, what can you do to help them get there?

Some people believe you either have it or you don't, but, I'll tell you this much, being around the wrong people (lazy, unmotivated) will bring you down BIG time. In fact, these "wrong" people will make you feel bad for being so motivated because it makes them look bad!

My suggestions:

Remove yourself from the lazy asses, stay away from the losers with the loser mentality and stay away form people and places that accept and encourage mediocrity!

Until the next time,

kick ass!

--Zach--

PS - Check this out, this is how we train our guys and this is exactly how you cna start doing the same for yourself or for your team.

What if you only had one________?

2007-08-07T05:47:00.000-07:00

What if you only had one dumbbell?

That's it, nothing more....

Could you still get in a GREAT workout?

Could you still pack on serious muscle?

Could you still get STRONG?

The answer??

HECK YEA!!

I was chatting yesterday with a guy who trains at the gym next door to The USC Gymnasium.

He is prepping for a strongman contest but he goes away to college soon AND has to do his internship. He was worried, until I told him what could be done with limited equipment, which is exactly how The Underground Movement began.

I told him to find river stones near his dorm, stash them near by and get ready to train with them.

Get an olympic dumbbell with lots of 25 lb. plates and GOOD collars and you'll be able to train using only one dumbbell, I have spoken about this in REAL Man Fitness.

Using only one heavy dumbbell, check out some of these "Money" moves that bring great results in:

- adding muscle

- developing greater strength

The Money Moves:

- one arm snatch
- one arm military press variations
- one arm rows
- 2 hand zercher squat
- one arm floor press
- turkish get up
- one arm farmer walk variations

Those movements alone will add muscle like you never would have imagined possible.

Heavy weights, clean eating, regular HARD training - put it all together and the recipe for success is there.

You can get it done in 15 minutes if you wanted to!

No worries, there's is always an answer!

--Zach--

PS - Short on time? Check this out.

PPS - Limited equipment? Check this out.

Just Returned from Vacation

2007-08-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

Oh man, a little get away always does the mind and body good.

No e mail, no cell phone, little communication, just time with the family and nature.

I talk about this stuff a lot, getting away from your normal regime and doing something different.

I did lots of kayaking in the quiet mornings in the Lake I go to.

Lucky for me, this lake truly is quiet.

Very few boats go by, and in the morning, you're lucky to see one boat.

My friend has a place in Pa. and man the water is like a brutal day in the ocean - it's supposed to be a lake, not white water rafting on a boat! That place offers little to no quiet time.

I'm glad I'm not there - I'm actually kinda close to throwing my cell phone out the car window, too many phone calls for no reason, I was fine back in the day without the cell, weren't you?

Imagine watching the sun rise while kayaking on a quiet lake and hearing only the sounds of nature.

It's amazing and kayaking works the upper body plenty! Call it a workout, call it active recovery, no matter - it all helps the mind AND body.

I speak a lot of active recovery in The Ultimate Underground Manual.

This is actually a great way to improve your strength - the body reaps the benefits of all your hard training when it gets time AWAY from the hard training.

Last summer I played tons of Volleyball - it was brutally fun :)

We had the over 30 and under 30 team...I was the over 30 team and we never lost 1 game! One day we played 6 games in a row and we won them all!

I wonder if I could set up a team with Yanik Silver, ha ha, now that would be pretty wild!

So now it's time for you to think about what YOu can do to get away from the norm and do something different to give your body what it needs.

I've got other friends who go surfing, sea kayaking, hiking, hunting and mountain biking.

As always, there are NO rules :)

Stay cool till the next...

and...stay tuned for a NEW e book
coming to the Underground this week :)

--Zach--

Open House Was Like the Golden Era

2007-07-30T20:32:00.000-07:00

When I was a young kid, I ate up everything that Arnold wrote.

I read about anything Dave Draper did.

I searched libraries far and wide on bike and begged my parents to drive me to other towns to see if I could find old bodybuilding books - Sergio Oliva, Arnold, Draper, Pearl, Reeves - those guys really had the passion and the love for training, and I LOVED training like nothing else I tell ya!

Well, today, I held the first ever Open House at the Gym and it rocked the house!

People came from all over NY - Queens, Bronx, Manhattan...

People came from Pa.!! Guys that had purchased my Ultimate Underground Kit came to thank me and see the gym and chat with me. I was choked up yet overflowing with excitement!

Coaches from all over NJ - north, central and south - came and we exchanged ideas and information, people tested out the prowler, tire flipping, sandbags, kegs, Bulgarian bags and more!

I got t shirts from other Coaches!! ha ha, I LOVE t shirts from other coaches!

Prizes were raffled off - it was fantastic and really, it REALLY made me feel like this 2 hour time period WAS THE Golden Era all over again!

Some of my athletes stopped by and the Now Famous "Curls" stopped by and flipped the tire as a demo for everyone! What a guy, what a BEAST! ha ha

So, there wasn't posing and shirtless guys, but this was a different Golden Era - the one that is part of the "Strength & Conditioning" Industry I guess we can call it.

NO ANIMOSITY or competition, no jealousy and no bad mouthing!

Fellow Coaches took my cards and told me they would send athletes MY WAY - how freakin' cool is that, talk about having NO ego!

In one way, I have said that the internet has done some shitty stuff and on the other hand, it is because of the internet that all these people knew about our open house and made their way to the USC Gym!

I am grateful beyond words and it REALLY hit me hard as to why I do what I do!

I LOVE the iron, period!

I want to thank everyone who stopped by tonight, this really was the icing on the cake and it kinda helped me travel back in time in some respect, to the day dreaming days of when I would read Arnold's 'Education of a Bodybuilder' and dreamt about working out side by side with the crew in the 70's!

I kinda feel like my gym already has a deep history within, even though I've only been open for 6 weeks, still, there's a spirit in that gym that is unlike anything else!

Thank you again to all my friends who dropped in!

Dedicated to your success,

--Zach--

PS - When I was 22 I took a 2 week trip to Cali, I drove to Venice almost everyday, and I swear to you, when I walked by the original Gold's, I could hear weights clanking and Arnold laughing. Other people have said the same. The spirit lives on!

PPS - I bet the Golden Era crew wishes they were here on the east coast with us!

The MASH Monster...Freak Motivation Here!

2007-07-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

Travis Mash is a fellow team member at Elite, and I only introduced myself to him quickly at the WPO at the Arnold this past winter.

But, my intern, Nelson Puentes, is a hard core reader of Elite (that's a smart kid right there :) and told me to check out Travis' workout log.

I had to see his videos but instead of just his amazing video, which is below, his posts in his log are heavily motivating. You can see that this man has fire in his eyes.

Check out one of his posts in his workout log:

"Why I do what I do!

Today I was talking to a friend, and I was trying to help her understand why I do what I do, and what it takes to be someone who wants to push the limits of human capability.

She was asking me how I could ignore certain distractions in my life, and still function as if they don’t exist, and how can I tune out people that I care about because they might be distractions.

I’ve thought about this all day, and I am going to explain the best that I can.First, I am going to try and explain how I became so obsessively driven. I grew up in a very small town, where my mom was married three times.

This kinda got me left out at times, but I dealt with it. We moved about 23 times growing up, which left me a little insecure about getting used to things, and feeling comfortable.

I had a stepfather that I admired very much, but could never satisfy. My senior year in high school, I had a football game where I scored two touchdowns, I had two interceptions, ten tackles, four receptions, 150 yards of total offense, a fumble recovery, and two sacks, and all I got from him was, "about time."

I’m not whining because he was just a tough man with high expectations from his kids and himself. This started the whole obsession to be the best. It was something that I could control, would never leave, and at the end the world would respect me.Over the last year, I lost my dad to cancer, and I lost my fiancée to who knows what. I was at an all-time low, and I had to make a decision: quit it all and fade away into life, or seize the moment?

I have chosen to seize the moment! I am not going to go through life saying that I will get to this or that next year, or I should’ve could’ve, etc. One thing that I learned in the last year is that there is no guarantee of tomorrow, so if you have a quest in life, make it happen now.

Now I’ve committed to continue breaking records in powerlifting, making a bid for the summer Olympics in Weightlifting next year, and the Winter Olympics in Bobsledding 2010. Talk about a life change! Now I am sprinting, Clean & Jerking, and I am still squatting big weight.

Not to mention that I am doing all of this at 33 years old. This is my quest!

I might not know the questions, but I don’t have to. I just have to take the gifts that God has given me, and take them to the outer most limits.

This is what I am going to do, and I can’t let anything distract me from this for the same reason as why I can’t wait till tomorrow to begin them, because there is no guarantee until tomorrow.

In my mind I have the next five years to leave my legacy in life, and it can be one excellence or one of almost. I say damn, almost!

I am going to give every last ounce of my heart and soul to reach all of my goals, and in turn show the world that it is never to late to start as long as you commit and form a plan. I am determined to never say tomorrow, only today!

I’m not sure if this explains why I am so focused on my goals, or why I do what I do, but I hope it helps."

To read Travis Mash's workout log click HERE

Now, check out this amazing compilation of Travis Mash's strength and power training! It is downright amazing!

Look at his training and read what he says!

Imagine what you can do with that kind of passion!

--Zach--

PS - Travis can be reached via the Elite Q & A right HERE.

The best bodyweight exercise?

2007-07-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

There are going to be many arguments here, but damn, I just had a full blown bodyweight workout today, and I did 10 sets of handstand push ups.

These are awesome!

I love pull ups, I'm addicted to them, I often fo 5 sets of pull ups 5 days a week, no matter what.

But now I might end up doing handstand push ups just as often!

Imagine the physique one can build by simply performing pull ups, push ups and squats - they have endless variations, but man they are phenomenal movements and require NO equipment, NADA!

I had to kick up a few times during each set which was fine because it had me working harder.

My upper body was working like no tomorrow!

I can see this being a SERIOUS strength and muscle building movement.

I supersetted every set with all the various pull up apparatuses I have rigged in my gym.

(BTW, a new USC Gym tour is hitting you tube soon :)

After 10 sets of handstand push ups and endless pull ups, I hooked myself up to the power sports trainer from Lifeline and kicked my ass even more so.

Why?

Because I LOVE a challenge, I hate EASY workouts and I know easy doesn't cut it!

with the PST, I did the following non stop:

10, 8, 6, 4 and 2 reps:

A) sprint in place / high knees
B) squat jumps w/arm extensions at top
C) push ups

The finisher was 100 reps with a Lifeline weighted jump rope.

That was a bad a** workout, one that would fit right in with The REAL Man Fitness E Book!

Next Blog will cover How To perform the handstand push up!

I need to read a little Joe Vitale and rest up, tomorrow is a BIG day, it's The First Ever Open House for The USC GYM!

Hope to see you there :)

Dedicated to your success,

Zach Even - Esh

PS - If you live in NJ or just outside of NJ, come to our open house from 6 - 8 PM!

Full DeFranco Strongman Report

2007-07-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

Just click HERE and you'll see the FULL rundown of how the most intense Saturday in the country unfolded!

--Z--

PS - Don't forget!

OPEN HOUSE this Monday...

July 30th

6 PM - 8 PM

Bring your friends!

You'll see how we train, surpirse give aways, some strength demos and a few strength contests (if you want to enter :)

Go Here:

160 Talmadge Rd / Next to Apollon Gym
Edison, NJ
08817

732 287 9990

Team Underground vs. Team DeFranco?

2007-07-26T06:35:00.000-07:00

Last saturday was an Elite Fitness Seminar held at Joe DeFranco's facility, followed by the annual DeFranco Strongman Contest.

We brought 3 of our guys up for the high school division and man was there some KILLER action going on!

The seminar was awesome, with no holds barred Q & A going on the entire time, which is the way it should be - this is how we KNOW we're covering everything necessary, because it's up to YOU to ask the right questions and learn about what you want to learn about!

Simple concept, right?

Still, some people pay a lot of money and don't ask questions. Next time, just GRILL for all you got, don't be shy!!

Stay tuned for Joe D's Newsletter because he'll be posting some updates on last weekend's BIG show!

There must have been around 100 people in attendance, it was quite the day!

Next year we plan on brining MORE competitors!

Hope to see you there!

It was great meeting so many readers of ELITE FTS there!

Until the next time,

--Z--

PS - Want to discover the secrets of using strongman training to improve athletic performance?

Then you'll want to take advantage of the early bird sign up OR the BUDDY Special....It's all waiting for you HERE, unless space fills up to capacity and we shut down early!

Don't procrastinate...it never does anything good for you, does it?

Holy Batman! Gotta Read News!

2007-07-26T06:31:00.000-07:00

There is so much happening this summer at The USC Gym, I'm worried you're gonna miss them all!

Check out some up and coming CRITICAL news....

My up and coming seminar had some changes applied, I may never do something like this again for soooo cheap...

and there is a CR-AZEE buddy sign up special offer, better sign up before time and / or space becomes maxed out.

If you came to the last seminar, you can still attend this one, we're gonna go full blown underground on this one!

--> http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html

Our open house, don't forgetabout it.

It's this Monday at 6 pm until 8 PM

The USC Gym is located at:

160 Talmadge Rd
Edison, NJ
08817

There will be more than a few surprises that night, that's for sure.

Am I addicted? Are you an addict?

2007-07-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

I have been addicted to training since the first time I REALLY began training, which was 2 weeks before 8th grade ended.

I still remember squatting with 65 lbs. because that's the most I was able to press overhead!

I had Arnold's Encyclopedia opened up to the page where it teaches correct squat mechanics and that's how I learned to squat! Crazy, eh mate??!!

I'm still addicted to training.

Jim Wendler and I spoke about this at The DeFranco Seminar last Saturday. We loved the sport we played but we loved training more.

I'm addicted to all this "iron game" stuff, except now, I don't always lift iron, sometimes it's a keg, stone, tire or something else.

I have a few tires at the gym now, and sometimes I can't stop flipping them. It's an amazing full body movement and man does the heavy tire make you expend boat loads of energy.

At our upcoming Open House this Monday, I'm gonna pull out the 400 lb tire, and maybe the 600 lb tire as well.

Are you gonna try to flip the tires?

Which tire will you flip?

Prepare for it, you WILL get your hands dirty :)

I might have some sort of tire flipping contest as well - the winner will get ___________ (not sure yet, still thinking about it :)

The open house will be wild and crazy, if you're worried that your husband or wife, or girlfriend / boyfriend will get jealous, then bring your partner with you!

It's F-R-E-E!!!!

Time: 6 - 8 PM

Date: Monday, July 30

Address:

USC GYM / next to Apollon Gym

160 Talmadge Rd

Edison, NJ

08817

Do NOT dress nicely, you're only gonna get dirty, trust me :)

See you at The Underground!

--Z--

How I Lost 9 lbs in 4.5 Weeks

2007-07-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

My pants are falling off of me and my waist is shrinking more and more. It was easier than I thought, and, I didn't even TRY to lose the weight.

I weighed myself Saturday at DeFranco's Strongman Contest where 3 of our guys competed.

I weighed 215, before that my weight hovered around 225.

What did I do that was so different?

On the weekdays I cut out complex carbs except for my breakfast meal which is when I have oatmeal, either hot or I mix oats into a meal replacement shake.

My meals throughout the day included various meats, lots of fruit and veggies and tons of water.

On weekends I allow myself to have a few cheat meals. This might be some pizza, some cereal, sandwiches and soda.

My body doesn't respond well on a regular basis to these types of foods, who's body does?

But, the cycling of clean eating and some cheat meals on the weekend helped me lose a lot of fat and probably a lot of water weight. When I eat cereal or pizza I am extremely thirsty, but durig the week, all the fruit I eat and all the water and lean meats keeps me feeling great.

What about my training?

Lots of strongman training has been happening here at The Underground which is an excellent way for adding muscle and developing strength and power as well.

Do you need to cut off those last 7 - 9 lbs?

Maybe you need to adjust those carbs? I'm not a nutrition expert but just like my training, when I eat simple and basic the results come!

Kick ass till the next time,

--Zach--

PS - Wanna try some strongman training at The Underground? We just might have a little contest and see who can flip the tire the fastest for 3 reps, or maybe you'll have to use the prowler, or, will the prowler use YOU?

You can find out on Monday, July 30th at 6 Pm until 8 PM.

It's gonna be the baddest, toughest, most ass kicking Open House you've ever experienced.

Don't chicken out!

See you Monday :)

Gettin' Pumped and Gettin' Jacked

2007-07-23T18:45:00.000-07:00

Getting a crazy pump is always a good feeling, packing on lean muscle and adding strength never gets boring either :)

Today, Nelson and I cranked out an upper body workout which lasted just under 35 minutes, talk about FAST!

Nelson Puentes is our intern and he is AWESOME!

Check out our upper body workout, very "Westside" inspired.

warm up: Nothing crazy here....some push ups and pull ups....

The workout:

1) Floor Press: worked up to 2 heavy sets of 2 reps

2A) incline DB press 3 x 5 - 10 reps

2B) mixed grip pull ups 3 x max reps

3A) 1 arm DB rows 2 x 8 - 12 reps

3B) blast strap push ups 2 x max reps

4A) band pushdowns 3 x 12 - 20 reps

4B) band face pulls 3 x 15 - 20 reps

5) 12 lb sledge hammer 1 x 24 swings

6) reverse hyper and abs for 2 sets each

Next workout will be lower body and some strongman work as Nelson prepares for his first ever Strongman contest at the end of August. All our athletes have been working on strongman training a lot lately and so have Nelson and I.

The strength and muscle gains we've experienced are downright freaky.

The speed development has been amazing as well!

More info on our strongman training soon, as well as a report of how we did at the annual DeFranco strongman contest - what a day that was!

Until the next time,

-- Z --

PS - Open House coming soon!!

Monday, July 30th from 6 - 8 PM

Come experience the USC Gym, what we do, how we do it, surprise give aways, some strength demos and much more!

See you Monday for a night like NEVER before!

Who knows what might happen!!

Oh yea, bring clothes to train in, you KNOW you're gonna end up lifting, flipping, pushing, pulling or pressing SOMETHING! ha ha

Our Location:

160 Talmadge Rd / next to Apollon Gym

Edison, NJ 08817

Phone: 732 287 9990

Want Some Combat Readiness Training

2007-07-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

We have some freakin' beasts here at The USC Gym!

The training is getting nastier as competitions draw near and guys are able to handle higher intensity training.

We have guys preparing for The US Open in Judo (Future Olympians), Grapplers and MMA Fighters.

Our Combat Readiness program is taking their training to a whole new world!

Friday was brutal, and if you have some of these tools, give this a shot for 3 - 4 rounds! The kettlebell can be subbed out for dumbbells if necessary, no biggy there.

Warm up first, then....

1A) Kb snatch x 5 left / right
1B) max reps in pull ups (change pull up variation every set)
1C) sled drag forwards x 75 ft
1D) sled drag backwards x 75 ft.
1E) Tire Flips x 3 reps
1F) sandbag clean and squat combo x 5 reps
1G) push up variation x max reps
1H) tire flip x 3 reps

This is brutal!

Here are some substitution tools:

kettlebell = dumbbell

sled = tire

tractor tire flip = sandbag clean and press from floor

--------

When you combine this style of energy system work with your current regime of fight training your performance will begin to jump by leaps and bounds!

Not every workout is all out energy system work though, like us, you must find the healthy balance between all your training methods. The best way to discover what works if by doing it yourself!

Keep me posted on your training :)

Best,

--Z--

PS - Don't forget two very important dates coming up:

OPEN HOUSE: Monday, July 30th 6 - 8 PM at The USC Gym:

160 Talmadge Rd - next to Apollon Gym
Edison, NJ 08817

ALL are welcome, enjoy some crazy training, free give aways and special discounts on training that have never been offered before!

Underground Kettlebell Seminar: Last One sold out FAST! We already have 5 spots taken and we just opened up a few days ago...early bird registration ends August 1st so take action NOW, simply click HERE!

USC Gym Open House!

2007-07-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

Open House Announcement!

Beginning at 6 PM On Monday, July 30th, The Underground Strength Coach Gym will hold it's first ever Open House to celebrate their grand opening. Open House will continue until 8 PM and all parents, athletes and friends are welcome to stop by for free refreshments, free surprise give aways and various surprise "feats of strength" special demonstrations.

The Underground Strength Coach Gym is a unique and rare athletic performance facility that you will not find anywhere else in NJ or the world! The USC Gym bears resemblance to the "old school" Physical Culture Gyms from the late 1800's and early 1900's.

Walk into the USC Gym on any given day and you will find athletes flipping 600 lb. tractor tires, dragging sleds across the parking lot that weigh 500 lbs, performing gymnastic movements on specially designed apparatuses tailor made for improving athletic performance and you might even find athletes lifting sandbags and stones!

The USC Gym focuses on improving the athletic development of athletes and also offers 'REAL World Fitness' Boot Camps for serious adults, which focuses on creating fitness from the inside out, where other programs only focus on the physical aspect and have a lower success rate with their clients because of this one sided emphasis.

Even – Esh states “To become more than what you are you have to stop being who you are. We focus on creating fitness from within because when you begin to feel good about who you are the outside takes care of itself.”

The owner of The USC Gym, Zach Even -- Esh, has been training athletes for over five years, most of which was at playgrounds, fields and empty parking lots. Even -- Esh would load up his truck with homemade sandbags, Russian Kettlebells, sleds and medicine balls and meet up with his athletes for these specially designed athletic programs.

The results his athlete's were walking away with were staggering and word spread fast not just through NJ, but around the world. Soon, Even -- Esh had athletes traveling from all over NJ to train with him using his "Underground" methods. Coaches and athletes from around the world began e mailing Even -- Esh for tips to enhance athletic performance.

Even - Esh created a membership site, http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com, to meet the demands of the endless inquiries, especially from Coaches outside of the states who were hungry to learn more.

Still, people wanted to be able to travel to the states to train under Even - Esh and learn hands on techniques to bring back to their home to improve the performance of their athletes.

When Even -- Esh was asked why he didn't just use a traditional gym and train his athletes like everyone else, he answered "The majority of traditional equipment and traditional methods are poor at best for improving the physical and mental capabilities of athletes. Most of these traditional methods actually make the athlete weaker, slower and more susceptible to injury."

Now that Even -- Esh has his own Gym he wants to spread the word to the local community so others can reap the rewards of "Underground training".

The Underground Strength Coach Gym is located at 160 Talmadge Rd, Edison, NJ 08817, next to Apollon Gym.

The Open House Festivities will begin at 6 PM on Monday, July 30 and will continue until 8 PM.

+++++++++++

Hope to see you there, who knows, maybe you'll flip a few tires before you leave :)

Dedicated to your success,

Coach Zach Even - Esh

Wrestling, Wrestling, WRESTLING!

2007-07-06T05:31:00.000-07:00

Lots of wrestling NEWS here this week:

On Saturday, July 28th, 10 AM EST, I will be LIVE on the air with Takedown Radio!

Make sure you tune in and listen LIVE! Who knows what they'll be grilling me on but I'll be telling it like it is so don't miss it!

Mark your calendars NOW!

--------

One SERIOUS line up of GREATS!

I won't cry though, unfortunately I can not make it, but if you can make your way to this star studded event to be held in Tx., you are a VERY lucky person!

Check this out: http://www.grapplersgym.com/public/444.cfm

My buddy, Mike Fry, organizing this event and we chatted on the phone about what's gonna happen at this seminar.

With my new gym it's tough to leave, plus, leaving my baby girl isn't easy either!

----------

The Underground Kettlebell Seminar that is being held at The USC Gym on Saturday, July 14th, sold out in less than 2 weeks!

Because of this, and all the follow up inquiries I keep getting, I will hold ANOTHER Underground KB Seminar somewhere around mid August for those who missed out.

Next time, you need to sign up ASAP and take advantage of the early bird special!

Feel free to post comments if you plan to attend the next KB Seminar in Mid August.

-----------

Until the next time,

stay tough & have an awesome weekend!

Coach Zach

PS - Enjoy the next UFC fights tomorrow night!
The line up truly is "stacked"!

PPS - If you want a jump start on how we train our combat athletes, go HERE Now!

UFC Fighter Goes Underground!

2007-07-04T07:56:00.000-07:00

Sean Sherk, a BEAST in the UFC and UFC Lightweight World Champion knows that making training as tough as possible is critical.

Even if you're not a fighter, you can still train like a fighter to derive the awesome physical and mental edge that come as a result of training like a Gladiator.

I don't think you need to train at the local fancy health club where 90% or more of your exercises allow you to sit down and lay down.

Come on, do you consider that a workout?

Let's get a heavy barbell, some stones, bodyweight and a sledge hammer and start training like REAL Men should train!

I've seen countless business men subscribe to a tough physical training regime to help them become dominant players in their business.

A fat, weak, buisness man is no match for a confident, energetic, physically strong business man. Do you see where I'm going with this?

I know you are starting to see the light, it makes perfect sense when you think about it.

This is also why many top CEO's have former military background's.

Check out how The "Muscle Shark" Sherk takes his Underground training to the gym to get in phenomenal shape!

Now, if you want to train like "The Muscle Shark", you have one option, get your ass over to http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com

Until the next time,

train like an ANIMAL!

--Zach--

PS - You don't even need a gym to train Underground. You can do a lot of this stuff at home, at the local park / playground and in your garage or basement.

The End.....

2007-07-01T10:55:00.001-07:00

I was at the park today, strolling with my daughter, and man, the weather was BEAUTIFUL!

A cool breeze, no humidity and tons of sunshine.

Except....

There were countless people walking and talking on their phone!

Very few were running, jogging or walking and focused entirely on their own being, enjoying the outdoors and loving life.

Instead, we've got people who can not handle being disconnected.

The end of civilzation, could it be? Naaaaaaaaaaaaaa

People need to stop feeling the need to over-communicate, I mean come on....

there's even dudes who sit on the bowl and have to chat on their cell....

I KNOW you've probably heard this yourself when entering a public bathroom at least once in your life!

We were fine before cell phones, we didn't need to talk to everyone all the time, and often times, you're just on the phone wasting time tlaking about nonsense.

It's quite often I'm ready to ditch my cell phone out the window as I drive on the highway, I know those 18 wheelers will give it a good ass kicking :)

No joke, these cell phone lovers are the people who could use a hard core dose of Underground Training, maybe even an Underground Boot Camp!

The fresh air, the physical exertion, it's a necessity for all humans, and I've said it before but I'll say it again....

Man was meant to be strong!

So what the heck, get out there and train at the playground...

here's a nice list of exercises to choose from:

push ups, pull ups, hand walking on the monkey bars, inverted sit ups, jumping onto picnic tables, picnic table presses, step ups onto the picnic bench, walking lunges and sprints.

Are you telling me the above movements won't offer a tough, result producing work out? You're RGHT if you KNOW they'll make you work! Test it for yourself and try all the movements above for a circuit of 20 minutes with as many rounds as possible.

ditch your phone and get busy!

--Coach Zach--

Video - A Day at the USC Gym!

2007-06-29T07:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some clips from our first 2 weeks at the USC Gym.

You'll see our Football guys prepping as they head off to play college ball, performing olympic back squats.

You'll see our intern, Nelson, on his very first day getting busy as part of his interview process.

This kid is GREAT and loved to train. The athletes love his energy and he loves to learn, a perfect fit for USC!

You'll also see our wrestlers flipping tires for the first time ever, AFTER a full blown workout.

Who joined them? That's 41 year old Brock, a beast of a man, who owns his own business AND competes in BJJ and MMA!

We had just finished a hard core full body workout, and then Chris Orzechowski asks about flipping tires.

So I said, OK, this is your first time fellas, some of you only weigh 140 lbs, so let's get 1 or 2 tire flips in.

Well, so much for 1 or 2 flips....

What started as a little test run became an extra 15 minutes of tire flipping and prowler pushing! Shirts were torn off, sweat was flying in the 97 degree heat with high humidity!

These guys were sweating so much they had to get chalk on their hands because the tire was slipping off their palms!

Life is GREAT when you're doing what you love, wouldn't you agree??!!

Just another day at the "office" for me :)

Dedicated to your success,

Coach Zach

PS - Notice the wrestlers literally wrestling against the tire. Some of these guys weigh only 140 lbs but notice the eye of the tiger, noone ever gave up. As some of them move on wrestle at the collegiate level, they will be missed!

PPS - Want to learn how our athletes dominate and skyrocket their physical AND mental capabilities?

Then take a 1 week, $ 1 test drive at The Underground by clicking HERE NOW.

One too many "Internet Gurus"

2007-06-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

I don't like to talk the talk, I prefer to 'walk the walk".

Well, with the internet, many good things have come about with information, but there are also many bad things which have come about, and that is where people misinterperet things or take them waaaaay out of context or claim to have expertise in something they truly know jack shit about.

So, I came across an article from someone who was touting that training wrestlers with odd objects is a fad.

Once again, someone sees people encouraging the use of odd objects they assume (and you know what happens when you ass-ume) that they use them at the expense of all other lifts.

The arguments were:

1) Odd objects don't hit the "belly" of the muscle

2) Odd objects expose your weak areas such as hands & forearms and thus you never work the muscle intensely enough to elicit a quality response

3) Odd objects do not allow for small increases in weight

4) The author also stated that he has never seen an athlete develop great strength by training with odd objects.

All of these claims are uneducated at best, yet the author claims they are all backed by science and evidence.

ALL of our athletes who train at The Underground can disprove these claims above.

In addition, MANY of my colleagues can disprove these claims as well.

One thing we don't do, nor does any intelligent coach do, is to use only one method, one tool, one practice for results.

The smartest know that there are many ways to reach a goal, and depending on the individual, we can use a variety of tools and methods to get to the goal effectively and efficiently.

Today's workout for our wrestlers:

warm up first

1) zercher squat with thick BB 4 x 5 - 8 reps

active rest was light abdominal work and some push ups, nothing intense, just active recovery

2A) 1 arm KB snatch
2B) pull up variations (rings, ropes, thick handles, etc)

3) tire flips 4 x 2 - 3 reps

4) prowler sprints 1 - 2 x 150 ft.

The prowler sprints were optional.

Now, the results of the above wrestlers who prepped with us ALL qualified for states last year, 4 out of 5 placed top 7, and NONE were injured.

They all developed big time increases in strength, power and overall conditioning.

Odd objects work, so do barbells, dumbbells and many other tools.

For combative athletes, odd objects can play a huge role in improving physical AND mental performance.

There are many ways, many tools....we utilize the basics and what works, and we incorporate them into a training cycle that has NEVER failed to bring results.

Science says this or that, but what about REAL case studies which are going on at The Underground on a daily basis?

This is our LAB, and this is where we test what works and what doesn't work.

Sometimes the internet is a bad thing, Gurus beware :)

Look at These Weaklings....

They're the Same Weaklings Dominating State and National Competition at the High School and Collegiate Level

Our results will do the talking,

isn't that the way it should be?

--Zach--

PS - We NEVER fail to deliver results.

Cross Over to the Underground HERE

Muscle Gaining Secrets? Yep!

2007-06-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

There are some guys out there who have been "under the bar" for years on end, more than half their life, sweating buckets and buckets, trying every workout program, every supplement and every program ever touted as "The One".

My buddy, fellow NJ homeboy Jason Ferruggia has freaked me out, and many others, with his latest e book, Muscle Gaining Secrets.

So, I've known Jay for a few years now and we've become good buddies.

But, to be honest, we REALY had a kick ass time when we partied in NYC one night, and then the entire drive home we were talking training.

Jay REALLY woke me up to the "secrets" that I had been missing out on for MANY years.

The difference was, I had been training myself since age 13, a good 18 years already! Jay started around the same time, but, when he was 21 he was already training clients, and I'm not talking a handful of clients, he has been in the trenches for over a decade training somewhere around 60 - 75 athletes each day, 6 days a week!

He KNOWS what works and what doesn't work, and he doesn't care if he pisses people off, calling them on the fancy BULL SH*T that they often reccomend.

He's the kind of guy that you've been waiting to hear from, because he cuts through the BS and gets straight to the point!

Do you have time to waste on the crap? No, you don't and you KNOW that you want to find a program and methods that have been proven to work.

Plus, it doesn't hurt that in the next 3 days Jay is giving away a boat load of bonuses, one of which is mine, NEVER before released e book on FREAK STRENGTH, which you will LOVE!

Guys like Jay and myself are very similar, there's NO B.S. going on, it's straight to the point about what works, what doesn't work, and how can you get there faster than ever before.

This e book is THE REAL DEAL!

If you want results, and who the heck doesn't, then check it out and get your hands on all the EXTRA bonuses as well.

Until the next time,

stay strong!

--Zach--

PS - I just read the bonus with Jim Wendler and listened to the audio with Jay where Craig Ballantyne interrogates him. This stuff is priceless, I know you're gonna love it!

Check it out by Clicking HERE

Two Important Reminders

2007-06-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Two reminders for you regarding a telefundraiser

and the upcoming Underground Kettlebell Seminar:

1) I will be taking part on a callthis Monday, a very important call...

It is a tele-seminar where all of the
proceeds will
go to Trekking for Kids…

Here is where you can find out more...

http://www.MyUltimateFitnessMindset.com

I hope to hear you on the call!

--------

2) The Underground Kettlebell Seminar
is filling up fast!!

I am allowing 15 participants in, and 8 have registered already.
That leaves the door open for 7 more,

plus,

the early bird dicount ends Monday morning
as soon as I wake up.

I'm a Dad with a 10 month old girl,
I can assure you I am waking up early
Monday morning!

If you missed the FAQ's
I sent out Tuesday regarding the
kettlebell seminar, please see
below.

If you already read them, feel free
to skip them and check out
the Underground Kettlebell workout
I have for you at the bottom.

It will help you get ready for some
of the training you'll all be doing
on Saturday, July 14th!

===> http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html

-------

I've gotten a lot of requests asking me what I plan on covering at the Underground Kettlebell seminar.

So here are the popularquestions / FAQ's:

1) What will the seminar cover?

ANSWER: The seminar is focusing in onRussian Kettlebell training.

I prefer to create the seminar according to the needs of the participants.

I have a outline of what is critical and important for learning and I always shape the masterpiece according to what you need and what you ask for.

The goal is to ensure that you leave the seminar feeling that I have addressed all of your questions and concerns.

2) Do I need experience in training with Kettlebells to attend?

ANSWER: Not at all. The basics are often way underrated so if anyone comes with experience they can always use a refresher.

By the time the seminar is over you will feel VERY good about using Kb's on your own, guaranteed or your money back PLUS an extra fifty dollars.

I guarantee satisfaction, all the time,every time.

===> http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html

3) Do I need to bring my ownKettlebells?

ANSWER: Nope, we have about thirty Kb's here ranging anywhere from 36 lbs to 88 lbs.

We have pairs of all weights so youwill be able to learn single handed and double kettlebell movements.

===> http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html

4) If I'm traveling, where can i stay?

ANSWER: There is a great hotel 1/2 mileup the road and they have shuttle service.

The hotel link is located at our web site page at:

===> http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html

A few miles away is downtown New Brunswick,home of Rutgers University.

And yes, I'll help guide you to the best restaurants....and bars :)

5) When does the seminar end?
There is no end time on your web site.

ANSWER: I did not place the end timebecause sometimes a seminar endsearlier or later than expected.

It all depends on the pace we move at and every group moves differently.
Regardless, we will kick serious a** all day, have an awesome time with lots of laughter, some pain,and endless learning that you have never experienced before.

This will NOT be your ordinary seminar, I can assure you of that!

--------

Well, that covers the FAQ's and I hope to see you at the first seminar to ever be held at the USC Gym!

You're gonna love this place when you see it!

---------

Your Underground Kettlebell Workout...

** Some preparatory work for the seminar **

First, warm up as you feel necessary

All you need is one Kettlebell for the workout.

Performed at a playground is best because we want access to open space and a pull up bar.

The Workout:

1A) 1 arm Kb clean & press 3 x 5 each

1B) mixed grip pull ups 3 x max reps

2A) 2 hand Kb walking lunge 3 x 8 each

2B) 2 hand Kb walking swings 3 x 8

3A) 1 arm Kb row 3 x 15 each

3B) walk over push ups on KB 3 x 10

Just wait till July 14th when you're rockin' the house with me at the Kb seminar!

Your workouts will become:

1) MORE Fun!

2) MORE Effective!

3) MORE Challenging! (Yes, this stuff requires work!)

I KNOW you're ready to have a kick a** time so cruise on over to The Underground and get readyfor an awesome day like never before!

Oh yea, save yourself some dinero and sign up before this Monday, July 25th!

===> http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html

Dedicated to your success,

Coach Zach

PS - The page for registration in case you've missed out is at

http://combatgrappler.com/seminars.html

+++++

A day in the life of Zach Even - Esh

2007-06-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

People have been asking me about my workouts so here is a day, and yep, it kinda is a typical day :)

Wake up at 7 AM...breakfast: 6 scrambled eggs, cup of coffee, 2 bananas

11 AM - 1 defranco bar and approx. 20 minute workout while on break.

My gym is 5 minutes from work so I worked out on my break:

bench press 7 x 2 - 10 reps

dips 2 x 10 reps supersetted w/last 2 sets of benching

drove back to work 1: 30 PM - meal replacement w/apple juice and banana.

Then...went to tire yard w/hopes of getting my tractor tires but I waited till 2:10 PM and had to get back to work!

I drove back to my gym around the corner and did 5 sets of chins on various grips in the gym - rings, thick bar, straight bar, ropes, recline rope rows...

then flew back to work and finished work at 4 PM & immediately got back to the tire yard :)

snagged 2 tires approx. 500 lbs

I was so excited to have tires I flipped them a million times until my lower back was killing me, logic never interefered w/my psyche to flip tires at this moment, my love for training completely took over :)

then, 4 rounds of prowler for 150 ft each trip:
2 plates, 4 plates, 5 plates and 6 plates

All in all....that's 3 workouts in one day

I used my breaks for mini workouts all day b/c that's what I HAVE to do to get it in

other days it might be only a Kb clean and press or deadlifts for max sets in 10 - 15 minutes

I get it done one way or another b/c this is my only option!

in a week or two I'm going to get a heavier tire, somewhere around 600 - 700 lbs

the guy who transported my tires remembered me from when I would visit the tire yard on saturday mornings and when we filmed 'Ancient Strength Training'

- the company would pull tires down for me in exchange for bagels and juice and I would train using tire flips only

this one guy who helped me today, is a regular smoker, but his forearms literally look like bowling pins

2 years ago I was struggling to flip tires, he put down his cigarette and flipped it 3 times in a row like a power clean, didn't even use his knee for assistance

today he showed me a 700 lb tire flip, and he weighs approx. 190 lbs and does NOT do anything except flip tires

Now I want that 700 lb tire!

There ya have it, a typical day in the life of zach even - esh

oh yea, here's some more mental issues I have....

when I was kid I recall seeing a tv commercial w/herschel walker sprinting with a tireI was very young and all I remember was this dude running like superman ran as he raced the train, well, herschel walker looked like a damn freight train running with that tire ready to run anyone and everyone over!

so when I push the prowler, I pretend I'm Herschel Walker

Holy sh*t do I have issues!!

Until the next time,

live with passion!

Coach Zach

PS - You'll see us flipping tires Right HERE...as well as dragging tires, pressing tires, rowing them and much more! It's all right HERE!

Another Critic, Another VERY....

2007-06-13T21:02:00.000-07:00

Another critic writes in about our Underground methods....

and it's another guy telling us point blank that this stuff kicks serious ass!

Check it out and at the very bottom, try an Underground workout challenge :)

---------------

Zack,

Just a follow-up to an e-mail I sent you in April.

I started by getting into your 15 minute real-man work-outs and then I got your Ancient Training Methods DVD.

I, along with a few of my wrestlers, have been strength training using sandbags, sledgehammers, logs, tractor tires and body weight exercises.

I gotta tell you that two of my boys have increases their bench presses 40-50 lbs. in the last 6 weeks and we have not bench pressed except for testing purposes.

I myself just put up 285 lbs. and I only weigh about 140 lbs.

I've NEVER been able to bench twice my weight, not even during my college wrestling days where I was in the weight room all the time.

Just like my wrestlers, I have not been in the weight room at our high school.

The weather has been great and almost all of our training takes place outside and lasts no more than 45 minutes and typically last only 30-35 minutes.

I have been bragging about my boys to a few other coaches and they have a hard time believing the results we get from these workouts.

When you said that training with these ancient methods could get you brutally strong, you weren't blowing smoke.

Coaches are missing the boat in preparing their athletes if they're not using these methods.

The results my boys and I are seeing are un-"dirty word"- believable.

Thanks a load,

Nick Salatino

-------------------------

Wow, thanks to Nick for telling us how he feels about our info as well as the results! You can't argue with his results, that's for sure!

Test drive the Underground workout below and then post to our blog and let us know how you did:

** warm up as necessary **

1A) sandbag zercher squat 4 x 8 - 15 reps

1B) flat DB bench 4 x 6 - 10 reps

2A) mixed grip pull ups 4 x max reps

2B) 1 arm KB or DB clean & press 4 x 5 each

3) heavy farmer walks 2 x 150 - 200 ft.

** abs can be hit throughout the workout **

here's one more for good measure and one we did with our wrestlers.

** warm up as necessary **

1A) BB military press 4 x 5

1B) mixed grip pull ups 4 x max reps

2) 1 arm Kb cleans 3 x 5 - 8 each

3) 2 hand KB swings 3 x 10 - 12

4A) prowler push 3 x 150 ft

4B) KB farmer walk 3 x 150 ft

The final blast of the above workout was brutal. The prowler and farmer walk were alternated with approx. 30 sec. rest between sets

Nothing fancy, high paced and intense!

At the end we stretch and roll out on the foam roller.

Isn't time you went Underground already?

--Coach Z--

PS - Go ahead, take the first step HERE....

No Time to Sulk

2007-06-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

The local athletes I train go through a regular battery of strength tests (1 RM) in the power clean, bench press and squat

Numbers are a big thing at this school, likely at the expense of safety / technique

When test week comes around we are rearranging workouts like crazy

Now, w/regards to the mental aspect of training...

One of our athletes was hyped on benching 300 as a sophomore since this was the last test of the year he was talking about this for months now as he prepped for the bench

On a regular basis he would say, "Man, if I don't bench 300 on xx day I am gonna be so pissed....."

He FOCUSED on what would happen if it DIDN'T happen, and I focused on getting him to visualize and feel what it would be like since he WOULD hit this weight

Well, what you focus on grows

I have seen the best athletes are:

1) healthier than others

2) can mentally bounce back super fast and do not focus on poor performance, rather on how they WANT to perform

yes, the best athletes are often freaks of nature but health and mind set are critical factors b/c this athlete did not hit his 300 bench today, he never showed up for his scheduled training session

my feelings?

this is BULL SH*T!

Guess what, in sports and life, this stuff happens, get over it and work towards your goal with focus and intensity

skipping a work out should NOT be the solution!

Don't harp on what coulda, woulda, shoulda

Sports and life have no room for pessimists, so focus on what you want, not what you don't want!

it's critical to FEEL from your future and what you want, NEVER allow thoughts / feelings of negativity creep in.

You're too powerful for that crap!

--Z--

The Critics Have Spoken

2007-06-13T04:37:00.000-07:00

People are gettin' crazy after they get their hands on The Ultimate Underground Strength Kit.

I have gotten a slew of e mails from MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE:

- parents

- lawyers

- strength coaches

- athletic coaches

- fighters / combat athletes

Looks like some people still love hard training!

Never did I imagine business professionals to write in, but they have!

Parents have seen the success of our athletes and invested in the kit and used the information as outlined, step by step for their own family members.

Look what Dan Powell wrote in from Pa., one of the biggest wrestling hubs in the USA:

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey Zach!

I've been training my nephew, Eric, using your combat and farm boy methods and it's paying off big time. He's been wrestling all summer and training with me at least twice a week.

He started this summer at 103 lbs and now weighs 125 lbs.... after practice!

And its all muscle!

I've been looking for a training program like your Underground Training Manual.

I've been lifting free weights and machines at home and Gyms for over 20 years now.

I've worked on farms bailing hay and for my Dad, a plumber, digging ditches and snaking sewer lines (excellent forearm workout).

I feel that Underground is the way to go.

I only wish I had this Manual back in the early 80's when I wrestled.

But I'm glad I have it now because I am strength training my nephew for wrestling. He's started as a freshman this year at 103lbs and did ok (30-10).

He placed 3rd at districts making it to the PA Northeast regional tournament where he got beat up a little. He's been wrestling since he was 5 yrs old but has not really strength trained yet.

I believe that with your training methods he will win the close matches and make it to the PA State tournament in Hershey this year!

THIS UNDERGROUND TRAINING MANUAL is AWESOME!!

Thanks again Zach!"

Dan Powell / Pa.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank goodness because I can't stand the type of athletes I have run into lately...seems to me like most athletes nowadays only enjoy exercises that allow them to sit down or lay down!

Come on, you'll find none of that B.S. in any of our Underground Kits.

People have asked me, are both Underground Kits the same?

1) One is an e book, which is downloadable to your computer and you can have with in 2 minutes.

2) The other is a hard copy which ships world wide and also comes with a sled training DVD.

As many of you already know, we are using these very methods in the Underground Strength Coach Gymnasium, but, we were using those methods looooooong before I even owned a facility.

A facility is not necessary to make the most of the information found in the Underground Kits.

We have used the information in backyards, fields, wrestling clubs, traditional gyms, in your own home (garage, bedroom, living room, deck / patio, etc), the local park and anywhere else you can think of!

I am not opposed to other training methods, but, I am in favor of training methods that bring about freaky results, why not, right?

Wouldn't you want to get results as fast as possible while having as much fun as ever while training?

Three Things You MUST Start Doing Today!

2007-06-11T04:52:00.000-07:00

There are a few things I have found to always bring a great return in strength, work capacity and building muscle.

So many people nowadays are WEAK.

Yep, plain and simple, they are weak.

It's hard not to rant on this topic, but man does it eat me up.

Here is what athletes and non athletes should be doing on a regular basis to get stronger, faster, more muscular and get into bad ass shape!

1) Sled dragging - you quickly see how out of shape you are once you are required to move a heavy object / weighted sled.

I have seen 300 lb football players get an ass whoopin' after one set of sled drags. Not good!

When you're not good at something, practice it and get better at it.

Yes, I just told you to drag that sled more than once a week for crying out loud!

2) High rep calisthenics -Can't do 50 push ups? Then do them every day, without fail.

If you can only do 10 at a time, then do 10 reps several times a day!

3) High rep squats, weighted and non weighted...do them.

These work great and should not be overlooked. Build up to 100 reps at a time with bodyweight and up to 50 reps with an added weight using a light barbell, weight vest or a belt squat.

4) Pull ups - these are the master blaster of all upper body movements.

can't do them?

perform recline body rows to build yourself up to doing regular pull ups by working on these every day

Yep...I did say every day!

So, looks easy right?

Well, it's NOT easy, but it is simple!

This is how we start off and this is how we start getting our guys strong and in top shape.

It takes time, no two ways about it.

It takes massive effort, no two ways about it.

It takes consistency, no two ways about that either!

This is why we only accept clients who are willing to commit to 3 months of training minimum. We know that a training program can not transform you into superman after 1 month, although most people expect that!

It takes TIME, so consistency and effort are king!

They get homework - lots of calisthenics.

The athletes from the old eastern bloc countries developed very high work capacity through endless variations of calisthenics, many of which are outlined in the http://undergroundstrengthmanual.com

=======

Today, our wrestlers went throughtheir first workouts at The underground Strength Zone

We had a wrestler who weighs 110 lbs dragging a sled on cement with 4 plates

Another weighs 120 lbs and was dragging 5 plates!

Another weighs 140 lbs and dragged 6 plates!

Another weighs 190 lbs and dragged 7 plates!

Oh yea, all of the above beasts either qualified or placed top 7 in the NJ state wrestling tournament!

------To get into our training program at The Underground you need to apply.

If you live in the central NJ area you can e mail zach@undergroundstrengthcoach.com
with "training application" in subject header and then explain why you want to train here.

I am very selective because I will tell you up front, I have no tolerance for laziness.

I want athletes prepared to become BEASTS!

I want parents who are supportive of their child yet not overbearing or interfering with what I do.

Until the next time,

stay tough!

Coach Zach

PS - You don't live in NJ but want to experience The Underground?
Go to http://UndergroundStrengthManual.com and get a REAL taste of what we do!

New Videos & This is Embarassing

2007-06-08T19:10:00.000-07:00

We have two new videos for you and they are BOTH pretty damn cool :)

Check em' out and see what I mean for yourself :)

Look at the intensity of our wrestler tearing up that sled!

The wrestlers were highly motivated to drag HEAVY when I told them the Football crew was dragging 5 plates!

They were so motivated, that our 120 lb wrestler dragged 5 plates!

Now, here's where there is a lack of motivation....

On Sunday, June 17th, I am holding a strongman fundraiser for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

There is a $ 25 entry fee and the three events will be:

repetiton bench press

farmer walk

sled drag

It's gonna be a blast and for a great cause!

I sent info to the surrounding high schools, specifically to their Football Coaches.

I spoke to one of the Coaches of a group IV school. In NJ, group IV is the most heavily populated schools so you would imagine this is where you can get the most participants for any event, sports related or not.

the Coach got back to me telling me NONE of the kids are interested!

As a Coach I would have reemed out these athletes for not wanting to step up and compete against, not wanting to test their own strengths and not wanting to contribute to a great cause.

I would not allow it, plain and simple!

Sorry for the rant, but, this is exactly why only a small percentage make it to the top of their game, whatever their game may be: sports, business, etc.

This reminds me of my old gym's leg training room.

Above the mirror in front of the squat rack was a very old black and white pic of Tom Platz squatting some bar bending weight. I've never seen the photo again, it musta been from his college days!

Next to the pic was a poem that said...

There are those that do

and those that don't

Those that will

and those that won't

These words reminded me to dig deeper while squatting, to get the last rep or two, to ignore the nausea, pain and discomfort....

I have said it before and I'll say it again,

We are the last of the Gladiators

We must keep the spirit alive!

Tomorrow, I head north to Joe DeFranco's facility for their strongman day.

I'm psyched to go up and see some serious intensity and I plan on bringing plenty myself!

Dedicated to your success,

Coach Zach

PS - If you're a local athlete and want to compete on Sunday, June 17th,

e mail me asap at zach@undergroundstrengthcoach.com so I can send you registration info.

We're located in Edison, NJ.

The Man Who Taught Me What I Wish.....

2007-05-31T21:03:00.000-07:00

I wish I knew John long ago, but, I am lucky to know what I know now from this man, because this is PURE MAGIC!

If you’ve been reading my blog or e journal for sometime,
It is very likely you know how in tune I am with the
Proper training of the mind and how it can sky rocket
Your success when applied properly.

Well, a few months back I had the chance to interview
A man who created something called ‘The Power Pause’.

His name is John Harricharan and everything he spoke
About had me on the edge of my seat!

We spoke in depth about how one can create the life
Of their desires through the principles in The Power
Pause.

Well, every once in a while, we come across something that has
the power to completely change the direction of our
life, and what I learned from John shook me up like
never before.

I especially liked the fact that I could use these methods
In only a few minutes, no 20 or 30 minute
Meditation sessions – those never work for me, my
Mind is too busy and I can’t focus.

But, with John’s methods, BIG DIFFERENCE!

So, I have something very special for you today.
I guarantee you'll be glad that you took just a few
minutes to read this email.

John Harricharan is viewed as one of the most
highly regarded, self-development and
spiritual leaders on the planet!

John has helped tens of thousands of people
discover the true secret of
life-lasting success in all areas of their lives.

You don't have to take my word for it, look at what
Some other BIG names have said about John!

Here's what Dr.Deepak Chopra, best-selling author
has to say about John….

"John Harricharan leads us along the enchanted
path of enlightenment with magic, charm, love and
compassion."

I am lucky and blessed to call John my friend
And I was psyched when he told me of the
special video and other gifts he is giving away!

Check it out right here

Go ahead, dare to be and do something different,
just spend a few minutes watching the video.

If you prefer to download the video to your computer,
your iPod or other video device, it is simple to do so.

Please watch your inbox over the next week or so as
John sends you some gifts and information that will
help you to deal more efficiently with the daily
challenges we all encounter.

Check out what John has in store for you,
You'll be glad you did, I know I am!

Dedicated to your success,

Coach Zach

PS – One thing I know for sure is that when you train the
mind to think and work properly, you have magic in your hands
and the power to shape your dreams into reality become yours!

The missing link to success, I have found, 99 %
of the time is the Mind!

Now go kick some a**!

Check it Out HERE!

+++++++++++

19 Ways to Improve Life, Lifting and More...

2007-05-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

19 Ways to Improve Life, Lifting and More

1) Train Consistently 4 days a week

2) Train hard for as long as you feel good with high intensity training, as soon as you feel the need to back off, LISTEN to your body and deload / cut back for a 1 - 2 week period.

3) Every 3 months, take 1 week off from strength training entirely

4) Stop training fancy schmancy :)

5) Use heavy weights for low reps

6) Use moderate weights for moderate reps

7) Use light weights for high reps

8) # 5 - 7 ALL work, it's usually lack of intensity, lack of consistency and poor nutrition that cause lack of results

9) Eat as much wholesome food as possible. Stay away from processed foods, go organic as often as possible and eat approx. 5 meals a day (4 - 6 meals)

10) The basics always work - barbells, dumbbells, bodyweight

11) Get a sled and drag ir or sprint with it once a week. You'l notice HUGE improvements in conditioning and leg strength

12) Move your body! Jumping rope, hill sprints, rope climbing, trail running, swimming, surfing, wrestling, etc. - all these different activities keep you mobile, agile and hostile! Do not allow yourself to become a one dimensional person who can only lift heavy, or only do calisthenics, or only _________ (fill in the blank)

13) Drink tons of water.

14) Eat fruit and veggies everyday, and NO, I'm NOT your Mommy!

15) Once a week, loosen up on the food choiced and splurge to your liking. The next day, get back on track.

16) Lots of training methods and principles work, do not subscribe to one and only one. This is a great way to get overuse injuries and burn yourself out

17) Take time every day to give to yourself. Lay down and read a few pages from a good book, get some shut eye, even if it's for 15 minutes or have a glass of wine. In life, it's important to do what makes YOU happy!

18) Do NOT fear the unknown. Learn to love the unknown and go for what you've always wanted in life. Tomorrow is never as good as right NOW!

19) Don't talk sh*t behind other people's back, it only shows your insecurity and lack of respect for self and others. Respect all and walk the walk, don't talk the talk.

Until the next time,

Dedicated to your success,

Coach Zach

PS - Like what you see here? Tell a friend and make sure they subscribe to our BLOG updates!

PPS - Want FREE stuff? Check out these ass kicking e books I have for you :) This is my way of thanking you for being a reader and / or customer!

http://UndergroundCombatTraining.com

http://REALManFitness.com

http://NaturalStrengthSecrets.com