man 5/3/1 never felt right for me either, never raised anything (i was only on it for a couple months) and didnt like it.
BTW i have read through all of this and your rants and thoughts are amazing!!!
Keep posting them on T-Nation,
Keep being strong because you’re not a beast yet lol atleast not by your standards.
Hi bro!
Nice to see you still tearing it after all the injury issues. Oh BTW,I put a question up on the 5100Block. It’s on the Ask Alpha-forum.
PS. Hi to badmf also. Nice to hear from you.
Liam: thanks so much for the kind words brother! Yeah I am working towards that beat thing!
Guhkes: Hey man thanks so much for checking in! Yeah i will get over there and answer some questions soon! I am just so slammed right now!
“The information necessary to create a male is encoded in our DNA, but it takes all the institutions of a culture to produce a man. The male body is the biologically given ‘hardware,’ the myth of manhood is the ‘software’ inserted by society through a series of formal and informal rites of passage.”
-Sandor McNab
19November2010: GPP/Training
Did this in our mat room with some other guys today…hurt pretty bad. We did them in pairs, and while 1 guy was doing the exercises, the other was doing jumping Jacks/Shadow boxing…as soon as the exercises were complete you switched. killer.
25 Burpees
25 Full-Sit-ups
25 Push-ups
25 jumping Lunges
25 Bodyweight squats
Shadow boxed/jumping Jacks, until the other guy was done.
No rest repeat 6 Times…by the end you literally had to find a dry place to do your jumping lunges so you wouldn’t slip on all of the sweat…Good stuff
Notes:
-Well i am going to try and hit up the Gym tomorrow as well…this is like my 6th day in a row or something, but I am goingt o attempt to do something with a bar on my back and hopefully see what my leg is doing when it comes to squats…\
Maybe some beers tonight…oh man i hope for some beers tonight!
[quote]Alpha wrote:
Liam: thanks so much for the kind words brother! Yeah I am working towards that beat thing!
Guhkes: Hey man thanks so much for checking in! Yeah i will get over there and answer some questions soon! I am just so slammed right now!
“The information necessary to create a male is encoded in our DNA, but it takes all the institutions of a culture to produce a man. The male body is the biologically given ‘hardware,’ the myth of manhood is the ‘software’ inserted by society through a series of formal and informal rites of passage.”
-Sandor McNab
19November2010: GPP/Training
Did this in our mat room with some other guys today…hurt pretty bad. We did them in pairs, and while 1 guy was doing the exercises, the other was doing jumping Jacks/Shadow boxing…as soon as the exercises were complete you switched. killer.
25 Burpees
25 Full-Sit-ups
25 Push-ups
25 jumping Lunges
25 Bodyweight squats
Shadow boxed/jumping Jacks, until the other guy was done.
No rest repeat 6 Times…by the end you literally had to find a dry place to do your jumping lunges so you wouldn’t slip on all of the sweat…Good stuff
Notes:
-Well i am going to try and hit up the Gym tomorrow as well…this is like my 6th day in a row or something, but I am goingt o attempt to do something with a bar on my back and hopefully see what my leg is doing when it comes to squats…\
Maybe some beers tonight…oh man i hope for some beers tonight![/quote]
This reminds me of wrestling practice. I literally got the scent of the mats in my nose from reading this. lol
Oh geez, I’m breathless for you after that workout.
Good luck at the gym tomorrow.
yes for beer!
I’m drinking champagne right now
cheers
Hey Alpha,
Maybe it’s a redundant question : You talked about your “mindset” before deadlifing (page 11 !) is it the same for benchpress ??? When I’m ready to lift, just too often a " you wont be able to lift it" or “you suck, you’re not strong” pops in my head, and the bar feels like a dozen Oprah… Would you have any tips, or reading to help me focus?? most of the time it’s not even close to my max or If I can do usualy 12 reps, I quit after 4.
Cheers!
-Stef
I still follow your log semi-religiously, dont even think about stopping !!
Maybe this is lame of me and I’m sure I’ve already asked, but have you gone to get that leg checked out??
Rock: Yeah man it was just like a wrestling practice…well without the singlets
Nikki: Thanks girlie! And yeah that whole last week was not a whole lot of fun!
nlmain: Thanks! Cheers!
Stef: Man you totally have to keep all of those negative thoughts out of your mind. Some people try to think that the weight will be light, but whenever I have tried doing that, it ends up messing with me because once I unrack the bar and it feel like a truck, then my head is psyched out. I go in knowing that it is going to be heavy, but I know I can do it. Typically on a big set i will sit on the end of the bench and i am pretty much just getting my head ready to move the weight. Then i usually hit my chest with my left hand and that is kind of the switch that flips me on the other side where My brain kind of turns off. Once I am set up under the bar and have my shoulder blades retracted, i take a big belly breath, and unrack the bar like I want to rip it in half. I NEVER wimp the bar off of anything. But to be honest just feeling the weight when i unrack it, i will know if I am going to make the lift or not right there…it is weird I just kind of know…I hope that helps some brother!
MIM: If I say no will you be mad at me? I hope not because no i have not…I had an appointment on friday at Hopkins but then I canceled it because i REALLY didn’t wanna go…Lame I know, but we will see what happens…Doctors and I are not toogood of friends right now.
“When written in Chinese the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters - one represents danger and the other represents opportunity.”
-John F. Kennedy
20November2010: Training
1a. Squats: 225x5, 275x5, 315x5, 335x5, 355x5
1b. Corner Barbell rows: 90x8, 115x8, 135x8, 160x8, 180x8
1c. Obliques: 5 sets of 8 reps
1d. Back extensions: 5 sets of 8
2a. Single leg leg-press: 90x6, 140x6, 180x5, 230x5
2b. Obliques: 4 sets of 8
2c. Back extensions: 4 sets of 8
3a. Hack squat: 180x8, 180x8
then lots of stretching…
Notes:
-All of the exercises were totally ATG, the dead part of my leg is only deep in the hole so i was really focusing on that portion of the movement in all of my exercises.
-man i feel like junk now, i must have really irritated the nerve…but my leg is stronger than it was before when i tried some of this stuff.
Anyway it is better than nothing!
Hey Alpha, glad to hear your leg is getting stronger. I posted a log to really get my training to where it needs to be would very much appreciate your input because you are what I strive to be!
Alpha~ just curious (I have not made my way through your log yet) it seems you have a lifting program but are you following a CrossPit for your conditioning?
Anyways…nice work!!
Your strength standards are even crazier than mine. Careful that certain people on here don’t read that article, or you’ll be buried in protests and outrage 
I pity the 308 guys though. In order to achieve beast status on the bench for example, they’d have to do 55lbs over the world record hahaha
The numbers consistently work out quite well for 242 and under though (for males I mean, just so there’s no confusion). Good blog post.
There’s more than one way to get ridiculously strong(er)… Don’t forget that once you’re back in the action. You’re supposed to shoot the terrorists with bullets, not your disks.
Hard to achieve beast-level as a cripple.
A swift recovery to you, brother.
YES! I am by your defintions ‘strong’ on the deadlift. Everything else… average (apart from pull ups for reps)
I hope all your injuries are healing It’s only when you can’t train that you realise how lucky you are to be able to
Paul:I definitely will be over there man! Keep working hard!
coyotegal: Yeah, i am actually not a crossfit guy, but i am injured right now so i can’t really lift like i normally would…it is what it is…I write all of these random workouts myself. Thanks for checking the log out, keep reading and you will see what i am talking about.
CC: Yeah i set those ratios comparatively to my own bodyweight. at 308 they would be ridiculous! and i hear you man, i cannot wait to get all healed up and start hitting it hard again! thanks for stopping in brother!
Bambi: keep working at it brother, you will be a beast in no time! and you i totally hear you on how lucky each of us is to be able to be healthy…I cant wait to get back at it! thanks for checking in!
============================================================================
Over the past few years that I have been keeping my training log online, I have literally been asked thousands of questions. Some were about programming, some were about my job; but more than anything else, most were inquires about my training philosophies…
So whether you are a beginner who has never touched a weight before, or are an experienced power lifter working toward a 1000lb squat, here are some isms that (in my opinion) have always, and will always make you better…
-Lift more often than you have the desire to. Lift heavier weights than you think you should. Run longer and faster than your lungs tell you you can. Do more reps when your Body says it can’t…and finally, do what you HATE the most, more than anything else.
-For your meals: Do your best to eat as much whole food as possible (as opposed to supplements) The Vitamins and minerals within them are essential to performance.
-If you are not a little nervous/anxious BEFORE your workout and didn’t feel sick DURING your workout, most likely you are not training hard enough to get where you want to go.
-Do big compound movements with Barbells or dumbells for 90% of your work… even accessory work.
-Do Sprints, sledgehammer swings, tire flips, complexes, GPP, or Sled drags/prowler for energy systems work, everything else should be considered NEPA or active recovery.
-If you train hard and are planning on walking when you are 50, you better be Stretching, using a foam roller and working with a LAX ball regularly. I know it hurts and I know it sucks, but so does riding around on one of those Rascal scooter things that fat people use at the grocery store.
-Keep a log of your training- What gets measured is what gets done. If you don’t know what you did last workout, how are you going to beat it this workout? NOT USING A LOG MAKES YOUR TRAINING A WASTE OF TIME! Don’t ask anyone questions about training or diet unless you can show them some form of history of what you have been doing. It would be like not giving a medical history to a Doctor and then asking them to make you feel better. Don’t be an idiot—people could answer 90% of their own arbitrary questions if they just compared what they are/aren’t doing with their original plan…
-99% of people do not have the testicular fortitude or discipline to work hard enough and consistently enough to get the results they want…Don’t be that guy. And if you are one of the 1% who will put the time and effort in, just smile because everyone thinks you are on roids and are a genetic freak- They also refer to you as such behind your back.
-F&@# 90% of Training Partners. Stupidity breeds stupidity and most partners spend more time talking about BS and screaming worthless false encouragement to each other than actually challenging one another to be better. If you need a spot, ask for one from the 90 lb Personal trainer walking around doing nothingâ?¦Otherwise grow some balls and get it done alone.
-That said, if you have found another 1%er, stick with them…heck, maybe even consider becoming “life partners”. That way you can get a tax cut while splitting time cooking chicken and spinach together.
-PREPARE your meals in advance! You do not live in a cave. That big cold box in your kitchenâ?¦it should be brimming with Tupperware/Pyrex containers —each one full of some form of lean meat and vegetables that you cooked in mass amounts on Sunday (or whatever day you are off) and stored for the week. I would be willing to bet my left sweaty baby maker that this is where 99.9999% of all diets fail. If you fail to prepare, you prepare to failâ?¦You can bake like 30 chicken breasts/steaks/fish fillets all at one time. There really isnâ??t any excuse for you to not be shredded other than you chose to do something lame, like watch TV as opposed to getting your food ready for the week…
-Train FOR something, a show, a meet, a fight, a beach vacation, etc. It is tough to stay motivated without a goal…Also, always train for strengthâ?¦Size is a great bi-product.
-Read EVERYTHING on 5100Block.com (And click the ads ya punks!), T-Nation, and EliteFTS, if you pick up 10% of what you read you will get stronger, tougher, bigger, and leaner-- guaranteed…As a side note, people who haven’t done this have no right to ask stupid questions in the forums…All of the information is out there. If you are too lazy to search it out, you do not have the resolve to complete the work required to get the results you want…this is also a fact.
-Every time you Stick food in your mouth or choose the weight for your next set ask yourself, “Will this make me better?”. Then act accordingly.
-it is tough to out diet pansy training without ending up looking like one of the Jonas Brothers , and it is harder to out train a bad diet without ending up on the Biggest Loser…Do both or none, it is that simple. Mediocrity is for the weak.
-Your training WILL mimic your personality and thus, your life decisions. If you work hard in the gym and stay disciplined, you can overcome just about any other endeavor outside of the gym, simply because you have chosen to take control over your environment. If you are lazy and make excuses all of the time, than I am pretty sure you will also find THOSE similar traits elsewhere in your life.
-If you are not where you want to be in or out of the gym: It is YOUR fault. Own your crap.
-I do supersets and giant sets not because it is the most advantageous way to gain muscle…I do them because things need to get done…My time is limited, and I don’t like most of the idiots at the gym. So I get in, get it done, and get out. I hate walking into the gym, but love walking out soaked and spent…results aren’t a bad thing either.
-People worry too much about small stuff when the big stuff is not in order. This stuff is not complicated…grow a pair, don’t eat bad, and get just a little bit better each training session. Look at the 5/3/1 questions in the powerlifting forum…some of them are valid, yet some look a whole lot like, “Hey Jimbo, is it ok for me to switch out my Gallon of milk a day for a gallon of skittle flavored vodka? Will this make me HYOOOOOGGGEEEE?”
-Another note on that…Invest in knowledge. Don’t ask 1,000 stupid questions that could all be answered by spending $20 bucks on a book with ALL of the answers (5/3/1, Precision nutrition, Starting Strength). If you can’t afford it, send me a PM about why – if I can’t use my brain to figure out a way for you to earn $20, I’ll send you the money myself! - There are no free lunches, and you will have to work hard and earn every bit you get. If it was easy-everyone would do it! A new you does not come in 6 easy installments of $19.95!
-Finally, if you are not regularly doing ATG squats and heavy deads, don’t even bother asking a question about getting bigger and stronger…It’s called hard workâ?¦and you’re doing it wrong.
^^Awesome. Why dont they have you write things for this site???
Also another question… I know you eat a lot of turkey meatballs (or you used too. not much of them in your recent meal plan posts) What kind do you have/use? I just got some and they’re really good but not that cheap. I was thinking maybe a jumbo sized bag of plain ones from costco or something?
Yet another rant for me to add to my word document of inspirational Alpha messages. lol. Solid. You’re less than three pages from full. It can’t end! Where else will I go to get inspired?
[quote]Alpha wrote:
-Keep a log of your training- What gets measured is what gets done. If you don’t know what you did last workout, how are you going to beat it this workout? NOT USING A LOG MAKES YOUR TRAINING A WASTE OF TIME! Don’t ask anyone questions about training or diet unless you can show them some form of history of what you have been doing. It would be like not giving a medical history to a Doctor and then asking them to make you feel better. Don’t be an idiot—people could answer 90% of their own arbitrary questions if they just compared what they are/aren’t doing with their original plan…
[/quote]
Well, then I expect a new log when this one fills it quota, wouldn’t want to be a hypocrite now would we? 
Also…any good recipes for pork tenderloin? I have three in the freezer and no clue.
pork tenderloin: cube it. marinate in whiskey, garlic cloves, a dash of soy sauce. pan fry.
or: cover in dijon mustard and a layer of crushed pecans or hazelnuts. bake at 350 for 30 minutes. bake time is variable to size of meat and oven.
gregron: Man, i have tried a few times to submit articles to this site, but none have even been opened…Dunno, guess they are not too interested.
And about the turkey meatballs, i actually make my own from John Berardi’s PN book. It is pretty cost effective. But they are a healthy option in comparison to al lot of the stuff you can buy out there. Thanks for checking in brother!
Blaze: ha Well we will see brother! i am still trying to figure out what I am doing and a lot of it will depend on what is going on with my back and leg and stuff…we will see. Thanks for checking in brother!
Power GnP: Well…maybe i will just stop working out all together! and spend my time eating pizza and cheese steak subs! Mainey just gave you a good plan for the Pork, but what i did was marinade the pork in a Honey/ginger sauce, throw them in a pan with peppers and onions, thow that in the oven, then cook up some wild rice with chicken broth instead of water…that is what i did and that ended up pretty good. thanks for checking in man!
Nlmain: that looks pretty good, i may just have to try that out!
“I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can’t see from the center.”
-Kurt Vonnegut
22November2010: Training/ GPP
10 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls with a Sprawl at the bottom
10 Pull-ups
10 Barbell Push-Press
10 knees to Elbows
10 Ring Dips
Repeat for 6 rounds as fast as you can.
Then some strength stuff
1a. Flat Bench Press: 225x10, 245x10, 245x10, 225x15
1b. Decline Sit-ups: 4 sets of 10
2a. Incline Bench Press: 225x8, 225x8, 225x8, 225x8
2b. Decline Sit-ups: 4 sets of 10
2c. Plate around your head: 45lb plate 4 sets of 8 reps each side
Notes:
-The insert was tough. not too much work but not too easy either…Finished it up fast and the strength stuff was good!
Thanks for reading everyone!
Lol Power got you there. That pizza and sub excuse is terrible… keep working out and give that food to me. I have your best interests at heart
You’re awesome for having the energy to bench after the GPP.