A natural place to find inspiration is Alpha’s log.
Best wishes in your future competitions man and thnx for all the good reads (logs 2 trough 5)!
-half
Hey Alpha, I’ve a question for you. How/when do you decide to start using additional equipment(wrist wraps/belts/elbow and knee sleeves in particular) during training?
I haven’t had time to watch the squat video yet but I’m really looking forward to it. Sorry to hear about your foot, I hope it heals soon and I’ll pray for you. Also I got a kick out of watching you deadlift 600lbs in a boot while sitting in my physical therapy class. My teachers would not be thrilled haha!
@stronkfak Hahaha glad to be of service, my friend.
@punnyguy Thanks brother, and that is pretty crazy. Hopefully that number just keeps growing!
@Panopticum Yea man, I appreciate you stopping in. The foot just is what it is. If I let every little thing stop me I would never get started!
@halfbreed Thank brother! and thanks for taking the time to read all of them! That is definitely some time invested!
@Benanything Well, for what seemed like forever, I wouldn’t even use a belt. I felt like it was cheating! But after i broke my back I started using it because I found that it helped forgive mistakes that would have put me down in the past. and up until less than a year ago I had never used elbow/knee sleeves or wrist wraps. But training strongman multiple times a week tends to beat you up pretty badly. That plus the fact that I am getting ready to turn 36 after 20 years of abusing my body doesn’t help matters much. These days I always wear knee sleeves for strongman stuff and lower body things. I think it is more of a mental “hug” than anything else. On pressing stuff, i use the elbow sleeves. And wrist wraps are the newest addition, I have only been really trying them out for a few months now. I started because the circus dumbbell I have cuts into your forearm pretty bad and is distracting. I am playing around with using them on bench, but honestly they don’t really help or hurt me much there.
Really at this point I think it is more about protecting myself and trying to stay in the game longer. If some neoprene helps me do that, then I am all in. If you are asking about How I decide when to actually put them on during my workout:
If it is lower body or strongman the sleeves go on before my first set. A lot of this is because I sweat a lot and my sleeves are tight enough that if my legs are sweaty, getting them on is a huge pain.
If I am pressing that day, the elbow sleeves got on, again, before my first set. I will also wear them on some strongman movements because they are so brutal on your biceps. I figure warm muscles are less likely to tear, so I will have them on. Sometimes you may see me wearing sleeves on random stuff in my videos, but often times that is because I am doing some other strongman movements during that workout.
As far as a belt:
On deadlifts i will usually throw it on when I get at or above 405-500. Not because I need it, but I because I can pull my belt tighter once it is warmed up and has been against my body for a little bit. If it were just for support, i’d say i throw it on at anything 550 or above.
On squats I actually wear my belt higher on my body. Kind of george leeman style. and it usually goes on around 405 for the same reasons as the deadlifts.
On yoke I throw it on usually around 540.
On overhead I will put it on with weights around 250. Maybe lower if I am repping something out.
I hope that answers your question man. And don’t worry. In my experience, if your belted lifts go up, your unbelted go up as well. I used to buy into the belles theory, but not really too much anymore.
@Roran Thanks brother, hopefully you will find it helpful. Definitely some tips in there that many people have never heard of. And the foot is no big deal man. It has been hurt for 6 months, I’m just trying to fix it now because it apparently won’t get better on its own…Stupid needy feet…And that is awesome about watching the vid during your PT class, definitely made me smile!
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“Is security a Utopian goal or is it another word for rut?..Where would the world be if all men sought security and had not taken risks or gambled with their lives on the chance that, if they won, life would be different and richer?..We shall let the reader answer this question for himself: Who is the happiest man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived, or he who stayed on the shore and merely existed?” --Hunter S. Thompson
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WEDNESDAY, 13APRIL2016 - Work For Today
SPEED - At the Top of Every Minute for 10 Minutes Completed
3 Clean & Presses @ 205 (Clean every rep)
STRENGTH - Out of the Rack
Log Strict Press: 155, 205, 245, 265
10 Standing ab wheel rollouts
30 Sledgehammer Swings
VOLUME - Log Strict Press out of the Rack 225x7
ASSISTANCE
20 Pull-Ups
20 Handstand push-Ups
15 Pull-Ups
15 Handstand Push-Ups
10 Pull-Ups
10 Handstand push-Ups
NOTES:
- Rough lifting day for me. When i got to the gym, one of the guys who trains there walked in and informed me that he locked his keys in his truck. It is an old truck and the window was cracked so we got a hanger and tried to pull up the lock with it but couldn’t get enough traction…So we put tacky on the hanger and it worked like a charm. Yet another use for that stuff. But honestly, playing around with hat for a while kind of took my head out of the game. Ended up a decent, but not so great day. These things happen.
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You work extremely hard. There’s no shame in dialing down (if you even wanna call it that with the weights you have been moving in spite of the foot injury) briefly for the sake of your own well being and prudence.
But fuck man, I can’t wait to see the 700lb pull and a 350lb log press. Keep staying strong bro.
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Maybe i should break my foot to start setting crazy prs. Haha, seriously though astounding stuff as always. Yesterday my shoulder felt fucky and literally said aloud “alpha wouldn’t bitch” and it felt better.
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@strongmanvinny2 Thanks man and you are right. It is not nearly as fun though! And I certainly hope you are right about the deadlift and the log press!
@TX_iron Hahaha I am honored, my fiend! But I wouldn’t recommend the foot thing!
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“Most people would be better if they had a little more pain in their lives.” - Barkely Marathon Runner
FRIDAY, 15APRIL2016 - Work For Today
Wave 1/Week 4/Day 5
CONDITIONING - At the Top of Every Minute for 12 Minutes
2 Pull-Ups
3 Bodyweight ManMakers
4 Floor Presses
5 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
STRENGTH - I was short on time So I just worked up on paused deadlifts
135x2
225x2
315x2
405x1
500x1
550x1
610x1
Did 10 Standing Banded Crunches between pulls.
ASSISTANCE - 3 Rounds
Stiff Leg Deadlifts @ 500lbs x 8
10 Standing Banded Crunches
NOTES:
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610 isn’t bad all thing considered. But I need to figure out this conditioning thing soon, cutting weight without moving around much definitely slows the process!
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Here is my latest training video, nothing too spectacular in there, but some highlights are a 600lb Pause Squat, 225x7 on the Strict Log Press, 610 Paused Deadlift and 500x8 on the Stiff Leg Deadlift. Thanks for the support everyone!
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Good to see you’re still getting things down as always, I hope you’ll get better injury-wise.
I have a question, how would you set up now your beginner phase training differently than before? My schedule is getting better and I hope that in the next few weeks I’ll get back into the gym. I’m feeling super weak and small haha
What’s up Alpha? Sorry about the foot, hope this doesn’t hinder you from your goals to much. As someone stated earlier though, if there is anyone that can overcome this, it’s definitely you!
Your vids continue to be a valuable resource, thank you as always. I notice your subscriptions are increasing. Just a matter of time, I truly believe. Your content is excellent, and insight is so valuable.
A few things in particular I have initiated in my training that were directly due to you;
1: breathing n bracing. I have worked diligently on this since October, and can honestly say it is paying off big time. Not only in increased weights, but in the fact that I haven’t tweaked my back since incorporating this. No doubt, due to better stability.
2: I’ve added conditioning at the beginning of my workouts. Not cardio, but true Alpha conditioning. Now early on, my weights went down a bit. But through time, most are beyond previous levels. The aesthetics from this is a nice side effect.
3: I’ve transitioned into a low bar squat. Took time to get used to it, but I’m happy with the way it’s working out.
Anyways, just wanted you to know you are making a difference. Thanks for all you do. Continue your excellent work. Best wishes!!
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It seems like your foot can handle pressure, but not real pounding. Ever tried riding a bike (fast) or swimming for high intensity for a while? It isn’t as punishing as bodyweight circuits, but it sure as hell beats not doing some form or conditioning.
Good luck!
Alpha,
respect on your new style of YouTube videos, I really like these. The commentary is gold and i learn something everytime a new one is up. It’s a shame you don’t get more views, but i hope these will come over time.
By the way, what is your take on neck training for LEO / military type athletes? I serve in a full-time riot police unit and we regularly wear helmets that weigh around 11 lbs. I figured it might be a good idea to directly train the neck to increase resilience to strikes and general injuries due to the extra weight. How would you go about that? I own a neck harness and thought about just adding a few sets of 4 way neck extensions at the end of a strength session 2 - 3 times a week. These could go along with the ab work i already do…
Regards
@Regev19978 Well man, I honestly wouldn’t change much. I’d still program conditioning n the beginning of each workout but I may just keep it to bodyweight. Then I would choose Cube Method, 5/3/1 or Linear Periodization (4x8, 5x5, 10x3) for the strength stuff. And of course I would finish up each day with Strongman. Since you have a good base behind you, I would probably go with the cube method or maybe an RPE type of program. You will be back up to speed in no time!
@Betabill Man, I really appreciate you saying all of that. I am not always sure if i am just wasting my time or not, but posts like this really help keep me motivated. And i am so glad that you are applying the breathing and bracing, that was the biggest game changer for me in 20 years of lifting. I actually just taped a bunch of footage for a video explaining it. Hopefully i have enough good stuff to get a video out about it this week. I really appreciate what you said brother!
@Panopticum Yea man, I am actually look around for a used air dyne or air assault bike that i can use for some intervals. Really good ideas man, I appreciate you throwing them out there.
@KDO Thanks man, the youtube is actually growing at a pretty good rate, so i am just going to keep doing what i am doing and hope for the best. If it works out, then that is awesome, if it doesn’t at least i got to help a few people.
As far as neck training. I think it is good with a harness but you have to be really careful. Keep your form really strict because a lot of people jack themselves up with that thing. I would definitely recommend neck bridges like in wrestling/MMA as well as banded stuff. Also, I would work the heck out of your traps. Building up strength in those will go a long way. I hope that helps out brother!
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“We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.” --George Orwell.
“People living deeply have no fear of death.” --Anais Nin
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MONDAY, 18APRIL2016 - Work For Today
STRENGTH - Beltless, 6 Second Pause Front Squats
135
225
315
365
410 (PR)
430 (Bigger PR)
VOLUME - 3 Rounds
10 Beltless Front Squats @ 315lbs
10 Glute Ham Raise Sit-Ups
12 Glute Ham Raises
NOTES:
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Pretty happy about how today went. My previous PR on the 6 Sec Pause Beltless was 405 and it was horrible but it was months ago. I haven’t done these in a while so I thought I would give them another run and was just hoping to hit 410 for a small PR. I did but it really wasn’t as terrible as i expected so i loaded 20 more pounds and hit the 430. Pretty happy with that
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Then the volume went pretty well also. 315 for sets of 10 didn’t feel too bad but definitely got uncomfortable with the bar against my throat for that long.
Good day overall and I am incredibly happy to be out of that stupid boot…
Here is the Beltless 430, 6 second Paused Front Squat from my IG account
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If you guys are interested, I just uploaded a video about how to breathe and brace correctly for hitting bigger weights while staying safer. I hope some of you will find it helpful!
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Awwww shit, awesome video Alpha. Never thought I’d be schooled this hard on something as “basic” as breathing. I’ve always been taking air out of me cause my abs felt more braced that way. Can’t wait to try out this new “trick”. Oh and holy shit, the can analogy is pretty damn brilliant.
Great video. You always take things that appear so simple to so many and deconstruct them and put it back together to make a great point.
Also, sorry for my comment on the youtube video. I just…I just had to.
Thanks for the response. With working the traps, should I do isolation exercises (shrugs) or do you feel that deadlifts and farmer’s walk work them enough?
I have recently been looking for a new plan to follow as I have been guilty of jumping onto the bodybuilding path a little too much for the requirements of the job. I found I am getting slower than I like to be. However, I have just been looking at “Tactical Barbell”- don’t know if you’re familiar with it, but the guy behind it says he’s former Spec Ops and basically recommends a low volume, high frequency training of Bench / Squat / Deadlift / Pullups. Something along the likes of 3 x 5 / 3 x 3, done 3x a week in full-body workouts. On top of that, you’d do conditioning a few times per week. The idea behind that is to maximize strength development while minimizing hypertrophy, which is stated to be mostly a negative side effect for operators.
What is your take on that? I have always found a little more mass to be benefical with rucking and even in unarmed fighting, given that one is still well conditioned. Also, I figure that the limited exercise selection might leave some weaknesses exposed.
Seeing you’ve been in the Spec Ops field for a longer time, I’m curious to know about how you would go about training for that line of work.
@Benanything Thanks so much for the kinds words brother, I really appreciate that!
@strongmanvinny2 You had me laughing out loud at your comment on Youtube man, it was brilliant! And thanks for saying that. That is like my entire goal!
@KDO Well, i think if you are doing heavy deads, rack Pulls and Farmer’s that will be plenty. Unless you are really overloading weight on shrugs, I honestly don’t thing they compare to the afore mentioned options.
I am aware of the Tactical Barbell guys and I have nothing bad to say about them. They do something similar to what i do over at NEVERsate.com, just in at a much lower intensity.
I think a certain amount of mass is hugely important for guys doing the type of work you do. #1 it is armor. #2 I am sure you know little guys who can PT for days but you wouldn’t want them to back you up in a fight. #3 if you are carrying loads (Even body armor) for long periods of time, mass can go a long way. #4 It is intimidating to a point that it may help de-escilate some problems. But there is definitely diminishing point of returns. If you want to keep gaining mass, just force yourself to move like a small man and be agile. This is why people can’t believe that i can do some of the bodyweight stuff i do at my size. I just never stopped doing it, so I never became very muscle bound. I also think guys more heavily muscled should be doing harder conditioning more often just because it take more oxygen to power that muscle. So if you want the benefits of having some mass then you just have to be able to make it useful when bad things happen. Endurance isn’t really the key (Maybe if you are in basic or an academy or speciality school where they are going to smoke you every day). And being Massive isn’g going to help much either (unless you never truly get into anything). I think somewhere in the middle is best for most people who carry guns…Just my opinion though man. If you are looking for programs, check out the daily workout section of my site and follow some of them f they fit your goals. I also write personalized programs for people. If that is something you would be interested in, the info for that is on my site as well. I really appreciate the questions though man, gets my mind thinking!
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"A big problem that a lot of general fitness trainees have is that they’re like grass. Now, grass is wonderful; it bends and sways and never breaks. It can survive a tornado very well.
The oak tree on the other hand, doesn’t do so well, because it looks at a tornado and says, ‘Bring it!’ Sometimes the oak tree survives and sometimes the tornado breaks it in half. Athletes are like oak tress. They don’t bend. They either rise to the occasion or they break." --Dan John
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TUESDAY, 19APRIL2016 - Work For Today
STRONGMAN - I was setting up an Arm over Arm Truck pull for part of a hellish day for my athletes tomorrow and decided to get some reps in. Not sure how many I ended up doing, but it was enough.
What else are you going to do for conditioning when your foot is Broken!?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEZQ3IpJHUf/?taken-by=neversate
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Thanks for the breathing info. Very good explanation. I’ll try it.
@biker Definitely do man, it will change your game!
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“People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents.” --Andrew Carnegie
“Achieving life is not the equivalent of avoiding death.” --Ayn Rand
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WEDNESDAY, 20APRIL2016 - Work For Today
CONDITIONING - As Many Rounds As Possible in 12 Minutes
1 Pull-Up
1 Curtis P
2 Pull Ups
2 Curtis P’s
3 Pull-Ups
3 Curtis P’s
…Completed my 8/8 Rounds Before I ran out of time
STRENGTH - Paused Bench Press
135
225
315
365
405
425
455xNope…First time I have missed this weight in years. Not sure what happened.
Between Sets I was Doing 10 Knees to Elbows
VOLUME - At the Top of Every Minute for 10 Minutes
3 Banded Bench Presses @ 225
NOTES:
-Horrible day for me. Not sure what went wrong but it just wasn’t there. I’ll come back and get some redemption next week.
Hey Alpha, would it be possible for you to make a gym tour video? There’s just so much cool stuff in(and out) of there and I’m sure people will be interested in seeing what you have. Would be a good addition to your website too.