still reading here!! 
Rock solid Alpha, been following you silently for awhile. Not gonna lie, youāre a major inspiration.
your right it doesnt look like a lot of work it looks like about 6 lots of work. I would also like to know how to improve overhand pullups i can currently manage about 3 from a dead hang which is pretty crap
That one guy: Thanks man, yeahā¦by then end i was wondering why I was ever bornā¦thanks for reading man!
Ginger Spartan: well, I have never actually timed myself in a 3 mile runā¦but i am sure that i would average right around 7 minute miles. When i do circuits or complexes with mile runs i usually finish them in just over 6:30ā¦as for push-ups, i have never done a 2 minute test, for where i work it is a 1 minute test and the most i have done 120 in a minuteā¦as for pull-ups, i will address that belowā¦but thanks for the awesome words and the great questions!
MIM: And i thank you for doing so! BTW i saw some progress pics of you in a certain thread in another forumā¦youāre doing great! keep it up
jon: Hey man, Thanks so much for your words, that means a ton, especially coming from a guy of your caliberā¦
Redstar: Thanks man, Iām trying! Ok for you and Ginger Spartan. The only way that I have truly found to improve the number of Pull-ups I can do is to do weighted ones. I bought 6 foot of chain and a carabeiner(sp?) and just wrap it around my waist through the weight plates. start light and do 5x5, manipulating the weight each set by how you performed on the previous one. If you can do 5 reps with 45lb around your waist, than in theory, you should be able to do more at your original BW. i hope this helps!
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āAvoiding the phrase āIādonāt have timeā will soon help you to realize that you do have the time needed for just about anything you choose to accomplish in life.ā
-Bo Bennett
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06April2010: Training
Insert: 600 Step-ups wearing a 50 lb ruck on my back
Strength: Giant sets. 1a, 1b,1c, rest 1 minute, repeat
1a. Bent BB Row: 245/5, 255/5, 265/5, 265/5, 255/5, 245/5
1b. Flat BB Bench: 335/5, 365/5, 385/3, 405/3, 415/2, 425/1, 365/5
1c. dragon flags: 5 sets of 8 reps
2a. Front Squats: 275/5, 295/5, 295/5, 275/5
2b. Muscle Ups: 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
2c. Dragon Flags: 8, 8, 8, 8, 8
Metcon: As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes:
10 Burpees
8 ring dips
12 jumping Lunges
repeat
Completed 8 rounds in the 15 minutes
Extract: 400 Step-ups with a 50 lb ruck on my back.
Notes:
Strength went up a little bit, but was a little pre-exhausted from spending the morning digging out bushes in my yard that all of the snow killed this yearā¦
Overall, it was a pretty good workout. I am still perfecting my form on my muscle-ups, and as I do they get easier and easier.
The metcon was really challenging after strength portion of the workout, especially the ring dips. By the end, my chest was a useless as Hannah montana in a street fightā¦
Thanks to everyone for all of the nice comments and PMās, you guys keep me going when i donāt want to go anymore!
Enter your own āDigging Up Bushesā joke here,
Alpha
Itās great that you are back with this training log, it is really an inspiration.
What kind of PT tests are you training for? I mean how many pullups, what running times you need to do? I cant imagine a test that you have to specificaly train for itā¦ looks like you could pass even the hardest tests without problem.
I think itās funny how you do a whole crossfit āworkout of the dayā for warm up and then does it again after the workout.
ok, Im blushing now
and you too keep up the hard workā¦you have quite the following here! 
Sagat: Itās great to hear from you again man, and thanks for the kind words! I would say more about the PT tests and such but it might put me back into that grey area and I am not going to say much about my work stuffā¦What I can say though is that my weak point is running. I am amazingly fast as a sprinterā¦but when you get more distance under me, the muscle starts using up more oxygen than I would like it to, and I am sucking wind! Thanks for stopping by man!
MIM: You know I am ALWAYS attempting to work hard! Thanks for watching!
So i was messing with my HUB page here and was looking through the old log and ran across this rant and thought I would re-post it for those of you who donāt know what a rant of mine looks likeā¦Itās long, but you will know a whole lot more about me after you read itā¦
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On determinationā¦
If you are reading this, I am going to assume that most of you have integrated training and diet into your lifestyles, and would not walk into the gym or go about your normal eating schedule without a plan. (if this isnāt you, STOP infesting my log with stupidity and laziness and go make a plan) If things change and obstacles get in your way, you have two choices; Adapt or fail. But all too often we end up āworshipingā our plan or program because we have become so rigid in our thinking. The issue in doing this is that when something gets thrown in your path - you have to work late, or your car breaks down, or you pull your hamstring, etc. -the plan fails and you feel as if there are no choices left at all. Suddenly the issue stopping your plan has just become the āreasonā why it is impossible to follow through and adapt.
By not evolving to the current situation --working with or around the obstacle and bending it to our advantage ā more likely than not, all we just did was find, what appears in our own minds, to be a perfectly good āreasonā to drop the ball. Itās just too bad that the word āreasonā in all of these examples is synonymous with āexcusesā.
I would never say that, from time to time, things donāt come up that truly are insurmountable or that choosing training over some other major priorities is correct. I am just saying that in many situations, we choose the easy road out and our āgreatā excuse to bail, in the end, is still just thatā¦an excuse.
Excuses are funny little things. We will create, brood over, and build up these little monsters until they seem so air tight that any other possible option just seems to be absolutely ludicrous. Our rationalizations become so embedded in our thinking that soon, we are convinced that not only is it a smarter idea, but now we DESERVE the break!
āI shouldnāt work my legs today anyway, I think I may be a little over-trained.ā, or
āYeah, well, I tweeked my lat the other day so Iāll just give it a little more timeā, or the classic,
āWell, it IS my high carb day! I need to replenish my glycogen!āā¦way to go fatassā¦
Just remember that there are plenty of other people out there who ARE making the right choices and taking the high road each and every day who, more likely than not, are facing much tougher trials than you.
Sometimes using excuses can be fun, but the problem is that, by choosing not to adapt to our situation, what we have really done is just mentally set ourselves up for failure, not only now but also in the future.
By essentially rewarding yourself for coming up with such a great excuse, instead of coming up with a great solution, you are laying down neurological pathways that make skipping your hill sprints, slouching on those last two reps, or choosing the leg press over front squats seem completely rational. And in doing such, you build a positive association to quitting, rather than creating a negative one. This, in turn, will make it more likely that you will repeat said pansy behavior.
The same rings true in all walks of life. Those who survive and succeed in the business world work hard, overcome obstacles, and just simply get it done when others say it cannot be done.
Marriage is another example, how many couples make it to their fiftieth anniversary without a substantial amount of hard work and determination to find solutions to their problems? Discipline and making the right choices pay big dividends in the end.
Why would seeing gains in the gym be any different? We have become ātooā educated on so much of this stuff that we forgot the three biggest principals that make the biggest differenceā¦
A. Work you ass off
B. Feed your body the foods it need to repair itself
C. Do this more consistently than not
Simply putā¦if you add āAā + āBā + āCā it will always = The gains you wantā¦if you are giving ANY reason shy of the fact that you lost all of your limbs in Iraq, you need to look at yourself and say, āAm I being a Pussy?ā Hell, even guys who have lost limbs are getting it doneā¦What is so special that holds you back?
The sheer fact that you are reading this proves that you are safe, wealthy (In relation), you have food, you have an education, can breathe and are healthy enough to train. WE ARE ALL truly blessed, much, much more than a LOT of others in the world.
It truly is sickening that in a situation this beautiful, we still find it easier to only see the worst in it.
It would seem we think it more comforting and fulfilling to whine and cry about what we canāt do or possess rather than embrace the things we CAN do and ARE able to possessā¦
People, we are BETTER than that! Act like it!
This applies to everything in life, but please stop defiling our beautiful training with worthless excuses of why you canāt do something!
Survivors of this game of iron, and this game of life for that matter, are people who, rather than blaming their failures on others, take responsibility for their own actions and decisions. You are NOT a victim! If you skipped your deadlifts and prowler runs because your boss made you work lateā¦Do them after the jobās done. Or if your gym is closed by that time, hit them the next morning at 0500. Itās your choice, which, if you miss out on your training, it makes it YOUR fault!
If you didnāt prepare your meals for the week because you were too busy catching up on episodes of Family Guy while hungover ā¦Itās YOUR fault! If you have been getting to the gym like you should, and have been eating the way that you know how, and now find yourself getting more attention from that hot bartender you are secretly stalkingā¦guess what? THATāS YOUR FAULT TOO!
I will only say this onceā¦The only difference between the person you are now, and the person you will be five years from now, is the collective mass of the choices you make.
Take the wheel and stop letting other situations and people dictate who you are.
What you receive in this world is directly correlated to what you put in, and if you are not where you want to be in your training, life, job, or relationships; grow a pair, take some responsibility and MAKE A CHANGE. Those who are not willing to do something about their situation automatically forfeit the right to bitch about it.
Success is a habit, unfortunately so is bitching out. If you are cutting out those last few reps of squats, or not getting in your energy systems work, or Just plain oleā sucking at life, you are teaching yourself you continually repeat those actions again and again. Break the cycle, stop making excuses and just get out there and get it done.
If you take one thing away from reading this rant, let it be the following: YOU ARE NOT A VICTIM! The world does not owe you anything, and there is not an automatic guarantee that you will not stumble, face pain/injuries, and be looked at as being different in a bad way.
We are part of a hedionistic culture, one that celebrates taking the easy road and choosing the path that is most followed. But if doing what we do was easy, everyone would do it! If you get to the top level of anything you strive for, in a way that you can be proud to tell you children about, I will bet you will see a path of hard work, blessings, and hard choices correctly made in your wake.
But those decisions start NOW, not later today, or next week, right NOW. If you read this and choose not to make any changes in how you are looking at your situation and the decisions you make in your life, I simply do not know what to tell you. Maybe itās not the right time for you - or maybe youāre a lost causeā¦I donāt knowā¦ Just know that the decision cannot be made for you. It is 100% yours.
You will never be able to control your circumstances, or the rough breaks that you have to take in life. But you can control you attitude about those things and CHOOSE how you will respond.
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Weak minded individuals are selfish and apathetic - People of action get it done no matter the obstacle.
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Sheep roll over and die - The Elite lead and prosper.
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Victims blame the world and others - Survivors CHOOSE to overcome.
-Choose this day which type of individual you will beā¦
So today when you walk out your door CHOOSE to eat right, do the best work you can possibly do, finish EVERY rep of your squats, run with that sled tied to you, show your loved ones you care about them, and go to bed empty, knowing that you chose to overcome today.
Strength & honorā¦
1 Like
That was hoofing to read. Thanks.
This is pretty inspiring stuff, man. Keep it up.
However, Iām amazed at your size and strength considering what seems like a pretty low calorie diet.
[quote]Alpha wrote:
Strength went up a little bit, but was a little pre-exhausted from spending the morning digging out bushes in my yard that all of the snow killed this yearā¦
Enter your own āDigging Up Bushesā joke here,
Alpha[/quote]
HaHaHa!
Alpha, have you noticed any weight loss (muscle) since the addition of your Metcons and other conditioners? Not sure how long you have been doing this as well as the strength training. You mentioned your strength coming back up is that since you have been concentrating on the strength-endurance? I am sure you conditioned all along maybe just not quite at this volume. Just curious
Ginger Spartan: Iām not sure what āHoofingā means, but thanks! i thinkā¦
BGH: Thanks for the kind words man. And believe me, you are not the first to doubt how I do what i doā¦But you can never underestimate determinationā¦Anyway, my diet is the way it is out of necessity rather than choice. Thanks for checking in brother, and welcome.
Kross: I havenāt lost much and I am willing to bet it is because almost all of my metCon stuff is weight training activities done in high rep and fast. i still do the occasional LSD Run, and rucking, but those are more for active recover than anything. It is definitely helping with fat loss, and with fat loss always comes a small amount of shrinking in your total body mass, but in my experience, making sure you get enough protein, fish oil and BCAAās can really limit the amount of lean body mass you loose.
My strength is coming back from re-injuring my back againā¦which took me out of the game for a whileā¦there were some days where I would be walking along feeling fine, then my back would seize, I would literally see a white flash from the pain, and fall on the ground. it was pretty comical actuallyā¦ Muscle relaxers didnāt help at all, really the only things that helped were rest and then start dead lifting and squatting againā¦seems strange but as long as i am doing them regularly, my back seems to stay healthyā¦Thanks for asking man.
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āWe must be willing to get rid of the life weāve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.ā
-Joseph Campbell
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07April2010: Training
Insert:
21 Dead hang Pull-ups
21 105 lb Squat Presses
10 Burpees
15 Dead hang Pull-ups
15 105 lb Squat Presses
10 Burpees
09 Dead hang Pull-ups
09 105 lb Squat Presses
10 Burpees
Strength: Giant sets 1a, 1b, 1c, rest, repeat etcā¦
1a. Deads: 365/8, 415/5, 465/3, 505/3, 535/2, 555/1
1b. DB Swings: 80/10, 80/10, 80/10, 80/10, 80/10
1c. Obliques: 5 sets 8 reps a side
2a. Stiff Legged Deads: 335/5, 365/5, 365/5, 375/5
2b. DB Single arm Snatches: 80/10, 80/10, 80/10, 80/10
2c. Obliques: 4 sets 8 reps a side
MetCon: Set a stopwatch for 10 minutes, lay on the ground with a 60lb DB and alternate sides, Doing Turkish Get-ups: Do as many as possible in the given timeā¦
I ended up getting 37 doneā¦
Exfil:
15 Dead hang Pull-ups
15 105 lb Squat Presses
10 Burpees
09 Dead hang Pull-ups
09 105 lb Squat Presses
10 Burpees
Notes:
-Man did I feel like Junk today!!! i didnāt feel good waking up, and went out to get more yard work and other random junk done before the gymā¦When i was doing my insert, I knew it was going to be a rough oneā¦
-Deads felt incredibly heavy. I am not kidding when I say that 415 felt like 495ā¦I almost couldnāt believe what was on the bar, it just felt so terribleā¦
-As far as the MetCon TGUāsā¦They were rough. Bye the time I was at 5 minutes my brain was saying, āThere is no way! Just stop now and make up for it tomorrow.ā But i kept going and I guess 37 is a respectable numberā¦not sure, i have never tried doing them like that before.
Overall:
-I will be better next time. I try to not do too much volume on deads because it tends to annoy the broken vertebrae in my back and make the muscles seize, which is really painful and can lay me up for a whileā¦But I am going to have to up the volume and drop the weight a little bit I figureā¦i will probably go for 5/5 next week and see how my back respondsā¦I will be working out in a different gym tomorrow, one that i hardly ever train well in, mainly because everyone knows me and wants to talk and I canāt get anything doneā¦but i am going to try my best to be rude and get a good one inā¦we will see.
Iāll answer any other questions and post my food laterā¦
Those turkish get ups are killerā¦obliques were sore for days after I did em(timed for 15 min) I only used a 20lbāerā¦
just curious, do you use anything, energy wise? energy drinks,etc, stuff like thatā¦
I have read your first post and i knew that you didnt want to talk about your work, i was asking more about the standards you are trying to achieve in pullups, situps, running etcā¦ but sounds like its some different kind of test and talking about that would give too much information on the net.
Anyway, I have a lot of interest in the subject because iām trying to be a law enforcement officer in a police that have the hardest physical tests in my coutry, so iāll be checking your log also for ideas for preparing for that training.
MIM: I donāt use any energy supplements when working out, but itās not because I wouldnāt like toā¦I actually have a LOT of trouble sleeping (read, barely at all), and so I try not to get ANY caffeine in me at all other than when i first get upā¦or if I need to pull all nighters for work and such. But if i could, i would drink Red bull stacked with HOT-ROX all day long! thanks for asking!
Sagat: Well, I can say that i would like to land right around 40 for the dead hang pull-ups, over 160 on the push-ups, over 120 on the sit-ups, run 1.5 miles in 9:00 Flat, and run 6 miles in less than 40 minutesā¦But itās totally the running manā¦The rest of it I am pretty sure I can do. But then runningā¦No way! at least not yet, but that is also why I am killing myself like this everyday! Good luck to you on your tests brother! I have found that training pretty much how I am is really helpingā¦feel free to steal as much as you can!
07April2010: Fuel
Meal 1: Turkey Meatballs, Tomato sauce, Milk, 1 Flameout, 2 BCAAās, 1 Multi vitamin. Grapes
Meal 2: (Peri workout) 1 Scoop Optimum nutrition 100% Whey, 1 Scoop Surge, 15 BCAAās
Meal 3: (post workout) 1 Scoop Optimum nutrition 100% Whey, 1 Scoop Surge, 3 BCAAās
Meal 4: 2 Grilled Chicken Breasts, Broccoli, Peas, Green beans, 1 Flameout, 2 BCAAās, Milk
Meal 5: Sushiā¦lots and lots of sushi! Oh and seaweed saladā¦
Meal 6: 1 Scoop Optimum nutrition 100% Whey, 1 Scoop Metabolic Drive, 1 Flameout, 2 BCAAās, 3 ZMA
Did some more shadow boxing tonight along with some stretching and LAX ball workā¦
No shit, since your last log went down, thereās been times when Iām out doing some conditioning work and my lungs are burning and I want to vomit and I want to fucking quit and I ask myselfā¦ āwhat would Alpha do?ā ā¦ And I swear to God itās given me the kick up the arse Iāve needed more than once.
Iām really glad to see you back here man, and from my own selfish point of view, Iām even more happy that the training youāre doing right now lines up really well with the stuff I need to be doing to prepare for some testing Iāve got coming up myself. I will be plagiarizing some of this!
Thanks for all of your efforts man.
Man, I think youāre getting more work done in one training session than even most serious lifters do in a week! Keep it up bro!
Just two quick questions:
-
Have you ever trained with kettlebells, and what are your thoughts on them? I donāt want this to turn into a KB fanatics vs KB haters argument (Iām neither one nor the other), there are other threads for this. Just curious about Alphaās opinion.
-
Do you ever do any MMA training other than shadow boxing these days? Also, do you plan on fighting again? I know that you currently focus on acing your PT tests, but I imagine your physical performance level would surpass that of almost anyone you could possibly face in an octagon.
[quote]Alpha wrote:
Kross: I havenāt lost much and I am willing to bet it is because almost all of my metCon stuff is weight training activities done in high rep and fast. i still do the occasional LSD Run, and rucking, but those are more for active recover than anything. It is definitely helping with fat loss, and with fat loss always comes a small amount of shrinking in your total body mass, but in my experience, making sure you get enough protein, fish oil and BCAAās can really limit the amount of lean body mass you loose. [/quote]
This is very interesting (and impressive). I like the way you think when it comes to your training density (economy, bang for you buck or whatever you want to call it).
Was the injury from lifting? (If job related forget I asked)
Running lol, yeah I suck at that too! Someone on here posted about how doing the stuff you hate is what get results thoughā¦hmmm lemme think, who was that now?
Compared to your prev log, it looks like youāre getting in a few more solid meals most days as opposed to shakes? Iām guessing because your āworkā situation has allowed for it right now. Do you find it nicer to eat more real food or just more time consuming because you got used to the shakes? Personally I always need more time to digest solid food before running etc.
Also I know you have some injury hist with your back (you, me & prob half of this site!), but I was wondering if you ever get any tendonitis (elbows mostly) as it seems to be something I struggle with from time to time. For me it was never an issue in the early days, but continued stress over time of lifting heavy (ish!) stuff seems to be the problem. Anyway if so, any good tips apart from ice/massage/rolling/rest
PJ84: Great to see you back around here man! And thanks so much for the kind words, hearing that others are out there getting at it because of something I said or did makes me feel great, and is exactly why I keep this thing going! Keep killing it brother!
Enjoy the Pain: You knwo, i have never really messed with them too muchā¦it is not because I am against them or anything, it is simply because i have never been around a gym that has themā¦If i was, i would probably give them a shot, but since Iām not, i just supplement DBās for them.
And I cannot do any MMA stuff right now due to tyhe fact that i have a brain tumor, which my Docās frown upon me getting hit in the head too muchā¦Stupid Doctors, what do they know!?! Anyway I have thought about getting back in and spending some more time with my jits but my schedule makes it tough to be consistant, and I hate doing things that i cannot commit toā¦But we will see what the future holdsā¦Thanks for such kind words and taking the time to post man!
Kross: it actually happened during a MMA fight, but to be honest it was probably the proverbial ālast strawā that just finished the jobā¦Thanks for the comments man, i really do appreciate it!
Lift and Eat: Yeah! What kind of idiot makes a statement like that!?! Man, I am trying but it is slow coming!
As far as solid foods, you know, i think it is easier to just do shakes all of the timeā¦it seems like when i eat more solid meals, i focus on food more and it makes me crave bad junk more oftenā¦And really my diet hasnāt changed much, I just think i am posting my food on days that I have more time, which would also make sense that I would have more time to eat solid foodsā¦is what it is i guessā¦
And i have never really delt with too much tendonitisā¦thank you mass quanties of fish oil! I just get a lot of numbness on the lower left side of my body all of the time from the back injuryā¦Iāve decided that i donāt like getting old any moreā¦i think i shall quit that right now! thanks for the questions bro!
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āAn inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered.ā
-Gilbert Keith Chesterton
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08April2010: Training
Insert: As fast as possible
Row 500 Meters
6 Power cleans with 185lbs
Row 500 Meters
6 Power cleans with 185lbs
Row 500 Meters
6 Power cleans with 185lbs
Row 500 Meters
6 Power cleans with 185lbs
Strength: Giant Sets, very little rest between clusters:
1a. Weighted Pull-ups: 100/5, 110/5, 120/5, 135/4, 135/3
1b. BB Military: 155/5, 185/5, 205/5, 225/2, 205/5
1c. Abmat Situps: 20, 20, 20, 20, 20
2a. BB Step-ups: 185/6 (each leg), 205/6, 225/6
2b. Semi Supinated DB Over head Press: 70/10, 80/8, 75/10
2c. BB Shrugs: 455/8, 495/8, 495/6
2d. Hammer Strength Weighted Abs: Stack x 10, 10, 10
MetCon: Done As fast as possible
Row 500 Meters
6 Power cleans with 185lbs
Row 500 Meters
6 Power cleans with 185lbs
Row 500 Meters
6 Power cleans with 185lbs
Row 500 Meters
6 Power cleans with 185lbs
Extract:
Sprint 200 Meters
Walk 100 Meters
Repeat 10 timesā¦
Notes:
-I donāt always have access to a rower, so when i did today i took advantage of it and it worked me over pretty good, especially Super setted with the cleansā¦
-Weighted pulls and Military press both felt fairly strong today. It was good to see 3 plates hanging on the chain again for pulls, and good to see 225 on the military. for some reason i have a mental stick at 225 for Militaryā¦220 feels ok, but 225 might as well be a small elephantā¦
-The rest of the strength was more accessory stuff, but i had some extra time today so, i took it and tried to use it well.
-the sprints at the end worked me fairly well, but Fartlicks are a good way to get my run times down, so i am going to keep trying them to see if they will workā¦only time will tell.
Thanks for all of the questions and PMās, i really appreciate them!
Alpha, you planning on making more vids and posting it on youtube?