Congratulations on the PR’s man, keep truckin’. I’ve kinda stalled out a bit lately, thinking about maybe making a change. I feel like I’d benefit from hitting more heavy singles and doing AMRAPS in the 70-85 range, any thoughts? Hope to make it down soon man.
Congrats on the front squat. The clean grip still amazes me whenever I see a new video of your front squats. Even if your numbers aren’t where you want them, there are not many athletes who have your numbers -and- the level of athleticism you do. I bet if you leaned up a little you could stand a good chance at making an impact in Crossfit/Grid type stuff…Maybe after strongman?? haha
230ish at 6’ is pretty large (especially as non-fatty natural). Has weight and size always come pretty easy to you? I know you mentioned before that you were always active as a kid, usually running around outside in nature doing crazy stuff with a friend. Did you ever take some time to “bulk” up or did your weight pack on pretty linearly and gradually?
Bjack: You may just be stalling from all of the extra stuff going on in your life. Or maybe you just need to tune up with technique (which i can definitely help you out with). But I think hitting 3-4 heavy singles then backing off and doing some AMRAP sets around 80% would be good. Just set a clock to keep the amount of volume on the back off gets at a reasonable level so you don’t blare into your CNS too deep. I may actually steal an idea like his and start adding it to the Warrior Athlete stuff.
I miss having you around man. Next time you make it down, we will tear apart your form on the main lifts and throw a bunch of Atlas Stones at you! Get some good sternum bruising going! Hahaha Let me know when you can make it and I’ll try to take you tot he next level. You are a good friend and I want to see you succeed.
Sutebun: Yea people tell me that a lot. That I “could be competitive in crossfit or powerlifting” I just am not sure that either one excites me enough to actually jump in. I DO think a Powerlifting meet will be in my near future as soon as I find one that is close enough to me for my sponsors to pay for the trip. I perform better in competition so maybe i would total higher than I would expect.
Honestly my lifting progression went kid of like this:
- Birth - 13. Climbing tress, doing karate, informal wrestling running barefoot all over deep wood for days at a time
- 13years old -18 Lifting with my football coach. Lots of cleans, some squats (not to depth) and lots of bench.
- I would bench at least every other day in hopes of building up my bird chest.
- 18 - 22 I was in college. Did a lot of MMA at this time which included conditioning but no real lifting.
- 22 - 26 Worked as a personal trainer and construction worked and did a lot of body part splits and machines and other BS. Still squatted and benched, but no deadlifts
- 26 -27/28 - Was away at training for my job. Some lifting but lots of running and military type bodyweight conditioning.
- 28 -Current: Finally stared deadlifting and really focused on gaining strength.
I never really cared about gaining mass other than when I was 13-18 when i wanted to look like a bodybuilder and gain mass. I looked like a skinny baseball player. I had some mass from the lifting, but nothing too noticeable. Size comes easy to me now, but I think that has to do with he fact that i regularly load my spine with 600-900b multiple times a week for extended periods of time. When your body has to adapt to that, you will grow everywhere.
So i would actually say that i have been seriously lifting weights for strength since about 2008. I am naturally an ecto/meso body type.
I hope that answers your question brother!
It looks like everyone beat me to the 500 lb prediction, but I have to agree that that can’t be far off. That was a very fast PR. Congratulations!
Congrats on the PR’s. 485 flew up!
Quick question, for a beginner lifter whose looking to get a stronger press… Do you recommend high volume over triples and fives? It seems as if my press increases slowly and then regresses randomly. I feel like I’m spinning my wheels and not getting any real work in.
And also I gotta ask… What’s with the red riding hood photo?
Thanks in advance for any info.
hahaha rule #1 never offend somebody who could kick your ass without breaking a sweat.
I see which numbers you use, and certainly catch your drift.
The ratios I usually use are from an CT article. However, limb length needs to be taken in consideration too, so a bigger number for the bench isn’t strange.
And that’s a frickin great total you got there, I hope I can reach that one day…without focussing on it…
And with your work ethic, 700 squats and deads are around the corner.
Btw how is mma / grappling going? Going for a match / tourney? How much do you train? Where is the main focus?
You don’t really tell much about MA here (understandable at a strength log), but it really intrestes me.
Ps. Awesome training life write up!
Mate, strong work on the PRs. Just been watching some of the videos on your youtube channel and it looks like there is a little more there too!
Quick question on your competitions. Do you ever feel nervous when competing and how do you deal with the pressure of competition?
Roran: Thanks man! It may have to wait a little bit until the next wave of testing comes up, but I am fairly certain it will be there! Thanks for checking in man!
Gvaldes: I have found that my best pressing progress has happened when I do 10 sets of 3 reps ramping up to a heavy set then working my way back down. Sometimes after my working sets, I will drop the weight way down and try to hit one set around the 20 rep range. Also, as an accessory, I do not think you can beat Z Presses in the 6-10 rep range for 3-4 Sets. I hope that helps you out man.
As far as regressing on the press, I find that recovery plays a HUGE role in how the lift goes. If your shoulders or triceps are tired at all from other workouts, your press will suffer. I also think that technique is the number one thing that can control how fast you progress. Finding the groove, creating a solid foundation to press from and learning how to punch your head through when weights get heavy is massively important. With a heavy weight, if your technique is off at all, it is very easy to miss the rep. This could also be a reason why it seems like you are regressing at times. Sometimes I will feel the same way, but when I break it down, it is always a technique or recovery issue.
And I am at a total loss when you mentioned the red riding hood photo. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out what you are talking about. Please explain! I am so confused!
Pano: I was unfamiliar with the article you were referencing, so i went and checked it out. According to his standards you are right, my deadlift is horrible. If I calculated it correctly then my deadlift should be 792. I am 107lbs light. I am not sure what I can do to add 107lbs to my deadlift right now, but even if I did, I am sure my squat would go up as well. So maybe i will always be out of his ideal ratio, I dunno. All of my other numbers ended up pretty close or I was beating them, so that is good, I guess.
As far as grappling and MMA goes, I honestly have not been able to fit it into my schedule too much as of late. Between traveling so much for work, starting a gym and coaching people, my time is usually all used up every day. Right now, I am lucky to hit it 3 times a month. It is not what I want, but there are just too many other things demanding my time right now. I wish there were more hours in a day! Hopefully in the future I will be able to get back to 5-6 times a week. Thanks for asking man!
IronWarrior: Thanks man, i hope you are right! As far as getting nervous goes, the answer is a resounding YES! Honestly man, the way it usually works for me is, when I find a competition that I am interested in it is usually a month or two out. As i read what i will have to compete in, I get EXTREMELY nervous. This does not subside until I pay and submit my entry form. Then I just kind say, “well, there is no turning back now” and that seems to help a little . As The contest gets closer, I actually get less and less nervous. It is almost like I accept that it is going to happen and grow okay with it. Also, in the last week, all of my concentration is on the weight cut, so it gives my brain something else to have anxiety over. Once I make weight, I am so happy to eat and drink again that the nerves go away for a little bit. This usually lasts for the rest of the night, as it is nothing but eating and rehydrating until I fall asleep.
The next morning I wake up and want to back out. It happens EVERY single time. Every fiber in my being is yelling excuses to me for why I should not compete. Honestly, the fact that I gave my word to compete is 99% of the reason I show up.
Arriving at the event, i usually can busy myself enough to not think too much about what is going to take place and try to convince myself that I am just there to have fun. But my subconscious knows that I am just trying to mask my real feelings.
Once the first event starts and i see people actually competing, my anxiety sky rockets. I start pacing around and talk too much. They will always call for the guy who is next up and they need to stand right to the side and wait for the previous guy to go. During this time, my nerves are extremely high. Then they call my name (because it is my turn) and i either walk into the ring or into whatever venue area the strongman event is in.
At this point the nerves leave and I get EXTREMELY focused. Auditory exclusion happens and I am doing nothing but saying my cues in my head. ALWAYS Before i am ready, they say “go” and I am off. From here on out my brain and body link up and my consciousness seems to take a break. My sympathetic nervous system takes over and I have trouble remembering what went down, I cannot hear anyone yelling and I am 100% inside my head. I may have a few thoughts like, “this is heavy” or “I am tired” but that is all. Before I know it, it is all over. I need to watch a video of myself post-action and that may help trigger some memories, otherwise, I was not really there. Either that, or I was so entirely “there” that unneeded thoughts and memories all disappear.
I think that rush is what I chase. Not because of the glory or the congratulations, but because it scares the living hell out of me. I know that I never grow more or prioritize my life better than when i am out of my mind scared. On the surface I may look determined and calm, but inside it is a massive battle between running away and choosing to stay in the fight. I feel like they more I choose to overcome, the easier it will get. But it never really does. The stakes just get higher. I cannot grow the overcoming muscles if i do not throw myself into those situations, so I do it. But if I am being honest, I hate the anxiety of competition and would avoid it completely if I did not know how good it was for me.
Most adults choose to never enter this realm and instead just live vicariously through their children or athletes they watch on TV. I never want to be that guy. You only get one shot at this life and i want to ride it to the rails.
Nerves will always be there, I think that is what makes you great and can make you do things you never thought possible. That said, it is not a fun ride. But, I hope, that it is one worth taking.
Awesome write up on getting nervous mate. I always used to explain to the guys I coached how nervous I was before I fought. I had a pretty successful amateur career, and a lot of guys who came into the gym and I coached had this assumption that because I was successful I was somehow a totally fearless badass. They used to be pretty shocked when I told them I was physically sick before every single one of my bouts (over 60 of them!). I completely relate to what you go through, and my motivations were exactly the same. It’s hard to explain the reasons for the feeling, because I was never afraid of getting hurt, but I think it was more a fear of looking bad by performing at anything less than I was capable of, and a fear seeming like a fraud for being in there at that level. Unless you’re a psychopath, I don’t think you can get away from the nerves, it’s how you channel them that counts. Noone cares how nervous you are before hand if you smash the competition when you’re in the arena. Like you, I used to get calmer and calmer with every step I got towards the ring, until I was smiling my head off once I stepped through the ropes, and as relaxed as hell.
Damn it, third that posts don’t come through!
Sorry, but Im to lazy too type it agaiin, summary:
- you have short arms. makes DL harder, bench less hard. 107 lbs for ideal ratio seems bit high. Uneducated guess: 50/60 lbs is more like it.
- you’ll get that down before I can drink in USA.
- too bad you can’t train MA more often. But being very occupied with that what you love is a blessing beyond compare, if you ask me.
- nerves are a strange thing: I always try to get/act mellow and bored before stuff like major exams. No emotional investment, don’t blow a gadket before game time.
Butterflies in the belly (aka phantomdiarrhea:$) can kick me in the flow like nothing and can make you feel invincible.
mixed feelings about them, but they make life worth living! like you really awake after a long slumber.
- awesome training life write up!
[quote]Alpha wrote:
Sutebun: Yea people tell me that a lot. That I “could be competitive in crossfit or powerlifting” I just am not sure that either one excites me enough to actually jump in. I DO think a Powerlifting meet will be in my near future as soon as I find one that is close enough to me for my sponsors to pay for the trip. I perform better in competition so maybe i would total higher than I would expect.
Honestly my lifting progression went kid of like this:
- Birth - 13. Climbing tress, doing karate, informal wrestling running barefoot all over deep wood for days at a time
- 13years old -18 Lifting with my football coach. Lots of cleans, some squats (not to depth) and lots of bench.
- I would bench at least every other day in hopes of building up my bird chest.
- 18 - 22 I was in college. Did a lot of MMA at this time which included conditioning but no real lifting.
- 22 - 26 Worked as a personal trainer and construction worked and did a lot of body part splits and machines and other BS. Still squatted and benched, but no deadlifts
- 26 -27/28 - Was away at training for my job. Some lifting but lots of running and military type bodyweight conditioning.
- 28 -Current: Finally stared deadlifting and really focused on gaining strength.
I never really cared about gaining mass other than when I was 13-18 when i wanted to look like a bodybuilder and gain mass. I looked like a skinny baseball player. I had some mass from the lifting, but nothing too noticeable. Size comes easy to me now, but I think that has to do with he fact that i regularly load my spine with 600-900b multiple times a week for extended periods of time. When your body has to adapt to that, you will grow everywhere.
So i would actually say that i have been seriously lifting weights for strength since about 2008. I am naturally an ecto/meso body type.
I hope that answers your question brother! [/quote]
Thanks for the input. I just gotta step up my eating game.
I went to an arm wrestling tournament to cheer on a friend yesterday. 400 people had entered the damn thing. Half of them were huge guys. Even for the smaller weight classes, a lot of them had massive upper bodies and arms. Then for the icing on the cake, I met and chatted with a strongman who had his pro card.
Was a very beneficial eye opener. Unfortunately at my gym there aren’t really any massive lifters, so it’s easy to lose perspective. Gotta keep my eye on the goal and rise above my environment…
Thanks for the input man, will definitely give that a go for 6 weeks and re-assess.
Idk why but yesterday your profile picture was replaced with that of a sexy red riding hood chick. I re-freshed the page several times to see if it was an error but it would pop up next to your name. Hmm weird, it’s gone now.
@Alpha: I think you might be right on the money with the technique thing man, played around with my overhead press on the last workout and figured some stuff out. But I definitely need to get back down there, it would be awesome if you could help me out. Oh how I’ve missed the sternum bruising… If there’s a day of the week that works well for you in the next week or two I’ll just take the day off work and come down; I’ve got some personal days saved up.
[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
Just out of curiosity how did that 1 mile farmers walk treat you?
I did a half mile at 145 pounds (I weight about 175) and it was KILLER. Had to drop the weight about 5 times (Some guy in a truck asked if I wanted a lift back to wherever I was going, lol)
I definitely felt it the next day. Forearms, traps, hips, lower back… Blitzed.
More weight plus double distance is truly impressive. I’ll get there one day.[/quote]
It was tough man, took me like 50 minutes at 215 pounds. Definitely dropped it more than 5 times…Had some pretty good soreness in my traps, but was fine otherwise.
Wow thanks for the lengthy reply. Interesting reading both yours and LondonBoxer’s thoughts on nerves. In the past I have wanted feign injury or illness just to get away from it or not go up to the start line and do a row through.
I have never pulled out, yet nerves have affected my performance in race in the past. However, at the same time all my best races and wins have come when the nerves made me feel physically sick and then I produced my best performance. Last year when I took a year out and lost interest I didn’t get that in what I was doing and something felt empty in my life, but those nerves are back big time, especially with the biggest race I have done in 3 years coming up next weekend. The anxiety has been growing all year, but nothing like this and I am not really sure how to deal with it at the moment.
Anyway, sorry for the thread hijack. Keep up the good work man.
Ironwarrior: maybe you should embrace the nerves. Allow yourself to let out the steam, jump, throt, run, push up, whatever till the nerves come out. especially if you feel jittery because of the nerves. It gives an outlet so perhaps nerves are tempered at game day. And if you give all your energy when awake, you probably can sleep better (maybe you’re stil sleeping well).
Btw What kind of race Is it?
@Ironwarrior
I want to add to that list: dance!
It is most of the time embarrasing as hell, and you feel a total goofball, but it helps wonders. When home alone, turn up the volume to kinda-in-our-face, like you feel a bit embarrased, and dance as spastically as you can. Jump, sing along (as bad as possible), let go of anything people ever told you about how you should behave. 90’s music recommended.
Or go to a club. If preparing for something big, don’t drink or stay till 06:00 AM. Just let go, there are 200 people around you doing the same.
If you feel like it (by that I mean, you will rather take a arrow to the knee) join a dancing class.
It may sound silly, but doing something embarrasing which makes you laugh about yourself will make ou happy and set our mind at ease.
You’ll be so focused at the moment (not face-planting while dancing, keeping up with the beat, laughing at yourself), there is simply no room for being nervous.
I wanna be as Alpha Male as every one around here, but a macho culture makes us pent up far too much emotions to be healty.
To give the lead: Sunday I went to pitch perfect 2 in the cinema. My friend I tricked into it, and me were the only guys there. However it was great to not be macho for a while. It’s gonna be a memory to cherish. (Btw cinema’s are great stress relievers too: the world around you shuts the f*ck up for a while. You have another guy’s life for an hour or 2. Your life disappears for a while, with all the problems and stress in it.)
London Boxer: I completely agree. It is 100% performance anxiety for me. It is not even if I win or not, it is about me performing up to a standard I expect of myself. Great post man!
Pano: Great insight man. I think seeing how other people get over nerves can help all of us. But for me personally, getting over never in other things still doesn’t seem to help me when it comes to competition. I think it is because I care about the end result. If I am a bad dancer, I couldn’t care less because it is in no way part of my identity. Fighting and lifting heavy things are. Because of that and a deep care for being able to be proud of my performance always seem to be the real driving force behind my nerves. Thanks for your posts man!
Sutebun: Yea man, I am in the process of writing an article about out growing your environment. Basically, just like a plant will not outgrow its pot or a fish will not outgrow its aquarium, if you are the biggest strongest guy in your gym, you will progress very slowly or maybe stop all together. I know it is hard, but finding a place or partners who are much bigger and stronger than you will help you get to where you want to be at a much faster rate. Easier said then done though. But if this is something you really want to pursue, then it may be a step you have to take.
I think you can also find it helpful to look around places online (such as this one) and see what other people are doing and how they got to where they did. I know for me personally, I thought a 600b deadlift was only for juiced up guys who were genetically gifted. Once I got here on T-Nation and saw how mediocre my lifts really were, my game immediately went to the next level.
I am currently trying to recruit the strongest guys in my area to start coming to my gym so that I can shed my current skin and take it to the next level.
And as far as eating goes. If you are trying to gain mass, if there is any moment out of the day that you do not feel completely gorged with food and the idea of eating anything else makes you feel ill, then you are probably not taking in all of the calories you need to gain a lot of mass. I always tell my clients that gaining muscle mass is 10x harder than dieting. Being hungry is much easier to deal with than feeling overstuffed and nauseous all day. But if you truly want something, then you have to do what is required. No doubt in my mind that you can get there man, it is just going to be hard. But if it was easy, everyone would do it. And they obviously don’t. Keep me updated on how it is going brother!
gvaldes: Hahahah that is bizarre man! I think I actually know exactly what pic you are talking about though. There used to be a guy who had that as his avatar, but I am not sure if he is still around or not. It was probably just some glitch in the T-Nationverse.
BJack: I am around every single day next week. You just let me know what works for you. We can hit some one on one time or just can jump into a class, it is your call.
IronWarrior: Good luck on the race man, that is exciting! I am not sure of the actual quote but to paraphrase, someone said that fear is like fire. It can burn you up, or it can provide heat, a way to cook your food and a way of living. I put up another quote the other day that said, “everything you have ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” That is so true it hurts.
The sheer fact that you are afraid shows you how much you care about it and that it is exactly what you need to do. It is easy to say these things but hard to live out. What you are going through is a completely normal thing and know that everyone else is going through the same junk. It is just if you can learn to channel that energy and make it work for you. That only comes by practice. But you can only get the practice by throwing yourself in over your head time after time. But that is how people become great.
Something else that helps me is knowing that, by even signing up and seeing it through, you have done more than 99% of people will ever attempt. People talk all the time about doing this or that, but when it comes down to time to pay up, they bail. They want all of the positive attention they get for acting brave, but then are too afraid to really stick themselves on the line. Just by showing up and giving your best, you have won. I know it is hard to see it that way if you didn’t place as high as you would have liked, but it is the truth. You are doing exactly what you should be doing and, in my opinion, should keep doing it until you no longer care about it.
You are “the man in the arena” that roosevelt talks about in his famous quote. Not too many people can say that. For being that, i thank you and want you to know that you are an inspiration to many, myself included.
=============================================
“I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death.” --Leonardo da Vinci
TUESDAY, 26MAY2015 - Work For Today
Wave 2/Week 2/Day 2
So, during my front squats and yoke walks the other day, my right calf/behind my knee was hurting. I kept going because I figured it was just cramping. Well my leg is still swollen and is pretty bruised up, so i am thinking I may have torn something a little bit. Because of this, there was no jumping around for me today. I will keep an eye on it and don’t plan to alter things too badly, but something is definitely wrong.
CONDITIONING - 10 Rounds, As Fast As Possible
10 Chest to Bar Pull-Ups
10 Handstand Push-Ups
STRENGTH
Axle Deadlifts: 500x5, 520x5, 550x5, 520x5, 500x5
Axle Strict Presses: 225x5, 245x5, 275x2, 245x4, 225x5
Standing Ab Wheel Roll-Outs: 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
NOTES:
- Was about as good of a workout as it could be considering where my body is right now. I’m not happy with how it went, but I know I will be ok.
So today is my 35th birthday. Whenever it is my birthday, i like to look back at last year where I was at this time and compare to where I am now.
Here are some numbers:
Deadlift 2014 - 635 / Now - 685
Front Squat 2014 - 445 / Now - 485
Farmer’s Handle Deads 2014 - 700 / Now -780
Squats 2014 - 615 / Now - 660
Push Press 2014 - 315 / Now - 365
Yoke 2014 - 700 / Now - 900
Axle Deadlift 2014 - 545 / Now - 635
There are other lifts of mention, but i can say unequivocally that I am stronger than i have ever been in my life. Hopefully the trend continues and 2016 will be even better. I opened my own gym and won 3 Strongman contests in the last 12 months. Looking back, i am very happy with how things have gone in the past year. It has been a lot of hard work but worth every minute.
Happy Birthday Alpha, and congrats on all of those PRs.
Happy birthday and what a list of PRs! That much of progress all over the border for someone so advanced is outstanding.
I believe it isn’t just that dancing isn’t a part if your personality, but I can be wrong:
A guy like you will ooze confidence. The respectfull yet straight shooting way of speaking is all ready tell tale sign.
Dancing bad isn’t about dancing bad. It isn’t even about dancing. It’s about putting yourself out there. Everybody can be a dickhead about it. Society taught us being an oddball is bad. You need a crapload of confidence too not give a a damn about what they think about you.
Nice to hear your insights about nerves. I can only speak for myself.
Hope everyones competitions will do fine!
Happy Birthday, and congrats on the huge growth between years dude.
I know you’re planning on picking up a car deadlift frame, but in the meantime, I built some handles that allow one to load more plates on the barbell without having it run into your body.
You just need
2 2"x5" pipe nipples
2 2" to 3/4" reducers
2 3/4"x10" pipe nipples
Fasten the two nipples together with the reducers, slip the 2" end over the end of a barbell, and it’ll give you 10 more inches of playroom to get away from the plates. I had to Rube Goldberg it by going 2" to 1.25" to 3/4" just due to availability of parts, but it worked well this morning. Thought I’d share.
Keep killing it.