The Underground Strength Training Movement

Any of you who know me know the current state of the strength training and fitness industry makes me sick. There are those of us - trainers, coaches and hardcore lifters affectionately known as "the darksiders" - out there taking matters into their own hands. No, you don't find these people in flashy mega-fitness centers with neon lights, cardio-bar, pump and burn aerobics and fancy weight machines. You'll find these people, these "darksiders" in garages, basements, backyards or "hole in the wall" gyms that you would need special directions to find as they are usually located in storage spaces or warehouses. People in this industry I respect, guys like Zach "The Underground Strength Coach" Even-Esh, Smitty & Jedd from the Diesel Crew and my good friend Steve Mosley are all doing a great job of this.

These guys are out there showing what can be done outside the confines of the mega-fitness centers. They are operating out of garages, backyards and basements and using barbells, kettlebells, sand bags, stones, ropes and the hardcore basics of training - getting people results.

I had a pro-basketball player contact me and come out to my "dungeon" training facility (the picture at the top of this article). Apparently he wasn't impressed cause' it didn't look like the Ritz, and not even considering the quality of training I could provide him he had obviously made up his mind. When I asked him what he was doing for training he said smith machine squats, leg extensions and leg curls at the local fitness empire. Some people just don't get it. He never came back. Oh well, his loss.

I have been fortunate enough to work with athletes on all levels from recreational to high school, college and professional level. The one thing they all have in common is their desire to succeed, to get results. They are realizing it is not the facility, but rather the intensity and attitude put into their training that produces results. Judging by the recent trend in the commercial fitness facilities to cancel memberships for grunting under a heavy load we can safely say noone is getting strong at the local McFitness centers. What do you need to get strong, powerful and dominate your competition as an athlete or someone who is serious about their training program? The underground!

Granted it is only a movie, but who doesn't love Rocky?!?! Remember Rocky 3, after training in the flash and flair of high profile fitness centers and stationary bikes Stallone gets his ass handed to him by Mr. T. Then Carl Weathers steps in and gets Stallone ready for a re-match. Just where does Apollo take Rocky to train? The gym he grew up in, in downtown LA. It was beautiful! Water leaking from the ceiling, dimly lit and hardcore! Did you notice how tough those other fighters training there were? Watch the movie again and look in their eyes during that scene when Rocky and Apollo walk in dressed in their 3-piece suits, it would make your average fitness-center-going-metrosexual crap his pants!

If you want to get strong, tough and make serious progress you need to train like an animal. You can't do that at Pump 'n' Burn Express or wherever else your bank account gets debited monthly while you watch CNN. So forget about the corporate fitness empires and get back the basics of training. Take yourself outside of your comfort zone and fight the war on metro-sexuality. Bring the sweat, blood and tears back into training. What happened to those days? Remember those pictures that inspired you to pick up a barbell for the first time? The black and whites of Arnold, Franco and Lou training at the old Golds in Venice. Remember how intense that looked? Remember how it lit that fire deep in your gut and you couldn't wait to join a gym? What happened to those days...

They are around you, you just have to look for them. Look for the kid dragging a weighted sled through his yard, or someone hoisting stones overhead. Look for the dimly lit basement gyms full of rusty barbells and cold iron. Look for people with hard, jacked physiques and the look of a stone-cold killer in their eyes and you'll find it. It's the underground and we're taking over!