That squat clean was boss! Fairplay on the weighted pullup pr. Were those done with the semi hammer grip? I moved my grip in from pretty wide to close grip for weighted pullups after watching one of your older vids and it feels much better. My shoulders don’t feel as junky and I can pull with my lats more.
Alpha, I know this isn’t really your cup of tea, but have you ever considered to competing in the CrossFit Games? I’ve watched the last couple of Games on ESPN and I honestly think you could hang with the top guys with your strength and conditioning.
Farmer Owen: Thanks man! Yea the vid looks like it was pretty easy…But I assure you, it didn’t feel that way! Thanks for the support brother, and you have been killing it in your log!
Law 8: Thanks man! Yea I do most of my weighted pull-up stuff with a semi-supinated grip. Like you said, it makes my shoulders feel much better in the lift and i feel like I can use my lats more to my advantage. I really prefer that grip on my overheads as well. That is what I like doing the log so much! Thanks for checking in brother!
usmccds: Yea man, i actually have. After Nationals for strongman (In 17 Days) I plan on signing up for my first powerlifting meat. Also some fighting stuff, either a fight or a BJJ tourney. And Along with that a Crossfit comp will be in there as well. With opening a gym, I figure the best way to advertise is to get out there and compete…and hopefully finish well. Unlike most people on here, I really like doing crossfit workouts. I don’t think it is the end all, be all but you cannot beat the positive attitude and support that a Crossfit gym brings. I am sure the comps are the same way and that is something I can get behind…Plus I’d like to be the big guy who can out condition 160lbers! Thanks for checking in brother, you need to come out and train with me sometime soon!
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“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” --Walt Disney Company
“Success is most often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.” --Coco Chanel
CONDITIONING - Complete as Many Rounds As Possible in 10 Minutes
Start flat on your back with a heavy kettlebell. Complete a turkish Get-Up. Once in the standing position complete 5 Overhead Squats. Work your way back to the floor (Turkish Get-Up style). Switch hands and do the same thing on the other side. Continue to do this until your 10 Minutes has Run Out.
Used a 70lb Kettlebell for this…
STRENGTH
3 Sets of 6 Flat Bench Presses @ 385
Held a Plank position for 2 Minutes between rounds as my “Rest”
GIANT SETS
8 Bent Over Barbell Rows: 335, 365, 365, 365, 365
5 Log Incline Bench Presses: 300, 300, 300, 300, 300
5 Weighted Dips: 135, 180, 205, 225, 250
10 Toes to Bar: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
40 Double Unders: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
NOTES:
- Normal Rucking first thing in the morning
- Bench felt heavy today. I’m not sure why. Got my reps in and called that portion of the workout.
- Dips felt heavy as well, but 250x5 wasn’t too bad.
- Leg seems to be slowly improving. Lots of tissue work on it. We will see how it holds up on squats tomorrow.
LOL Ridiculous.
Wow you made that squat clean look easy! Great work!
So when you where back in college, or younger did you ever think you’d be doing all of this? Or what does it feel looking back?
Everyone above asked any questions I was going to so I felt like an interview questions was all that was left. But in all seriousness, I am curious, I remember you saying you didn’t really start lifting much till the end of college.
[quote]Alpha wrote:
Farmer Owen: Thanks man! Yea the vid looks like it was pretty easy…But I assure you, it didn’t feel that way! Thanks for the support brother, and you have been killing it in your log!
Alpha Dude! Thanks that means alot coming from a guy that does all that you do! And good luck on your future meet, I know you’ll kill it!
Spar4tee: Hahahah thanks man…I think…
Roran: Thanks for asking a question like this man, i like answering them…
So I didn’t start really lifting until I was a sophomore in high school, and even then it was mainly just benching and squatting. Our strength coach/Football coach was an awesome guy. When you would hit a max effort 1RM (if it was high enough) he would post your name and the weight up on a board in our gym. You could also buy a shirt that had “300 Bench” or whatever on it and you could wear that shirt in place of your normal gym uniform shirt. These things really motivated me. I loved it!
I only weighed 170-180lbs at my heaviest in high school but Mike Jenkins and I would go back and fourth for the title of “Strongest Pound for pound” back in those days. He was always stronger than me, but pound for pound I would beat him in some areas…It was my favorite time of lifting in my life. My senior year i destroyed my left knee fighting (tore every single ligament except my ACL, dislocated/shattered my patella and dislocated my knee)…So that made me loose a baseball scholarship and it made me not want to workout much anymore.
Once I got to college, partying took place of lifting and I really didn’t do it much. My weight number may have gone up some but that was mainly beer weight. I was still fighting competitively but my lifting number plummeted. Once I graduated I feel back in love with lifting and got a job as a personal trainer/manager at a local health club. I can still look back and remember Chris Shugart’s “Merry Christmas, Bob” Article and how it motivated me. I signed up for T-Mag and because of which I started deadlifting and squatting to parallel. This place literally changed my life.
Looking back, I NEVER would have thought that I would be doing this right now. I would have told you that to reach lifts like mine, you would need to be on some heavy roids and your body would be totally nonfunctional except for in lifting. Mike Jenkins and I were working/lifting together when he signed up for his first strongman comp. He tried again and again to get me to sign up with him, but I thought to compete in that or powerlifting, you needed to get fat, shave your head and grow a beard. I didn’t want that so i chose not to. I wanted to be a strong as possible but still have the body comp and flexibility of a fighter, but everyone I asked said it wasn’t possible. So i never tried it out. as it turns out, I probably should have.
Fast forward to Mike’s death last Thanksgiving. It really shook me. It still does. Training next to his brother at my new gym everyday is a constant reminder. I almost call him Mike all of the time…When i was at Mike’s funeral, the place was loaded with Strongmen and other strength sport competitors. They all had an intensity emanating from them that resonated with me and I know I have inside of myself. Literally sitting in that church pew with tars on my cheeks, I knew I owed him that comp that I never did. The next day i signed up.
During the comp, the Axle deadlift portion came up and I was pretty far ahead of everyone else. I had already won that event, but everything stopped and everyone just wanted to see how far I cold take it. There was lots of cheering going on, but I swear I only heard Mike in my head. I knew at that point that he was proud I finally did what he had asked me to do years ago. It was very special and something I won’t forget. Now it is just about seeing how far I can take this thing.
Sorry for getting all emo there. The short answer is No, I didn’t think I would ever be here. But am very, very glad I am.
Thanks for asking brother!
Farmer Owen: Thanks so much man! and keep doing what you are doing, it is awesome to watch!
Your clean technique is great compared to what it used to be!
Put some snatches vid next time.
Good work buddy.
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“No one can pull anyone back from anywhere. You save yourself or you remain unsaved.” --Alice Sebold
“Indecision with the passing of time becomes decision.” --Bill Wilson
WEDNESDAY, 17SEPTEMBER2014 - Work For Today
CONDITIONING - 20, 15, 10, 5 Reps of
KettleBell Swings (88lb Kettlebell)
Kettlebell Goblet Squat Presses
Burpee Lateral Jumps
Between Reach Round Complete a 150 Foot Prowler Sprint
STRENGTH
5 Sets of 2 Squats @ 510. Strict 1 Minute Rest Between Sets
GIANT SETS
5 Paused Squats @ 315 (3 Seconds Pause)
10 Glute Ham Raises
10 Glute Ham Raise Sit-Ups
12 Gator Walks
NOTES:
- Got more equipment at the gym today. Tomorrow will be more assembly and set up.
- Squats felt good today…Seems like the leg injury is healing up nicely. 510 felt heavy but it went right up. I’m ready for the day that anything over 500 doesn’t feel heavy.
- Paused squats were easy but I really liked them!
I am sorry for your loss, and thank you for sharing your story. I’ve really enjoyed these logs, and I’m excited to see where you continue to go.
Great story, man. Our loved ones live on through the people we become and the people we touch.
That was an awesome story. I feel lucky that I was able to meet and hang out with Mike just a little bit at the Arnold Classic before he passed. He was by far the friendliest, most approachable person there. In fact he was coming off an injury, so he wasn’t competing, and literally all he did was hang around and goof off all day with his fans lol.
Regev: Thanks brother! Yea it is definitely getting better but it is FAR from where I would like it to be. I think with some more work 405 is in the near future. I’ll work on getting out a snatch vid.
Roran: Thanks man, hopefully this one leads to a National championship in a few days!
Spar4tee: Totally agree, brother. Thanks for posting!
csulli: Thanks man. Yea he was great. His brother is just like him. Attitude, build, sense of humor, everything. I love training with the guy! Thanks for stopping in, brother!
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“Give me but a firm spot on which to stand, and I shall move the earth.” --Archimedes
“If you limit your choice only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise.” --Robert Fritz
THURSDAY, 18SEPTEMBER2014 - Work For Today
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Reps of:
Bench Press @ 315lbs
Burpee Pull-Ups
Between Rounds:
Even Numbers: 2 - 15 Foot Rope Climbs
Odd Numbers: 100 Foot Farmer’s Walk with 255 Each Hand
NOTES:
- Did more gym set-up today, I think the place looks great! I hope some of you can come out for a train sometime soon or when you are in the area.
- That was a lot of reps of bench at 315, but it felt good.
- All of the rope climbs tore off some of the squares on the bottoms of my Nike Free-runs…Not cool rope. Not cool at all.
lol 55 reps bench press must be hell! I should try using this (10,9,8…) a try! I bet it would hurt too much with squat after some 5X5 work, I got to try it!
My parents are moving about 40 minutes away from your gym this summer, so I’d definitely love to come train. It’s great that you’ve got the place up and running!
Regev: Yea man, that configuration definitely hurts with squats. Give it a shot!
Roran: That is awesome man! I look forward to having you out!
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“The wise do not buy into other people’s perceptions of who they are and what they are capable of. Instead, they bypass a person’s public persona and see who they are in their highest expression. When you see actions taken with integrity, instead of words only, you will then know a soul’s worth.” --Shannon L. Alder
“Most humans, in varying degrees, are already dead. In one way or another they have lost their dreams, their ambitions, their desire for a better life. They have surrendered their fight for self-esteem and they have compromised their great potential. They have settled for a life of mediocrity, days of despair and nights of tears. They are no more than living deaths confined to cemeteries of their choice. Yet they need not remain in that state. They can be resurrected from their sorry condition. They can each perform the greatest miracle in the world. They can each come back from the dead…” --Og Mandino
FRIDAY, 19SEPTEMBER2014 - Work For Today
STRENGTH
Worked on my Axle Continental Clean & Presses. Sets looked like this:
135x4
185x4
225x3
275x2
300x1
310x1 (Tied PR)
320x1 (New PR - Vid Below)
330x Missed the Clean
STRENGTH
At the Top of Every Minute For 8 Minutes, Completed 3 Log Clean & Presses @ 255lbs
GIANT SETS - 5 Rounds, Adding Weight Every Round
3 Backward/Overhead Medicine Ball Throws. Max Distance Each Throw (50lb Ball)
10 Toes To Bar: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
2 Keg Ground to Overhead Presses: 225lb keg x2, 2, 2, 2, 2
8 Barbell Roll-Outs
5 Tire Flips
NOTES:
-
Fight Practice this Afternoon right before my lift
-
The continental is coming around. The hardest part for me is getting the bar to Front Rack. I am single digit body fat right now due to the weight cut for nationals so it is hard to find a “shelf” to rest the bar on. I am happy with a 310 and 320 set…Here is the vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ItIkxhQJc4&feature=youtu.be -
The Keg Ground to Overhead Press is getting better as well. I am not sure what we are going to have to do at Nationals (Mixed grip or both hands on the bottom lis of the keg) so all i have been working on is hands on both bottom lips which is considerably harder.
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Headed up to Crossfit Gamma (Kerri and Mike Jenkins’ Gym) early tomorrow morning to borrow their circus Dumbbell so i can train with it and hopefully get some stone molds from there.
Thank you all for reading. I really appreciate it!
Incredible lift, And nice looking place!
Alpha Dude! You amaze me dude you keep making Pr’s and making them look easy as pie lol.Thanks for sharing your story about Mike Jenkins,I can empathize. When my mom had a serious stroke that motivated me to take my health seriously and to lift weights, I knew I had to get stronger to help her i.e lift her out of the car ect. Keep doin’ what your doin’ dude! I know Mikes watchin’ ya’.
wow you really ripped that axle off the floor man. impressive.
Absurd strength and conditioning, my friend.
Your 500 bench video has been a great motivator to me ever since I joined this site. It was great seeing a lean middleweight do weight that most 300+ guys will never touch. Can’t wait to join you in the club!
I’d also like to break into strongman at some point. Will be following.