Alpha's Work 3

Training Training Logs
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Just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to log your workouts, this log and all of your previous logs truly are a goldmine of information.

Quick question if you don’t mind. As far as front squats go, anytime I go over 275 it feels like the bar immediately starts rolling forward. Sometimes I’m able to save it but others I’m not so lucky and I end up missing the lift. I think I remember from previous logs that you use a clean grip when front squatting but I could be wrong. I’ve tried cross handed, clean grip, and I’ve also tried using straps but nothing seems to work. If you have anything to suggest I would greatly appreciate it.

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[quote]augustburnsred wrote:
Just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to log your workouts, this log and all of your previous logs truly are a goldmine of information.

Quick question if you don’t mind. As far as front squats go, anytime I go over 275 it feels like the bar immediately starts rolling forward. Sometimes I’m able to save it but others I’m not so lucky and I end up missing the lift. I think I remember from previous logs that you use a clean grip when front squatting but I could be wrong. I’ve tried cross handed, clean grip, and I’ve also tried using straps but nothing seems to work. If you have anything to suggest I would greatly appreciate it.

[/quote]

Don’t mean to answer for alpha, but I’ve been really working on my front squat and had the same problem. You might be losing the bar because you are weak in your quads or upper back causing you to round over too far to keep the weight racked. If your quads are weak you will naturally try to push yourself into a back squat position with your hips back and your upper body leaning forward so you can use your hips and hams more (but where it gets impossible to support the weight). What I’ve found is that the stronger my quads, the more upright I can stay and the less problems I have keeping the bar racked.

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I tried your 2 mile ruck on the treadmill instead of the normal 30 minute run I regularly do.

Started low with 10% incline instead of 15% @ 4 mph, just using bodyweight (which is alot lighter than yours).

Blimey! That was a workout, I’ve always been a fast walker but the constant incline done it for me. Felt it in my hams, glutes and core, heart rate was averaging 142bpm for the whole 2 miles! I’m sticking with it for a while before hitting the running again.

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[quote]augustburnsred wrote:
Just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to log your workouts, this log and all of your previous logs truly are a goldmine of information.

Quick question if you don’t mind. As far as front squats go, anytime I go over 275 it feels like the bar immediately starts rolling forward. Sometimes I’m able to save it but others I’m not so lucky and I end up missing the lift. I think I remember from previous logs that you use a clean grip when front squatting but I could be wrong. I’ve tried cross handed, clean grip, and I’ve also tried using straps but nothing seems to work. If you have anything to suggest I would greatly appreciate it.

[/quote]
The bar rolls forward because your upper back is weak. row a lot and do front squat, clean grip or straps holds-basically set up as you would for a front squat and try to hold it for time, when you get to your targeted time up the weight. That’s a great tool for strong upper back and core, do 2 sets of it at the end of your workout as a core exercise.

Alpha, if you want to mimic the atlas stone lift then do heavy clean grip high pull and pause front squat, that’s the mimic pretty much the movement. Elliott Hulse said that in one of his videos.
Many luck my friend!

125

Don’t mean to answer for alpha, but I’ve been really working on my front squat and had the same problem. You might be losing the bar because you are weak in your quads or upper back causing you to round over too far to keep the weight racked. If your quads are weak you will naturally try to push yourself into a back squat position with your hips back and your upper body leaning forward so you can use your hips and hams more (but where it gets impossible to support the weight). What I’ve found is that the stronger my quads, the more upright I can stay and the less problems I have keeping the bar racked.[/quote]

Thank you for the response, its much appreciated. I’m always willing to take advice from anyone that has anything to offer.

126

Great log. Real big fan of your work ethic here! I am currently embarking on a 10x3 journey … you said you responded to this training really well. I basically started w. 75 percent of my maxes for bench/dead/squat, am employing timed 1 minute rests, currently running a 4 week cycle at 80/82.5/85/87.5 percent… then restarting by adding 5 pounds. Any tips /suggestions on progressing this type of training? Thanks In advance. Lift on!

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Captain Wheels: Hahaha thanks man, I have no idea where you would have heard of me before joining here, I try to keep a pretty low profile! Welcome to the log man!

Augustburnsred: Yea man, Double Duce hit the nail right on the head. I tend to do the same thing when the weights get really heavy. if it is above 425lbs when I walk out, my eyes and spine start doing weird things…I forget what I am supposed to do and drop my hips back. HUGE mistake. I also have a tendency to look “Up” coming out of the hole, this puts my spine in a weaker position and drives my anterior delts forward making the “platform” the bar is sitting on much less stable and it falls out of the grove it should be sitting in. I always grab the bar and set the center of my feet under it with my arms extended. Then I roll each shoulder under the bar to get it as deep as i possibly can. That is why I don’t do high rep front squats, because the bar is literately choking me. Then I just focus on keeping my body as upright as possible on the eccentric and driving my elbows upward. As soon as I am out of the bottom I start driving my hips forward as early as possible.

I am pretty glute/hip/ham dominant, so I deal with the same issues. I hope those few tips help you out. Having a strong front squat seems to make me stronger in all of my other movements. Thanks for asking man! If I think of anything else I will elaborate more.

Double Duce: Thanks man, I couldn’t have said it better myself!

Markws: It is killer right!?!? I mainly do it for the calorie burn and the reading time but it also strengthens all the muscles in my feet/ankles and it loosens up my back (I have broken it twice) enough that I can move around like a normal human being! Keep at it man, that 800cal burn everyday really adds up! Great job brother!

Barbedwire: Thanks for the kind words man, they mean a lot to me! As far as 10x3…I never got that scientific with it man. I never do when it comes to my lifting. I literally look at what I did last week and know that I have to better those numbers by at least 10lbs. Like I have said in the past, I stick with a format for 4-6 weeks. I start my first week a little bit light and work from there. Week 5 is usually my best perfomance and at week 6 I know it is time to change it up. I will typically go 4x8, 6x5, 10x3. Big Compound movements and just keep adding weight. 10x3 was the best thing to ever happen to me in my lifting career and it is still my favorite format to this day. In the 10 sets I will build up to my heaviest set around round 6-7 then back it back down just to finish the reps. I found myself too wiped out if I was trying for my heaviest sets on round 8,8 & 10. I hope that helps you out some man and welcome to the log! Let me know if I can help you out on your journey brother!

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“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” --Theodore Roosevelt

Thursday, 03APRIL2014 - Work For Today

JUST SOME FUN: Animal Walk Wind Sprints.

5 Rounds
Bear Walk 20 Feet Forward - 20 Feet Backward Bear Walk to the Start
Bear Walk 30 Feet Forward - 30 Feet Backward Bear Walk to the Start
Bear Walk 40 Feet Forward - 40 Feet Backward Bear Walk to the Start
Bear Walk 50 Feet Forward - 50 Feet Backward Bear Walk to the Start

Gator Walk 20 Feet Forward - 20 Feet Backward Gator Walk to the Start
Gator Walk 30 Feet Forward - 30 Feet Backward Gator Walk to the Start
Gator Walk 40 Feet Forward - 40 Feet Backward Gator Walk to the Start
Gator Walk 50 Feet Forward - 50 Feet Backward Gator Walk to the Start

Burpee Broad Jumps 20 Feet Forward - 20 Burpee Broad Jumps to the Start
Burpee Broad Jumps 30 Feet Forward - 30 Feet Burpee Broad Jumps to the Start
Burpee Broad Jumps 40 Feet Forward - 40 Feet Burpee Broad Jumps to the Start
Burpee Broad Jumps 50 Feet Forward - 50 Feet Burpee Broad Jumps to the Start

Handstand Walk 20 Feet Forward - 20 Handstand Walk to the Start
Handstand Walk 30 Feet Forward - 30 Handstand Walk to the Start
Handstand Walk 40 Feet Forward - 40 Handstand Walk to the Start
Handstand Walk 50 Feet Forward - 50 Handstand Walk to the Start

NOTES:

  • Great workout for mobility and agility. It may not look like it, but this stuff (If done in full out sprint fashion) is absolutely brutal but it is a break from the pounding of weights.
  • Also chose to do this today because I am headed to a strongman gym this weekend to play around with the implements that I will be competing with the following weekend and I don’t want to embarrass myself!

**2 Mile ruck at 15% incline with a 50lb vest first thing this morning
**Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Practice this Afternoon.

I will try to log my food from yesterday in later if I can carve out the time. Hope all is well out there! And thank you all for the nice comments, they mean more than you know.

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Thanks again. Good ideas on the progressions. Ive seen so many for 10x3. I ran it static for a while. Now im droppin a set a week while uppin the weight. I like the ramp up and back down but still do 10 sets idea. You bet thats in my near future !

129

Alpha just wanted to say I’ve read your past logs and just got caught up on this one.It’s great to have you back and logging again.Your attitude and drive is amazing and fuels the hell out of me.Nothing but pure gold in here so thanks for sharing big guy.

130

Thanks for directing me. I’ve often read the old logs. I’ll be keeping up. Nice to see the MMA training. I’ve had quite a few fights myself. I’m hoping to have my brown belt in jiu-jitsu by the end of the year. Competition wise at this point hasn’t been my main thing. I may get back into competition once life is in order.

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BarbedWire: Thanks Brother! Let me know along the way if I can help you out. I have been keeping up with your log as well. Goof stuff in there, keep it up!

jppage: Thanks so much for the kind words man! I’ll keep posting as long as people want to keep reading!

1000rippedbuff: Thanks so much man! That is awesome about your brown! No turning back from there. That is a huge accomplishment. Mot many people really understand the amount of mat time, pain and sacrifice it take to reach that level. Keep me posted about your fights, we may even be on a card together someday!

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03APRIL2014 - Fuel From Yesterday

Meal 1: 2-3 Scoops of Metabolic Drive, 1 Flameout, 2 servings of Superfood, 12oz of Milk, 3 tbs MCT oil, 1 tbs grass fed butter, coffee, 2000 IU’s of Vitamin D3

*****2 Mile Ruck with a 50lb vest

Meal 2: 2-3 Scoops of Metabolic Drive, 1 Flameout, 1 Serving Superfood, Bell Pepper

Meal 3: 2-3 Scoops of Metabolic Drive, 1 Flameout, 1 Serving Superfood, Mixed Nuts

******Workout From Yesterday

Meal 4: 2-3 Scoops of Metabolic Drive, 1 Flameout, 1 Serving Superfood, Mixed Nuts

Meal 5: Shrimp, Spaghetti Squash, marinara sauce, 1 Flameout, Venison Steak

******MMA Practice

Meal 6: 10 Eggs, onions, ham, cheese, 1 Avodado, 1 Flamout, 20oz milk

Meal 6: 2-3 Scoops of Metabolic Drive, 1 Flameout, 20oz of milk, 2000 IU’s of Vitamin D3, cocoanut

132

Hey man,
Do you think you could get us some footage from the strongman meet? You can ask for someone to film it behind you. That could be great! haha

I’ve been wondering, how were you training on your teenage years?
By the way, I opened a log which I’ll try to stick to. Pay a visit once in a while!

133

Alpha, I appreciate you taking the time to write up your detailed explanation. I’m going to put your tips to use and see if I can jumpstart some progress with the front squat.

You’re killing it, brother. Keep it up!

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Regev: Yea man, the company who is sponsoring me will be there, so I am sure they will get plenty of pics and vids. If I can get my hands on them I will try to post some up here.

When I was a teenager, my training mainly consisted of Squats, Bench, and power cleans. I didn?t really start deadlifting until after college. I also trained every single day of the week…No off days at all…thinking about it…Not much has changed! Hahaha And I will be definitely checking out the log brother!

augustburnsred: Thanks man, I have no doubt that they will help you out some! Go get at it man!

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“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.” --Newt Gingrich

STRENGTH:
Box Squats: 315x5, 365x5, 405x3, 455x3, 495x3, 525x3, 545x1, 565x1
Single Arm Inverted Ring Rows (Each Side): 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8
Single Arm Dumbbell Incline Bench Press (Each Side): 80, 90, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100 (Heaviest Dumbbells I had access to)
Toes to Bar: 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
Jack Knives: 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
5 Sandbag Shuttles: Sprint 50 Feet, Pick up a 120lb Sandbag, sprint Back the 50 Feet Holding the Sandbag (Bear Hug Position), drop the sandbag. Sprint back for the next sandbag…

NOTES:

  • Stayed light on the box squats due to tomorrow’s workout.
  • The sandbag Shuttles were hard…I really didn’t expect for them to get my chest heaving like they did. They were not bad while performing them…But a few minutes afterward but quads were burning like I did a set of high rep squats and my heart was ready to burst out of my chest!

**2 Mile Ruck at a 15% incline with a 50lb vest first thing in the morning.
**Headed to MMA practice now.

*******Weight was at 232 this morning. Only a few more pounds to drop. Feel pretty good about that!

135

Epic trains man. Great lifts. Im gonna follow this.

136

Starter26: Thanks so much man, that means a lot! Welcome to the log!

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04APRIL2014 - Fuel From Today

Meal 1: 2-3 Scoops of Metabolic Drive, 1 Flameout, 2 servings of Superfood, 12oz of Milk, 3 tbs MCT oil, 1 tbs grass fed butter, coffee, 2000 IU’s of Vitamin D3

*****2 Mile Ruck with a 50lb vest

Meal 2: Venison Steaks, Onions, 1 Avocado, 1 Flameout

Meal 3: 2-3 Scoops of Metabolic Drive, 1 Flameout, 1 Serving Superfood

******Workout From Today

Meal 4: Chicken Breasts, mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, 1 Avocado, 1 Flameout

******MMA Practice

Meal 7: Lots of sashimi, seaweed salad, Much, much milk

Stoked for tomorrow morning’s workout! I am going to my buddy Mike Jenkins’ gym that he owned before he died this past thanksgiving. His wife is being kind enough to let me use all of his personal strongman stuff that got him to #4 in the world…Pretty humbling. I really miss him… I’ll try to get my sponsor to take some pics/vids and hopefully will have some up here for you guys by tomorrow night!

I start taking in 1.5-2 Gallons of water and upping my sodium as of tomorrow…will switch to distilled water late in the week. Clean eating from here on out until the comp to make sure my weight is good and my performance stays up.

I’ll catch you all of the flip side

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By the looks of things, you are low-carbing it? Does this have any effect on your mood, energy levels and sleep?

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138

255lb stone x4. Not too bad for picking up my first stone ever literally 5 minutes before…

2" Axle Dead - 565x1. I put it down so quickly because my forearms were fried from farmer’s walks right before and I was about to lose the bar. I definitely have more than this in me

The bird: Nah man, I low carb it like 365 days a year. As long as I keep my fats up, energy is never a problem. If anything, carbs make me feel sluggish and a little bit weaker. now…If only they were not so tasty…Thanks for asking brother!

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“I’m selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I’m out of control, and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” --Marilyn Monroe

Saturday, 05APRIL2014 - Work For Today

So I headed to Crossfit: GAMA today in Hershey PA to train with some of the implements that I will see next week at the comp.

It. Was. Awesome. If you live anywhere near that place, go. Become a member. The owner is Mike Jenkins’ (Strongman who just died) Wife Kerri who is an amazing coach and person. I couldn’t have asked more from her. If she ever reads this, I just want to say thank you and I will be rocking your gym’s shirt at the comp next weekend.

We started with a decent amount of farmer’s walks. 205 Each hand (Because that is part of a medley I have to do next week). 510 was surprisingly easy to run around the place with and I was happy with it and had a huge forearm pump afterward!

Then we did some 2" Axle deadlifts. They went better than I had expected, but my grip started for fail near the end. I worked up to 565 for a single. Then 615 was on its way up but my grip failed me, then I had 585 all but locked out when it slipped out…If I hadn’t done the farmer’s walks before hand I think the 585 would be doable.

Next was a log clean and press with 215lbs. Played around a bunch working up to this set getting used to the different “bar” path and punching my head through to look for a “down” signal. I got 215x11, each rep with a long hold at the top. Could have gotten more if I didn’t spend so much time screwing around with the thing prior to that set.

Then we worked on keg carries. 160lb keg sprints. Felt pretty easy to me…Hopefully it feels easy next week!

Then I put on a harness and drug an 800lb sled around the parking lot. First without a rope to pull on, just using my legs, then added the rope. I was really surprised at how easy this was for me and I was able to almost run the sled around.

Finally the atlas stones. I’ve never even seen one of these in real life before so it was truly awesome to get to play with them. I walked up to the 75 pounder and Kerri just laughed at me and told me to get out of the way before she taught me proper form on the very stone I was about to attempt! I kept working my way up doing a variety of weights, putting them on top of a 48" Platform. The contest calls for 200 and 240lb stones, max reps in 60 seconds. So I grabbed a 255lb stone thinking it would be a good challenge. I did it a few times then just went for a few reps in a row. If the vid shows up, that is what you see for that set.

I am pretty stoked for the competition now that I had a chance to play with the toys I get to use. I have never really done anything that I did today before, So i am happy for a first try. Hopefully my next attempts will be even better. Guess we will see how I stack up next week.

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[quote]Alpha wrote:
The bird: Nah man, I low carb it like 365 days a year. As long as I keep my fats up, energy is never a problem. If anything, carbs make me feel sluggish and a little bit weaker. now…If only they were not so tasty…Thanks for asking brother!
[/quote]
Thats crazy. Have you always been fat adapted, or did you have to go through a phase where you had to train your boy to adapt?? How does your body respond now if you do intake a large quantity of carbs?

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Best of luck to ya.