Alpha V

@jbpl42 Thanks so much for the kind words man, they really do mean a lot! And it is awesome that the training is working out for you brother! You definitely won’t be sorry! I can’t wait to see where you end up my friend!


@Roran I definitely would man, you won’t be sorry!

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A lot of people have asked me what the benefits of the SSB squat are. So in this video I explain why it should be a training priority for powerlifters and Strongmen. It has done a TON to increase my numbers and hopefully it will help some of you out as well!

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I have a question about the conjugate method program you did a few weeks ago, I thought of this before but the SSB video reminded me when you said that might even be better for strongman than regular squat.

With conjugate you do your primary movement/competition lift on DE day and ME day is always some variation. What if your just training for general strength (or even strongman) and don’t necessarily have a main lift, back/front/ssb squat are equally important. I was thinking ME day could just be a rotation of whatever lifts you felt were important (and small variations of them if the rotation list was too small), but what would DE day look like in that case? Or does that style program just work best when you pick 1 important lift and do it weekly on DE day and ME is anything except that? I understand the value of having DE day be consistent with 1 lift so you practice it once a week, which totally makes sense for powerlifting but not so much anything else.

@sufiandy Well man, in the example that you gave, I think it is import to figure out which lifts mean the most to you (basically what you want to PR in at the end of the program) for each body part. one deadlift, one squat, one bench and one OHP. Once you decide what you deem most important then that is the movement you will be using on your DE days. On your ME days just cycle through Variations of the big 4. You said Back, front, SSB squats are all of the same relevance to you. Well then i would add them in as variations unless you wanted to PR in one of them (in which case you would be using it on your DE days). I hope that helps man.

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“He who fears he shall suffer, already suffers what he fears.” --Montaigne

WEDNESDAY, 22FEBRUARY2017 - Work For Today

STRONGMAN CONDITIONING - At the Top of Every Minute for 10 Minutes
3 Circus Dumbbell Presses @ 146lbs.

STRENGTH GIANT SET
Greande Pull-Ups: Sets of 20
Strict Press: 135x2, 185x1, 225x1, 275x1, 310x1 PR
Toes to Bar: Sets of 10

ASSISTANCE - Yoke Waiter’s Walk
180 x 100 Ft
270x 50 ft
360 x 50 foot
400 x Approx 30 ft.


NOTES:

  • Definitely wasn’t feeling it today. The Car deadlifts from money definitely stole a little bt of my soul, but I just figured I would see what was there. 310 was a grind, and a 5lb PR. But a baby PR is still a PR, so i will take it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ06MRKBwGR/?taken-by=neversate

And my heaviest set of Car Deadlifts from Monday

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQy2H5zhfed/?taken-by=neversate

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Own your Mistakes! In this video I lay out how to Audit your life in order to further take away any excuses you may have made. ACT LIKE THE PERSON YOU WANT TO BE!

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Whoa really churning out the quality content, seems to be second nature now. Great stuff with the squat PR!

You should try a Slingshot bench ME variation with the sticking point right in the middle there, maybe reverse bands also. Also good to get used to having a supramaximal load in your hands, probably want to handle 515-20 a few times in some form before going for the PR again

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@RampantBadger Thanks man and I really appreciate that! And really good suggestions man, thank you!

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People ask me fairly regularly how to build their Traps. My normal answer is “Strongman Movements”. But in this video I actually break down and explain my top 5 Exercises that will help you add mass and thickness to your upper back. I hope this will point some of you in the right direction!

6 Likes

Just wanted to drop in and say i stumbled upon your youtube off Strongman Reddit and said that guy reminds me of Alpha from t-nation… And here you are. Crazy that i still recall your training logs from years back and then find your youtube. Just want to say you are producing great content.

@JohnMariette That is so awesome man, thank you so much! I really appreciate you checking it out!


“I’m telling you: Quitting is very reasonable. I can have a million reasons to quit. But can you find the one reason to keep going forward? And literally, by saying, ‘Well, I’m going to keep going until I die.’ As long as you’re still breathing, as long as you have a single pulse in your body, you can still go forward. I think it just makes it very easy to distinguish whether you’re going forward or you’re not.
Under stress and pressure, you think about the doubt… and it’s just self doubt. I think everybody has self doubt. Everybody has those things that occasionally creep in. I don’t care how strong you are. You’ve still got to be able to go one step further. And as long as you can breathe, you can still go one step further. You’re not dead. And so I live by the axiom, 'Not dead. Can’t quit.”–Richard Machowicz

MONDAY, 05MARCH2017 - Work For Today

STRENGTH
Grenade Pull-Ups: Sets of 15
Log Overhead press: 155, 205, 245, 300, 320
Glute ham Raise Sit-Ups - Sets of 10

VOLUME
Log: 300 x like 7 Singles.

ASSISTANCE - 3 Rounds
Bamboo Log Strict Press
Glute Ham Raise Sit-Ups

MINDSET - Log Tabata Z Presses.

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My ARNOLD Experience:
Well, I got the opportunity to be part of Brian Shaw’s team, got to see some inspirational stuff from my Adaptive Athletes, got a private tour of the new Rogue World Headquarters, ate multiple dinners with some of the best people on the planet and got to meet a lot of you! …It was a great Arnold weekend!

5 Likes

Wow that was a great video and it sounds like a great experience! There were just so many amazing things, I’ll have to watch it again later. The adaptive stone loading events and the sandbag for height were insane to see. Really cool stuff, I’m glad you got to go!

Yer Awesome video Brian, I could feel the excitement and energy bubbling out of you after what must have been an epic weekend. Has seeing how Brian prepared given you some ideas around how you will train and prep for your upcoming show ?

Agreed!

Super cool that you got to hang out with Brian Shaw and experience the event from such a cool perspective.

The Arnold had some fabulous stuff this year. Rogue has done a great job with things like the Rogue Record Breakers, adding the Dinnie Stone event, etc. Plus, that’s fantastic you were coaching athletes in the adaptive strongman events - those guys are seriously impressive!

Hey Brian. Big fan here, really looking forward to have you make a 12 week plan for me, but until I can afford it hopefully I can get some answers from you regarding your 12 week linear progression plan and do something that’s not too terrible in the meantime.

  • Ramping weights. I remember hearing you say (maybe I read it somewhere in your articles at neversate.com) that on your 10x3 month you usually get to your top set at around set 6 or 7 and then do some back off sets. What about the other months? I imagine since there are less sets, you just get to your top weight at the last set.

  • Assistance. How much do you do and do you change it every month? If your SGS has the same sets/reps as your MGS as you mentioned earlier in the thread, on the 3rd month that means you’ll be doing two giant sets of 10x3, so around 40-60 sets just between MGS and SGS. Can’t imagine doing jackshit after that, but I may be too much of a pussy.

  • Deload. Let’s say you’re in the 6th week (so 2nd week of 5x5’s) and can’t hit 5 reps on your last set. Do you take weight off for next session? Stay the same?

  • Someone mentioned you used to do Leg + Push + Pull + Core workouts, alternating between Squat + Pullups + OHP + Abs and Deadlift + DB Row + Bench + Abs. Sounds very interesting to me since I love full body workouts, but I have a home gym and it’d be a pain to change weights between deadlifting and benching. How’d you do it? Maybe just by not benching and exclusively doing DB bench for a while?

@Roran Dude, it was such a great time! Thank you!


@simo74 Absolutely man, I am going to completely revamp things and change most of what i am doing.


@ActivitiesGuy Thanks so much brother, I had such a good time and it was such a positive experience!


@antrim 1. It all depends on where you are at in the program. Most of the time I hit my top set early then have a few back off sets after. But this entire program is run by feel so can’t give you exact numbers for when you should hit your top set.

  1. I usually do 3 giant sets at lighter weights to just get a pump and finish the muscle off. But again this is by feel. There are no prescribed reps and sets there, you juts need to do what is going to work best for your body at that given time.

  2. You plan for it. So on my bench day at a commercial gym I would walk up the the bench, unrack the bar and preform X bent over rows, then i would put the bar back in the rack. Then I would lay down and hit my bench reps. Then i would use the same bench for dragon flags or some other core variation and then I would have a jump rope that I would hit 50 Double unders with. That was 1 Round. I hope that makes sense, but if you plan your workout to take up as little of a footprint as possible then it is pretty easy if you are creative.

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“It’s not some magic formula that’s going to allow somebody to go after the thing they want to do. It’s the consistent progress or moving toward the thing they want to do, regardless of whatever thing comes up – and I call that thing ‘quitting.’ That quitting conversation will show up a hundred different ways. You can say, ‘This thing is bullshit. This thing is crazy. I can’t believe I’m doing this.’ Or you can create things like, ‘Well, that person’s just trying to hold me back,’ or ‘I’m just not good enough.’ Whatever… I’m telling you, quitting sounds very reasonable. Literally, it’s a very simple process of getting on target and moving forward vs. the conversation that leads to quitting. And those conversations show up every day for people. And really, that’s the battle. That’s the war. If there’s a war going on, really the war is within yourself and one you have to confront day after day.” – Richard Machowicz

WEDNESDAY, 08MARCH2017 - Work For Today

Yesterday i was taping a video on the OHP for Omar Isulf’s channel so I did about 1000 reps of over head presses…Then i went int o my workout

CONDITIONING - 20, 15, 10 Reps of
Pull-Ups
Dips
Burpees

STRENGTH - Deadlifts
135x3, 225x3, 315x3, 405x3, 500x3, 600x3, 650x1
10 Glute Ham Raise Sit-Ups between rounds

ASSISTANCE - Banded Deadlifts
135x5, 225x5, 315x5, 405x5
Rolling Thunder Side Bends - Sets of 8 each side @ 100lbs
Grenade Pull-Ups

FINISHER - As Many Rounds As Possible in 9 Minutes
15 Glute Ham raises
5 Axle Bent over rows @ 225
5 Axle Stiff leg deadlifts @ 315


NOTES:

  • Not a bad day. 650 on the deadlift moved slower than it should have, but I have been going for about 2 weeks straight without any down time at all, so it is to be expected. Definitely have some sore hamstrings today though!

Not sure if this was one of your guys but this non-lifting thread got a lot of views on reddit today.

Thanks for the answers bro. Keep kicking ass.

@sufiandy He is not one of my guys but that performance took the entire show. It was insane!


@antrim Sure thing brother!

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“Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.” --James C. Collins, Good to Great

FRIDAY, 10MARCH2017 - Work For Today

STRENGTH - SSB Squats with my arms on the outside of the Arms.
160x5
250x5
340x5
430x5
520x2
570x1
430x5
430x5
Was hitting sets of 10 Glute Ham Raise Sit-ups between sets.

SSB Lunges x lots.

I could not believe how much harder this made this movement. It was RIDICULOUSLY harder and i am very sore from it. It was a good, yet short training day.

SATURDAY, 11MARCH2017 - Work For Today

STRONGMAN - Circus Dumbbell
117x2
137x2
167x2
187x1
207x1
137x8

Farmers Walk - 225 (Each hand) x a few runs
275x a few runs
315 x nope. I was shot.

Stones over a 52" Bar
183x few
207x2
240x1
300x8 in :60 Seconds
350x1


NOTES:

  • We are trying to get some stuff started at my gym where we invite some serious strongmen to my gym and hit things hard on Saturdays. Today was the first one and it went pretty well. Hopefully things continue in this direction!

In the video I Discuss one method of working your way up to a PR. I hope this will help you guys set some new personal records!

5 Likes

“When [what you are deeply passionate about, what you can become best in the world at and what drives your economic engine] come together, not only does your work move toward greatness, but so does your life. For, in the end, it is impossible to have a great life unless it is a meaningful life. And it is very difficult to have a meaningful life without meaningful work. Perhaps, then, you might gain that rare tranquility that comes from knowing that you’ve had a hand in creating something of intrinsic excellence that makes a contribution. Indeed, you might even gain that deepest of all satisfactions: knowing that your short time here on this earth has been well spent, and that it mattered.” --James C. Collins

MONDAY, 13MARCH2017 - Work For Today

CONDITIONING - As many Rounds as Possible in 6 Minutes
12 Dimel Deadlifts @ 225lbs
7 Kettlebell Swings @ 92lbs
100 Foot Burpee Broad Jumps

STRENGTH - Sumo Deadlift
135x2
225x2
315x2
405x2
500x2
585x2
650x 1…Nah I got it up but lost my balance so i suppose I cannot count it.

Between Attempts Complete:
8 Straight Arm Lat Pull-Downs
8 Ab Wheel Roll-Outs
:90 Seconds Jump Rope

VOLUME - Loaded a bar with 315 and Set a Clock
Minute 1: 2 Deadlifts
Minute 2: 4 Deadlifts
Minute 3: 6 Deadlifts
Minute 4: 8 Deadlifts
Minute 5: 10 Deadlifts
Minute 6: 12 Deadlifts
Minute 7: 12 Deadlifts (Last two were not going to happen.

After this I payed on the floor for a while contemplating my life decisions, then puked in the trash can and moved onto:

ASSISTANCE - 3 Rounds
No Handed SSB Step Ups (12" Box)
160x7 Each Side
10 Glute Ham Raise Halos
250x7 each side
10 Glute Ham Raise Halos
340x7 each side
10 Glute Ham Raise Halos


8 Likes

The Brian Shaw Arnold video on SuperTraining channel ends with footage of the dinner afterwards with Brian Shaw, his family, his coach (your pal you said), and You aka Alpha aka Brian Alsruhe!

Some next level things going on here! Really hoping your subcount starts going up further quickly.

Maybe as a future video/rant on the log: can you give us your (extensive) view on volume, frequency and intensity and their relationship with each other?