Nice work at the competition. That yoke walk looked especially brutal. Definitely was a well-earned win.
Awesome write-up, and I can sympathize with your car deadlift situation. A frame is of course the best choice, but Kalle Beck talked about how standing behind the weights will help as well. Apparently makes the movement tougher. Iām going to give it a try my next squat day to see how it feels. I imagine the mechanics will feel kind of weird. Possibly something to try if you havenāt already.
Alpha dude! That yoke walk still blows my mind and after reading your write up its flat out blown over lol. Thanks for your confidence of me doing a strongman comp. I would love to and after watching your comp. vid just made want to do it even more! But alas, life isnāt going to currently let me have an opportunity to do so but Iām still going to keep my eyes peeled for any comps in California just in case!
Well done on the competition Alpha, you did us all proud man haha. That yoke walk looked brutal!
Whilst youāve been on the subject of nutrition, I was wondering what your nutrition around your workouts look like? A lot of low carb guys will make an exception post workout or whatever, but I know you donāt tend to agree with that, so Iād be interested to see how you go about things.
Thanks man.
Amazing write up and competition! Your work ethic and willpower are something to strive for. Hopefully I can make it to a competition or your gym in the future.
And yes, that helps out a lot, thank you for taking the time to answer questions. I think Iāll write up my own routine this week and give it a shot.
Great write-up. You know, itās very common for strongmen to train their bicep and arms a lot to prevent a tear.
[quote]FarmerOwen wrote:
Alpha dude! That yoke walk still blows my mind and after reading your write up its flat out blown over lol. Thanks for your confidence of me doing a strongman comp. I would love to and after watching your comp. vid just made want to do it even more! But alas, life isnāt going to currently let me have an opportunity to do so but Iām still going to keep my eyes peeled for any comps in California just in case! [/quote]
Where in CA? I am doing one in Sacramento on 16 May and there is one the next weekend in San Bernardino area. CA has a pretty good strongman scene.
Nice work! You did a great job and still have a lot of room for improvement so thatās a good thing. A temporary solution for your ghetto car deadlift could be to buy some pipes to have an extended handle.
Great write up Alpha, thanks for taking the time to do that.
Is it just my misunderstanding of strong man, or was this competition unusual in the amount of āwho can lift the heaviestā type of events. Except for the car hold for time, every event was essentially a Max attempt. I thought strongman was usually about who gets the most Reps, or Distance, etcā¦
Powerpuff: Hahaha thanks! We DO have a lot in common because, most people donāt know, but I spend most of my free-time practicing my ballet!
LoRez: Thanks brother! It was a looonnngggg 25 feet!
Pwinsher: Thanks man, and yea I have tried holding the actual barbell behind the weights before. It works fairly well, but it definitely changes the angle of the movement. It becomes more of a really hard deadlift rather than more of a hack squat like the car deadlift kind of mimics. I was unable to get my feet as far out in front on set upā¦ Also, it is VERY hard to go really heavy with those. At like 600lbs you will be struggling to even get a single rep. Or at least i did. Iāve it a shot and let me know how your experience varied from mine.
FarmerOwen: Keep training the way you do, it is absolutely perfect for strongman stuffā¦Heck, Iād bet we will see similar things to what you are doing soon in upcoming competitions! When the time is right, your life will slow up and you will get the opportunity. Just keep training so that when it does, you will be ready for the call. I really think you would do great!
Joe_89: Thanks so much brother! And it is not that I donāt agree with any particular diet advice, it is just that I choose not to practice it. I used to do Surge peri-workout (for like 2 years) but honestly I didnāt notice any difference. I also have tried simple carbs and complex carbs post workout, but again didnāt notice any difference. For people who feel like they NEED some carbs, I tell them to save them for post workout but I find that having a little bit just makes my cravings for them worseā¦So I choose to not eat them. That is the only reason why I donāt do it. I just keep my meals the same no matter time of day of if I workout or not. If anything changes it would probably be that my post workout meal may be a little bit more food because I am usually pretty hungry after a hard train. I found out long ago that getting too caught up in the minutia has done little to aid me in my goals. I have always done my best when I do this:
Eat 5-6 Meals a day
Make sure that I hit my protein requirements each day. (I have never counted macros or calories)
Train harder than I want to, heavier than I want to, more often than I want to.
Hit my hips with a LAX ball every night for 10-15 Minutes.
Sleep as much as I am able.
Walk 30 Minutes a day (w/ a weight vest if possible)
I just try to do that every single day and I donāt worry about getting too exact with it. I donāt believe in APPs to track things, weighing/measuring my food, or getting too caught up in exact programs. I donāt know, i guess I am just a simple guy.
Roran: Thanks so much man, and hopefully you will get to come visit in a few months. You would fit right in at my gym! And I think writing your own thing is a good call. You should start a log when you do so that we can all follow your progress and it will keep you accountable.
Regev: You know, all the bicep curls in the world are not going to compare to 1,000lbs of car bearing down on youā¦ I get plenty of indirect bicep work from all of the events, weighted pull-ups/chin-ups and heavy rows. EVERYONE was saying how they dropped it because of fear of tearing their bicepsā¦It is the nature of strongman.
lift206: Thanks for the words man! And yea, I was thinking that same thing. Iām a little bit worried about the pipes damaging the collar on the barbells but I agree that that is the simplest solution.
Lonnie123: Thanks man! Well, that is the cool thing about strongman. Every single contest is different. Sometimes there are max reps for time, sometime there are medleys that will make you puke and your lungs scream, sometimes they are tests of mental and physical endurance, sometimes they are 1RM and most of the time they are a combination off all of the above. Some shows even have things like tug-of-wars, arm wrestling and even some grappling events. It is like crossfit for really, really strong people. This particular contest was all about setting state records so that is why it was all 1RM stuff.
If you are going to go anywhere in the sport, you need to be good at everything. If you have even one weak point and zero the event, then you are most likely NOT getting anywhere on the podium. Often times the most well-rounded individual wins the overall. Combine that with the most respectful and encouraging athletes and what you are left with is a great sport.
===============================================
āSomewhere along the line we seem to have confused comfort with happiness.ā ā Dean Karnazes
TUESDAY, 31MARCH2105 - Work For Today
Wave 1/Week 4/Day 2
EVENTS - Atlas Stones
Took 20 Minutes and work up to a few 300lb Atlas Stone Loads over a 54" Platform
Then 5 Rounds with 1 Minute Rest Between Rounds
:60 Seconds Max Effort Stone over bar with a 240lb stone
I was just thinking about that ānot having enough room for the platesā problem.
You could buy two pieces of 1-1/2" pipe, and crank down a set-screw style collar on each to hold the plates. Schedule 80 pipe is definitely strong enough, but Schedule 40 (which is cheaper) is probably strong enough too. Schedule 40 black pipe runs somewhere between $3-4 a foot, depending on where you buy it. Back in Indiana, you could buy it at Lowes, Home Depot, and Menards just fine, and theyād cut it to size for free. Here, I had to find a plumbing supply place. It was cheaper, just a bit more work to get.
You could buy two 8ā pieces, and give yourself something like 1.5-2ā of room on the end for plates and grip, and still keep basically the same leverages.
Set-screw style collar I bought from a āplay it again sportsā used sporting goods store, then just replaced it with a bolt so it didnāt hit the plates:
Itās always tough to push yourself beyond your limits while considering the risks. Thatās something that always limiting me in training, whether if itās a heavy deadlift or some long rucks with a heavy loaded stretcher with my buddies from the pre-military training group.
Congrats! Awesome meet video, great write up.
Now, for the ballet practice video/writeupā¦ 
Thanks! Iāve considered it a couple of times, but iāve never been much of an internet poster other than this log. Iāll definitely think about it though. I hoping to come up sometime in May depending how my post-graduation job search goes.
[quote]Alpha wrote:
Well, now that the third log is completely full and locked up, it is time to start the fourth.
As most of you reading this already know, I keep these logs going to hold myself accountable, answer any questions people may have, hopefully be a source on motivation and give back to the T-Nation community that has given so much to me. So if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, feel free to add them here.
Since the beginning of Alphaās Work III I have opened my own Strongman, Powerlifting, Sports Conditioning Gym in Westminster, Maryland USA - named NEVERsate Athletics. We have had a few people come visit and train with us from T-Nation and if any of you are in the area or are visiting, feel free to come by. Iād Love to have you with us.
Other resources that compliment this log are my gymās website (just watch any of my videos to get the address, I am not allowed to post it here) - and my Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjwdgG3wUw
Iād love it if you would subscribe and like the videos you would enjoy seeing more of so I know what to record and what to not waste my time with.
All of that said, here we goā¦
===================================================
āThe worst thing I can be is the same as everybody else.ā --Arnold Schwarzenegger
Current stats: 6ā Tall, 225-245lbs on average, depending on if I am cutting for a Strongman show or fight/submission grappling tournament.
Current Squat PR: 640lbs - Goal by the end of the log: 700lbs
Current Bench PR: 500lbs T&G/475lbs Paused - Goal By the end of the log: 500 Paused
Current Deadlift PR: 660lbs - Goal by the end of the log: 700lbs
Current Push-Press PR: 365lbs - Goal by the end of the log: 405lbs
OTHER Current PRs and Goals for the Log (You can find all current PR vids on my youtube page)
Current Front Squat PR: 475lbs - Goal: 500
Current Log Overhead Press PR: 315lbs - Goal 350lbs
Current Strict OHP PR: 285lbs - Goal 315
Current Farmerās Handle Deadlift PR: 750lbs - Goal:800lbs
Current Yoke Walk PR: 830x50ā - Goal 1,000lbsx50ā
Ok, I think that is a long enough post for right now. I hope many of you choose to check in from time to time and ask some questions and give some advice. Thank for making my previous logs as successful as they have been. Iām going to try my hardest to make this one the best yet.
Thanks for all of the support![/quote]
Alpha
Keep up the awesome work, with your work ethic and technique, those PRās are just around the corner.
Power4ull
LoRez: I had that same thought man. That way I wonāt damage my barbells and it will buy me some time until I decide to drop 2k on a frame. Really good idea!
Regev: That is what separates the good from the great man. In my experience, the body will adapt to whatever demands you put on it given enough time. The only reason why I am doing so well is strongman is because of all of the time I have spent suffering during workouts over the years.
punnyguy: Hahahaha thanks man, and Iāll get right on that!
Roran: I can respect that. I donāt post much outside of my log and website. In reality, if you took my posts away for what I have written in my logs, I would probably have less than 100 posts since 2002ā¦I just donāt have much to say outside of here that someone else hasnāt already said. And I look forward to the visit brother! Just let me know when you are in my neck of the woods.
Power4ull: Thanks boss, and I really hope you are right! I wish gravity wasnāt so heavy!
=============================================
āI was going to die, sooner or later, whether or not I had even spoken myself. My silences had not protected me. Your silences will not protect youā¦ What are the words you do not yet have? What are the tyrannies you swallow day by day and attempt to make your own, until you will sicken and die of them, still in silence? We have been socialized to respect fear more than our own need for language.ā --Audre Lorde
āPeople have only as much liberty as they have the intelligence to want and the courage to take.ā --Emma Goldman
WEDNESDAY, 01APRIL2015 - Work For Today
Wave 1/Week 4/Day 3
CONDITIONING - 8 Rounds
:30 Seconds Sprawl Heavybag Flips
:30 Seconds Burpee Pull-Ups
:30 Seconds Double Unders
STRENGTH
Barbell Rows: 315x3, 365x3, 405x3, 425x3 (PR)
Paused Flat Bench: 315x5, 365x3, 405x2, 425x1
100 Foot, 200b Atlas Stone Carry: 1, 1, 1, 1
SPEED - At the top of every 60 Seconds for 10 Minutes
Bent Over Rows: 315 x 3 for all 10 Rounds
Paused Flat Bench: 315 x 3 for all 10 rounds
CONDITIONING
500 Double Unders in as few sets as possible
NOTES:
- Very little elbow pain when benching for the first time in a while. (Thank you Ecchastang)
- I am still feeling the effects from the competition, so my bench was much weaker than it should have been. Rows showed up tot he party thoughā¦425x3 is a PR for me I think. I took a vid but plan on making a compilation vid of some randomness from the weeks training that was notable. It will be in that.
- The Speed work was nothing heavy, but left me very little of that minute left to rest. It was good conditioning on top of strength for that portion.
- This is the first ānormalā workout I have had since the competition. Felt good to sweat again.
Glad that elbow is doing a little better. Keep crushing it and inspiring the rest of us to work harder.
Ecchastang: Thanks brother! I will do my best!
====================================================
āIām saying to be a hero is means you step across the line and are willing to make a sacrifice, so heroes always are making a sacrifice. Heroes always take a risk. Heroes always deviant. Heroes always doing something that most people donātā¦Heroes are those who can somehow resist the power of the situation and act out of noble motives, or behave in ways that do not demean others when they easily can.ā --Philip Zimbardo
THURSDAY, 02APRIL2015 - Work For Today
Wave 1/Week 4/Day 4
STRENGTH - Squats
135 x some
225 x some
315 x 5
405 x 3
455 x 3
500 x 10
500 x 5
500 x 5
EVENTS - Yoke
At the top of Every Minute for 12 Minutes, I completed a 100 foot yoke @ 630lbs.
NOTES:
- My intention for the day was to go in and squat 500lbs at least 10 times as I have never tried or done it before. I have delusions that I would hit this for a set of like 15-20 but once the weight got on my back, things changed a little bit. As you can see in the vid, the actual weight of the squats was not bad on me. Strength wise I could have kept going. But it is too heavy for me to safely just pump them out. So I had to brace fairly hard for every rep. That much deep breathing and hard contractions had me VERY light headed by rep 8. So I just decided to hit 10 and rack it. I am pretty disappointed with his number, but at least I have a starting point on which to build.
- The yokes were just to get some more work in.
- Both the squats and the yokes opened the scabs back up on my back againā¦ (if you didnāt read the write up, the second yoke during the competition had my back/shoulders bleeding by the end of the run)
Here is the vid of the squats and my 425x3 BB Rows from yesterday.
Just crazy strength, boss. Iād like to try strongman eventually, too. Will be using your logs as a guide.
I always love seeing 500ā¦ A bunch of huge 45lb plates and then the little 2.5ās along for the ride at the very end of the bar. Itās like some evil genius designed the bar and the weights to just not quite be a nice, big round number like 500 when you throw on 10 of them.
Perhaps one day I can be disappointed with 10 reps of 500.
Love stopping in here, thanks for the work you put in to the log.