2011 was a great year for Gaglione Strength! Here are some of my favorite video highlights caught on tape from my own training, my athletes training, as well as some memorable seminars and trips! Enjoy and Happy New Year!|

We have some awesome features in store for 2012 so stay tuned!

1. Lifting some heavy SH!T!

2. Wrestling Strength with Zach Even Esh!

3. Strongman Sundays!

4. Explosive Power Contrast Training

5. Training at the Underground!

6. Body Weight Training for Athletes

7. Kettlebell Training

8. Mark Bell and Jesse Burdick Powerlifting Seminar at Underground Strength Gym

9.  Training At Synergy Athletics with Joe Hashey

10. Thanksgiving Lifting!

11. Christmas Eve Lifting!

Happy New Year from Gaglione Strength!

Eduacte, Motivate, Dominate!

Hip Thrust

Movement Category: Bilateral Hip Dominant

Athletic Benefits: The hip thrust is the best exercise to target the glute specifically. It is the only barbell movement the directly oppose the movement of hip extension. This pattern is critically for running, jumping, and finishing takedowns for combat sports.  When performing this exercise the athlete must use a bar pad to help protect the hips and pelvis in order to prevent bruising.

Want to learn more about barbell training and how to get brutally strong? Check out this link below!

http://wp.me/p1RNnv-kk

The METCALF Mindset Iowa Style Part 4

The METCALF MINDSET!

Many people QUIT when things get TOUGH, when they haven’t even COMMITTED any time to their goal. You have two options when you face ADVERSITY, you can get FRUSTRATED or get FASCINATED!

The IOWA wrestling team gets FASCINATED when they face a challenge. There is a saying that “pressure can make DIAMONDS or DUST.” When things get HARD it is normal to be a little nervous, but you should be EXCITED rather than AFRAID.  When you are faced with a CHALLENGE you have an OPPORTUNITY to GROW and GET EVEN BETTER! The choice is your can FOLD under pressure or you can OVERCOME it.

The IOWA MENTALITY is that they are ALWAYS PUSHING FORWARD. That says a LOT from a mental stand point. They are always the AGGRESSOR in the match. The HAWKEYES have the mind set they will CONTROL their opponent and FORCE their style on them! They are IN CONTROL all the time EVEN in time of hardships. The IOWA wrestlers always are the FIRST back to the center of the mats and PUSH the PACE so much that the other wrestler BREAKS down.

My coach in high school once asked us, “Would you be afraid to fist fight a first grader?”  Of course we all answered, “No.”

He told us the reason is because, “YOU KNOW you are GOING TO WIN. “

It is an EXTREME example, but it shows the type of mindset you need to be successful.  If have a test coming up and you do all of your home work, go to extra help, do extra credit, and study at home you have a VERY solid chance of being SUCCESSFUL on your test. This is because you ARE WELL PREPARED for the test. When you are well PREPARED for a task you have the CONFIDENCE deep down inside of you that you WILL DO WELL. If you apply this to wrestling or anything else in life if you are training hard and doing everything in your power to get better you should never be nervous because YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO WIN.

The IOWA wrestlers have the confidence that they OUT WORK their opponent in every aspect of their training so in their eyes the MATCH IS OVER BEFORE IT STARTS. The OUTCOME is a RESULTS of all of the TRAINING prior to their bout. As long as they WRESTLE SMART and WRESTLE their style they will WIN.  If you DO THE WORK you DESERVE to WIN and YOU WILL WIN, but you have to BELIEVE it.

Work like the IOWA wrestles and YOU will PERFORM like them. Here are some videos of Brent Metcalf who EMBODIES the IOWA tradition of excellence.

Want to learn how I instill the IOWA mindset through strength training? Check this out and you want to build a stronger body and mind.

http://wp.me/p1RNnv-kk

Educate, Motivate, Dominate
-Coach Gaglione

Here’s a Westside-influenced strength-building program to make you maximally strong while using minimal toys.

These single leg exercises may make you cry at first, but in time they’ll help you build muscle, gain strength, and improve your athletic performance.
It’s the muscles you can’t see that will make you a better athlete. Here are the best exercises to train your posterior chain properly.

6. Hardcore Hinging for Hamstrings
Building freaky hamstrings takes guts and determination. It also helps to use some cool exercises that only the very strong guys know – until now.

7. The Ultimate Neck Training Exercises for Combat & Contact Athletes
This is your Ultimate guide to a bigger, stronger and healthier neck.

8. Power Podcast #1
One of the new feature on the Blog will be a POWER Podcast with strength coaches, strength athletes, and fitness professionals. We are going to have at least one podcast a month at Gaglione Strength. Dickie White was our first guest on the call and it was a great interview!

9. Rope Climbing Progressions for Wrestling
Rope climbs are one of my favorite exercises that I use with my athletes. It develops tremendous grip and strength in the pulling muscles of the upper body. This post cover my favorite progressions for rope climbing.

10. Perfect Pulling Exercises for a Bigger Back
Deadlifts and pull-ups aren’t the only exercises for a massive, thick back. The barbell row will build lats like bat wings, while keeping you healthy and ready for action.

11. The Ultimate Wrestling Playground Workout
Here is an awesome workout I did at a local playground with some of my College Athletes. It just goes to show you that you don’t necessarily need any fancy equipment to get some quality training in! No excuses get it done and get to work!

There you have it! My top 11 works from 2011! I KNOW 2012 is going to be EVEN better so stay tuned!

Educate, Motivate, Dominate
-Coach Gaglione

Anti Rotation Press to Overhead Press

Movement Category: Core

Athletic Benefits: For athletes it is important not only to be able to produce movement, but also resist and control movement. This exercise teaches the athlete to stabilize the spine and resist rotation and lateral flexion.  Combat athlete need to be able to resist movements from their opponent. For ball players it will train the same muscles that actually produce movement in an isometric fashion.

Want to learn how to get brutally strong in a short amount of time? Check this out. It is something really cool that can CHANGE your outlook on strength training and getting stronger!

http://wp.me/p1RNnv-kk

IOWA STYLE Part 3

The Story of Dan Gable

As I have stated in the past wrestling really teaches young adults how to DEAL with ADVERSITY.  Wrestling is one of only a few sports where your opponent can legitimately BREAK DOWN YOUR SPIRIT and WEAR YOU OUT.

Wrestling is a very unique sport since it is an individual one. It is ONE on ONE. You DON’T have your TEAM to help you when you are ON THE MAT. Matches are WON and LOST for the actions YOU TAKE. You can’t BLAME anyone, but YOURSELF. When your hand is RAISED it is because YOU WON. You EARN your VICTORIES because of what YOU DID. It is one of the most GLORIOUS feelings in the world to get your hand RAISED after winning a match because you know YOU EARNED THE VICTORY. For the same reason wrestling is so rewarding it can also be mentally devastating when you LOSE.

When you LOSE a match you have NO ONE TO BLAME, but yourself. Wrestling teaches you to be ACCOUNTABLE for your actions when you lose.  It can be a very hard thing to accept that defeat was YOUR FAULT, but it MAKES YOU STRONGER when you LOSE and come back and LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES.  In wrestling you learn that no matter how many times you get knocked down you are never truly defeated. A loss can be a good thing because it is a chance to grow and reflect, get better, and analyze your weak points.

Wrestling teaches you to BUILD on your skills and your PHYSICAL CONDITION. You can never be TOO SKILLED, STRONG, or be in TOO good SHAPE. You can ALWAYS BE BETTER.  In wrestling you need to be RELENTLESS in order to be a CHAMPION. They say that “Champions are made when NO ONE IS WATCHING.” Wrestling teaches you to have a RELENTLESS attitude to get better every time you step on the mat.

If you a wrestling fan you have heard of Dan Gable numerous times. He was an incredible wrestler in high school, College, and even in the Olympics. He had never lost in High School and was a DOMINATE force in College a well. Dan Gable had NEVER lost a match, but he actually lost his LAST MATCH OF HIS COLLEGE CAREER. This might have BROKE an average man mentally, but this MOTIVATED Dan to get EVEN BETTER. This caused him to train LIKE AN ANIMAL and get ready for the Olympics. He ended up having one of the most DOMINATE performance in the Olympics being un-scored upon in the Olympic trials. His LOSS really defined him as a person, since he OVERCAME hard times and came back EVEN STRONGER than before.

Here are some quotes from legendary coach and wrestler Dan Gable as well as as a video of him

“…always hungry, always pushing forward, never have chance to score. conditioning is NEVER a problem. You know you are outworking your opponent. He knows that. Can always get better no matter what.”

“I look at things and I can ALWAYS improve upon them. I can NEVER be good enough in wrestling, No matter how LONG I try, No matter HOW HARD I work out, No matter how HOW MANY HOURS I put into it. I could NEVER be GOOD ENOUGH because there is SO much to be learned…”

Wrestling is an INDIVIDUAL sport. There is a WINNER and a LOSER. You take ALL of the VICTORY or ALL of the DEFEAT.

Any time you DON’T FIGHT AS HARD AS YOU CAN you are going to FALL SHORT.

“When you LOSE you got to LIVE with it and DEAL with it… that is life.  You CAN’T let it STOP you.  It should make you realize you DON’T want to stand on the 2nd place stand again. You have to work a little HARDER or be a little more MENTALLY ready each time. The loss will make you a better wrestler.”

“I guarantee all of this working that you have done gets you ready for your matches and when you get out there with an opponent you will be so physically and mentally ready it will be HARD to lose because of ALL of the physical training, all of the HOURS of wrestling, running, push ups, weights… It has made you MIND so MENTALLY TOUGH . You PUT in more time than your opponent and HE KNOWS it too and that is a big BREAKDOWN on him. You are that much AHEAD of him before you even start the match. You NEVER have to worry about your CONDITIONING all you have to do is just WRESTLE as HARD as you can the WHOLE time you are out there and the WINNING will take care of it self.”

“You will wrestle aggressive and hard the WHOLE time and not let your opponent YOU are making the moves and YOU are in command”

Dan Gable 1972 Olympic Special

Want to learn how I instill the IOWA mindset through strength training? Check this out and you want to build a stronger body and mind.

http://wp.me/p1RNnv-kk

Educate, Motivate, Dominate
-Coach Gaglione

The Holidays is ALL about giving NOT Receiving! Check out our Special Holiday Workout this Saturday at Gaglione Strength!

Hey guys Coach Gaglione here,

I have a special announcement for you today.

In the spirit of the Holiday Season and Christmas Gaglione Strength is giving away a FULL WEEK of training FREE next week for all NEW members. We are also going to have a Christmas Eve morning workout at 10am open to everyone who wants to get a kick ass training session in before they consume lots of holiday treats over the next few days ! It is going to be an awesome time, especially since all of our college athletes will be home crushing their workouts!

All you need to do is e-mail gaglionestrength@gmail.com. The spots are limited to the first 8 people to sign up and the deadline is 12pm 12.21.12 to sign up.

Training on Holidays like Christmas is a  perfect opportunity to get ONE day better than all of your opponents if you are an athlete. If you don’t compete in athletics it is a great day to get a strength workout in since you will be consuming those extra calories to help promote your recovery and muscle growth. Take advantage of this unique opportunity and get a HARD workout in!

Here is the video from our  2011 Christmas Eve workout! I expect this workout to be EVEN BETTER!

Are YOU going to join 7 other ass kickers and get one workout better than everyone else?

Hope to see you this Christmas Eve!

Happy Holidays from Gaglione Strength!

And remember this Holiday season give yourself the GIFT of STRENGTH and come to Gaglione Strength!

Educate, Motivate, Dominate
-Coach Gaglione

Zercher Squats

Movement Category: Bilateral Knee Dominant

Athletic Benefits: The zercher squat is a great variation for combat athletes since it integrates the upper body into the lift. The lifter must use their upper body musculature to help stabilize their body in order to complete the lift, much like a football tackle or double leg takedown.

PS if you want to learn how to get SUPER STRONG check this out! Early bird deadline is tomorrow! You don’t want to miss this!

http://wp.me/p1RNnv-kk

IOWA STYLE Part 2

A wrestling clinician once told me that everyone at the wrestling clinic should get a jar and a bag of jelly beans. We were instructed that every time we do something that helps us toward our goal we would put one jelly bean in the jar. This could mean go to a run, do an extra wrestling workout, do a strength training sessions, go to a clinic, watch technique tapes and many other examples. Every time we did something that put us further away from our goals we were instructed to take a jelly bean away from the jar. This could mean missing practice, making an excuse not to get a strength training session in, eating bad foods, getting in trouble at school, and many other examples.

“Why is this important?”  We all asked.

He said, “The man with the MOST jelly beans in the jar at the END of the season ALWAYS wins.”

This story really explains the HARDER your work the LUCKIER you get and you WILL be more SUCCESSFUL the more POSITIVE TIME you put into your sport.

Watch the IOWA Hawkeyes WORK ETHIC. They put in a TREMENDOUS amount of time for their sport and make TONS of SACRIFICES in order to get better.

Ask yourself

“How many jelly beans are in my jar?”

“How many jelly beans do I need to take away?”

The more “jelly beans” you have in your jar the more successful you will become!

It is import to  take advantage of opportunities so you fill up your “jelly bean jar”.

Always ANALYZE what you are doing and try to get a little BETTER every time you do something.

Take advantage of the situations you have. Not everybody is working as hard, taking advantage of every opportunity put in front of you.

The reason to ALWAYS take advantage of the opportunity in front of you is because you NEVER know if you will EVER have that opportunity again. If you take advantage of every opportunity you have you have a much great chance for success.

Can you afford NOT to take that run, NOT to get a lift in NOT to go practice?

Time is life

Time like missed opportunities is something you will never get back.

Here are a few videos below that really show the work ethic and the mindset of the Iowa wrestlers.

Dan Gable Be Passionate

Want to learn how in still the IOWA mindset through strength training? Check this out and you want to build a stronger body and mind.

http://wp.me/p1RNnv-kk

Educate, Motivate, Dominate
-Coach Gaglione

Power Podcast Episode #2 with Elite Powerlifter Chris Taylor