Carry Like Crazy! By Zach Even – Esh {aff_link} The simplest movements can often yield the most powerful results. Is this why I never saw anyone doing farmer walks with the 180 lb dumbbells at some gyms I’ve been to? Or heavy rack pulls, heavy squats, heavy military presses (standing not seated) or heavy barbell rows? These movements pack on the real muscle and make you stronger than a Bull! What about farmer walks with the farmer walk bars? I snagged a great pair of farmer handles from http://elitefts.com I used the econo farmer bars and they arrived 2 days later! These long bars make the carries much harder and really hammer the lower body. Normally we used our 130 lb dumbbells or heavy kettlebells but these long bars were different and better for full body work! You can also perform the other basic carries with dumbbells and sandbags. These movements will develop full body strength and you want to include these HEAVY in your workouts on a regular basis. These are the basics. After the basics you can start getting more advanced by using cross carries or mixed carries. I'm talking about zercher carries and bear hug carries using sandbags or carrying a stone around the backyard in between sets of kettlebell work. The cross carries can be used with dumbbells, kettlebells and even sandbags. All you need to do is hold them in two different positions. This awkward loading of the body strengthens the muscles and the body from unique angles that don’t get worked through traditional movements. some more of my favorite are rack walk + overhead carries or overhead and farmer walk mixed together. Carrying heavy objects of any type are awesome for full body strength development and work capacity. In addition, the first rep of every set is some form of a power clean and / or deadlift just to get the weight off the ground. Putting the weights down requires control, so no dropping, only squatting / deadlifting the weights down under control. I’ve met some seriously strong men who never touch free weights, their strength came from manual labor carrying objects, lifting them, throwing them, power cleaning them into truck beds, etc. The guy who used to pick up our garbage when we were remodeling our house had an old pick up truck, it seriously looked like Steve Justa’s truck! This guy’s name was Tony. Tony picked up junk for people as a side job, but it was always heavy stuff. Odd objects that makes you stronger than a freight train. He would pick up all our stuff: toilet bowls, dish washers, heavy contractor bags filled with sheet rock, an old deck and more! I remember talking to him about strength training (as I always did) while we were loading his pick up with 20 + bags of sheet rock. He was holding one bag with a straight arm as he causally spoke with me! I was using two arms and my entire body to heave those bags up and I was starting to sweat bullets. Tony was used to carrying car parts, scrap metal and other seriously heavy and odd objects. Essentially, all he did was carry junk. But, remember, like I said, when you carry objects, you power clean them up / down as well as deadlift the weight up / down. It can’t get any simpler than that! Now it’s time you begin to carry some odd objects! About the Author Zach Even - Esh is a Strength & Performance Coach from Edison, NJ and is the owner of The Underground Strength Gym and creator of {aff_link}. Zach's Underground methods have spanned the globe and have helped men and women of all ages to dramatically improve athletic performance, pack on rugged muscle and develop brute strength. Zach is the Strength & Conditioning advisor for TapOuT Magazine and is also a featured writer for Men's Fitness Magazine. To learn more about Zach and his methods visit {aff_link}

Hands Like Vise Grips By Zach Even – Esh {aff_link} If you haven’t realized how critical hand and grip strength is yet, you’re missing the big picture. A weak grip and weak hands will limit how heavy you can train in and out of the gym. It can also mean the difference between making that tackle, getting the winning takedown, or hitting the ball the extra few feet that helped you knock it out of the park! Back when bodybuilding was in the “Golden Era”, none of those guys used wrist straps, wraps, wrist support or any other “helpers”. They may have used a weight belt, but even their belts were thin, wimpy leather belts. These men also did tons of volume when they trained so not only did they have strong hands and grip, but they had the strength endurance to boot. Try doing a back workout that included a total of 25 sets performing heavy deads, heavy barbell or t bar rows, weighted pull ups and heavy shrugs! Talk about getting a grip workout in! Then these guys finished off with wrist curls. Although wrist curls don’t do much for stronger hands and grip, they will add size to the forearms which can transfer over to your ability to improve grip strength. The first thing you’re going to need to do is drop your wrist straps and wraps and start training with no assistance. At first, pull ups will seem challenging. Your hands will give quickly and you’ll be hanging by your finger tips. Quickly those hands and your grip strength will rapidly climb. Start deadlifting with overhand grips and mixed grips (over – under). This will be one of the best movements you can do to develop your grip into a powerful “vise grip”. Not to forget that the deadlift is one of the best movements out there for full body strength and muscle building. Make deadlifting even more challenging by using a thick bar! If you don’t have a thick bar, then use a towel where each hand goes and now you’ve got a homemade thick bar! You can also use a towel on your kettlebell handle during one arm swings. These will really make the grip work over time, not just because of the thicker handle, but the speed of the kettlebell will amplify your necessity to hold onto that kettlebell with all you’ve got! The best way to work your grip is not through specializing only after a workout, but during the workout you should make almost every movement involving your grip. Some examples are: •The use of sandbags where you must grab the canvas •Thick bars or handles for any free weight movement •Towel or rope pull ups •Towel or rope attached to the kettlebell (great for rows, swings, pulling movements, carries) •Stone lifting, specifically pulling movements (dead lifts, bent over rows) •Small stone lifting w/one hand – shoulder raises from all angles •Heavy farmer walks w/thick bar and / or heavy implements •Pole climbing •Hand over hand rope or tow strap pulling •Sledge hammer work The big mistake is to throw in a few sets of wrist curls or captains of crush grippers at the end and hope for that to be enough. You’ve got to push the limits to develop your lower arms to their maximum and a few sissy sets at the end won’t cut it! Let’s take a look at how you can incorporate grip training into a full workout: The Vise Grip Workout : Warm up: A)100 push ups, hands on stability ball or on floor B)100 squats 1)Thick bar dead lift w/over – under grip: build up to 3 heavy sets of 1 – 3 reps 2A)Thick bar military push press (clean from ground on 1st rep) 4 x 4 – 6 reps 2B)Rope or towel pull ups 4 x max reps 3A)Step ups or reverse lunges with kettlebells in ea. hand 3 x 12 3B)Plate pinching 3 x max time ea. hand Another favorite grip movement that has proven to be very effective are the dumbbell hex holds. Just stand them upright and hold for max time! Go for 3 – 5 sets at the end of your workout resting only 30 seconds! About the Author Zach Even - Esh is a Strength & Performance Coach from Edison, NJ and is the owner of The Underground Strength Gym and creator of {aff_link}. Zach's Underground methods have spanned the globe and have helped men and women of all ages to dramatically improve athletic performance, pack on rugged muscle and develop brute strength. Zach is the Strength & Conditioning advisor for TapOuT Magazine and is also a featured writer for Men's Fitness Magazine. To learn more about Zach and his methods visit {aff_link}