As some of you know, I run my business out of a local (and very good) Crossfit facility. Once per week I take over all of their classes with an “Underground Strength Day” (so named because of my certification with Zach Even-esh). My objectives on this day are as follows:

-To provide them with a structured, strength-developing program.

-Fill in any gaps I see in the normal programming that goes on. We do a lot of unilateral stuff, for example as Crossfit tends to focus on more bilateral movements. I also focus on strict pull-ups (no kipping) and shoulder/upper back development to help secure their shoulders.

-To give them a mental break from the clock (as Crossfit tends to use it a lot) but provide them with an ass-kicking workout that they have to learn how to pace themselves through while maintaining top technique.

Basically, I treat them like any of my athletes: I identify the needs of their sport and lifestyle (Crossfit, in this case) and make them better at it while promoting overall strength and health.

So here’s how the workout a few weeks ago went down:

In case you can’t read my chicken scratchings on the board, here’s how it went down:

Dynamic Warm-up as pictured.

A1) Dumbbell Clean and Press: 3 sets of 6

B1) Back Squat: (warm-up sets as necessary), 5, 3, 3, 1 or 3 depending on their strength and experience
B2) Vertical Jumps: 4 sets of 3
(Alternating Sets)

C1) Kettlebell High Pulls: 3×8
C2) Imperial March: 3×0.5-1 trip of the length of the gym and back
C3) Bulgarian Split Squats: 3×6-12 – Loaded with Dumbbells, Kettlebells, Barbell, or Weighted Vests
C4) Pull-up Variation: 3×6-12 (no kipping)
C5) Crab Walk: 3×1 trip down and back the length of the gym
(Performed as a circuit, three rounds)

So here’s the rundown:

We start out with some heavy dumbbell cleans to get everything fired up. The goal here was to rip that DB off the floor and get the body into an aggressive pattern while activating the posterior chain and continuing to warm up.

Then we move onto the BIG EXERCISE of the day. In this case it’s the end of a Back Squat cycle, so they warmed up as necessary then hit a set of five, three, and three (all progressively heavier) before finishing with a new 1-rep max (experienced lifters) or 3-rep max (newer lifters). This is where the strength is developed. Between each set I had them do a quick 3-rep set of vertical jumps to prime the CNS and make use of the activated fibers from the squat to increase their power expression. Plus, jumping is good for making you not suck.

Then we moved onto the assistance work/conditioning aspect of the workout. The assistance work was designed to develop some muscles and movement patterns that aren’t hit as often, while done at a smooth conditioning pace. You’ll see lots of upper back, lat, unilateral leg, and stabilization work in there. Plus some good body control and quadrupedal movement stuff.

And it was pretty brutal, so assuming nobody was slacking (and they weren’t) there was a good mental toughness component, too.

So there it is! With the usual disclaimer (check with your doctor and certified fitness professional before attempting this workout) it’s yours!

Looking for more workouts like this? Check out the GRIZZLY program for a full four-week plan!

Not him, but close.

It worked out for both of us; He was able to give me feedback on my cooking (apparently I can throw down in the kitchen) and I was able to give him his medicine.

That’s right, the pooch was a little sick.

Now, I don’t know how many of you have tried to give a dog, particularly a large one, medicine when he didn’t want to take it, but if you have then you know it can be an adventure.

On the hoof.

The thing is, you’re (I’m assuming) a human… not a dog. There’s all kinds of stuff that we don’t want to do in life but are good for us. Some of that stuff you can restructure out of your life. Some of it you can’t. Some of it is just stuff that you have to do, but some of it is stuff that will make your life dramatically better by just closing your eyes, pinching your nose, and getting it done.

It’s like taking your medicine, and since you’re a dog, you don’t have to have some big gorilla cram it down your throat.

It’s Make It Happen Monday. What medicine do you need to take?

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There was lots of wisdom in the room and some killer “nuts and bolts” info shared about autoresponders, calling services, delegating logistics tasks, running a smooth business where your clients have fun, etc. That was all great stuff.

What really stood out to me, though, wasn’t the knowledge of these guys…

As substantial as that knowledge was, instead what stood out to me is that they think differently.

Rather than let life come to them, they meet it on their terms. They live life aggressively

It’s Make It Happen Monday. What in your mindset are you going to change from passive to aggressive?



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I’ve heard a couple of people talking lately about how even though they’re seeing great results in the gym… they’re bored with just doing the basic exercises.

I have to be honest, I don’t know as though there’s anything boring about getting bigger, stronger, and more jacked. If the basics were getting me there I’d just hammer the hell out of them before I tried to get tricky, myself.

However, I do appreciate coming into the gym and playing around a little. So I was scrolling through my old raw video footage and found a good one: The Chaos-style Turkish Get-up.

This exercise adds an interesting “twist” (pun intended) to one of my favorite kettlebell exercises for developing conditioning, mobility, and shoulder stability. Grab a mini or a light band along with a kettlebell (start on the light side) and give it a try!

Be sure to sign up on the right for more innovative training twists!

Everyone gets fired up on Mondays. Ask anyone who’s ever been in a gym and they’ll tell you what the busiest day of the week is… Monday.

That’s because everyone’s trying to make up for their sins of the weekend.

Everyone has done some soul searching on Sunday and decided that this is the time it’s going to change.

That is, until Tuesday. Or Wednesday. And definitely by Thursday people are ready to drop off.

Then they’re into “screw it” mode on Friday and Saturday, wallowing in self-disgust on Sunday (unless it’s football season, then Friday and Saturday continue) and then back to feeling guilty on Monday.

If you’re stuck in this rut, like most people, it’s easy for me to sit here and tell you to “just do it” and change your pattern. Which is, of course, what you need to do.

It’s not really that easy, though, is it?

Getting out of a pattern is tough, but it gets a whole lot easier if you’re following a plan.

I mean, it’d be awfully hard to bake a cake for the first time without having a recipe, right? I love to cook, but I’m pretty sure I’d make a piss-poor cake if I didn’t have a plan to follow. Betty Crocker would be ashamed, that’s for sure.

When you have a plan you don’t have to build up new motivation and fire every day, you just need to check your next step off the list. After that, it’s like dominoes.

It’s Make It Happen Monday, get a plan.



Need a plan, from start to finish, on getting lean, fit, and feeling better than ever? The Athlete Reborn is exactly what you’re looking for.

I mean, there’s the usuals… Eat right, move big weight, be consistent, get some sleep, get a little (or a lotta) sumpin’ on the reg, stop being a bitch, and so on.

But then it hit me. All of those are symptoms of success. They are the building blocks, but they’re not the root.

So my number one tip for making everything happen?

Pay attention to the first 15 minutes of your day.

Ok, stumble out of bed, hit the can, and do what you need to do, but then it’s on.

Are you screwing around, convincing yourself not to go back to sleep, messing with the coffee maker, and getting distracted?

Or are you visualizing success, planning your meals (if you didn’t already), meditating (if you do), and committing to the accomplishment of your goals?

If you don’t start the day right, you’re already in the hole.

Remember my favorite quote: “Strength is a skill”

This is practice for the skill of life.

Oh, all that other stuff about eating right, focusing your strengths, and moving that big ass weight? Sign up on the right to learn some insider secrets on making that happen!

For me training hard isn’t really out of my comfort zone. I’m comfortable with momentary discomfort because I’ve been doing it for years. I like it. That’s one of the reasons why I’m a trainer.

If I want to continue to improve as a man and as a person, I need to seek other outlets that push me beyond my comfort zone. In order to do that I drove to the Jersey Shore this weekend to attend one of my Mastermind meetings. These Mastermind meetings are closed door sessions with other fitness pros in which we talk not only business but also lifestyle and mentality stuff. There are no holds barred here and it can get pretty damn uncomfortable sometimes.

Like I said, these are closed door sessions, so what’s said in Jersey stays in Jersey, but I’m going to let you know that I got called on some bullshit this weekend. It sucked, but it’s what I needed. Was I called a bad trainer? Hell no. Did someone say I wasn’t a good writer? Nope. What about that I didn’t care about my clients? That wasn’t it, either, because that’s obviously not true.

Instead, I was called out on my lack of commitment.

Not to my clients. Not to my job. To my life.

Due to some personal situations (business and relationship-wise) that are both in and out of my control, I’ve been riding some fences lately. Even when things are good, I’ve been “waiting for the other shoe to drop”. And that’s been limiting my success.

Well, I’ve made three moves this morning (7:38am, Monday) that will change that.

I realized that this wasn’t just an issue with me. There were some other guys in the same boat at this meeting and almost everyone I see in the gym is right there with us.

Look, if you want to go a long ways in life, you’ve got to drive with purpose and a commitment Imagine I told you to drive 500 miles and at the end of it was every dream you had. Seriously. 500 miles and there’s a pile of cash, a beach house, 14 bikini models, and the biggest BBQ sandwich you’ve ever seen…

And I’m handing you the keys to a gassed-up Viper.

Are you going to drive the entire way with the emergency brake on?

Oh sure, you’ll probably get there (although you should be shot for abusing a car like that) but I guarantee that you’re not going to do a DAMN thing that will slow you down.

Not committing to your course is just like driving a pimp sports car with the emergency brake on.

Get that sandwich.

You have the ability to do amazing shit if you commit yourself to doing it. If you don’t know how, then you know how to get that info. Commit to your success.

Drop 50 pounds and build a rockstar performance body? Commit to it.

Earn $100k? Commit to it.

Heal your relationship? Commit to it.

It’s Make It Happen Monday. What are you going to do to take the e-brake off today? Comment below!

To put it bluntly, I don’t write this stuff for my health… I write it for yours.

Well, this letter let me know that at least one person is “getting me”. I won’t steal his thunder, but what I want to point out here is that Seth has internalized what’s truly important for success: Making things happen even when it’s not perfect.

Here’s the coolest letter to hit my desk in a really, really long time:

“Isaac,

-Seth”

It’s Make It Happen Monday and Seth just schooled your ass.

Comment below with what you’ve picked up from Seth’s story and how you’re going to make something happen!

One of the first steps in the process is grinding about 50 pounds of grain so that it can be used in the as the base. With an old school hand grinder, this turned out to be a much more substantial undertaking than we’d envisioned. There were some sad faces as realization started to set in that it was looking like it could be a very long morning of delay and sore elbows for everyone until my client Lee channeled his inner Marine: Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome

Lee's on that grind!

Next thing you know there was a bent pot hook stuck into a power drill and we were grinding grain like nobody’s business and on our way to a delicious beer this Fall!

Now, obviously this wasn’t some sort of life or death situation. We certainly could have kept grinding by hand and it would have been fine. However, we had a problem of serious pain-in-the-ass proportions and we would have been one grumpy crew by the time it was all said and done. Instead of accepting our fates, we decided to step back, put our heads together, and work up a solution (turning Lee loose with a power tool).

There’s something to be learned from that. I grew up on a farm in Maine. For us improvising is a way of life. To this day there’s not much I can’t fix with some wire, a screwdriver, and the obligatory duct tape. I think the ability to improvise is one of my best qualities and something I’m truly thankful for in my upbringing.

Improvising is more than just taking some parts and making something useful for it. It’s a way of looking at life and obstacles. Too many people are sidetracked by challenges. Life is full of hard shit. Sometimes you’re not going to have the right tool or the right skill set to overcome those challenges head-on. Them’s the breaks, so to speak.

Those who will be successful are the ones who won’t let those challenges beat them. Instead they will Improvise. They will Adapt. They will Overcome.

Are you on the road and can’t make it to your gym? Run the stairs at your hotel and do a bodyweight exercise at every landing. Keep going until you’re tired. Improvise.

You’re at a wedding and surrounded by all sorts of killer food and you’re afraid you’ll blow your diet? Hit the veggie platter (because you know damn well nobody’s touched it) and eat a full plate of raw vegetables BEFORE you go after the tastier stuff. Adapt.

You just lost out on a major promotion at work? Double back, look at what happened, and establish your value… or find a company that appreciates it. Overcome.

You don’t have to accept what life gives you at face value. You can take what’s given and use it to create what you wanted in the first place.

It’s Make It Happen Monday. What are you doing to overcome your challenges?

Comment below!

Honestly, could use 5-10 lbs more muscle, but that's just being picky.

The issue with the Deadlift is that, much like the other loves in my life, I can’t interact with her the way I like to (hard and heavy) often. I simply get burnt out after a few weeks and my strength goes down.

Now, there’s such a thing as getting a little weak in the knees from love, but that’s no excuse for a bad Deadlift.

So here’s a great, simple solution:

Stand in a resistance band stretched over the bar.

There are three primary benefits to this:

1. It accommodates the strength curve better and allows you to use less actual weight on the bar, allowing the band tension to increase the load as your leverage increases. This means you’ll be less stressed from deadlifting (although you’ll definitely feel worked) and can thus train more frequently.

2. It forces you to accelerate all the way through the lift. Your body naturally slows down as you near full extension to keep you from hyperextending. This is a good defense mechanism, but teaches you to put the brakes on. This is one of the reasons why the olympic lifts are so good at teaching power: They largely avoid this. With the Band-resisted Deadlift, you achieve a lot of the same effect.

3. It really builds a boa constrictor grip. With the band pulling the bar down the whole time, and getting harder as you go, you need some iron hands to hold on.

So here’s how you do it:

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