Stone Training for Full Body Strength

Training with stones is downright FUN!

Sometimes you just wanna rip into something other than a barbell or dumbbell!

I have used “river stones” which you find out in parks and playgrounds and backyards. These are great fun as well and you will get a ton of crazy stares by onlookers but who cares, get down and dirty and show them how you train.

We also use atlas stones which you can make or purchase off of e bay or sometimes craigs list from local strongman groups.

The full body strength you can develop from lifting stones, carrying stones, power cleaning and loading stones is tremendous.

In some countries, stone lifting is a National Sport!

Check out a video of my athletes training with atlas stones for full body strength…

If you want to lift atlas stones, start very light, just playing with a 100 lb atlas stone will be a great shock to the body, BUT, it will allow you to use good technique and you can perform power cleans and carries with less chances of injury.

Exercises to be performed with a stone like deadlifts, lapping the stone, power cleaning the stone to your chest and bear hug squats are AWESOME for developing full body strength.

Stone Training can have a GREAT place in your program, you just need to be smart about how and when you do this.

Start training with stones the RIGHT way with The Underground Strength Manual HERE.

Learn How To Make Your Own Stones – HERE.

Or Buy “The Gym Stone” – HERE

Building Muscle and Grip Strength with Strongman Training

Strongman training often involves the farmer walk of some variation.
Sometimes the athletes walk with long farmer handles, other times they carry 200 + lb. sandbags!

Below, in the video, you see our athletes carrying heavy dumbbells, heavy kettlebells and heavy sandbags, ALL of which are an awesome way to build muscle and develop serious grip strength.

Next time you go through a workout, try carrying different objects to push your body to the next level. Carrying heavy objects will be an excellent way to pack on muscle and develop a crushing grip strength.

A few hard sets will get the job done, more isn’t always better!

Zach Even – Esh is the owner of The Underground Strength Gym and the creator of The Underground Strength System.

If you want the Ultimate training system for packing on muscle and strength then The Underground Strength System is your answer.

Sandbag Complexes for Developing Strength, Conditioning and Rock Hard Muscles

If you have never heard of “complexes” it is simple a series of movements strung together, one after another, no rest between exercises and with the same training tool.

I frequently perform complexes with sandbags and kettlebells.

The complexes are awesome, especially when you are short on time. Check out this sandbag complex below in the Video:

In the above video you see me performing the following sandbag exercises:

shouldering
shoulder squats
push pressing

As you can see, those 3 exercises performed in succession kicked my ass!

There was no special formula to the complex I strung together, just 3 tough exercises that rocked the entire body.

You can try performing a lower body exercise, an upper body pushing exercises and finishing with an upper body pulling exercise.

For example:

1. Sandbag Step Ups x 5 ea. Leg
2. Sandbag Military Press x 5 reps
3. Sandbag Bent Over Row x 5 reps

If you want to start using complexes go ahead and start using them with a light sandbag. You can quickly progress to a heavier sandbag as your strength, conditioning and grip strength improve.

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Training with Russian Kettlebells, Thick Ropes and Sleds!

Sometimes I feel like sleds, ropes and kettlebells are the ultimate lethal weapon for athletes, fitness fanatics and strength freaks.

You can use them all at once as you see in the video below, working on power pressing and power rowing.

The thick ropes allow you to improve hand and grip strength, the sleds improve lower body strength and overall stamina and the kettlebells are the ultimate “All in 1 Gym”

Check out the Video below of my training partner and I going through some playground workouts using the sled, ropes and kettlebells.

If you don’t have a sled, you can simply make one with a tire as I show you in The Underground Strength System.

Try cranking out 6 power presses, followed by 6 power rows followed by 100’ of dragging forwards and another 100’ of dragging the sled or tire backwards.

I would throw that sled workout in at the end of your workout, AFTER you have pushed hard on the strength drills. Three rounds of the above sled circuit will definitely have you feeling your oats if you know what I mean.

If you want more outdoor, “No Gym Needed”, Underground workouts then check out http://UndergroundStrengthManual.com

Carry Like Crazy!

Carrying odd objects is a powerful way to add strength, power and improve your conditioning all at the same time. When you carry objects, you are required to power clean them, shoulder them, deadlift and squat them up. This requires strength and power, while carrying them involves conditioning, strength and mental toughness. You will also develop isometric strength during the carries as you crush, squeeze and hold on with all your might to ensure these objects don’t escape you. Sounds a lot like what you need in combat, right?

It is critical to be aggressive when lifting the objects off the ground to gain the benefits of strength and power on your first rep. I encourage you to lower the weight with perfect technique when finishing a set because this is when you are most fatigues and most susceptible to injury.

Check out the list of movements I want you to use below, and then give the sample workout a shot.

Keg Carries – Filled with water, the sloshing of the water will increase this challenge greatly. Using the bear hug or under hook (zercher lift) style, rip the keg up into position and speed walk for distance.

Kettlebell Rack Walks – These are brutal on the entire body, but your abs will get a serious workout here as well as the rest of your body. Perform an explosive power clean to rip the weights up into position and speed walk for distance.

Kettlebell Farmer Walks – I often follow the rack walks with farmer walks when I can no longer hold the rack walk position. These will place extra emphasis on the legs, upper back and grip.

Sandbag Overhead Walk – I emphasize the walking here, as your arms being overhead place you in a very vulnerable position because it is a rare position, yet extremely beneficial. Holding the bag overhead helps develop stability and strength in the lower back and abdominals. This walk should be performed slowly.

Sandbag Zercher Carry – When you can no longer keep the bag locked over your head, lower the bag into your arms without rest and continue with a zercher carry using the speed walk.

Sandbag Farmer Walks – Last but not least, grab one sandbag in each hand and speed walk them. This will be brutal on the hands and grip, especially the fingers. If you’re a Judo or BJJ athlete, this will improve your grip game tremendously.

Your Underground Workout…

Set up all the objects next to one another so you can carry them down and back and then pick up the next object as needed. Each walk will be 100 ft. in distance. If you are in a BJJ / MMA club, you can perform the carries for time, 30 – 60 seconds for each carry, and / or continue to perform the workout for several 5 minute rounds, or carry them to one end of the parking lot, sprint back and pick up the next object and repeat with carry / sprint intervals.

1A) Keg Carry
1B) Kettlebell Rack Walk
1C) Kettlebell Farmer Walk
1D) Sandbag Overhead Carry
1E) Sandbag Zercher Carry
1F) Sandbag Farmer Walk

All 6 movements are to be performed one after another, NO rest! Go get em’!

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Underground Shock Training

If you have hit a plateau in your performance training, there are likely many variables missing that can help you break your plateau. Often times you need a change of pace and must be taken out of your comfort zone. This is where “shock training” comes into play.

You will take your mind and body into a zone they have never experienced before. This style of training does not need to be performed every single time you train, but here and there it’s a great idea to implement something similar to what I’m about to outline for you.

When performing shock training, we utilize basic barbell lifts, odd objects such as Kegs, Tires, Russian Kettlebells, Thick Rope Movements and sandbags. We also perform various calisthenics, sprinting and jumping drills. Each compound movement or sprinting / jumping drill is followed by a specific combat drill required for that athlete’s sport. Workouts are performed for timed rounds (5 minutes per round) with predetermined rep patterns or for maximum rounds in a specific time period (i.e. max rounds in 15 minutes).

Below are some of our favorite movements we will incorporate into a Shock Workout. We often choose 3 strength movements, 1 jumping or sprinting drill and 1 version of the combat specific drill (i.e. pad work, ground submissions, takedowns, fit ins, throws). If you own a martial arts school, much of this equipment can be stored behind your school or in a corner, out of the way from your students.

Keg Clean & Press – This is a powerful full body movement which works the entire body intensely. The water moves around in the keg forcing you to ground your feet and maintain balance. This is an explosive movement and must be performed with aggression and speed!

Trap Bar Deadlift – This is a powerful movement for developing the power and strength through your hips, entire lower body and your entire back, in addition to strengthening your grip.

Tire Flipping – The massive amount of energy required to flip a tire is tremendous, as are the benefits of ripping through circuits of tire flips mixed in with more shock treatment. There is not one muscle which does not get worked during the tire flip.

Stone Lifting – Once again, we are choosing a movement that requires the entire body to work together as a unit, no isolating here. Your entire body will be worked like never before and the focus must be intense here. Any type of stone can be used during this drill. Many of our stones are from old playgrounds that were sitting around collecting dirt until we came along, hosed the dirt off and turned them into strength equipment.

Farmer Walks – Carrying objects is one of the simplest forms of strength training as well as one of the most challenging. Carrying kettlebells, anvils, kegs, sandbags, stones – you name it, you can carry it. The awkward nature of the carry forces the body to work as a unit and places you in uncomfortable positions. You can quit or keep pressing on!

The moral here is to organize several full body movements in a circuit while also placing your body in an uncommon environment. For us, this means training in full Gi, wearing a mouth guard, knee pads, outside in the sweltering heat and humidity. Combining all these elements shocks the mind and body and causes you t step it up a notch or two. It may be exactly what you needed to make it to the next level.

Try this workout for 3 rounds of 5 minutes each, rest 1 minute after each round:

1A) tire flip x 5
1B) keg clean & press x 5
1C) odd object farmer walk x 100 ft.
1D) sprint x 100 ft.

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Barbell Training for Gladiators

All you need is a barbell for this workout. Simplicity is often the name of my game, but my priority is getting results fast, and you’re about to experience exactly how to get fast results in developing strength endurance, power endurance and speed!

These exercises are very basic and can be done with the help of a partner or by placing your barbell on milk crates or a few cinder blocks in place of power racks, especially if you’re training in your own home. Your resources don’t need to be anything fancy as you’re about to see.

You will not be training with traditional bodybuilding methods. Instead, you will perform a high number of sets with low reps and minimal rest time. This method is what produces strength and power endurance. The exercises you’re going to perform are the following:

1. Zercher Squat – wrap a towel in the center of the barbell, using double underhooks, place the crook of your elbows under the barbell, and perform deep squats. Your posture must remain upright and your elbows should remain high. Do not allow the weight to pull your posture down or pull your hands down. Choose an appropriate weight allowing for perfect technique. This movement is awesome for developing takedown strength and overall full body strength. Your upper body will work extremely hard just to keep the barbell in position and of course your legs will be working hard to move that heavy barbell!

2. Towel Deadlift – Every 2 – 3 workouts you will switch from the zercher squat to the towel deadlift. This will avoid burn out in either movement and still works a similar movement. This is a great way to continuously keep improving strength while avoiding overuse injuries. The towels can be grabbed or wrapped around the bar. Both are excellent for grip and full body strength.

3. Floor Press – Great for developing pushing strength from your back. If you’re weak on your back, get strong here. This will develop pushing strength and power helping you escape your hips and create angles from the bottom, ultimately making you a better submission specialist from your back! There should be no bouncing of the bar off the floor. Lower the bar slowly as if it were going to touch your lower chest, once your triceps touch the floor, blast the weight upward! Arm Bars anyone?!?!

4. Barbell Row with Towels – Use the towels if you want added grip work. Wrap the towels around the bar or hang the towels around the bar, each of which give you a different grip and pulling effect. Grips can be overhand or underhand. Keep your low back neutral and your upper back flat, NO rounding allowed. If you round out your back, lighten up until your form is perfect. Your lower body will also work just to stabilize your upper body so this is truly a full body exercise. Pull the weight towards your low abdomen and squeeze your shoulder blades together. This is excellent for developing pulling strength, a must in all combat sports.

5. Barbell Cheat Curls – No one ever would expect me to encourage these, as many equate this movement to bodybuilding training. This exercise is going to look like a barbell hang clean, except with a reverse grip. It will develop hip power and strength in your entire upper body. Don’t knock these, they work, especially when you push for HEAVY weights! They will also work your hands and grip very intensely, a critical aspect in any type of combat sport using gi as well as no gi.

Here’s your Underground workout:

* Exercises A & B are performed back to back. As your work capacity improves, you should aim to have zero rest through each superset!

1A) Barbell Floor Press 6 x 3 – 5 reps
1B) Barbell Zercher Squat / Towel Deadlift 6 x 3 – 5 reps

2A) Bent Over Barbell Row with Towels 3 x 8 – 12 reps
2B) Any Push Up Variation 3 x Max Reps

3A) Barbell Cheat Curls 3 x 5 reps
3B) Any Abdominal Exercise 3 x 20 reps

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