It was just another typical day at The Forged Athlete Gym in Omaha NE as we had our athletes tearing it up like usual.

I can’t begin to express just how important it is to get young athletes involved in resistance training early.

A lot of people out there still feel that youths, typically kids ages 10-15 shouldn’t be training with weights until they get 16,17, even 18!

That’s insane!

Some of the best gains a young athlete can see is when they are really hitting their growth spurts around 14, 15 years of age.

Sure they will be a little uncoordinated and off balance BUT proper programming and implementation of exercises and progressions is what works wonders!

Where most coaches go wrong with training youths is with the program design and exercise selection.

Sorry if I offend anyone out there reading this right now, but you know that program that just about every high school still uses??  You know that one… Strongest, Bigger, Quicker or whatever it is called…

Well, that program is messing kids up!

Putting kids under the bar making them squat when they can’t even do 5 “ass to grass” bodyweight squats is bad enough but when I see coaches having kids deadlift when they can’t even squat…  we got problems!

We focus on getting kids strong and efficient at bodyweight movements first then we go ahead and head into other modalities such as sandbags, kettlebells, and even traditional barbell exercises.

Sometimes it can take years to prep kids to get under the bar.

Sandbags and kettlebells are great for getting youth athletes ready to roll!

Just this week, a few of our youth athletes have started to hit the kettlebells a little bit harder.

At first they were a little passive but once they started to get the feel, they have really started to get after the kettlebells and sandbags!

They are still learning the technique but, as the weeks pass by, it has been a great thing to see these guys build up the strength they have!

Can’t imagine where they will be at the end of the summer!

DEADLY…

Click here to view the embedded video.

They will DESTROY kids their age.  No if’s, and’s, or but’s about it!

Here’s one of our latest strength sessions with these young BEASTS, check it out:

Start getting strong as young as you can!

Get Forged Strong!

Travis and Joe

PS – If you’re a young athlete reading this right now and you live in Omaha area, you need to get signed up for the summer!  No excuses!  If you want to be the best and make a REAL statement, this is where to be = The Forged Athlete Gym in Omaha NE!

There’s no other options but to improve and get stronger when you train at The Forged Athlete Gym period!

PPS – If you’re a parent and you have a young athlete in the Omaha area and you want them to be 10 steps above the rest of the athletes around, you need to get them in to The Forged Athlete Gym here in Omaha for the summer!

For information about getting involved in our summer programs – call 402.984.0791 or email theforgedathlete@gmail.com

Hope you’re staying warm!

It’s cold here in Nebraska but that WILL NOT keep us from training hard.

There can be no excuses!  You must get stronger EVERYDAY.  You’re either getting stronger or weaker – you never stay the same.

Live by that rule!  Always strive to get a little better each day.  Even if its a little bit, make sure you’re stepping in the right direction.

Some of the members of The Forged Athlete have been taking steps in the right direction for sure.

They don’t find excuses.  They find a way to get things done.

Here’s a sick workout they just did this last week that really tested thier limits.  I like to call it “Bags, Bells, and A Rope.”

We use all the different tools to get them strong in this workout.

Here it is:

1A) Rope Climb or Recline Rope Climb 5 x max

1B) KB Double Clean and Press 5 x 5

1C) Sandbag Clean to Zercher Lunge 5 x 5/leg

* throw band pull aparts in throughout between the exercises and sets

We ended the workout with 8 straight mins of sled/prowler

It was a good one.  Simple and effective.

Check out the video of some highlights below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The russian kettlebells.  Joe and I have been getting more and more into these bad boys!

I can honestly say I never touched one until about a year ago.  Kettlebells have been getting more and more addicting as time has gone by.

They are so versatile and give you so many options to work with.  You can train for strength, power, speed, and muscle gain.  You can do circuits,   complexes, and just straight sets.  I’ve been trying it all!

I’ve got a killer kettlebell complex video on here for some serious muscle building strength as well as some crazy gains in endurance as well.

If you haven’t trained with kettlebells yet, Christmas is around the corner, I’d be asking ol’ Santa for one if I was you!

Check out the video of my complex – it tears the core, back, and shoulders up big time!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Until next time,

Get Forged Strong!

I had a lovely finish to my workout the other day.  At the end I was DONE!

It was a finish to a workout that already involved 1 arm KB cleans to press and 1 arm bent rows.  This was my “strongman” day and I wanted to finish it off right.

Here’s what I did:

Zercher Carry – Sled Drag Medley

1A) Sandbag Zercher Carry x 25 yds

1B) Drag Sled Back

1C) KB rack walk x 25 yds

1C) Drag Sled Back

1D) SB Bear Hug Walk x 25 yds

1E) Drag sled back

I did this for 2 rounds as my legs were SHOT at the end.

I rested about 1:30 in between.

CHECK out the HIGHLIGHT reel ==>  Zerchers + Sled = Brutal Combo

This will get you strong as heck, build some serious work capacity and strength endurance.

Next go around I getting the heavy bag out there and another few KB’s to add two more rounds in there.  That’s going to be real brutal!!!

It’s been a crazy time at The Forged Athlete lately, but you know what, I LOVIN’ every minute of it baby!

I love lifting, I love training, I love coaching and I love life right now!  Not to mention I love my mom, dad, family, girlfriend, and especially my dog Kain to name a just few thing I love 

But you know what else I love???  Single arm cleans, presses, and rows!!!!

I gotta tell ya, overhead presses are great for the core!  You know what’s even better?  Single arm overhead presses!  It makes your core work 10’x’s harder!  Trust me on this one.  If all you’ve been doing is seated military’s with a barbell or 2 dumbbells, scrap that stuff for a while, switch to single arm presses.  Do those for 3-4 weeks and go back to your 2 arm presses and I guarantee you’ll be blown away at the strength you build in that time!

I also gotta stress how great single arm rows and cleans are for building up some serious strength and muscle.  Doing things with only 1 arm forces your core to work so much harder due to the fact that it has to counter balance the weight you’re holding in the other arm.  It works wonders kids!

In this workout I did single arm kettle bell cleans to presses x 5 until I reached my heaviest KB @ 70lbs (If anyone is wondering, my b-day is on the 9th of Nov, A great gift would be an 80,90, and 100lbs KB   !!!!)  I then switched to a 80lbs DB which is our heaviest DB.  We just need to get some heavier KB’s and DB’s pronto!  We’re getting too strong for these puny weights!!!  Ha Ha!

I did 30 reps each arm but broke them up in sets of 5.  I was spent afterwords but proceeded to do some Zercher carries with some sled draggin and pullin.  That’s a whole other post coming soon!

Check out the video of some of the highlights from this great strength building workout ===>

Single Arm Strength Building Exercises

***Make sure if you wanting to get crazy strong and more athletic you sign up for your FREE Ebooks on our site.  Also, if you live in the Omaha area and wanna experience our workouts 1st hand – hit us up at theforgedathlete@gmail.com***

Glad everyone is out there trying to get strong. Everyday I try and think of different ways I can incorporate a different exercise to get that most wanted muscle.

I remember the days where three sets of 10 was the norm. I used to lift like this constantly because I didn’t know any better. I am here to say that over the years I have incorporated many different tools and lifts to get strong as hell and lift big weights.

It’s all about change and not letting your body get used to what you’re doing.  I now incorporate tools like sandbags, kettle bells, rope climbing, kegs, tires, prowlers and all odd objects are fare game.

Doesn’t that sound like fun?  The days of lifting on machines are over.  They don’t get you what you are looking for anyway so why use them.   Start working with free weights, sand bags, kettle bells, tires, ropes, and just heavy odd objects.

It’s give your body the shock you need to see new growth in size and strength!

Get Forged Strong!

I’ve got a killer workout for you guys and gals today!

Since I hit full body on Monday, I’m coming back with an upper body based workout with a full power power exercise at the start to kick it off right.

This one got me good!

There’s some power, strength, and work capacity all thrown into one brutal workout.

I was always taught to keep your power movements at the start of your workout when you are the freshest to get the most out of these.  You want perfect technique and also want your nervous system to be fresh.  So lifts like snatches, cleans, jumps and other movements simialr, try to keep these at the start of your workout.  Of course you can break the rules sometimes

The main thing is, I hate seeing bad form on the cleans and snatches.  Its not good for your gains or your body for that matter.  Of course if your trying to improve work capacity and train for fighting and wrestling, you’ll want to throw that type of stuff in for circuits, but keep the weight a little lower and make sure your technique is spot on perfect.

Avoiding injury is the main concern always, then power, strength, and endurance or whatever you goal is.
Power + Upper Body

So, Here it is:

1A) Hang Cleans 4 x 5-3  Haven’t hit these for a while, worked up to 225 for 4 on the last set

2A) DB power press 4 x 4-8  I tried strict militaery press to start the sets then finished with power press
2B) Bent DB Rown 4 x 4-8

3A) Blast Strap Chain Push Ups 3 x Max  I went for max reps the 1st round, then really focused time under tnesion the 2nd two rounds
3B) KB 2 hand swings 3 x 15

4A) Blast strap face pull + Y row combo 3 x max
4B) Thick Handle DB Farmer Walks 3 x max you will see in the video how these are freaking killer!
4C) Dip Bar Knee Tucks  3 x max

Like I said, this one was a real chip off the old block!  I love IT!

Get Forged Strong!

ps – make sure you get signed up for our next Forged Strength Seminar Sept 18th at 10:30 – You’ll learn tons of our underground strength training techniques to get you “strong like bull!!!!”  HA HA!