That insert sounds so terrible…
I did some indoor running on a track the other week, and my throat got so dry from breathing heavy that it cracked, kind of got head cold symptoms from it, but I wasn’t really sick, just think I induced the response from the dry, cracked throat.
Anyway, after reading about the mouth full of water, I thought “hey, run with water in my mouth”.
So no more messed up throat, and a new, challenging way to perform exercises.
Thanks Alpha!
Love this and your previous threads!!
My workout yesterday was Alpha inspired and I loved it very much. A heavy single behind the neck push press immediately followed by getting under the bar and doing front squats with the same weight. Rest one minute and repeat. Let the press determine the weight (heavy single!) and adjust the number of front squats depending on your strength and endurance. I did a 1:2 ratio, 2 squats for every press and did ten sets. This is great for a recovery session when you just went to get in and out of the gym.
Questions for Alpha:
I also like to do some more work when I am tired to try to aid in recovery. Yes, to many of the programming and efficiency lovers out there it seems stupid and backwards, but I notice my body tends to feel best when I do some kind of hard work (not necessarily lifting) twice a day nearly everyday. What kind of exercise is your favorite to do when you are beat up but feel you gotta move to get your body back into prime? The old advice “listen to your body” – good or not? How do you decipher between when you are just being a puss or that you REALLY should take the day off/do it light.
I’ll also be like the 50th person to say that your work ethic has pushed me at times when I felt myself getting lazy. Living in a world where many people avoid hard work and personal accomplishment - let alone even comprehend why people would push themselves so hard - your writing and tales are very refreshing. Fight on warrior.
Ass Banana: It is man, you have to give it a shot
Matty: Hahahaha Two birs with one stone brother, I like where you head is at!
Sutebun: That workout sounds great man! I will have to give that one a shot! And thanks so much for the kind words brother, they mean a lot!
To answer your question, I think you should listen to your body every once in a while…But those are only the times when you are really, really, REALLY beaten down. Some of my best and most memorable workouts have been when I didn’t think i had it in me that day but did it anyway. In my opinion, I think most people take too many days off because they find excuses to do so. If your leg is hurt, you can still work upper body, if you feel totally beat up, rucking or some bodyweight stuff will typically make you feel better than when you walked in.
It is all about winning the little battles in your mind every day. If you give into little things, big things will crush you. Just check out panzerfaust’s log on here. That guy is out lifting a lot of other guys on this site and he is doing it while on chemo with his insides held together with stitches!
The only time I take an unscheduled day off is when my body literally feels broken. Like my resting heart rate is through the roof, my blood pressure is super high and standing up makes me feel light headed…However, if you put that in perspective…If a guy came out of no where and started attacking me, I guarantee I’d find it in me to fight hard and win…Soooo am I really in such a bad place that I can’t get out there and do SOMETHING?
We all have a lot more in the reserves than we would ever believe. If you get comfortable working through those situations - Maybe even learning how to perform well in such situations - we would all be much stronger individuals, mentally, physically and maybe even spiritually. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and life becomes lived instead of survived.Thanks for asking and welcome to the log brother!
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“The paradox of courage is that a man must be a little careless of his life in order to keep it.” --G.K. Chesterton
Thursday, 22May2014 - Work For Today
INSERT:
Ran 1 Mile as fast as possible
100 Burpees. But every time I stopped I completed 10 Dumbbell Clean & Presses as a penalty
Run 1 Mile as fast as possible
STRENGTH: Giant Sets
10 Towel Pull-Ups: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
10 Handstand Push-Ups: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
Farmer’s Walk Handle Deadlifts: 410x5, 520x5, 560x3, 600x2, 640x1, 700x1
Barbell Bent Over Rows: 275x3, 315x3, 335x3, 365x3, 385x3, 405x3
Flat Barbell Bench Presses: 275x3, 315x3, 335x3, 365x3, 385x3, 405x3
10 Plate Around Head: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
NOTES:
-
Back is coming around. I was happy with the 700lb dead and the 405 BOR because my back felt stable (mostly). I think it will be good to go by monday.
-
Normal rucking first thing in the AM, Fight Practice in the PM
Good words Alpha, acclimatization to stress = adaptation.
I remember you saying you messed up your back before and that was why you pulled semi-sumo, what happened or caused it?
Maybe a life lesson for people in that, if you don’t mind sharing.
Amen Alpha! I share a lot of the same sentiments. Your “Because I Choose” post was empowering as well. As I’m stepping up my training physically, these ideas are also aiding me in winning the mental part of the game.
Just gotta put in the effort one day at a time and be patient to get freak strong .
[quote]Alpha wrote:
I just got into strongman stuff in April. I was really good friends with Mike Jenkins (We went to the same high school together, were trainers at the same gyms together, and were training partners for a long time. He Started getting into strongman and he was constantly trying to get me to do a contest but my focus was more on MMA at the time so I never took him up on the offer.
[/quote]
That’s too funny, I went to the same HS as well (at least for a year). I’m still living in the area and must of missed the two of you by about a year. I know Mike graduated with my sister in law.
Actually now that I think about it you mentioned in the past training at Athens and Triangle before, small world!
MattyG35: man, my back problems have a long a storied history! I have broken my back twice. Once was in an MMA fight when I got slammed. That one wasn’t so bad. I didn’t even know it was broken until the next day…The second one was work related and happened in a pretty strenuous training environment. That one sucked, but between the two of them, I have had never damage ever since. I lost feeling in the last 3 toes of my left foot for a few months after the second incident and still to this day I don’t have much feeling on the outer sweeps of my thighs because of those 2 injuries…
My worst though was when I herniated a few discs on a deadlift about 3-4 years ago. I knew the second I did it because It felt like someone came up behind me and ran their finger horizontally along my lower left lumbar region…So much so that I actually turned around to look for who it was! That one left my right hip flexor partially paralyzed to the point that I could barely lift my knee 4 inches off the ground. It also cam with the gift of a constant extreme burning sensation in my right quad…That last a few months. After that I started pulling sumo.
Fast forward to December of this year, when I decided to enter my first strongman comp where there was a max effort CONVENTIONAL deadlift event. I dropped the sumo and do conventional pulls almost exclusively now. Now I am just as strong in both and actually feel safer pulling conv. Go figure…If I could give any deadlifting advise at all (Which I am totally unqualified to do IMO) I would give the following tips:
- Set your lower back and shoulders into position before lowering down. if these positions fail before the lift even begins, work on your mobility before you attempt to ever deadlift again.
- Squeeze the bar as hard as you possibly can until lockout has occurred.
- Pull the slack out of the bar then “Push the world away from you”. Never thing about “lifting the bar off the ground”.
- Within the first inch of the plates leaving the ground, accelerate the bar as fast as you possibly can until lock out.
- The bar should move in as short of a path as possible which is usually extremely close to over the center of your foot at all times.
- Once the bar clears your knees, use your hips to “hump” the bar.
- Once you get to around your 80-90% 1RM start making much smaller jumps if you are pyramiding up.
That is about all I have to offer man. I am still learning the movement myself and seem to tweak my form every single rep. Thanks for asking brother!
Sutebun: Absolutely man! You just have to get a little stronger every day!
usmccds: hahaha yea man, I bet you and I have seen each other in person before. i was one of the integral guys who helped Athens open up and worked there for a few years along with that Merritt right around the corner. When i watched the videos of you lifting outdoors I noticed how familiar the landscape looked. You and I should hook up for a lift sometime soon! and I wasn’t lying about there being something in the water, there are strong guys all over that area, which you are perfect example of!!!
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“Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. it does so because honor is, finally, about those defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even of it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for?” – William J. Bennett
Friday, 23May2014 - Work For Today
INSERT:
50 Alternating 100lb Dumbbell Turkish Get-Ups
STRENGTH: Giant Sets
Front Squats: 225x5, 275x5, 315x3, 356x1, 385x1, 405x1
60 Double Unders: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
2" Axle Bar Continental Clean & Press: 185x3, 225x3, 245x3, 275x1, 300x1, 315xClean…the press had no love for me
20 Windshield Wipers: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
300 Meter Run Holding a 25lb Medicine Ball
30 Ring Dips
NOTES:
- I am still a little bit leery of my back, so I kept the front squats down and fairly tame
- Axle C&P: I worked up to 300 which is a tie with my current PR. load 315, cleaned it right up, then tried to get extra leg drive for the press and started to lose the bar forward. Not gonna lie, the clean took a lot out of me and the press felt like a truck was sitting on me.
- Rucked in the AM, headed to Jiu-Jitsu now.
Hope all is well out there!
[quote]Alpha wrote:
30 Ring Dips
[/quote]
In one set? Damn… Ring dips are a whole different ball game than your standard variety.
[quote]Alpha wrote:
usmccds: hahaha yea man, I bet you and I have seen each other in person before. i was one of the integral guys who helped Athens open up and worked there for a few years along with that Merritt right around the corner. When i watched the videos of you lifting outdoors I noticed how familiar the landscape looked. You and I should hook up for a lift sometime soon! and I wasn’t lying about there being something in the water, there are strong guys all over that area, which you are perfect example of!!!
=============================================================
[/quote]
Ha, Ya man we probably have crossed paths. I’ve trained at the Merritt as well. I ended up graduating from Century HS, but was a Cavalier for a little while.
You don’t happen to train at Ground Control do you? That’s another localish place I’ve trained at (during my very short stint in martial arts anyway…)
We should definitely train together. When I hit my max weight for the day you can step in for a warm up set, Lol!
csulli: yea man, I have always been pretty blessed in the dips department. I wish I could take more credit for it, but 30 isn’t that big of a deal for me, I use it more as a cardio thing if they are not weighted. Thanks for stopping in brother!
usmccds: Yea man, I trained in the Baltimore location for about a year a little ways back. I had to stop because of my brain tumor and when i finally got cleared for MMA again I just didn’t feel like driving down into the city anymore! PM me sometime and we will set up a lift!
Alpha, I find it very interesting how when you tweak something , you just focus on lifts that won’t stress that area and smash other stuff instead of just letting it stop you train. It’s something I should do. I have some slight runners knee and quad dominant stuff bothers it, I will just increase my lax ball work and focus on more hamstring/glute stuff for lower body while it heals. Do you do any meditation/ visualization type stuff man?
law8: Yea man, especially when something is injured. Coming from a fairly extensive Martial Arts background, meditation has been part of my life as long as I can remember, but I really don’t do it as much as I should. I know there have been a lot of studies about he positive effects of meditation, especially on injured parts of the body.
I will visualize every once in a while right before a PR attempt. I’ll try to see myself walk up to the weight, go through all of my set up and mental cues, then see myself making the rep. I try to make it as accurate as possible with a realistic expectation of the actual weight and pain the set will cause etc… I can say that it has served me well at times. Much like the visualization, I’m not sure why I don’t do this more often! Thanks for the question brother!
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Saturday, 24May2014 - Work For Today
2 Hours of fight practice this morning followed by 10 - 60 Meter hill sprints…
Then had to help a friend move…Pianos and flights of stairs are a combination I don’t want to see again anytime soon…
Hey Alpha,
I used to follow your logs here and at 5100. When you stopped posting there I feared something may have got the better of you. Glad you’re alive and at it.
I have a few questions for you, if you don’t mind…
First, what are your thoughts on peri-workout nutrition?
I’ve noticed a lot of your protein comes in the form of shakes. Is this for convenience?
I know you can’t get into details, but are you still in the same line of work you were in 2010-2011?
From what I remember, you’ve had some obstacles to overcome. A lot of people would have thrown in the towel, but you seem to have thrived on it. Much respect.
Absolutely love the log big guy! Keep up the badass work.
Just wanted to comment on your youtube videos:
275 MP - I disagree about the leg drive; looked fine to me. Didn’t look much different than the 265 video from my perspective, but then you did it so you’d know better than I.
500 BP vid - very impressive grind and finish.
645 DL - does it still count when half the weights fall off? LOL, jk dude. I did read the video description, and I’d count that shit too; if anything, the taped 10s at the top rolling forwards like that made it harder to pull. That probably felt weird as hell.
Questions: Do you do anything special for recovery?
Do you have any videos of your fights?
[quote]Steel Nation wrote:
Just wanted to comment on your youtube videos:
275 MP - I disagree about the leg drive; looked fine to me. Didn’t look much different than the 265 video from my perspective, but then you did it so you’d know better than I.
500 BP vid - very impressive grind and finish.
645 DL - does it still count when half the weights fall off? LOL, jk dude. I did read the video description, and I’d count that shit too; if anything, the taped 10s at the top rolling forwards like that made it harder to pull. That probably felt weird as hell.
Questions: Do you do anything special for recovery?
Do you have any videos of your fights?[/quote]
I don’t mean to derail the thread, but…Steel Nation, how is your hip doin?
Will207: Hey brother! welcome to the new log man! So for your questions: I am a big believer in peri workout nutrition. I ALWAYS drink a protein shake throughout my workout. I used to do Surge but now I just stick to Metabolic Drive. When you see it listed on my diet log after the workout, it actually means I was drinking it throughout my workout.
And yea man, i end up doing a lot of shakes for convenience, time and it is a lot easier for me to hit my next workout or fight practice with only a shake in me rather than en entire meal shaking around in my belly!
And yeah man, I am still in the same line of work, but my position has changed greatly. And in all honesty, i am getting ready to get out all together. I am opening up my own place within the next month and once it is up and running, I am quitting my current gig. Thanks for asking and for the kind words brother! I hope I answered your questions!
Bauber: Thanks so much man! But between your Avi and Steel Nation’s, it looks like I have some catching up to do!
Steel Nation: Hey brother! Thanks for the encouragement!
As far as recovery goes, fighting (Especially Jiu-Jitsu) really helps keep my joint and back loose. I do some PVC Rolling and LAX ball stuff when I think about it, but really fighting and the stretching that comes along with that is about all I do for recovery.
And I do have some vids of my fights, but not up on my youtube channel. I was supposed to have one coming up next weekend, but things didn’t pan out…I will hopefully get something soon. It is great to hear from you again man!
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“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” --Theodore Roosevelt
Monday, 26May2014 - Work For Today
INSERT: Get As High As You Can in 13 Minutes:
1 Burpee Pull-Up
1 Handstand Push-Up
2 Burpees Pull-Ups
3 Handstand Push-Ups
3 Burpees Pull-Ups
4 Handstand Push-Ups
4 Burpees Pull-Ups
4 Handstand Push-Ups
Continue to add a rep every round until you reach the 13 Minute Time Limit
STRENGTH: Giant Sets
Conventional Deadlifts: 410x5, 460x3, 500x2, 550x1, 590x1, 610x1, 635x1 (Conventional PR)
Weighted Pull-Ups: 135x5, 145x5, 155x5, 180x3, 180x3, 180x3, 180x3
Log Clean & Press: 165x5, 220x3, 260x2, 280x1, 300x1, 310x1 (PR), 320xClean - Fail on the press
10 Ring “Skin the Cat”: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
Sprint 600 Meters: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
NOTES:
-
Stoked about the conventional Deadlift PR!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=154shF3qTPE
It was a Grind, but it went…SLOWLY! -
Also stoked about the Log Clean & Press PR!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtUT_S_qcAQ
Loaded 320lbs, cleaned it no problem, but the press didn’t show up to the dance! -
Went kayaking for 2 Hours directly from the gym. Felt amazing!
Congrats man on the PRs, especially doing that log clean & press after doing deadlifts as part of a giant set, that is insane.
I am already psyched to get back into training again and seeing you do those lifts after all your past injuries, makes me more motivated than ever. Just want to say thanks for the words of encouragement in my log and the offer of help with my programming. I will experiment a bit with the giant sets and see how it goes.
Good work in here. That press cant hide forever…