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Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 1
Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 2
FREAK STRENGTH 2.0
Underground Strength Training Secrets for Developing Freak Strength and Rugged Muscle
Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 3
FREAK STRENGTH 2.0 Jim Smith, CSCS / Zach Even-Esh
Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved
Underground Strength Coach, LLC / The Diesel Crew, LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this special report e-book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without the expressed written permission from Jim Smith or Zach Even-Esh. We have unique tracking codes embedded, designed to detect illegal distribution of this special report e-book and the download links. Each download is recorded. Fines start at $150,000 and include a possible prison sentence upon conviction.
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Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 4
FREAK TRAINING
Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 5
Introduction If you want to get brutally strong and powerful as well as having the look of
thick, dense muscle then it’s time to train Underground. Many decades and even
centuries ago the greatest lifters and most dominant athletes looked strong AND
actually were brutally strong! They were what we would call “All Show and ALL
Go!”
Nowadays too many people look strong but can’t perform with high levels of
strength and power. And if they are strong, their strength has no endurance, it
lasts only a few minutes or maybe only one minute, and no more.
This is what happens when you follow pretty workouts that revolve around high
tech equipment, isolation movements and going for the “pump”.
We’re after what many coin as “Real World Strength” or “Functional Strength”.
You need to be strong, athletic and highly conditioned.
The simple fact is that training is supposed to be hard and the human body is
supposed to be strong, there are no two ways about these facts. This is how
results will come about.
You’re gonna have to earn your strength and muscle.
In this special report you’re going to learn that it doesn’t take anything fancy to
develop the look of a Gladiator. Show me someone who is satisfied with their
strength and they are likely satisfied with everything else around them far too
easily.
The men of the “golden era” and prior lifted anything that would yield results in
strength and muscle gains. This is how I train and this is how I train my athletes.
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Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 6
The results are superior to any of the fancy training methods out there and you
can experience the same if you’re ready to put in the work.
stones
heavy barbells lifts with two hands and one hand
heavy kettlebells
climbing rope
pressing & rowing heavy thick handle dumbbells from all angles
Focused on ground based lifts (very little was performed lying down and
nothing was performed sitting down, unlike many of today’s “popular”
programs)
Partner gymnastics based movements, acrobatics, hand balancing and
ring training
These men also trained with higher volume and frequency than what many are
accustomed to today. Ask an athlete nowadays what extra training he does and
the majority do little to nothing.
The difference was that back then, the choices of exercises were not many, so
they practiced the compound lifts with frequency, and because they practiced so
often, they gained GREAT skill (i.e. STRENGTH) in these lifts.
A
to
Thes
quick
high
Whe
Ediso
set. W
The
With
differ
and w
Above, Ala
o take act
people
se lifts were
kly. Becaus
work capac
n an athlete
on, NJ, we
We don’t w
right style o
regards to
rent movem
worked the
M
Underg
an Mead, c
tion by lift
would ha
exc
e ALL comp
se these me
city, which
e begins tra
build them
want your bo
of training w
o volume, th
ments, inste
eir ass off o
Man of Steel, wwCopyright © 2
ground Strength
circa 1924
ting heavy
ave made e
cuses for m
pound lifts a
en practiced
is what mo
aining at Th
up to hand
ody shuttin
will promot
he men of T
ead, they p
n each mov
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7
4. Alan lost
y as his me
excuses a
modern da
and packed
d these bas
ost people l
he Underg
dling heavy
ng down on
te physical
The Golden
erformed 1
vement.
allenge.com Reserved. e Dieselcrew, LLC
t his leg in
ethod of re
nd given u
ay Gladiato
on slabs of
sic lifts regu
ack today.
ground Str
weights fo
you when
and menta
n Era did no
1 – 4 movem
C.
n WW I an
ecovery w
up. There
ors.
f rugged m
ularly, they
rength Gy
or more tha
you need i
l toughness
ot perform m
ments per w
nd decided
where mos
are NO
muscle very
also had
ym in
n just one
t to work.
s.
many
workout,
d
st
Body
coun
and
They
conti
Varie
impro
prog
ybuilding Le
ntless super
Romanian D
y were also
inue to talk
ety is great
ovement. W
ress slows.
M
Underg
egends such
rsets of ben
Deadlifts fo
strong as h
k about.
for stimula
With too litt
Man of Steel, wwCopyright © 2
ground Strength
h as Sergio
nch pressing
or the lower
hell with th
ating the mi
tle variety, y
ww.manofsteelcha2009, All Rights RCoach, LLC, The
8
Oliva & Ro
g and pull u
r body.
ese lifts an
ind and bod
your body a
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obby Robins
ups for the
d had the “
dy and it is
adapts to th
C.
son would p
upper body
“Long Stren
a necessar
he stimuli a
perform
y. Squats
ngth” I
ry aspect of
and
f
But,
const
stron
Unlik
brea
adva
Don’t
equip
FREE
of 50
what the m
tantly strive
nger, they c
ke many of
k records, t
anced lifter’s
’t think for o
pment to tr
EZING cold
0 & 100 lb D
M
Underg
men of The
e to break P
consistently
today’s me
these men
s of today.
one second
rain with. I
and all I ha
DB’s and a
Man of Steel, wwCopyright © 2
ground Strength
Golden Era
PR’s (Perso
y added mu
en who wor
of might m
d that you n
started out
ad was a cr
gun rack w
ww.manofsteelcha2009, All Rights RCoach, LLC, The
9
a did to com
onal Record
uscle.
rk out and a
moved weigh
need a fanc
t in my pare
rappy 300 l
which I used
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mbat their la
s). And bec
avoid the in
hts that sho
cy place to t
ent’s garag
b Olympic s
d for squatt
C.
ack of varie
cause they
ntensity req
ock many o
train at or f
e which wa
set from Co
ting. I used
ety was to
always got
quired to
of the most
fancy
as
ostco, a pai
d an old too
t
ir
ol
box t
work
Not m
ever
going
were
to elevate t
ked.
my surprise
before in t
g heavy and
e great “lim
M
Underg
the flat ben
e, I got stro
that tight sp
d basics on
its” to have
Man of Steel, wwCopyright © 2
ground Strength
nch for inclin
ong as heck
pace in my
nly! I am us
e!
ww.manofsteelcha2009, All Rights RCoach, LLC, The
10
ne dumbbe
k and I pack
Dad’s gara
sing the wo
allenge.com Reserved. e Dieselcrew, LLC
ell benching
ked on rugg
ge, all beca
rd “limited’
C.
g. Wasn’t pr
ged muscle
ause I was
’ loosely he
retty but it
e faster than
limited to
re, these
n
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Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 11
On the weekends, I would take a trip to a different gym to change things up a
bit. One weekend I was training at a Gold’s Gym, and the kid at the front counter
started chatting with me after my workout as he wondered where I trained since
he never saw me before.
When I told him I train at home in my garage his jaw dropped! He asked how I
got so big training in a garage! I told him all about the need for basics, heavy
weights and intensity. The young kid was a wrestler, and he got to talking about
his workouts at this fancy Gold’s Gym (I wish the original Gold’s Venice was the
norm for gyms of today). His workouts revolved around all the machines and
fancy equipment most of which were isolation movements.
BIG MISTAKE, especially for a wrestler!
Movements that had him sitting down and lying down were common place for his
training. I started chatting with him about George Hackenschmidt, the great
wrestler who was also incredibly strong, even at the young age of 19. We spoke
about heavy Olympic lifting, powerlifting, heavy ground based lifts and overhead
presses. His eyes lit up and we mapped out a simple Underground program that
had him training three days a week.
Abo
Back
train
follow
In ad
with
the y
This
tolera
and s
sport
ove, Georg
k then I was
ing more lik
wing was w
ddition, I w
other athle
younger wre
conditionin
ate intense
strong, you
ts are a gre
M
Underg
ge Hacken
s still bodyb
ke a powe
working BIG
was coaching
etes withou
estlers.
ng and wres
e workouts.
u must also
eat addition
Man of Steel, wwCopyright © 2
ground Strength
nschmidt,
rugge
building and
er – bodyb
G time and I
g wrestling
t resting. I
stling made
This is coin
be highly c
n if you wan
ww.manofsteelcha2009, All Rights RCoach, LLC, The
12
The Russi
ed physiqu
d using a sp
uilder. Nev
I kept getti
at the time
would go f
e me strong
ned “work c
conditioned
nt to be a B
allenge.com Reserved. e Dieselcrew, LLC
ian Lion, s
ue!
plit workou
vertheless,
ng stronge
e and had n
for 20 - 30
ger and imp
capacity”. Y
d and wrest
Bad Ass!
C.
sporting a
t template.
the progra
r and bigge
no problem
minutes no
proved my a
You can’t ju
tling and ot
seriously
But, I was
am I was
er.
wrestling
on stop with
ability to
ust be big
her combat
y
s
h
t
The g
endu
when
Let’s
from
Day
1
2
3
4
5
5
greater stre
urance & po
n I was doi
s take a lo
m the gara
1: Should
) BB hang
) 1 arm DB
) bent ove
) BB shrug
A) BB chea
B) lying DB
M
Underg
ength deve
ower endura
ng the trad
ook at my
age days:
ders, Arms
clean 4 – 5
B laterals (h
er DB latera
gs 2 – 3 x 1
at curls 3 x
B extensions
Man of Steel, wwCopyright © 2
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lopments I
ance, which
ditional gym
old schoo
s
5 x 3 – 5 re
heavy) 2 –
ls 2 – 3 x 6
15 – 20 reps
5 – 10 reps
s 3 x 5 – 12
ww.manofsteelcha2009, All Rights RCoach, LLC, The
13
gained res
h was some
m workouts)
ol power –
eps
3 x 6 – 12
6 – 12 reps
s
s
2 reps
allenge.com Reserved. e Dieselcrew, LLC
sulted in im
ething I nev
).
bodybuild
each
C.
proved stre
ver had bef
ding split
ength
fore (back
workout
Day
1
2
3
4
2: Legs
) BB back
reps wer
) DB lunge
) BB RDL 2
) 1 legged
M
Underg
squat work
re higher th
e variations
2 – 3 x 10 –
calf raise w
Man of Steel, wwCopyright © 2
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ked up to 2
han normal)
3 x 6 – 10
– 20 reps
with Dumbb
ww.manofsteelcha2009, All Rights RCoach, LLC, The
14
x 12 – 20
)
each
bell 4 x 10-
allenge.com Reserved. e Dieselcrew, LLC
reps (I only
20 reps
C.
y had 300 lbs so the
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Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 15
Day 3: Chest & Back
1A) Flat Bench Press – work up to 2 Heavy Sets x 3 – 5 reps
1B) 1 arm DB rows – 1 warm up set at 50 lbs, then all remaining sets at 100 lbs
for 15- 20 reps each arm
2A) Incline DB bench 3 x 5 – 10 reps
2B) bent over BB row 3 x 5 – 10 reps
3A) incline or flat DB flys 2 x 6 – 10 reps
3B) feet elevated push ups 2 x max reps
At the end or beginning of each workout I worked abs and / or calves. I also hit
the forearms with some traditional wrist curls at the end of upper body days
since that was all the grip training I knew of back then. Here and there I would
throw in some DB curls and close grip benching for the arms, but not too often.
I did have an influence from a Rogue Lifter whom I met back when I was only
14 years old. His name was George. I was trying to mimic the way George
trained at the old YMCA yet I enjoyed the variety of several movements as
opposed to working one or two movements over and over so I modified his
workouts into my own. I never rested much between sets which was great for
improving work capacity.
George was a beast of a man I used to train alongside at the OLD Metuchen,
NJ YMCA. Back then, the Y was the typical golden era style gym: lots of york
plates and round head dumbbells, dip bars, pull up bars, a york isometric rack
and plenty of benches. What a gem this place was. It’s a shame it had to go.
George used to train movements, not muscle groups. He would perform 1 or 2
exercises per workout for endless sets, I noticed his LONG time periods spent on
each of the movements he chose.
It wa
at a
be th
curls
What
only
Toda
unab
exha
and m
as typical fo
time. usual
he Romania
s, skull crus
t a freak th
30 – 60 se
ay, someon
ble to work
austed beca
mental toug
M
Underg
or George t
lly his work
an dead lift
hers, etc.
his guy was
conds betw
e mows the
out. Or, th
ause of the
ghness hap
Man of Steel, wwCopyright © 2
ground Strength
he Beast to
kouts were j
(RDL), the
, built like s
ween HEAVY
e lawn and
ey go to th
sun. Come
ppening aga
ww.manofsteelcha2009, All Rights RCoach, LLC, The
16
o train one
just 2 move
bench pres
solid rock! A
Y sets and
they feel e
e beach an
on, that’s
ain!
allenge.com Reserved. e Dieselcrew, LLC
movement
ements. His
ss, weighte
And boy wa
never slowe
exhausted t
nd the rest o
Bull Shit! Le
C.
for up to 4
s favorites s
ed dips, bar
as he in sha
ed his inten
he rest of t
of the day t
et’s see som
45 minutes
seemed to
rbell cheat
ape, resting
nsity!
the day and
their
me physica
g
d
l
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Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 17
FARM BOY TRAINING
In the early and mid 1900’s young kids worked 12 hours or more every day on a
farm performing manual labor. Nothing bad ever happened to them!
My wife’s cousin grew up in Pa. and his father always had him working with him
on weekends or around the house during the week, all of which required manual
labor. This kid was always moving stones, cutting down trees, digging ditches,
swinging a sledge hammer or axe, pushing wheel barrows and carrying sandbags
or mulch. His work ethic and work capacity was second to none.
When he was working on my house, he noticed my climbing rope in the back
yard hanging from the tree and he climbed up with ease using no leg assistance.
He then told me I need to get a longer rope on a higher branch! This is the same
kid who cut down the trees in my back yard and left me a few logs. He KNEW I
would find a use for them when training my athletes and he was 100 %
accurate.
We started using the logs for all our carries and lower body movements and our
wrestlers benefited immensely from their use! There’s something to be said for
the people growing up on farms or working in tire yards / junk yards. They all
seem to have that freak strength that so many others struggle for through the
weight room yet never achieve.
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Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 18
BASIC LIFTING
Let’s take a look at the basic lifts you will want to incorporate on a regular
basis. The extra isolation movements which will NOT be listed are simply icing on
the cake and you can incorporate the isolation movements on your own with
your own discretion.
Key:
BB = barbell
DB = dumbbell
BB hang clean & press (or push press)
BB military press (or push press)
BB high pull
BB power clean or hang clean
BB bent over row (overhand and underhand grip)
1 arm DB rows
DB swings
DB hammer cheat curls
BB cheat curls
1 arm DB snatch
1 arm DB clean and press (or push press)
BB back squat
BB deadlift variations (RDL, Snatch Grip DL)
BB or DB floor press
Mixed grip pull ups
Parallel bar dips
Push Up Variations
Now,
move
you w
B
r
, the above
ements for
will develop
Bent over
rugged an
M
Underg
e list is incre
each worko
p freakish s
BB rows w
d muscula
Man of Steel, wwCopyright © 2
ground Strength
edibly simp
out and wo
strength and
with a thic
ar back! T
ww.manofsteelcha2009, All Rights RCoach, LLC, The
19
ple, but, if y
orked at the
d a physiqu
ck bar, a m
he thick b
allenge.com Reserved. e Dieselcrew, LLC
you chose 2
em incredib
ue that will
must have
bar adds p
C.
2 -3 of the a
bly hard 3 –
shock othe
for develo
lenty to th
above
– 4 x week
ers!
oping a
he grip!
Sure
curre
You
exte
exer
Let’s
calist
with
Yep,
, the list ab
ently doing
will be sk
ensions, th
rcises. It’s
hit the we
thenics), an
a rep rang
you read t
M
Underg
bove may v
as well as
kipping the
he seated
s time to t
ights hard a
nd once a w
e anywhere
that correct
Man of Steel, wwCopyright © 2
ground Strength
ery well be
what other
e lat pull d
machine p
rain move
and heavy
week perfor
e from 12 –
tly, all the w
ww.manofsteelcha2009, All Rights RCoach, LLC, The
20
completely
rs in your gy
downs, the
presses an
ements, N
in the 1 – 1
rm a high re
– 50 reps pe
way up to 5
allenge.com Reserved. e Dieselcrew, LLC
y different t
ym are doin
e concent
nd all the
OT just ex
10 range (u
ep workout
er set.
50 reps!
C.
than what y
ng.
tration cur
other crap
xercises.
unless perfo
t with lighte
you are
rls, the leg
p
orming
er weights
g
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High rep training can be a great catalyst for building muscle. It is also very
challenging, so be mentally prepared to push through the pain zone when your
muscles are screaming with fatigue.
After training hard for 2 – 3 weeks, take one week and train light but also stop
your sets way before any serious intensity is required. The “holding back” will
allow your mind and body to recover, and when you return to the intense
training one week later, your body will have compensated and reaped the
rewards of your training.
Along with quality nutrition and this “old school, Underground” style of training
you will quickly begin developing a rugged physique.
Remember, we reap the rewards of our training through proper rest and
nutrition. Part of your discipline will be resting when you may really want to
train. Discipline means doing what you have to do and what is best for you, not
what you want to do! What you want to do has nothing to do with what is best
for you!
Abo
st
re
de
asp
TT
Let’s
made
must
ove, Georg
trong, pow
egularly us
evelop do
pire to ach
Travel Trainin
take a look
e a comeba
t warn you
M
Underg
e Hackensc
werful and
sed Russia
minating
hieve toda
c
Back ng wa
k at some o
ack into tod
though, th
Man of Steel, wwCopyright © 2
ground Strength
hmidt - kno
d jacked w
an Kettleb
strength,
ay! Hack d
consider sh
in Tims the
of the tools
day’s trainin
is training t
ww.manofsteelcha2009, All Rights RCoach, LLC, The
22
own as th
wrestler fro
bells, heav
power an
did this un
h**ty con
me WheNorm,
they used
ng for many
takes guts a
allenge.com Reserved. e Dieselcrew, LLC
e 'Russian L
om the ea
vy barbells
nd a rugge
nder what
ditions.
en Un, NOT
back in the
y individuals
and a no fe
C.
Lion', was
rly 1900’s
s and dum
ed body th
many tod
dergrothe Ra
e day, whic
s, athlete o
ear attitude
a brutally
s. “Hack”
bbells to
at many
ay would
ound arity
h have
or not! I
! You must
y
t
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Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 23
be willing to push yourself and challenge yourself with heavy weights and odd
objects. You’ll be sore in places you never felt before.
In the end though, you will reap the rewards of Underground training which is
that of obtaining a body that looks strong and powerful while performing with
domination! If you think you’re ready then let’s get started!
EQUIPMENT LIST
Below is a list of equipment that you will want to start collecting slowly for your
own gym. That’s right, your personal gym – not many gyms are left out there
nowadays that cater to the hard core lifter who wants to train raw, in the
trenches, NO BS style.
Many of the strongest, best developed physiques were developed in dungeon
type gyms that are either in basements, garages or old school gyms.
Don’t forget though, much of the equipment listed here can be obtained for free
from junk yards, tire yards or can be made by a local welder. My suggestion is
that you investigate your resources and snag the necessities for FREE, then
move on and purchase toys if necessary.
Tractor Tires
Tire flipping is the ultimate in full body power and strength development. Make
sure you don’t curl the weight up. Focus on driving into the tire with your legs
while the chest presses against the tire. This will help you jump up quickly and
powerfully. Start with lighter tires to perfect your form and prep the body for
future heavy loading!
M
Underg
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24
allenge.com Reserved. e Dieselcrew, LLCC.
The t
your
flippi
Sledg
your
train
You c
plus
and y
tire flip is o
entire body
ing and sled
ge Hammer
shoulders
ing, which
can swing f
many more
you will dev
M
Underg
one of the m
y! I have ro
d dragging!
rs – Sledge
and cardio!
we can all
for high rep
e variations
velop a soli
Man of Steel, wwCopyright © 2
ground Strength
most effecti
outinely per
!
hammers w
! It’s also a
afford to in
ps or time,
s! Try 2 non
id “core” an
ww.manofsteelcha2009, All Rights RCoach, LLC, The
25
ive moveme
rformed wo
will work yo
great way
ncorporate m
using overh
n stop minu
nd rock hard
allenge.com Reserved. e Dieselcrew, LLC
ents for dev
orkouts that
our grip, yo
to work in
mobility wo
head, diago
utes of sledg
d forearms
C.
veloping m
t consisted
our core, yo
some loade
ork.
onal and sid
ge hammer
!
uscle in
only of tire
our legs,
ed mobility
de swings
r training
e
y
Sledg
the c
Car
Anyt
move
many
with
Whe
legs
chan
ge Hamme
core and a
ries
ime you ca
ements dev
y different
long farme
n you begin
get extrem
nce to relax
M
Underg
r work to th
great cond
up
n incorpora
velop treme
carry variat
er handles!
n performin
mely jacked
when you
Man of Steel, wwCopyright © 2
ground Strength
he sides are
itioning too
the tire an
ate a farme
endous ove
tions but th
ng heavy fa
up! There i
perform th
ww.manofsteelcha2009, All Rights RCoach, LLC, The
26
e great for
ol as well. I
d hit agains
er walk or ca
rall strengt
he most cha
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Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 30
1. Perform one movement for upper body push, upper body pull and
a lower body movement with a BB or DB. Finish OR start the
workout with one full body movement using one of the odd object lifts
listed in The Grip Experts E Book (i.e. – tire flip, sandbag or keg
shouldering, etc.). Train in this fashion 3 x week on nonconsecutive days,
all workouts are full body workouts.
2. Perform three workouts per week with the following split: upper
body one day, lower body the next day, full body the final day.
Your full body day will be ALL odd object / underground style training.
Training should be performed on nonconsecutive days.
The two samples above are very general, but guess what, BIG strength and
muscle comes from generalizing your strength, not isolating it!
Here is a sample workout from the athletes at my Underground
Strength Gym in NJ. This crew came in and performed a full body workout
with strongman lifting only. After a warm up, they performed the workout below:
1) Farmer Walks: 1 light, 1 medium, 1 very heavy set x 200’
2) Tire Flip 1 warm up set, 2 Heavy x 5 reps
3) Sled Drag on cement 3 x 200’ mixing forwards and backwards dragging and
then pulling the sled rope hand over hand at the end of each drag.
When the workout was finished, an ab circuit is performed, then recovery and
mobility work as well.
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31
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Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 32
FREAK GRIP
Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 33
Introduction Nothing says a freak like a thick set of forearms. In fact, when you’re in the gym
or on the field, your grip strength is crucial in everything you do.
If you can’t hold the
weight or hold your
sport’s implement,
then you’re screwed.
You have to spend
time in the gym
developing your
hands, forearms and
arms.
This will be the key to creating full body tension and hitting personal records.
For your quick reference, there are 5 components of grip strength:
Crush – crushing your fingers through a distance, examples include
grippers and sandbag training
Support – statically supporting a weight where the fingers oppose the
thumb and the fingers support the load, exercises include deadlifts, rack
holds, thick bar lifting
Pinch - statically pinching your hands where your fingers and thumb are
parallel to each other, examples include plate pinch
Wrist Postures – ulnar / radial deviation, wrist flexion extension and
supinations / pronations, examples include sledgehammer levering and
power rope training
Hand Health – exercises that promote hand health and muscle balance,
examples include shot rotations, contrast baths and rubberband
extensions
Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 34
Lacrosse / Tennis Ball Pull-ups While performing pull-ups, hold lacrosse balls in your hands. This requires an
insane amount of focus, finger and wrist strength. Make sure to hit singles until
you become proficient at this exercise.
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Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 35
Towel Pull-ups (Dynamic Support) To make the bar “thicker” we wrap a towel around the bar. This is different than
typical pull-ups with towels where you have the towels hanging down. With this
version we are actually wrapping the towel around the bar itself. This is hard as
hell and you have to be ready for a battle.
Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 36
Rolling Axle Pull-ups This exercise is ridiculously hard. Make no mistake. Take an axle and put it ON
TOP OF your power cage. Now perform pull-ups. There are two things working
against you: the fact that the axle is thicker; and that the axle is able to roll
freely over the top of the cage. This is amazingly difficult and will require a high
level of grip strength.
Combat Push-ups Version 1 Here is a version of push-ups focusing on finger and wrist strength. Take two 5
lb plates and pinch them together while you perform push-ups.
Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 37
Combat Push-ups Version 2 Focusing now on ulnar and radial deviation strength, we are now utilizing a
dowel rod. You have to squeeze extremely hard to keep your knuckles off the
ground during the movement.
Combat Push-ups Version 3 We switch the dowels around in the hands and focus on the other side of the
wrist. Stay tight and focus on the tension from the back to the hands.
Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 38
Thumb Training Many athletes and lifters who participate in sports at sometime injure their
fingers and especially the thumb. This exercise, using a simple key chain
lanyard, is a way to target the injury and focus on the strengthening the area.
With all rehab exercises, lots of volume should be utilized.
Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 39
KYAO (Knock Yo Ass Out) This exercise I created about 5 years ago when I started working with MMA
athletes. It works finger adduction strength which is NEVER targeted with any
training. But, it is so important for creating great tension with a fist and
protecting the hands and wrists when punching. Take an Ironmind Eagle Loop
strap and tie it around a dumbbell handle. Then place each strap BETWEEN the
fingers. Make a tight fist and lift the dumbbell and hold for time.
Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 40
Towel Pronate and Curl Thread a towel through a carabineer at the bottom of a cable stack and hold it
tight to your side. Internally rotate your hand (pronate) and then curl the
weight. The towel adds a thicker implement to grip and the cable keeps
constant tension throughout the movement.
Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 41
Crush Curls By gripping the dumbbell on the ends, you not only create a great amount of
tension, you engage more of the chest and upper back. You can perform this
movement on the preacher bench or standing. Your fingers will also be getting a
great workout when doing this exercise.
Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 42
Towel Barbell Curls Loop two towels around the barbell and grip them while you perform curls. After
performing this exercise for several workouts you’ll notice an incredible increase
in strength when you go back to just utilizing the barbell without the towels.
Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 43
Around the Worlds Perform a two hand pinch with plates and when the weight is locked out start
walking your hands around the outside of the plates. Walk your hands around
both CW and CCW. This develops serious dynamic pinch grip strength.
Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 44
Blockweight Curls (By the Face) Pinch a blockweight by the face and perform reverse curls with it. You’ll notice
you’ll have to fight to keep the blockweight in your grasp throughout the
movement because the weight will be shifting.
Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 45
FREAK RESOURCES
Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 46
Underground Strength Coach Recommended Resources
Here is a list of my favorite web sites, products, training tools and
resources.
Enjoy!
My Blog - Lessons in Lifting, Life, Business and Success!
Underground Strength Coach 30 Day Trial - Private Videos and Membership
Forum giving you inside access to my coaching and advanced training methods
as well as unshared info from industry leaders.
15 Minute Muscle - The training I utilized when the shit hit the fan! Back when I
was working countless hours and trying to squeeze it all in, trying to balance
being a husband and father, working 9 - 5, building a internet business, building
and managing my Underground Strength Gym and STILL training hard and
heavy!
If I did it so can you, perfect for the Busy Man.
Underground Strength System - The Entire Underground Collection: 3 training
manuals, The Beast Strength Program and The Underground Freak Strength
Audio Collection!
Underground Kettlebells - The Best Kettlebells in the World. Period.
Man of Steel, www.manofsteelchallenge.com Copyright © 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Underground Strength Coach, LLC, The Dieselcrew, LLC. 47
The Underground Sandbag - Built for use and abuse and of course, getting you
Strong as Hell!
The Purposeful Primitive - One of my Favorite books, revealing some of the most
amazing methods, stories and insider secrets on how the strongest, most
muscular men in the world trained!
The Lost Secrets of Strength Seminar - Joe DeFranco and I unleash our training
secrets and take a crew of hard core Strength Coaches through the workout of
their life!
Kettlebells for Combat - The Most Kick Ass DVD Set on Kettlebell training. Period.
This course has stayed under the radar for too long, now you can get your hands
on it HERE.
The Sandbag Assault - F**K the Gym! Make a sandbag and train at home, in
your garage, backyard or basement. Scare the s**t out of your neighbors and
onlookers but you’ll also get Jacked and Strong as a Beast.
Grip Experts - The Ultimate Resource on developing Real World, Functional
Strength and hand of steel that crush like Vise Grips.
The Russian Lion Power Course - The definitive training course on how one of
the strongest men in the world developed his body and mind.
The Power Wheel - The most effective core and ab training device I have ever
used. In addition, it is a brutally effective and fun tool for training the upper
body, performing hand walking and even lower body training!
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