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GRINDER STRENGTH PULL-UPS

2 WWW.SEALG R I N D E R PT.COM


BY

BRAD MCLEOD FORMER NAVY SEAL

SEALGRINDERPT.COM

http://www.sealg/



Grinder Strength Pull-ups

Published by www.SEALGrinderPT.com

SEALGrinderPT.com

275 Stone Mill Trail NE

Atlanta, GA 30328

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Copyright © 2011-2014 Brad McLeod and SealGrinderPT.com

All rights reserved. The text of this publication, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher.

Printed in the United States of America.

Please consult your physician before beginning any new exercise or diet program -- especially if you have been inactive for a while or if you have any medical problems.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ....................... 8

INTRODUCTION ............................ 11

STRETCHING AND REST ................. 13

A QUICK NOTE ABOUT PULL-UPS AND REST DAYS. ......... 16

10 TIPS TO BREAKING THROUGH TRAINING PLATEAU 17

VARIETY IN WORKOUT ................... 20

GETTING STARTED WITH PULL-UPS . 21

PULL-UP PROGRESSIONS .......................................... 21

BEGINNER ........................................................................................... 21

INTERMEDIATE .................................................................................... 22

ADVANCED ........................................................................................... 22

IMPROVING YOUR PULL-UPS ........... 23

RING PULL-UPS ....................................................... 23

BAND PULL-UPS ...................................................... 24

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JUMPING PULL-UPS ................................................. 24

DEAD HANG PULL-UPS .............................................. 27

KIPPING PULL-UP .................................................... 28

VARIETY OF PULL-UPS ............................................. 30

CHEST TO BAR (C2B PULL-UPS) ................................. 31

NEGATIVE PULL-UPS ................................................ 32

GRIP STRENGTH ........................... 33

FARMERS WALK ...................................................... 33

DEAD HANG ............................................................ 34

WRIST ROLLER ....................................................... 34

PULL-UP WORKOUTS ..................... 36

BEGINNER PULL-UP WORKOUTS ................................ 36

INTERMEDIATE PULL-UP WORKOUTS ......................... 38

ADVANCED PULL-UP WORKOUTS ................................ 40

30 DAY BEGINNER PULL-UP PROGRAM ........................ 42

30 DAY INTERMEDIATE PULL-UP PROGRAM ................. 43

30 DAY ADVANCED PULL-UP PROGRAM ....................... 44

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BONUS INTERVIEWS ...................... 45

AL KAVADIO ............................................................ 45

STEW SMITH ........................................................... 49

ZACH EVEN ESH....................................................... 54

COACH PAUL WADE .................................................. 61

BAR-BARIAN UKJAY………………………………………….67

SEALGRINDERPT ONLINE COACHING 69

BASIC COACHING ..................................................... 70

PREMIUM COACHING ............................................... 70

TESTIMONIALS ............................. 71

SEALGRINDERPT PRODUCTS ........... 72

THE GRINDER KORD ................................................ 72

SEAL GRINDER PT (SGPT) GYMNASTIC RINGS .............. 74

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brad McLeod is a former Navy SEAL and a CrossFit level 1 certified trainer. He trains hundreds of athletes to push past their weaknesses and plateaus to shed their former skin and become new athletes.

Brad did not participate in any high school sports and had a history of asthma. After graduating from high school, he was unsure what he wanted to do with his life. The best option at the time was to move to California to become a stunt man in the movies. Luckily a friend gave him a copy of the book “Everything We Had” by Al Santoli. This book gave me the motivation to join the military and be a part of the most elite fighting force in the world. In 1982 at the age of 19, Brad enlisted in the United States Navy with the goal of becoming a Navy Seal.

Navy Seal training is an intense three phase training course that lasts 26 weeks. 85% of the recruits who start the training fail to graduate. The first phase of training is known as BUD/s. BUD/s training is famous for its “Hell Week” which occurs during the 3rd week of training. Hell Week is a 5 day ordeal in which the trainees get a maximum of 4 hours of sleep. During this week almost ½ of the trainees will quit.

Brad made it through the famous Hell Week but failed a math test during the second phase of training. Brad was sent to the fleet as radio communications specialist. Determined to return to BUD/s, Brad continued to train hard with bodyweight exercises, the only training option available to him on his ship. When his tour at sea ended, Brad returned to BUD/s physically stronger and more determined than before.

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In 1982, he went through Hell Week a second time, graduated from BUD/s class 132 and went on to join SEAL Team 4. This experience taught Brad the value of mental toughness. The SEALs were looking for guys who would never quit, no matter what they were up against. Although he lacked physical ability Brad was determined not to quit and worked hard to mentally stay in the game and succeed.

Since his time in the Teams, Brad has worked as an Outward Bound instructor, Atlanta Rocks youth climbing team coach and in recent years as a CrossFit trainer and owner at Crossfit Grinder. During his time in college at the University of Georgia he worked for 4 years in the Outdoor Recreation Program teaching rock climbing and caving. He has grown to love climbing and kayaking as an outdoor pursuit and has gained strength from the power of nature.

Brad has trained hundreds of athletes in both CrossFit and SEAL style PT workouts with lots of stretching, yoga and body weight exercises. After having many students ask for copies and notes of my workouts, I decided to put it all down on a website to help other athletes learn and share the knowledge. This website is sealgrinderpt.com.

Brad currently trains athletes at CrossFit Grinder in Atlanta and at local parks. He also travels to California every quarter to coach at SEALFit Kokoro camps.

Brad offers online coaching for people not located in the Atlanta area. He currently coaches people all over the world. He is able to offer coaching to everyone regardless of their level of fitness or their target fitness goals.

If you have questions or want to inquire about coaching you can reach him at [email protected] or check out the website

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INTRODUCTION

The tide is shifting. No longer are we obsessed with going to the globo gym and pumping up our pecs and biceps and spraying on our tans, unless you are trying out for the reality show “Jersey Shores”. We are now embracing functional workouts – ones that will help you in your day occupation and the sports that we love. For the body building boyz -- if war breaks out in the tanning bed then you may be ready but other than that you are useless.

There is a new breed of athlete working out in the back alleys, running on trails and on the beach doing sprints and burpees. This athlete is ready for anything anytime. The new athlete trains for functional strength not biceps and poses. They use exercises like the pushup, sit up, squat and pull-up as basic tenets of their core workout. They understand that if the core is strong, then they are strong.

The pull-up is one of the most basic body movements that we perform as humans. Since the day of the caveman we have been climbing to look for food and to escape from becoming eaten.

The need for the pull-up is still alive and well as this type of movement is used in many sports (rock climbing, pole-vaulting), everyday life (Mom playing with kids at the park or child pulling self up on to chair), everyday work (climbing ladder) to an occupation (fire fighter, fire fighter, military, window washer) and here at CrossFit in the gym. Back in the woods of north Florida, I grew up climbing in trees. Our version of a pull-up workout was climbing a 30 foot pine sapling to the top and riding it to ground and then back up the next one. Do a few of those sometime and you will see what I mean.

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Even though I was not an athlete, I used that early ability to translate to the pull-up bar. I still had to work hard but before long I could knock out several chin-ups with a buddy spotting me by pushing up on my back. Over time I was able to jump right up and crack out several without a spotter and was on my way up the pull-up ladder towards my first muscle ups and embracing the idea of gorilla like strength. We trained for that strength on the infamous “grinder” at Basic Underwater Demolition School (BUD/S) as a recruit training to become a Navy SEAL.

The grinder is an asphalt area that is surrounded by pull-up bars. Grinder strength is about training for raw animal strength that translates directly to the real world. No fluff, no BS, just exercises and progressions that will propel your body to higher levels of endurance, strength and stamina.

If you want to increase your production in the real world (climbing, parkour) and in the gym while reducing your overall times on CrossFit workouts like Fran, Angie and Jackie then increasing your pull-up technique and strength is something you need.

If you apply the techniques from the Grinder Strength Pull-up workout and go full out 100% with discipline and focus you will improve your pull-up reps and shed minutes of time on your workouts. It does not matter if you cannot do your first pull-up or you are working on mastering the muscle up - there is room to learn and grow.

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STRETCHING AND REST

It is important that you stretch daily. You should always stretch before and after working out to help prevent injury and to reduce soreness after the work out. Stretching daily provides an extra level of flexibility that will help you to improve in your work out routines.

The following stretching exercises will work regardless of whether you are a beginner or a seasoned warrior. If you are just starting a workout routine, I recommend that you spend a week or two just stretching before doing any level of exercise. This will allow your body to make as smooth as possible transition from a sedentary life to a physically fit life. Stretching should be done at least once a day but preferably twice a day.

When you stretch you should hold each stretch for 10 to 20 seconds. If you are not able to hold the stretch for the full 20 seconds, don’t worry because you will see improvement if you consistently stretch.

You should stretch both before and after a workout. Sometimes it is difficult to stretch a cold muscle so don’t overdo the stretching at the start of any workout. Once the muscles are warmed up from the workout you should stretch when finished with exercising. This allows you muscles to gain the greatest benefit from stretching.

Here are a few stretches to help you to warm up the muscles for the pull-up. You can click on the name of an exercise to see a video of how to properly do the stretch.

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Swimmers stretch

Cow face stretch

The Swimmers Stretch works the anterior and shoulder muscles. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Reach behind you and grab your left hand with your right hand or you can clasp your hands together. Lean forward and slowly pull your arms upward.

Stand with your legs shoulder width apart. Raise your right arm and bend your elbow till you hand is hanging behind your head. Reach back with your left arm and grab your elbow. Gently pull the elbow toward the opposite side of your body. Switch arms.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvFGE8yEyVU




Arm in front of chest

Wrist stretch

Stand with your feet shoulder length apart. Bring your right arm across the front of your chest. Grab your elbow with your left arm and slowly pull your arm across your chest. Hold for 15 to 20 seconds. Switch arms.

Extend your right arm in front of your body. Grab your finger tips with your left hand and pull the hand backwards. Hold for 5 seconds. Switch hands.

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You can watch a number of videos that I have created on stretching exercises. These videos will show you the proper technique for each exercise. You can view these video by clicking here.

A QUICK NOTE ABOUT PULL-UPS AND REST DAYS. You can perform pull-ups as much as three days a week if you’re a beginner or intermediate athlete. Advanced and Elite athletes can perform pull-ups as many as 4 days a week.

The key is to work different muscles on consecutive days (legs, chest) or rest fully. If you feel like you are overtraining then you probably are. Listen to your body. Rest if you need it. Stretch often and rehydrate and you will make progress despite taking a day or two off. Video on rest days – click here

A common problem with beginning any fitness routine is over training and not taking a rest day. This can result in you reaching a plateau and not seeing any progress.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzQFaug03BY



10 TIPS TO BREAKING THROUGH TRAINING PLATEAU

It happens to every athlete. Your breaking personal record after personal record in the gym and then you get in a rut and are stuck at the same spot and can’t make improvements. What do you need to do to break through a training plateau? Here are a few ideas to help you off that table top and back on to the journey upward.

1. Travel. Go to a gym where most athletes are better than you. It’s too easy to stay at your local gym and keep thinking you are the big frog in a small pond. Challenge yourself and at least find 2 other athletes that will smoke your *ss in any workout and go crank a session with them. Steel sharpens steel.

2. Track work – I know I can hear it now – it’s boring – but I promise you that an extra session a week of track work (sprints and running) will blow the cobwebs and mold off your current training records and catapult you to new levels. Run the 50 meter and 100 meter. Do interval work. Challenge your time for the 200 and 400 meters. Run the steps at your local stadium track. Your legs will feel the difference (sore) the next day. Sprints on hills can be very effective to wake up your quads and hips and push you out of your comfort zone to a new level.

3. Starting Strength- Check out a copy of Mark Rippetoe’s classic book.“Starting Strength”. Drop the pec deck squeezes and bicep curls and get back to basics. Begin to do linear progression workouts to help with your overall strength. Emphasize the back squats and deadlifts. Bench and clean and shoulder presses are essential too. A few weeks of linear progressions may be what you need to push you off the plateau and back on the journey up. Your next personal record on the deadlift is right around the corner.

4. Show Up Fresh for PR’s- Take a good look at your training log (you are keeping a detailed log aren’t you?) and look at the exercises where you have recently broken a new PR (you have a few personal

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records, right?). Often you will find that the areas where you are breaking PR’s are the times where you showed up fresh as a cucumber and crushed a workout. Sometimes it’s that last month of working consistently on a certain type of exercise – and voila – you improved. Look at your training log and keep great notes. Then rest fully and show up fresh to blow out your new PR.

5. Try Something New – Your next great workout could be around the corner. Check out what other athletes are doing and who is setting the pace. There are great interviews and instructional video at www.crossfit.com for new ideas for exercises and pointers on how to improve your lift or your row. Try sled training, or tire flips, or bag pushes, sand bag carries, or work on a muscle up. Have you ever tried 30 handstand pushups for time — or another big number of bodyweight exercises for time? The sky is the limit. Variety stimulates the brain and muscles to stretch to new levels. Click here for some sled training routines from top powerlifter Jim Wendler.

6. Improve your Diet – Take one thing in your diet that you know is wrong (diet Coke?) and replace it with filtered water. The next week replace two things. Pretty soon your diet will be dialed in super tight and your energy levels will be at an all time high.Eat more lean meats and vegetables and less processed grains. Check out the blog from Robb Wolf to help you gain insight and new ideas on a good clean diet.

7. Stretch – Stretch at least 10 minutes before a workout and a minimum of 10 minutes after. We are all guilty of wanting to get in a workout and do the absolute minimum to stretch on the front end and then bolt out of the front door of the gym (with no stretch) at the end. Check out these stretches to help you warm up and avoid injuries.

• Hamstring stretches • Shoulder stretches • Hip stretches

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http://www.crossfit.com/

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/prowler_challenge.htm

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIWcgz1tZt4


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or visit my website www.sealgrinderpt for a full body 30 minute stretch and body weight warm-up to energize yourself and get you ready for your workout.

8. Add Plyometric Jumps- adding explosive power jumps to your workout can have a dramatic effect. Frog jumps , plyo ice skaters , airborne heismans , burpees with a lateral jump are all examples of pylo jumps that can boost your workouts. Not only will your heart rate jump but you will increase your explosive power which translates to speed in your sprints and cleans.

9. Set New Goals- You have goals, don’t you? Write them down in your training log. Don’t have vague goals – have precise goals. Repeat after me — I want to weigh 165 lbs, bench press 240 lbs, and deadlift 375 lbs and run a 5k in 19:00 in the next 30 days. Doesn’t that sound good? Have an event on the horizon where you can test all of your training. Run in a local 10k or trail run, the Spartan Race or Tough mudder, a 100 mile bike race or CrossFit competition.

10. Lighten Up – Sometimes we take all this training stuff too seriously. Enjoy life and take an extra rest day. A free and clear mind will help you more in your training as you are not bogged down and bottled up with stress. Sure, exercise will help you relieve some of that stress, but try to get to your workouts with less worries and have fun. That is what it is all about.

11. Extra Protein – Ok; I know that is more than 10 tips but I had to add this one in. If you are starting to lag in your workouts, add a little extra protein. Try tuna in a sandwich or salad for lunch. An extra portion of lean chicken or beef may be just what you need to provide some extra fuel in your engine. When I am working as a coach at SEALFit Kokoro I use Intensity Nutrition protein as an extra boost to get me through the 50 hour session.

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VARIETY IN WORKOUT

Another way to prevent injury and over training is to add variety into your workout. There are 2 major benefits for adding variety. First your workout will not be monotonous. Second it will allow you to work on a wide range of muscle groups by doing different workouts. This helps to prevent injury and overuse and also to help mix up your workouts to make it different, challenging and exciting.

Video on variety of pull-ups – click here

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GETTING STARTED WITH PULL-UPS

In order to get started on improving or learning a pull-up we need to know your starting point so that we can have a base reference. Look at the list below of pull-up progressions and try out the pull-up exercises. If you cannot do a pull-up, then try a jumping pull-up or assisted pull-up with a band. Note the number of reps you can do and keep in your journal.

Pull-up type -

Number of reps

Date -

PULL-UP PROGRESSIONS The purpose of the pull-up progressions is to take you from a beginners assisted pull-up to a regular pull-up. We will start with jumping pull-ups and progress to ring pull-ups (ring rows) and work our way up to the band pull-up.

I have a series of videos on my website that you can view that show how to properly execute each of the different pull-up styles. You can click on the name of any of the pull-up styles to be taken to my website where you can watch the video.

BEGINNER 1. Jumping pull-up – jump up and over short bar

2. Ring pull-ups (ring rows) with feet on floor (can also use lowered bar).

3. Ring pull-ups (ring rows) with feet on box or wall (can also use lowered bar).

4. Band pull-ups - dead hang pull-up

5. Band pull-ups with kipping pull-up

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJG_0wh-t0c





Jumping Pull-up/Ring Rows Pull-up video link click here:

INTERMEDIATE 6. Pull-up - dead hang

7. Pull-up kipping

ADVANCED 8. Pull-up weighted

9. Chest to Bar (C2B) pull-up

Now that you know where you are at on the pull-up ladder and let's work towards moving you up one level at a time and increasing your number of reps and control.

* Quick Mind Set Positive Mental attitude note:

Think Positive! Don't use the dreaded word "can't". Say you can and you will. Think light as a feather. You’re a pull-up machine!

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IMPROVING YOUR PULL-UPS

Now you are ready to start a practical gym session going through the mechanics of the next level of pull-up progressions.

RING PULL-UPS If you are a beginner and just getting started lets go with Ring pull- ups (aka ring rows).

Holding on to the rings lean back with your feet on the deck. From the lowered position slowly begin to pull your body up towards the rings.

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If more advanced then have athlete put feet on wall that has ladder rungs or equivalent height bench. You may also use a lowered bar and pull-up from the bar.

Log number of reps and height of box

BAND PULL-UPS With band pull-ups you move to the next station whether you are using one less foot or moving to the next thinner band. How do you know you need to move to the next band? If you are doing 8 pull-ups then reps 6, 7 and 8 should be hard. If you blitz right through all 8 reps then your band is too thick. Challenge yourself and move to next thinner band.

Click here to check out this video on band pull-ups:

JUMPING PULL-UPS

The jumping pull-up is a great way to help recruit the muscles needed to do the pull-up while giving you an excellent workout. Start in the down position below the bar using a box or standing on the ground. Move down into the squat position and then spring up towards and up above the pull-up bar using your arm to finish off the move.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twKUFCoKleE



Once above the bar, let gravity move you back down to your starting position and then spring back up again.

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Be careful not to use too much resistance when coming back down. If you do a lot of reps you can overly tear the bicep muscles creating a situation for Rhabdo. Read this Rhabdo article:

For this stage you do not need to be able to do a pull-up yet. If you cannot do a pull-up yet, have your training partner slightly push your back upwards and lightly guide you up and over the bar.

Another method is to hold the athletes feet and guide them over bar.

If you can do one pull-up then rest and try to do another. Rest. Do another.

Log number of reps and rest time between reps.

If you can do more than 5 pull-ups during a workout - then you need to do 5 pull-ups before you leave the gym at least 3 days a week. Don't over train and do 3 days in a row of extra pull-ups at the start. Slowly work your way into this extra work and have rest days between. If you can do more than 5 pull-ups then add extra pull-ups at the end of your workout (5 extra every day and add 1 pull-up every week).

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http://journal.crossfit.com/2010/01/rhabdo-pdf.tpl



DEAD HANG PULL-UPS

Start the pull-up from the down position with the hands facing away from the bar. Don’t wrap your thumbs around the bar.

Activate your lat muscles (the sides of your back) and pull yourself up. As you get to the midpoint activate your biceps to help pull your chin up and over the bar.

Check out this video on how to do a dead hang pull-up

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KIPPING PULL-UP

The kipping pull-up is a more efficient method to get your body and chin up and over the bar. The keys to a kipping pull-up are in using hips to generate power. By using your hips you activate the core muscles. Kipping pull-ups are typically easier than dead hang pull- ups. To learn how to do the kipping pull-up we will start with the C to C method

Hanging from the bar and using your hips to swing back and forth. Don’t swing back and forth with your legs. Pump your hips to swing into the back C.

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Then pump your hips back to swing your body into the front C. C to C video link

When you swing your hips to make your return trip you then activate the lat muscles swinging up towards the bar and finish with the bicep muscles to put your chin above the bar.

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Once above the bar slightly push away from the bar and begin your return trip like a pendulum using your momentum to go back into the front C.

Many athletes like the kipping pull-up in that it provides a faster method to perform pull-ups and gives a cardio workout. You also use your core more (like kettle bell swings) than you use in the dead hang pull-ups. Be advised that the kipping pull-up is not allowed in some military selection fitness processes.

VARIETY OF PULL-UPS

Once you are able to do a pull-up, there are a variety of differenty styles that you can try. Here are the most common variations of the pull-up:

• mountain climber pull-ups

• wide grip pull-ups

• close grip pull-ups

• rope pull-ups

• L pull-ups

• burpee pull-ups

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCi7kNLMECI








CHEST TO BAR (C2B PULL-UPS) The chest to bar pull-up is an advanced pull-up that gives you a good cardio workout. Instead of just raising your chin over the bar, the goal with this pull-up is to raise your chest to the bar.

start in the down position and gain momentum with the kipping C to C.

Then blast upwards engaging the lat muscles with all your power to catapult you up high on the bar to touch your chest. Chest to Bar video

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NEGATIVE PULL-UPS

Another method to help increase your pull-ups is to perform a negative pull-up. Standing on a box put your chin over the bar. Let your feet go from the box and hold your body and chin above the bar. Count slowly one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three, lowering your body down towards the ground.

This method is forcing your muscles to hold all of your weight and works the muscles hard as you lower yourself down. Work your way up and perform these at the end of a workout and try to increase your hold time during each session.

Video on negative pull-up:

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQWDKT0kNxA



GRIP STRENGTH

Too many times we hear that the reason for failure on the pull-up bar is not because of the lat muscles or the bicep muscles giving out… it is that the hands become tired. Here are a few tips that can show you how to improve your grip strength

FARMERS WALK

Walk with heavy weights in your hands for a distance. You will feel your hands begin to fatigue and open up. A great exercise.

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DEAD HANG

Dead hang from bar for a timed period. If too easy add a weight between your legs or wear a backpack with weight or weighted vest.

WRIST ROLLER

Using a pvc pipe with a piece of string tied to it and connected to a milk jug. Start with string unfurled and tension in the line. Begin to

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roll your wrist and hand and winding the string up on to the pvc pipe. Do a few laps up and down. You will feel your wrist and hands begin to burn and fatigue.

Video on grip strength:

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQWDKT0kNxA



PULL-UP WORKOUTS

BEGINNER PULL-UP WORKOUTS

There are many different workout routines that beginners can follow to improve their ability to do pull-ups. Here are 7 beginner workouts to boost your pull-up strength.

1. Starter JT 3 rounds for time 15 jumping pull-ups 15 ring rows 15 air squats Record your time below

2. Ring Row workout 3 rounds for time 15 Ring Rows 10 toe to bar 15 situps Record your time below

3. Half Jackie for time Row 500 meters 25 thrusters with 45 lb barbell (scale as necessary) 15 pull-ups (with band if needed) Record your time below

4. Nicole Lite 5 rounds for time 200 meter run 10 jumping pull-ups

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5. Little Angie 50 pull-ups 50 pushups 50 situps 50 air squats

6. Pull-up pyramid 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 (use band if needed)

for the pyramid do 1 pull-up then come down from bar then do 2 pull-ups and then come down. Repeat up and back down. Time your effort and note all reps performed. Record your time below

A variation: Pull-up ladder 1-2-3-4-5-6-to failure Note rep you can do no more

7. Grease the Groove (GTG) – 10 pull-ups before you leave gym every day (use band if needed). No need to do 10 pull-ups if you did 100 pull-ups in earlier workout that day. note below the days you performed 10 pull-ups Days performed

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INTERMEDIATE PULL-UP WORKOUTS

As you progress from the beginner workouts, you are ready to take the workouts for intermediates. Here are 8 intermediate workouts to boost your pull-up strength.

1. Pull-up ladder 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Time

2. 25 pull-ups for time

Time

3. Jackie – once a month (for time) 1000 meter row (or sub 50 sumo deadlift high pulls with 45 lbs) 45 lb bar thrusters x 50 30 pull-ups Time

4. 50 pull-ups for time Rest a full day afterwards Time

5. Bodyweight Fran (for time) 21-15-9 Thruster Pull-up Time

6. Tabatha pull-ups. Do pull-ups for 20 seconds then rest 10 seconds. Perform 8 total rounds keeping count. Then rest one minute. You can also do ring rows and rowing to help improve your pulling movements. Time

7. GTG Before you leave the gym every day do an additional 25 pull-ups to 50 pull-ups depending on your fitness level.

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Days performed

8. Severin 50 Strict Pull-ups 100 Push-ups, release hands from floor at the bottom Run 5K

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ADVANCED PULL-UP WORKOUTS

Here are 10 advanced workouts to boost your pull-up strength.

1. 100 pull-ups for time Record your time here

2. Death by Pull-ups do 1 pull-up in first minute, 2 pull-ups in 2 min, 3 pull-ups in min. 3, repeat until failure record minute finished

3. Max weight pull-ups x 3 reps. Note sets and lbs used. Sets lbs.

4. GI Jane 100 burpees for time on 8 ft bar time =

5. Nicole As Many Rounds as Possible (AMRAP) in 20 minutes Run 400 meters Max rep pull-ups score is highest number of pull-ups completed in each round. Score

6. Angie (for time) 100 pull-ups 100 pushups 100 situps 100 air squats time

7. Cindy 20 minutes AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) 5 pull-ups 10 pushups 15 air squats

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record number of rounds in 20 min. =

8. Murph (for time) run 1 mile 100 pull-ups 200 pushups 300 air squats run 1 mile wear a 20 lb vest if you can. time

9. Special Forces Workout 100 pull-ups Between sets while working on your 100 run 200 meters every time you come off the bar. Run fast – don’t lolly gag. It is in your interest to stay on the bar longer so that you run less. 200 pushups run 200 meters between sets of pushups. 300 situps run 200 meters between sets of situps

10. HandStand Pushup and Pull-up workout Run 400 meters 30 Pull-ups 21 Handstand push-ups Run 800 meters 21 Handstand push-ups 30 Pull-ups Run 400 meters

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30 DAY BEGINNER PULL-UP PROGRAM Day 1

30 min SGPT Stretch + Warmup

then…

Ring Row workout

Day 2

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 3


SGPT Pushup workout + PM workout

Pull-up ladder

Day 4

30 min. SGPT Stretch

Rest

Day 5


Then..

Starter JT

Day 6

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 7


Half Jackie

Day 8


Rest

Day 9


Nicole Lite

Day 10

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 11


then…

Little Angie

Day 12


Rest

Day 13



Pull-up ladder

Day 14

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 15


Then..

Little Cindy

Day 16

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 17


Ring Row workout

Day 18


Rest

Day 19


Starter JT workout

Day 20

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 21

30 min 30 min SGPT Stretch + Warmup


Pull-up ladder

Day 22


Rest

Day 23


Half Jackie

Day 24

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 25


Nicole Lite

Day 26


Rest

Day 27

30 min SGPT Stretch

Little Angie

Day 28

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 29


Little Cindy

Day 30


Rest

WWW.SEALG R I N D E R PT.COM 42

http://www.sealg/


30 DAY INTERMEDIATE PULL-UP PROGRAM Day 1


Jackie

Day 2

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 3

30 min SGPT Stretch

Push-up Pyramid

Pull-up ladder

Day 4


Rest

Day 5


50 pull-ups for time

Day 6

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 7


Bodyweight Fran

Day 8


Rest

Day 9


Tabata Pull-ups

Day 10

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 11


then…

Severin

Day 12


Rest

Day 13


Push-up Pyramid

Pull-up ladder

Day 14

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 15


Jackie

Day 16

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 17



Day 18


Rest

Day 19

30 min SGPT Stretch Bodyweight Fran

Day 20

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 21


Push-up Pyramid

Pull-up ladder

Day 22


Rest

Day 23


Tabata Pull-ups

Day 24

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 25


Severin

Day 26


Rest

Day 27


Jackie

Day 28

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 29



Day 30


Rest


http://www.sealg/


30 DAY ADVANCED PULL-UP PROGRAM Day 1


then…

Death by pull-ups

Day 2

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 3


SGPT Pushup workout

PM workout

Pull-up ladder

Day 4


Rest

Day 5


Then..


Day 6

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 7


Max weight pull- ups 5 rounds of 3 reps

Day 8


Rest

Day 9


GI Jane

Day 10

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 Day 14 Day 15

30 min SGPT Stretch + 30 min. SGPT 30 min SGPT Stretch + Run 5k 30 min SGPT Warmup Stretch Warmup

Row 2000 m Stretch + Warmup

Nicole Rest SGPT Pushup workout Ruck march 5k

Angie

PM workout

Pull-up pyramid

Day 16

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 17


Cindy

Day 18


Rest

Day 19


Murph

Day 20

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 2130 min SGPT Stretch + Warmup

SGPT Pushup workout

PM workout

Pull-up ladder

Day 22


Rest

Day 23


Special Forces workout

Day 24

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 25


Pull-up Squat workout

Day 26


Rest

Day 27

30 min SGPT Stretch

HandStand Pushups and Pull-ups

Day 28

Run 5k

Row 2000 m

Ruck march 5k

Day 29



Day 30


Rest


http://sealgrinderpt.com/navy-seal-workout/seal-grinder-pt-2-6-2011.html/





http://www.sealg/



BONUS INTERVIEWS

AL KAVADIO SGPT: What inspired you to take up fitness training as an occupation?

AK: I started working out the summer before my freshman year of high school and I always thought being a trainer would be a cool job, but I never saw myself as that guy. I wasn't the most athletically inclined person - that's actually why strength training appealed to me at that time. I wasn't coordinated enough to hit a baseball or make a 3-pointer, but I could do a push-up just as good as the next guy, so I embraced that. A teenage boy needs some sort of physical outlet! But at that time, I never thought I could be a trainer. I was pretty scrawny and the few trainers I saw at my gym were these huge bodybuilder looking guys. This was back when personal training was just beginning to be a viable career, so you didn't have nearly as many trainers as you have today. It didn't seem like a real job - ya know? Fast forward a few years and I found myself trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I had started noticing more and more "regular guy" looking trainers at gyms so I decided to give it a shot - turns out it was a good move!

SGPT: Can you tell us about the local park that you train in?

AK: Ahh of course, the famous Tompkins Square Park! That place is becoming the stuff of legends - it's like when you hear old timers talking about Muscle Beach back in the day, that's gonna be me reminiscing about TSP in another 30 years! Seriously though, there is just something special about those bars on that playground. It's a very unique set-up - I'm lucky that I live close by.

SGPT: You were filmed recently busting out moves on the bar during a big New York snow storm. What inspired that effort?

AK: That snow workout was a lot of fun since I was the first one to get there when the snow was all fresh. At the time, NYC hadn't had a big snowstorm like that since the 90's, so I was really excited to get out there and play! As fate would have it, we've had several big

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snowstorms since that one and now I am so sick of the snow. I've actually been doing more indoor workouts these last couple of weeks.

SGPT: Tell us about the Bar-Barians and training with them? How did you become involved with the Bar-Barbarians?

AK: I first met Rick Seedman and Eric "Mad-Money" from the Bar- barians at Tompkins in the summer of '09. There's a really good community of regulars at the park that has developed over the years. It's almost the same as when you go to a gym and see the same people every time, only Tompkins in the summertime is better than any gym I've ever been to!

A few months later I did the old Bar-barian's Requirements (40 dips, 20 pull-ups, 50 push-ups, 5 muscle-ups in under 6 mins) and I sent Rick the video. I got a really nice reply from him but then he informed me that the requirements were about to go up by 5 reps of every exercise! I felt like Sisyphus pushing that rock up the mountain only to have it roll back down when he got to the top. So now I am back to working on the current requirements.

Rick and I continue to train together when our schedules (and the weather) allow for it and sometimes I run into some of the other guys at the park too. Though I'm not an official member of the core team, I think there is a lot of mutual respect between us. I haven't actually met all of the Barbarians in person, but the guys that I have gotten to train with have been a huge inspiration. My understanding is that being a Barbarian is more about a mindset and an attitude than anything else, so it really doesn't matter that much whether or not you are an official member if you have that warrior spirit.

SGPT: Tell us about your book.

AK: Most of the fitness books I see in stores are trying to pedal a quick fix; it's like they're hoping to sell lots of books by telling the masses what they want to hear, that there is some big secret that only they know and if you buy their book the rest will be a cakewalk. I wanted to write a book that was the total opposite of that. I wanted to tell people the truth - that fitness is not easy, and that nothing worthwhile in life will ever happen without some real, genuine effort - but that doesn't mean working out has to suck either! I'm really happy with the end result. I wholeheartedly believe that we’re

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Working Out! A Zen Approach to Everyday Fitness is a book that anyone who's interested in fitness will benefit from reading.

SGPT: Have you ever been injured? How do you deal with keeping your body injury free?

AK: I've never had any serious injuries, Brad. I've had the usual sprains and strains from time to time, but never tore any muscles, broken any bones or done any other type of serious damage. I chalk it up to the combination of having a well-rounded routine, over-all healthy lifestyle and also knowing my limitations.

SGPT: You practice yoga. Can you tell us a little more about this practice?

AK: When I was a kid, my father dabbled in yoga, so I was familiar with it from an early age. Though I didn't really get into practicing yoga seriously until my 20's, I remember my dad showing me how to do a headstand when I was about seven or eight. I think yoga can be a great compliment to traditional strength training as well as a mental exercise. It's something that I recommend people try and see for themselves.

SGPT: You built a killer pull-up bar system with your brother in his backyard. Tell us about that?

AK: The backyard pull-up bar was Danny's summer project for 2010, though it wound up being a bigger project than originally expected, so it wasn't finished until the fall. It'd been a dream of his for a while to build something like that, so I was excited to help him realize it. Danny really did most of the work though, I just helped out and tried to document the process.

SGPT: If an athlete wanted to train with you, how could they get in touch with you and find out more?

AK: Anyone who is interested in training with me should contact me directly to set up an appointment. My cell number is 212-767-9911. People can also use the contact form on my blog if they are shy, but I prefer that people call me - I'm pretty easy to talk to!

SGPT: What are a few tips you would give an up and coming athlete to improve their pull-ups?

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AK: Practice, practice, practice. If you want to get good at anything, you have to dedicate yourself to it. You also need to learn to use your core strength, so your lats and arms aren't doing everything.

SGPT: Do you have a workout that you like to do that has boosted your pull-up performance?

AK: I'm a very direct kind of person, so I think if you want to get better at pull-ups the best thing to do is to practice pull-ups. Sometimes I like to pick a number, say 20 for a beginner, 50 for an intermediate person and 100 for someone who's advanced, then you make it your mission to complete that many pull-ups in one session. It doesn't matter how many sets it takes you, even if you are doing sets of only one rep at the end. In time, you'll get your numbers up. Don't do this every workout, though! Twice a week is plenty for most.

SGPT: How do you deal with rest days when you are eager to make massive improvements on your pull-ups and bar movements?

AK: Haha I don't take a lot of rest days! Usually if I'm not working pull-ups on any given day I am either going for a swim, running or doing strength training on my legs.

SGPT: Thanks for your time and inspiration, Al.

AK: My pleasure, Brad!

http://www.sealg/



STEW SMITH by Brad McLeod on June 6, 2010

SEAL grinder PT sits down with Stew Smith to find out more about his background and some great ideas to make you a better athlete. If you want to train like a Navy SEAL – then Stew Smith has a lot to tell you about making it through BUD/S and keeping yourself in killer shape to be ready for anything anytime.

SGPT: Tell us about yourself, Stew.

SS: I am a former Navy SEAL and fitness writer. My articles, books, ebooks, videos can be found at StewSmith.com. I grew up in Suwannee County FL, joined the Navy via the Naval Academy, and now live in Severna Park MD, a suburb outside of Annapolis. I was an athlete all my life – playing football, baseball, wrestling, power-lifting, and track. I have combined my fitness experiences into a writing style that incorporates training to pass fitness tests as well as programs that prepare people for military, law enforcement, fire fighting schools. I have grown more into an endurance / muscle stamina athlete over the past few decades, but still like to add in a 12-18 week power-lifting cycle during my year of training. But mainly, I stick with calisthenics, TRX, running, rucking, and swimming.

Trying out new workouts is one thing my workout group does, so I am open to new challenges. I started a non-profit FREE workout program called Heroes of Tomorrow (www.heroesoftomorrow.org) where we will actually train over 5,000 kids this year for FREE to prepare for military, spec ops, police, fire fighting professions.

StewSmith.com – Preparing Athletes for Military Spec Ops and Law Enforcement Professions…

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http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=114762&u=437561&m=16358&urllink&afftrack=.%20

http://www.fitnessanywhere.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&AFFIL=CP744Yq1%20

http://sealgrinderpt.com/navy-seal-workout/seal-grinder-pt-interviews-stew-smith.html/www.heroesoftomorrow.org





SGPT: What was your inspiration to go into the SEAL Teams?

SS: When I went to the Naval Academy, I was a football playing power-lifter and wound up playing rugby while there as my sport. We had many students on the team who were training to be SEALs and they were the toughest and best in shape people I had ever seen. The SEALs stationed at the Naval Academy inspired us all. After my first SEAL PT, I was hooked. Got my butt kicked, but hooked. I knew I wanted to be like those guys who easily handled this workout. After researching the actual job of the SEAL (remember no internet back then), I knew I wanted to challenge myself for that goal. It took me a good 2 years to prepare myself for what I thought was “ready for BUDS.” The good news is – I was right. I needed to Pt, run, and swim and get my endurance up. As a former power athlete, I had the strength, I just lacked endurance, so I actually did not touch a heavy weight for two years prior to training.

SGPT: What kept you going and kept you from quitting in BUD/S?

SS: After four years of the Naval Academy, I knew what I wanted to do – be a SEAL. I also knew with a greater passion what I DID NOT want to do – be a SWO officer. No offense Surface Warfare Officers, but that was not a lifestyle that was for me. I think that alone was the biggest thing that kept me from quitting. But to be honest I never once thought about quitting. I tell folks that you have to go to BUDS ready to compete in every event you can. Strive to win or be in the top 10% of the class in every run, swim, PT, obstacle course, or test and you will never once think about quitting because every day is like competing in a race.

StewSmith.com – Preparing Athletes for Military Spec Ops and Law Enforcement Professions…

SGPT: What is your philosophy on training for Spec Ops?

SS: One of my saying is “Train to Compete – Not Just Survive.” I found that the guys who went to BUDS in survival mode – striving to pass or meet minimum standards were destined to drop or get injured. I compare it to the day I ran my first and last marathon. I was training to finish the event in sub 4 hours – actually got 3:45, but when I was stretching I saw a man from Africa getting ready. I thought he is not even worried about whether or not he is going to

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finish. He is trying to take a minute off his best time. He was in competition mode. That is mindset you need for BUDS. I was in survival mode and hoped to finish. I had a goal which helped, but I was still in survival mode in that run.

I also think everyone is different and there is no ONE right way to train for Special Ops training – there are several right ways. Everyone has a nemesis at BUDS. Swimmers tend to do horrible with leg injuries due to years of not training on land and gravity. Runners tend to have issues with the PT, Log PT, obstacle courses and upper body strength. Stronger guys in PT / weights, tend to have issues with running and endurance. Thinner leg guys tend to have issues with the swimming with fins in the ocean. So you have to find that weakness and make it a strength.

One thing is for sure, I never once said to myself at BUDS, “I wish I had lifted more weights to prepare for…” It was more like, “Man I wish I was a better runner.” So running is what I had to suck up to “stay with the pack” at BUDS. For others, weights is a good idea as log PT, boat carries, and man carries is tough if you do not have that muscle development from years of athletics.

Also something to consider: Focus your time preparing for BUDS / Spec Ops Training on tests that can get you kicked out. Weekly 4 mile timed runs, weekly ocean swims with fins, PT / beach runs, obstacle courses are timed / effort events that can get you kicked out. Your performance under a log or boat will not get you kicked out. It might get you kicked by your boat crew if you are sand bagging, but not kicked out. Well, I guess, unless you are completely falling out and not hanging with your crew you can get boarded for performance.

SGPT: If an athlete had limited time and equipment – what are 3 bodyweight exercises that an athlete could do to help them get in better shape?

SS: Running and swimming should be the cardio option depending on your goals. But my favorite exercises to do with NO equipment are pull-ups (run to a playground with monkey bars if you have to or build your own bars), 8 count bodybuilder pushups, squats or lunges.

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For a minimal equipment answer, I have a TRX and a barbell with a total of 225lbs of weight where I will do TRX Atomic Pushups, power cleans, and push presses. Those are my favorite.

SGPT: Do you recommend training with weights?

SS: Absolutely! I love weights. As a former power lifter I cut my teeth in fitness with the Olympic lifts from high school and college. I am not into bodybuilding weight lifting as I have not found a use in isolation lifts other than for aesthetic fitness. I train for performance fitness for your profession or fitness tests. I still feel that not all athletes need to lift prior to their Spec Ops or military training. In fact some need to stop lifting and start running, swimming, and high rep PT-ing.

I still lift each year for 12-18 weeks to work the muscle differently and give my joints a break from high rep calisthenics workouts and long miles of running. When I lift I usually replace running with more swimming and rucking for cardio benefits. It is really based on science of Periodization. See article

SGPT: Tell us about your books? And website?

SS: When I got out in 1998, my first book the Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness was published and my StewSmith.com website started. Over the past 12 or so years, I have added another 5 published books on military / police fitness, more than 30 ebooks specializing in fitness testing, and over 400 articles on a variety of topics from Ab workouts to Weight Gain / Loss tips.

I work out to get ideas to write about. I started a FREE workout program locally in Maryland where I see more than 3500 kids a year between local delayed entry programmers, OCS candidates, police and firemen, USNA midshipmen and others. These are the Heroes of Tomorrow that inspire me to work out hard and help them prepare. We test out workouts, gear, new exercises, and discuss other preparation methods for their future jobs.

SGPT: Can your books and website help an athlete that is not going the Spec Ops path? How?

SS: Sure – we get many local high school football players join us in the summer and they all remarked how well they were ready for 2-3 a

http://www.sealg/



http://www.stewsmith.com/linkpages/periodization.htm




day practices in August. We run distance, sprints, PT, lift weights, swim as well as add PT / weights on the pool deck in between laps for swim PT. This will get anyone in shape.

SGPT: What are some suggestions you would give an athlete to improve on pull-ups?

SS: I have a couple methods. The thing to remember is that pull-ups start off as a strength / power exercise to get your first few. Then to succeed with double digits, pull-ups become a muscle stamina / endurance exercise. If you are stuck under 10-15 I would recommend my Pull-up Push Workout where you do pull-ups each day for 10 days straight – rest for 3 days and test on day 14. Typical growth is 50- 100%. Weighted pull-ups is another way if you are stuck at 20 and want to get up to 25-30 pretty quickly. Also I have seen guys go from 15-25 in 4-6 weeks with the 100,200,300 pull-up workout where you do 100 pull-ups in as few sets as possible. See link for more details. I recommend once a week for 4-6 weeks to see improvement from 15 to 25. Add two other upper body workouts in that week as well.

SGPT: I like your 8-count bodybuilder-pushup-pull-up-sprint workout. Where did that idea come from?

SS: This one came from an obstacle course simulation we had at USNA. I coach the Midshipmen Spec Ops Team (club) at Navy and we thought there needed to be a pulling exercise and a pushing exercise mixed with some short runs (in between obstacles). So we came up with the 8 count bodybuilder pushup / pull-up pyramid. We like to do this one often and are now getting up to level 20 which equals 210 pull-ups and 210 8 count pushups when finished.

SGPT: They say that BUD/S is 90% mental and 10 % physical. Can you elaborate on that more?

SS: I wrote an article on this one. 90% Mental / 10% Physical. In short, it does not mean academic studies – that is for sure. It means that you have to be in such good physical condition that you have the athletic foundation to mentally push yourself passed perceived limits.

SGPT: Thanks for the interview Stew!

SS: No sweat – thanks for letting me chat with you and your website.

http://www.sealg/

http://sealgrinderpt.com/navy-seal-workout/stew-smith-pullup-push-workout.html/

http://sealgrinderpt.com/navy-seal-workout/8-count-body-builder-pushup-and-pullup-pyramid.html/





ZACH EVEN ESH

SEALgrinderPT catches up with one of the top coaches in the U.S. – Zach Even-Esh. Zach forged himself from a 110 lb weakling to a 220 lb lean and mean bruiser the old fashioned way — picking up heavy sh*t and always leading from the front. SPGT is psyched to get a few minutes of Zach’s time to learn a little bit about him. Check it out…..

SGPT: Tell us about who Zach is and what inspires you?

ZEE: Well, this is tough to type out, ha ha, there is MUCH to tell. The short version is I was a kid who fell in love with working out when I wrestled in high school, problem is, I did it all wrong back then and I suffered many set backs, both in sport and in life.

I became a Physical Education teacher and pursued teaching and education aggressively as it was my passion. I had plans to get my PhD and had begun post graduate studies after my Master’s degree. BUT, teaching changed, administration changed, it killed my passion and my passion to always do what I love was something that always burned deep inside of me.

I didn’t wanna be the guy working for an organization that didn’t push the envelope. I realized it would lay on my shoulders and so I spent countless years and it all added up to 20 + years of experience in training. Today, I own a small warehouse gym that is strictly for athletes and here and there a few hardcore adults are accepted into the gym.

I wouldn’t say I’m a lucky guy because I know about “making” my own luck and I went through some hellish times to experience the success I have today.

http://www.sealg/

http://zacheven-esh.com/blog/



Strength always motivates me. Navy SEALs and Spec Ops soldiers inspire me. I see you guys going beyond the norms to such extreme levels it leaves me awe struck. My older bro spent time in the Israeli Army, some of his time was in a Spec Ops group. I also spent time training in Israel with a guy who became a SEAL in the states. That was 18 years ago, half my life time ago!! I am still inspired when I think of these Men.

Greatness inspires me in life. I hate 2nd place. I spent so much time losing as a high school athlete that when I train or when I work on my business I don’t allow or accept average to happen. I guess I was a late bloomer in life and I’m always pretty tough on myself.

My day is spent working on my internet business and my warehouse gym. I feel more motivated than ever to crate greatness with what I do because I’m also a husband and a father. I want to lead for my kids to see that success can be achieved with the right attitude and the right work ethic. I want to make my wife proud and make my family happy.

I’m a simple guy. Let me spend time lifting heavy objects, relaxing with friends and family and I’m VERY happy.

SGPT: How did you start your Underground Strength gym and how do you stay so fired up to keep it going at such a high level?

ZEE: The Underground began in my parents backyard and garage right after I tore my ACL and had surgery. As a teacher, I needed income for the summer. I had worked at a fitness center in the past and used to bar tend in a tough dive bar as well. But, when I tore my ACL while training in BJJ and an old sport called Shoot Fighting, I was VERY angry. I was 25 or 26 and had been training for half my life.

I experienced poor success in wrestling due to my training. But, my success in BJJ was going VERY well. But, my incorrect training style led to my ACL tear and that fired me up to dig deep and study how combat athletes must train to become healthy AND dominant.

I was on a crazy mission to help wrestlers and still am on that mission today.

I began training athletes for $5 / hour at my parents place and devoured all the information I could. Everyone laughed at me and

http://www.sealg/

http://www.undergroundstrengthclub.com/tag/underground-strength-gym/

http://www.undergroundstrengthclub.com/tag/underground-strength-gym/



said it could NOT be done and even as the years went on, MANY naysayers tried to bring me down.

I never gave up and the training grew in success and people around the world began to take notice. I can’t slow it down at all. My passion burns like a madman and I always have the eye of the tiger to keep the success of my athletes rolling. I feel I was put on this earth to teach people how to build brute strength.

I’m especially connected to the younger athletes because I know these days will never be forgotten. I want these kids to look back and remember their success, remember the brotherhood they built at The Underground and most of all, to have great memories that will build a future of success for them.

I’ll always be haunted by my past. I never deny that and I am honest when people ask about it. If a kid wants to win and has the fire in his eyes to win I wanna help him. I hate seeing kids experience the pain of losing although I KNOW losing is a necessary evil they must experience to push them and motivate them to experience greater success.

I’m just keeping my “boots on the ground”. I’m staying true to what I’m good at and what I love to do. I don’t try to be someone I am not. Training professional athletes, stay at home moms, out of shape adults, etc has no motivation for me. I like seeing these young kids become BEASTS. And, I like pushing myself in training and pushing myself to remain strong in mind and body, even as I get closer and closer to age 40. There are so many young kids around me, I wanna make sure I can always “Lead from the front.”

SGPT: What advice would you give to an athlete who is just getting started with pull-ups?

ZEE: Practice them regularly withOUT going to fatigue. Do a few sets through the day 4 - 5 days a week. I learned this from Pavel and he called it GTG or "grease the groove". You treat strength as a skill and only practice the movement, rather than try to kill yourself each and every set. Start with an underhand grip as this will be your strongest position for starters.

http://www.sealg/



SGPT: I know you like to mix it up on the workouts. Do you advise to use some old skool bodybuilding techniques like lat pull downs, bent over rows, cable lat pulls?

ZEE: I am a BIG believer in developing pulling strength from ALL angles as they will improve your pull up strength. Movements such as bent over rows with kettlebells and dumbbells work great. We perform these one arm at a time and sometimes as doubles. If you're weak at pull ups you are likely weak with all pulling motions. We also perform recline rows using rings and ropes. The ropes strengthen the grip which is also a limiting factor for pull ups. If something is weak, we attack it!

SGPT: Do you think it is also better to lose some weight – or just work extra hard on the pull-ups?

ZEE: Absolutely. The opposite may hold true of my last answer. If you're carrying lots of excess body fat you might still be strong but you will likely be lagging in relative body strength. I've seen many guys who can 1 arm row 130 lb dumbbells but can't perform a pull up. If you are unable to perform a pull up then give yourself an honest assessment regarding whether or not you are carrying too much bodyfat / excess weight VS simply not being strong enough.

SGPT: Talk about rest and working out hard and how to avoid injury.

ZEE: I am a BIG believer in resting to avoid or minimize overuse injuries as well as improving results. I think we forget how critical rest is because we get too caught up in improving our fitness, strength, etc. If your results aren't improving then try adding an extra rest day AND reducing overall intensity a bit. On pull ups, or any exercise for that matter, don't be afraid to leave a rep or 2 in the tank on each set.

This is where we battle our mind vs what our body wants, especially likely for the readers of your web site, Brad. We want to feel crushed after a workout, but, crushing ourselves in a workout tends to halt progress.

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I also suggest, when your pull up strength improves, to mix ALL bodyweight pulling exercises, as each one will improve the other variation. Here are my favorite bodyweight pulling movements:

- pull ups underhand grip (vary hand distance)

- pull ups overhand grip (vary hand distance)

- pull ups with ropes / towels / thick grips

- mixed grip pull ups (one hand faces you / one hand faces away)

- neutral grip pull ups

- rope climbs (use 2 ropes and 1 rope)

- recline rowing on rings or ropes

- adding weight to our pull ups via chains, weight vest, ankle weights or weight belt

These varied hand positions held minimize chances of aggravating joints. I highly advise against always using one grip. Once you develop sufficient strength you should change your grips on the pull ups every workout.

If you feel your progress has halted entirely on pull ups take a week off from pull ups and focus instead on various dumbbell and barbell rowing movements.

We also attach a 50-60' rope to weighted sleds and perform hand over hand pulls. These are brutal and will attack the same muscles as pull ups and will have a carry over to improving your pull ups as well!

SGPT: What advice would you give to an athlete who is just getting started with pull-ups?

ZEE: Practice them regularly withOUT going to fatigue. Do a few sets through the day 4 - 5 days a week. I learned this from Pavel and he called it GTG or "grease the groove". You treat strength as a skill and

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only practice the movement, rather than try to kill yourself each and every set. Start with an underhand grip as this will be your strongest position for starters.

SGPT: I know you like to mix it up on the workouts. Do you advise to use some old skool bodybuilding techniques like lat pull downs, bent over rows, cable lat pulls?

ZEE: I am a BIG believer in developing pulling strength from ALL angles as they will improve your pull up strength. Movements such as bent over rows with kettlebells and dumbbells work great. We perform these one arm at a time and sometimes as doubles. If you're weak at pull ups you are likely weak with all pulling motions. We also perform recline rows using rings and ropes. The ropes strengthen the grip which is also a limiting factor for pull ups. If something is weak, we attack it!

SGPT: Do you think it is also better to lose some weight – or just work extra hard on the pull-ups?

ZEE: Absolutely. The opposite may hold true of my last answer. If you're carrying lots of excess body fat you might still be strong but you will likely be lagging in relative body strength. I've seen many guys who can 1 arm row 130 lb dumbbells but can't perform a pull up. If you are unable to perform a pull up then give yourself an honest assessment regarding whether or not you are carrying too much bodyfat / excess weight VS simply not being strong enough.

SGPT: Talk about rest and working out hard and how to avoid injury.

ZEE: I am a BIG believer in resting to avoid or minimize overuse injuries as well as improving results. I think we forget how critical rest is because we get too caught up in improving our fitness, strength, etc. If your results aren't improving then try adding an extra rest day AND reducing overall intensity a bit. On pull ups, or any exercise for that matter, don't be afraid to leave a rep or 2 in the tank on each set.

This is where we battle our mind vs what our body wants, especially likely for the readers of your web site, Brad. We want to feel crushed after a workout, but, crushing ourselves in a workout tends to halt progress.

http://www.sealg/



SGPT: Zach, we greatly appreciate your time. We know your busy so thanks for giving some advice to all of the athletes out there.

ZEE: My pleasure, brother, I love contributing. I'm sure this e book will help people jack up their pull ups. I always tell my wrestlers, "Ya gotta eat pull ups for breakfast!" - I believe they are THAT important!

For more on Zach Even-Esh, check out his strength training at Underground Strength Coach

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http://www.undergroundstrengthcoach.com/



COACH PAUL WADE

SGPT: Tell us about yourself.

CPW: Paul Wade, reformed addict. Part-time asshole. Terminal idiot with some knowledge of progressive bodyweight training. Old enough to remember when Dick Butkus still had working knees. Yadda, yadda.

SGPT: What can you tell us about your time in prison? What was it like?

CPW: Fucking shit! There’s nothing romantic about doing time. I got drawn into jail for one reason only—drugs. The need for drugs becomes a need for money, and very soon you’re fucked. It’s a miracle I didn’t die in prison. I got to a high level of strength after a lot of training, but I’m certainly not some tough guy. I never want to paint myself as that. For most of my various stays I kept my head down whenever I could. People think of Federal jail as a lot more hardcore than State, but When I went down for trafficking and got sent to

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Federal it was like a country club compared to the State prisons I’d been in.

SGPT: Why did you decide to do bodyweight workouts? Did you have free weights in your prison?

CPW: When first wound up in SQ there was an iron pile in the yard. But it’s misleading to think that it was a gym like you see these days. Far a start, the frigging plates were welded together onto bars, so they couldn’t be used as weapons—and they only had 45s. This means we only had three bars to play with, a 135, a 225, and a 315. Progressive weight training, as most people understand it, is pretty hopeless in these circumstances. Sure, powerlifting competitions happened back then, but they were based on the reps you could do with the big bar. We had nothing else. If you wanted to get strong enough to bench the 315, you couldn’t do it by working with the 225. You had to use bodyweight work intelligently. Using the big weights was also a cred thing. I was too low down the order of things to be pumping iron in the yard when I first went behind bars. I was kind of a skinny pussy, to be honest. I did use the weights in the yard from time to time, but it was years after I first entered SQ, and even then only to test my strength. There’s no way I could be considered a weight training expert.

SGPT: Can you tell us about some of the workouts you performed?

CPW: My training went through different stages. My first “coach” inside was an ex-military guy. He taught me good form on stuff like pushups, bodyweight squats and sit-ups, plus a few other drills. We just upped the reps as we got fitter. I’ve also gone through phases of ultra-high endurance work; your standard ‘thousand pushups in a day’ type stuff. But these days I try to promote progressive bodyweight strength work. Imagine using your body like a barbell to gain maximum strength and muscle mass. That’s what I try to push these days. I’m not knocking the endurance shit, but strength-based

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cal is now the only type of training I do seriously. These days my core exercises are stand-to-stand bridges, leg raises, one-leg squats, one- arm pushups, one-arm pullups and lots of handstand pushups.

SGPT: What was your mental state while in prison?

CPW: I was never on suicide watch or anything like that. But I was pretty fucked up, especially my first time in SQ, back when I was a hardcore user. My mental state was kinda based on my proximity to the drugs. That’s how it is with a lot of users inside.

SGPT: How many days of working out would you do versus rest days?

CPW: That’s a bitch of a question to answer Brad, because it depends on the work you do when you actually get off your duff and train. If you stick to a couple of lean, mean sets of just one exercise per session, you can pretty much work out every day. At the other extreme, I’ve known some guys, usually busy dudes, who get away with just one workout a week, if they focus on hard work with pushups, pullups, handstand pushups, high-effort squats and so on. The best approach for most people should probably be somewhere in the middle…speaking for myself, I tend to work out three or four days a week, focusing on two or three moves per workout, and some cardio on the extra workout. Sometimes I do a bit more. This is a great way to train and still recover.

SGPT: If you had 3 exercises to stay fit – what would they be?

CPW: That’s an awesome question. I believe you can work the whole body with just six movements. But you want three, right? Let’s see…First off, I’m gonna say bridging. It works the entire spine, the legs, triceps and shoulder girdle, while expanding the rib cage and keeping the whole body supple. It’s the best calisthenics exercise,

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period. Next up is gonna be your squats. All strength is built on lower body power, so squats gotta have priority, however you work them. If I only had one more exercise to add, I’d go with either pullups or pushups. Both are upper-body focused, but one is a push, one is a pull. Probably pullups, because they work more overall muscle mass, plus you’ve already done some pushing with the bridging.

SGPT: What was your diet like in prison?

CPW: By the standards of most modern athletes, it was pretty shitty. The prison diet is based on three squares a day. The actual content of those meals varies depending on where you’re locked up, which is what you’d expect. But diet varies amongst cons. You can trade food, have food brought in sometimes. A lot of other guys get to buy extra food from the commissary on their ID cards. There are some elite bodybuilders in jail, but there are plenty of fat fucks too. Don’t be thinking that every inmate is some kind of super-buff athlete. No way. It’s a cross-section, just like outside. Scoring dope and playing bones is more common in most jails than one-arm pushups.

SGPT: Did these workouts help you improve your mental state? Blow off a little steam?

CPW: Definitely. I’ve said elsewhere that working out kept me sane. But it was never really a question of blowing steam…although I know it is for a lot of guys who work out, whether inside or outside of the bars. For me, my training was initially more about defense. I needed to look less like a new fish pencil-neck fucker. Later on, especially in lockdown in Angola it became a diversion. Something else to focus on. To control.

SGPT: For those that are not up to speed - can you explain six movements to work the whole body?

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CPW: Sure. Convict Conditioning is an old school method for building strength and muscle. When a hardcore lifter wants to really pack on mass and power, he doesn’t include more and more movements—that would just spread his energy even thinner. Instead, he reduces the movements he’s doing. He focuses on just a handful of compound movements that work the whole body, and pours all his juice into them. This is the kind of weight training that brings the best results. Abbreviated, efficient training. This also holds true for bodyweight strength workouts. In Convict Conditioning we use the six best compound calisthenics movements in existence. I teach bridging movements to work the posterior chain; leg raise movements to work the anterior chain. So that’s abs, hamstrings, spine and hips worked antagonistically. Squats are the best exercise for legs, so they are a key movement. Then there’s the two basic standbys for upper body; pushups for the chest and triceps, and pullups for the back, biceps, forearms and grip. Again, this is balanced, symmetrical training. For intermediate or advanced trainees I also advise handstand pushup work for the shoulder girdle. And that’s the whole body trained to perfection right there.

SGPT: What inspired you to write "Convict Conditioning"?

CPW: To save the artform of progressive calisthenics. I teach my athletes to train progressively. When I talk about pushups, I don’t just mean one exercise, but an entire movement series. You start with a light variation—say, pushups against a wall—then move to tougher versions like incline pushups or flat pushups. As my athletes hit their rep targets, I give them even more advanced movements, like uneven pushups or one-arm prison-style pushups. This is true progressive bodyweight strength training as performed by previous generations of cons. But as gadgets and steroids take over the fitness world, these progressive arts are in danger of being lost. That’s why I wrote the book, the only reason. To preserve the science of bodyweight strength. I don’t see the book making much money, and I sure as hell don’t wanna be a celebrity at my time of life!

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SGPT: Can you send us a photo of yourself?

CPW: I never put out pictures. I know this has made some jibe at me that I'm "fake" (a lot of people think I don't exist, or that I'm John Du Cane) but I just can't, for reasons I can't get into. "Wade" isn't even the name I did time under--it's my mom's last name.

If you want to use any pictures in the book instead, just holler and I'll dig em out.

SGPT: Thanks for the interview, Paul. Our readers greatly appreciate it.

CPW: Thanks for giving me the opportunity to have my say on your site, Brad. I salute all our military, and give big respect to Seal Grinder PT for keeping functional bodyweight training alive and well for the next generation. This is the stuff that really works.

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BAR-BARIAN UKJAY

SGPT: Tell us about yourself?

UKJAY: I was born and raised in London England, with a passion for fitness from the age of sixteen. I read a lot of comic books back then which aspired me to try and achieve the power and physique’s most of those superhero’s had ripped all over and strong as hell. ha-ha-ha!!

SGPT: Have you always had an athletic background? DId you play sports in school?

UKJAY: No not really, i played sports but not seriously, i was never in a school sports team, or anything like that. i played football/soccer only casually in the school yard with my piers.

SGPT: How did you get involved in gymnastic style workouts?

UKJAY: After becoming a Bar-barian i wanted to add more strength elements into my training.

SGPT: Tell us about how you became a Bar-Barian (the first UK Bar-Barian at that)?

UKJAY: I got in inspired in 2009 by the original NY Bar-Barisns Zef, Jude and Andy. I became a Bar-Barian back in 2009 after completing the old requirements which consisted of 40 dips,20 pull-ups,50 push-ups,5 muscle-ups. All within 6 minutes. i look back at those numbers and laugh, but that is still a very hard set and time for anybody coming into serious body-weight fitness. they have since changed though. twice so far and are getting tougher and tougher.

SGPT: That is quite an honor to join that select group – what do the Bar-Barians have coming up in 2013.

UKJAY: We have a couple of body-weight workshops on home soil and abroad lined up. we are also featured in the June edition of muscle and fitness which will be sold across the whole of Europe.

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SGPT: What are some of the workouts that you typically do in Bar-Barian style?

UKJAY: I do 5 Min drills. Which consists of one certain exercise done within those minutes ie: Dips/Muscle-ups/pull-ups/push-ups/Burpees etc or even a combination of two. I will then do some straight arm balance/strength work Planche, Handstand push-ups, later that evening or the next day and mix it up with weighted Dips or Pull-ups

SGPT: What are a few tips that you would give other athletes to help them with their pull ups?

UKJAY: Weighted Pull-ups help tremendously to get your pull-up numbers up. i highly recommend them to anyone.

SGPT: Have you had any injuries in the past? If so, how do you avoid injuries in your training?

UKJAY: I have yes-i tore my left rotator cuff slightly and also got very bad tendonitis pain on the inside of my elbow and my forearm. I avoid injuries now by warming up thoroughly and take rest in-between days to fully recover a particular muscle group

SGPT: Thanks for the interview UKJAY.

UKJay: No problem SGPT it was my honor, hope to do it all again sometime. Wishing you all the best for your site. Take care

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SEALGRINDERPT ONLINE COACHING Are you a beginner or intermediate athlete looking to get motivated and improve your abilities and move towards your goals? Whether you are across the world or here nearby we can provide online coaching to help you as an athlete.

Get the experience of a Navy SEAL (graduated BUD/S class 132 despite all odds and asthma) and CrossFit level 1 certified personal trainer on your team to help you crush your goals and propel yourself to a new you. Get the experience of an athlete and trainer who knows what it takes to blast through plateaus and reach up, take hold and conquer your goals in life.

Do you feel like a high performance pit bull that is chained to your current training dog house? Here is your chance to break free from the shackles and launch into the new you. Break down barriers and shatter your previous goals – shedding the skin of your old self and stepping into your supercharged body and mind.

Coaching sessions include athletic ability assessment, goal assessment, baseline workouts, stretching exercises, diet improvements, motivational information and week log workouts and scheduled rest.

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BASIC COACHING The basic coaching package comes with emails and updates every week (daily exercises, stretching, rest days, hydration, links to videos and info for specific goals), a free SGPT sticker

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Get the experience of a trainer who has been there in the trenches and who has worked with many athletes in training to help them improve in many aspects of their physical and mental abilities.

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TESTIMONIALS from SGPT Athletes:

I’ve been training for a comeback to bud/s for the past year and a half, I’m not new to the gym but i just couldn’t make the improvements i wanted to. i posted a thread on the forums about this and brad posted back some great tips within the first day or two. after that i started working with him almost everyday and the workouts he sends me are outstanding, i’ve never been in better shape.

not only just my conditioning but overall as an athlete i feel better, i’m eating better, and i’ve gained a confidence in myself that i’ve never had before. thank you so much for your time brad, can’t wait for bud/s. Travis R.

Brad is a great trainer and pushes me further than i ever thought I could go. For example, I can do Muscle-Ups now which I could not perform before training with Brad. My CrossFit total has improved by 205lbs! Brad introduced me to Navy SEAL training which I LOVE. The Navy SEAL workouts he puts together are very intense and definatley improve your strength, stamina, and endurance. Thanks Brad! – Jake Berman, Atlanta, GA.

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SEALGRINDERPT PRODUCTS THE GRINDER KORD

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The Kord has gone through massive testing with pull-ups, ring pushups, ring rows and knee to chest core exercises. The Kord will shred your weaknesses and beat you down and mold you back into your new – stronger self.

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This is not some Chinese crap that we put our name on and dish it out to you. This is made in U.S. by a military Veteran. Ready for heavy duty nitro workouts and abuse – load tested to 450 lbs plus. These rings are made to exact specifications of Olympic rings. Come with two textures on the ring – smooth and light texture.

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