The physiques were all very rugged, and having powerful, chiseled abdominals was a side effect from the heavy strength training performed.
These abs of steel did NOT come from tons of specific abdominal training!

These men of might didn’t worry about isolation movements, instead, they performed heavy compound movements such as heavy barbell cheat curls, heavy power cleans and heavy overhead pressing.

The heavy work forced their abdominals to contract super intensely, much harder than any abdominal crunch you have ever experienced! Gymnastics training and body mastery was a regular part of their training because these men not only wanted to look strong, but also wanted to be able to perform and show off how skilled they really were! How fancy is your gym? Do you get the results you want in your training? Do you keep on getting faster, stronger and more muscular while carving your body into a granite hard masterpiece? Is your training fun or do you feel the staleness and boredom creeping in every time you train?

Underground training adds a unique twist to your overall program. You feel like a kid again. You feel just as excited as you did the first time you picked up a weight! Let’s take a look at how you can easily incorporate some Underground training into your overall program.

In this example we will use a full body workout. The warm up method is up to you. For the most part, we incorporate bands, bodyweight calisthenics, mobility and any dynamic flexibility work we need to address during the warm up.

The workout:

1) Barbell Clean and Press – nothing fancy here. Get a barbell and clean it from the floor and push press it overhead. Warm up and build up to 2 or 3 heavy sets of 2 – 5 reps. Sets aren’t written in stone here so train according to your level of preparedness. This is a full body lift so attack it hard!

2) Reverse grip bent over barbell rows – these are great for grip work as well as the pulling muscles and lower back. Your reps will vary according to how much weight you load the bar with. On average shoot for 4 x of 5 – 10 reps.

3) Reverse lunge using a sandbag – we call these zercher lunges. Hold the bag with both hands underneath (this forces the upper body to work in addition to the lower body). 3 – 4 sets x 8 – 10 reps per leg.

5) Finish off your workout with a circuit of ab work for 1 0r 2 sets, and some quick arm work.

• Power wheel roll outs x 10 reps
• Russian kettlebell get up – sit up x 5 reps each arm
• Leg raises while upright on dip bars x 10 reps

For arms:
Perform 2 fast rounds of barbell cheat curls and lying dumbbell extensions. 6 – 8 reps per set will work perfect for this quick finisher.

There you have it. A simple, yet effective full body workout that can be done using inexpensive tools: barbells, sandbags and your own bodyweight. You won’t be able to train like this in your commercial gym.

It’s going to require the creation of your own Underground training compound. Round up your buddies and get a move on to create your own gym. The movement of Underground gyms are popping up all over the world, NOT just in the USA. What are you waiting for?

Until the next time,
Train smart and train hard!

Yours in strength,
Zach Even – Esh

About The Author

Zach Even-Esh has been involved in strength training, wrestling and other combat sports for over 16 years. During this time Zach obtained a BA in Health & Physical Education and an MA in Health Education. Zach was part of the first group in the world to become an IYCA Youth Conditioning Specialist.

Zach is an acclaimed speaker and author, having presented at Ryan Lee's Boot Camp, Perform Better Seminars and at numerous wrestling clubs through out NJ. Zach is the author of the Underground strength training book, The Gladiator Training Manual, he is a regular writer for TapouT Magazine and Men's Fitness Magazine.

Training combat athletes is a passion for Zach & he only allows the most dedicated athletes to participate in his programs. His clientele consists of high school & college athletes, MMA fighters, Military & Law Enforcement personnel. Some of these individuals have dominated national competition in their sport!

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Visit Zach online at: www.UndergroundStrengthManual.com and find out more about UNDERGROUND training methods - such as Kettlebells, Logs, Kegs, Odd Objects, Ropes, Sandbags, Sledgehammers, Sleds, Stones, Tires - even Cars, and be sure to grab your FREE Underground Strength Course at www.UndergroundCombatTraining.Com and see how Zach uses innovative training methods to develop granite hard bodies that are as strong as they look!

www.UndergroundStrengthManual.com

 

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