700!! Congratulations, that was quite a pull!
I bet that amount of weight isn’t easy, but you sure made it look so.
Your time is definitely is well spent writing these logs. Although not the same as yours I’ve changed my workouts based on your idea’s and yes I know about the floating pain, everyday a different ache!
Kinda like a dead squat. Very impressive !
Redfive: Thanks man. It wasn’t light…but I definitely have more in me. I am hoping it carries over to my regular squat and deadlift. Hoping to get 800 With the handles in the near future.
markws: Thanks man, that means a lot. And I think most of us that have been in this game for any amount of time know all about the “floating pain”.
Barbedwired: Yea man, I kind of think of it like a rack deadlift. Like I said above, I hope there is some carry over to my traditional lifts. And thanks for the encouragement!
“Find out what people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice which will be imposed upon them. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.” - Frederick Douglass
Friday, 02MAY2014 - Work For Today
INSERT:
I put 275 on the 2" Axle Bar then did:
Minute 1: 1 Deadlift
Minute 2: 2 Deadlifts
Minute 3: 3 Deadlifts
Minute 4: 4 Deadlifts
Minute 5: 5 Deadlifts
I did continued like this until I hit 20 Reps/20 Minutes - All Reps were pulled from a sumo stance
STRENGTH: Giant sets
Front Squats: 275x5, 315x4, 365x3, 385x2, 405x1, 425x1
Dumbbell Rows (Each Side): 100x15, 100x15, 100x15, 100x15, 100x15, 100x15,
Sprint 400 Meters: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
Strict Barbell Military Presses: 225x3, 245x2, 255x1, 265x1, 225x5, 225x5
Behind the Back Shrugs: 405x10, 405x10, 405x10, 405x10, 405x10, 405x10
8 Ab Ring Layouts: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
NOTES:
- The Insert was good. More work on my lungs than anything else
- Front Squats felt good today. Could have gone up, but was feeling a little bit of a twinge in my left hamstring so I just let it be.
- The Military Presses had ZERO leg drive…My previous PR for this was 265 a long time ago. I did that today and it was a tough rep but I can see myself moving up with this soon. Normally 225x3 is challenging, but apparently the log pressing is working because hitting it for multiple sets of 5 today didn’t seem all that bad.
Then load 2 Barbells. One with 50% of your 1RM Front Squat and one with your 1RM Strict Military Press.
Complete 3 Front Squats
Rest 15 Seconds
Complete 3 Strict Military Presses
Rest 15 Seconds
Go back to Front Squats?Continue this pattern until you complete 15 rounds of each exercise.
Alpha, maybe considering doing the farmer deads from a platform or some kind of deficit, might get better carry over with increased ROM.
Matty: Yea man, I am going to move to that…I am still searching for my 1RM then I will start playing around with stuff. Thanks for the inpput brother!
No weights this weekend, just lots of fighting stuff and some conditioning.
On another note, I think working with the constant heavier weights and using different implements is definitely making me stronger all over. I suspect my body is catching up quickly and a lot of PR’s are coming up soon.
I am not sure if I will have time yet, but tomorrow I plan on going tire shopping…If I find one I will be adding heavy tire flips, sledgehammer work and prowler sprints to the workouts. bring on the vomiting…
Hope this isn’t too late.
I live in a prairie province, and you can usually find old tractor tires in a farmers field, or even at the dump.
I don’t know if the dump is willing to get rid old “waste”, but definitely worth inquiring.
If you know any farmers, they would probably have some or know where you can get them. Or you can just take a drive if it’s not too far.
Hey man, been busy lately because of school but I’m still keep up with you! I hate missing workout and postpone the training but I feel that when I’m not active at all I’m getting slow and feeling that my studying (for school) aren’t as efficient as when I train and run and do my stuff you know.
Just thought of sharing this.
Tomorrow is a memorial day here for all our country’s brave losses who honored our country and history so I’m going to go to my grandp’s grave, he was a brave soldier… Sadly me and my mother didnt get the chance to meet him…
It may seems like I don’t know anything about lost since my age but I experienced enough sadly that the way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost…
Go hug the ones you love
Die Empty
MattyG35: Yea man, that is my plan. I didn’t get the chance to get out to the tire yard yesterday, but I am hoping I get the chance to before the end of the week.
Regev: Yea man, I was wondering where you went! And Yea, I feel the exact same way. I am waaayyyy more productive when my lifting/fighting/eating is on track. If I waver in one are of my life, all areas seem to start to fail miserably.
And totally agree about the loss man. It is good that you went to his grave and paid your respects.
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“We cannot become what we need to be, remaining what we are.” – Max Depree
Monday, 05May2014 - Work For Today
Was short on time today so I went to fight practice then straight to the gym. I didn’t want my lifts to suffer so I did some conditioning Work…
Complexes: 7 Rounds. Weights were 155, 165, 175, 185, 195, 200, 205
8 Snatches
8 Power Cleans
8 Front Squats
8 Over Head Presses
8 Back Squats
8 Good Mornings
8 Behind the Neck Presses
Drop the Bar and Row 500 Meters as fast as possible
NOTES:
- This. was. brutal. That’s really all I can say
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“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
Tuesday, 06May2014 - Work For Today
INSERT: I did the following with a 70lb Dumbbell
At the top of Every Minute:
Complete 5 “Hand Release” Burpees. Use the remainder of the minute to complete as man alternating Dumbbell Turkish Get-Ups as Possible.
Continue to do this until you complete 100 Total Turkish Get-Ups
STRENGTH:
Conventional Deadlifts: 315x5, 405x5, 455x5, 500x5, 550x5, 570x3
Weighted Wide Grip Pull-Ups: 100x5, 115x5, 125x5, 135x5, 145x3, 155x3
Log Clean & Presses: 210x5, 235x5, 250x3, 275x2, 285x1, 285xFail
15 Banded Decline Sit-Ups: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
Ran 800 Meters
NOTES:
- Wasn’t feeling very good today. Had a spot on the side of my leg that looked a lot like a staph infection. Felt feverish and run down with redness spreading throughout the day. Went to the doc after work instead of fighting and she confirmed that it was an infection…Got some antibiotics. Will need to take a day or two away from the fight gym, but plan on keeping the lifting/conditioning going.
My numbers were not where I wanted them to be today…but some days are like that I suppose. I will hit it hard tomorrow and make up for it.
I think that if you don’t have some “suck it up” day once two weeks or so you’re doing something wrong, maybe it’s just me…
I’ve found myself doing a lot of complexes at the insert part of the workout, do you have something you like to do the most or something (or some favorite complex) to suggest me?
By the end of the workout I want to kill myself and feeling seek, especially yesterday, I wanted to do 20 rep squat at the end of the workout. My lungs felt like I ran a mile sprint, that was a killer! Got to do that sometime!!
I’m sorry you had an off workout. At least you got in a checked off the box. Even your off workouts are inspirational though so thank you for continuing to post.
I hope you feel better soon, and good luck with that infection.
Don’t forget to pound back some probiotics eg yogourt or whatever, do this during your antibiotic treatment, and afterwards for awhile.
Cool article on how the bacteria in your GI can influence the resilience of the rest of your body
http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_article/most.../the_scary_truth_about_probiotics
Alpha,
You seem like a real stand up guy and I respect the hell out of you. While there are quite a few training logs on this site, I find yours to be the most inspiring and helpful. I’ve been looking around here for several months now trying to get a grasp all the facets that go into a successful training program and to see if it’s a hobby that I want to commit to; your log has convinced me that this stuff can take my life to the next level and I’m going to start my own training log. I’m new to this game and I’m excited to see where this will take me.
The biggest takeaway I get from your work is mental motivation. I know I can’t lift like you do because a) I would die. & b) you’ve been at this for many years now. but what I can do is try to bring the same intensity and focus into each of my sessions like you do. One of my favorite movies is Batman Begins. In one of the scenes, Bruce and Ra’s Al Ghul are sword fighting on the ice and Ra’s yells to Bruce…
“Your training is nothing! Your will is everything!”
I think everyone can learn from the brevity and simplicity in this statement. We all have our own goals, availability, needs, and wants when it comes to life and that is great but in order to be successful at anything you need to have the drive and determination to set yourself apart. If I can bring the same drive to my training sessions that you bring to yours, Alpha, then I will have won.
All of this to say thank you and keep fighting the good fight, man. I appreciate you.
Regev: Yea man, I do that complex from monday pretty often. Sometimes I substitute 400 Meter medicine ball runs at the end. And the 20 Squats at the end sound like it is killer man, I am definitely going to incorporate that into my training! Thanks!
Redfive: Thanks man, yea, off workouts happen sometimes. I actually decided to change up my rep scheme a little bit today just to give my body a little bit of a break while it fights the infection. Thanks for posting man!
MattyG35: good call brother, i will definitely start that up ASAP! Thanks!
iamrobslife: Thanks so much for the kind words man. And I am really honored that you were inspired enough by this log to take your training and especially your life to the next level. If it weren’t for pushing myself through such grueling training session and fight practices, I could have never have gotten to where I am in life. Training has literally changed my mind. Life’s problems just don’t seem that bad when you are struggling on this level of suck. and I love that entire scene from Batman Begins…it is all about the will to act - Inviting horrendously hard things into your life that would make 99% of others turn away. Thanks again for what you said man, it means so much.
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"Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are people who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning, they want the ocean without the awful roar of its waters.
This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without demand; it never did and it never will."
Wednesday, 07May2014 - Work For Today
INSERT:
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Chest to Bar Pull-Ups (Chest must touch bar)
Squat Presses With 155lbs - 2" Axle bar
Double Unders x3 (10=30, 9=27?)
Between Each Round, used the 155lb axle to perfom a 50 Meter Waiter?s Walk
STRENGTH:
Box Squats: 315x10, 365x10, 405x10, 455x10
2" Axle Barbell Rows: 205x10, 225x10, 235x10, 245x10
Flat Barbell Bench Press: 295x10, 315x10, 335x10, 365x10
100 Foot Farmer?s Walk: 205 (each hand), 205, 205, 205
Then loaded a barbell with 315lbs.
4 Squats
15 Seconds Rest
Did this for 15 Rounds
NOTES:
- The insert really got my heart pumping!
- Box Squats felt smooth. 455x10 was definitely challenging
- Iv’e never tried doing rows with the axle before. I really liked them for the grip work, but the weight was way too light to really feel much in my back.
Alpha,
Do you have any suggestions on how I can improve my sit and reach score?(for LE standards) I stretch and foam roll a lot but it doesn’t seem to help with this test.
Thanks bro.
Animal Mother: I wish i did man. The sit and reach was the hardest thing for me to pass as well. I did a lot of PNF Stretching with a partner or even with a towel wrapped around the bottom of my feet (Feet flat against a wall). I’ve always had pretty tight hamstrings. Just have to stretch at least 3 times a day and push it every time. I hope you get there man, that is no fun at all. Wish i could be more help.
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“Don’t expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong.” Calvin Coolidge
Thursday, 08May2014 - Work For Today
INSERT: In Front of a Running Clock with 155lbs
1 Minute Rotational Deadlifts
1 Minute Burpee Lateral Jumps
2 Minute Rotational Deadlifts
2 Minute Burpee Lateral Jumps
3 Minute Rotational Deadlifts
3 Minute Burpee Lateral Jumps
STRENGTH: Giant Sets
Good Mornings: 225x10, 275x8, 315x6, 365x6, 385x4, 405x4
2" Axle Clean & Press: 165x10, 205x8, 225x5, 245x5, 255x Couldn’t hold onto it for the clean, 245x5
2" Axle Deadlift: 365x1, 405x1, 455x1, 500x1, 520x1, 550x1
Barbell Military Floor Press: 95x15, 115x15, 125x10, 135x10, 135x10
:40 Seconds of Battle Ropes: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
Medicine Ball Throw Sit-Ups: 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
NOTES:
- Good mornings felt good, but I am still a little run down from the infection. Definitely getting better though.
- For some reason I can clean 245 with the axle easily but when i add 10 more pounds my hand refuse to hold on the bar…Pretty frustrating. I am sure i will next it next week.
- Axle Deadlifts felt good, nothing too hard or heavy. Grip Felt Pretty good.
- Barbell military floor presses are an awesome addition to my program. They are pretty challenging and I am hoping these increase my overhead press in the long run.
For your insert, did you do those exercises for 1, 2, and 3 minutes straight?
I’ve never heard of a rotational deadlift before, I’ll have to try that.
Alpha, you ever try concentric good mornings? It’s like you start at the bottom with the bar on pins instead of lowering.
Found them good for building tension out of the hole, otherwise you won’t go anywhere.