Those seal rows look like the cambered bar might be useful for ROM.
LoRez: Yea man, when Ed Coan visited Mark Bellās gym, they did a video about the deadlift and he said bent over rows were one of the most helpful accessory exercises for all of his main lifts (but especially the deadlift). Some of the greatest lifters of all time swear by them. I figure I cannot go wrong by giving the some extra attention.
Pano: Thanks man, i will take that into consideration. Have you used this method to hit any big numbers? Like did you see substantial evidence using it compared to other methods you have tried in the past? I like to hear about peopleās experiences with different things and how many actual pounds they gained on a certain lift using them. Thanks man!
Roran: Thanks man! Your words come at a good time, I have been struggling with the motivation to keep this log going just because I am so short on time these days, so thank you for that. And you should totally come back for a visit man! You just let me know when, it would be great to have you back at the gym! And thanks for the kind words about the article brother! Good luck with work man!
Rampant Badger: Hahahaha actually man, 2 main reasons. #1 I havenāt bought them for my gymā¦Soooo I donāt do them because I donāt have them! I will hit some Single Arm rows with kettlebells though. and #2. This is only my opinion, but I feel like doing movements with dumbbells has never carried over to my main lifts. That is the reason i havenāt bought them for the gymā¦It is a lot of money for something that i donāt think is that useful. And for me personally, (I really donāt mean this to sound as cocky as it does!!) But anything less than like 150ās are kind of a waste of time for the main exercises I train. The last commercial gym I trained in had dumbbells up to 150lbs. i could superset 20 single arms rows each side then pick them up and hit 20 reps on the incline bench with them. I would love to get a hold of a really heavy (like 200lb) dumbbell and try Kock rows the way Matt does them, but the cost to benefit ratio just insāt there. I feel like barbell rows (hit from various different angles) will do more for most people.
Sorry man, that was a long way of saying, āI just donāt think they do much for me and my goalsā¦so i choose to do barbell stuff insteadā
Thanks for asking man!
MattyG: Really good call man, I definitely was smashing the bar into the bottom of the bench.
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āNever say that you canāt do something, or that something seems impossible, or that something canāt be done, no matter how discouraging or harrowing it may be; human beings are limited only by what we allow ourselves to be limited by: our own minds. We are each masters of our own reality; when we become self-aware to this: absolutely anything in the world is possible. Master yourself, and become king of the world around you. Let no odds, chastisement, exile, doubt, fear, or any mental virus prevent you from accomplishing your dreams. Never be a victim of life; be it?s conqueror.ā --Mike Norton
FRIDAY, 17JULY2015 - Work For Today
Wave 2/Week 9/Day 5
CONDITIONING - 1:00 Minute Work / 1:00 Minute Rest for 12 Minutes
30 Russian Kettlebell Swings each minute with a 70lb Kettlebell
STRENGTH GIANT SET
Axle Deadlifts: 315x1, 405x1, 500x1, 550x1, 585x1, 605x1, 640xNope
Axle Bench Press: 225x3, 315x3, 365x3, 385x3, 405x3, 425x3, 405x3
Toes To Bar: 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
ACCESSORY GIANT SET - 8 Rounds
Speed Axle Deads: 405x3
Speed Axle Bench Press: 225x10
Reverse Hyper: 270x10
āVā Sit-Ups x 20
NOTES:
-Fairly decent day for me. 425x3 on the axle might be a PR and honestly wasnāt that heavy. On the axle Deads, 585 flew upā¦I almost dropped 605 because of the grip and 640 would have been a PR. I knew it was stupid to go for it, but every once in a while a stupid thing works out in my favor. unfortunately this was not one of those times.
When I was stuck with my squat with my squat at 240 (didnāt go up for 3 months) , I used this method for 10 weeks. My squat got up with 35 lbs!
The main problem was I freaked out with 250 on my back, thats my whole weight on my back! And my giraffe legs didnāt help in the hole. My leg extension wasnāt enough up to par so I lost position.
Front squats, 1 and 1/2 squats and heavy partials fixed those problems great.
Maybe I wouldāve got the same results if I did those excercise without the program set-up, maybe I wouldāve progressed if I kept pushing ike I did. I donāt know to be honest. But I feel this way of programming helpt me alot.
I used it last year, when 915 was just out. The 35 lbs is quite big, but I feel since I was already hitting weights weights up to 240 for months, the gains were inevitable when the major problems were solved.
I feel pretty much a newb for posting these numbers hereā¦
The more I search around in all the logs, the more I like this one.
No offense, but other logs be like:
Deadlift day:
80 x some
120 x 5
160 x 3
200 x 1
3 x 10 facepulls
Alphaās log be like:
Deadlift day
Conditioning
10 rounds of:
- 50 push ups
- 30 pull ups
- 70 air squats
- 5 300 lbs snatches
- 10 300 lbs push presses
-sprinted a mile with 300 lbs barbell locked out
Strength Giant set:
- 3 800 lbs deadlifts
- 10 GHRās
- 15 200 lbs KB swings
- 7 400 lbs seal rows
Accesory Giant Set:
- 5 500 lbs sumo DLās
- 3 300 lbs cleans
- 10 200 lbs DB rows (per side)
Notes:
- Easy day, just getting some blood flowing
Seal row are great yet it take a while to set up. A few weeks ago I started doing BOR like Ed described and finally my arms donāt take over the movement and Iām really able of using the midback muscles. Also you said you would like for a 150+ db for kroc row, just put a bar in a corner, load the bar and do like a meadows/kroc row combination.
Anyway, the main reason I stopped by besides checking out how things are going over here (which are usually great haha) is to recommend you to check USAWA, itās an organization which running old school strongman meets with the bent press and all those odd lifts. I bet youāll like it alot, itās so you! You can smoke everybody there 
I will definitely let you know as soon as I have a date. Training at your gym was an amazing experience and Iām looking forward to coming again.
I was going to say that I was surprised you werenāt a fan of DB Rows but then I remembered/read the weights you were using haha. I still work at around 90 for sets of 10 and they are one of my favorite/helpful movements. After the praise here and from others I keep hearing for barbell rows though I may give a shot for a few weeks. Seal rows also look pretty good, so Iāll definitely be trying those out soon.
Regev: Thanks man! I will definitely check it out! I felt the same way about rows after I wanted that Ed Coan video. And great point about the single arm barbell rows, I had totally forgotten about them. I used to do them all the time, good call man!
Roran: I canāt wait until you make it back out man, we loved having you there! Just email or text me and let me know brother!
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āSomehow weāve come to believe that greatness is only for the chosen few, for the superstars. The truth is, greatness is for us all. This is not about lowering expectations; it?s about raising them for every last one of us. Greatness is not in one special place, and itās not in one special person. Greatness is everywhere somebody is trying to find it.ā --Nike
SUNDAY, 19JULY2015 - Work For Today
Wave 2/Week 9/Day 7
So last night I got a text from my friend Greg who was Marylandās Strongest man in 2013. He is a really great guy who is always pushing me to perform better in competitions. (If I donāt than he ends up winning). Anyway, we decided to join forces for today in hopes of making each other better. Neither of us wants to beat each other on a technicality. Either we beat the best possible version of each other or it is just not worth it. We agreed to try to make each other better/stronger in hopes that it would push each of us individually to be better. He is getting ready for a competition 01August that I couldnāt compete in because of being hurt so we trained together today in hopes that he takes the win. This is what we did:
Strongman Sunday
Log Clean & Press. For the competition, my (and his) weight class has to perform as many reps as possible with a 260lbs log in :60 Seconds.
155x3
185x3
205x3
225x1
245x1
260x7 (Vid)
260x6
Then we moved onto Farmerās Walks. The comp weight is 275lbs each hand as fast as possible for 50 feet.
We did about 5 warm-ups runs, adding weight every time then hit 550 (275 in each hand) as fast as we could
I completed the run in a little over 7 seconds. The vid is below.
Next was the car deadlift. Since we didnāt have a car, we backed my jeep onto the frame. He got one hard fought rep, I didnāt budge it. He is a better deadlifted than me anyway, but it was still surprising. This is the first car I have never been able to pick up. We then backed his Durango onto the frame and he couldnāt budge it, so i passed on that.
Then we moved onto Stones. After a bunch of warm-up reps with lighter stones, I hit
300x1 (easy) and this was my previous PR because I donāt have access to a heavier stone on a regular basis.
330x1 PR (Vid)
350x1 PR (Vid)
360x1 PR (Vid)
400xLap. I got it into my lap and the stone is ridiculously large. I went to do my normal āhip upā to raise the stone and my left hand slipped. I rammed it into the platform and left it at that. And yeas that is included in the vid
I also included a 585 Axle Deadlift and 425x3 Axle Bench press from friday on the vid.
It was a really fun day of training. I am so used to training by myself that it is really rare that I get the opportunity to work with someone that is at least, if not stronger than i am. Greg is a terrific guy and we laughed all morning. He better take the win on August 1stā¦
Here is the vid, thanks to all of you who sit through it, it is a good bit longer than my normal videos
Insane strength on those stones! I do want to say that I noticed you stand up very tall with the stone in order to lap it. Thatās not necessary, especially when the stones get to larger diameters and heavier weights. Something I do when dealing with stones that are 20-22 inches in diameter (around the 330-400lb range) is step back from the middle a bit more, just enough so that when I break the stone from the floor, I can sit back earlier and roll it into my lap. Being too far over the middle causes the stones size to get in the way of doing that. Considering you can deadlift nearly 100lbs more than me, that 400 will go soon with some practice. I hope this helps man.
Incredible strength on the stones! I watched the video before I read the log and when the 360 went up so fast I thought āoh my gosh he is going to go for the 400.ā Nice work! Is your back all better then?
Alpha,
7 weeks ago you gave me some advice to try to put on some weight and kickstart my training. I thought Iād check back in and let you know how I got on. I did the following:
Day 1
Bench 5/3/1
Giant set (5x8 adding weight):
BB row, low incline bench, weighted rope climbs (no chinup bar currently), Weighted dips.
Day 2
5/3/1 cleans and below the knee blockpulls
Giant set (5x8 adding weight):
Front squats
Ab wheel rollouts
Day 3
5/3/1 Pushpress
Giant set (5x8 adding weight):
BB row, low incline bench, weighted rope climbs (no chinup bar currently), Weighted dips.
Day 4
5/3/1 snatches & squats
Giant set (5x8 adding weight):
Front squat
Zercher squats
Ab rollouts
Itās been pretty brutal, and Iāve learned a lot about my body and how to structure my training. Iāve put on about 6lbs, and have turned my top sets on 5/3/1 into rep sets (Iām doing Wendlerās 5 forward, 3 back approach to 5/3/1 cycles, so this last cycle was one that I did 9 weeks ago). I also hit a pretty decent (for me) push press PR of 168lbs, which has always been a goal of mine since I first got my arse handed to me by a top super middle weight many years ago.
I have learned though that I canāt really handle 2 lots of bench in a training week, perhaps something to do with all the years of boxing, but it just wears down my shoulders pretty quick. The front squats twice a week also took their toll. Iām due a deload week, as itās 3 cycles of 5/3/1 since I last deloaded. I also find it pretty hard to stay focused for 5x8 on everything, so Iāll be sticking with higher reps on some lifts, and going after some heavier, lower rep ranges for others, possibly for more than 5 sets to make up for some volume. Overhead work doesnāt aggravate my shoulders, so Iāll be including a bit more of that in place of the bench work in my giant sets in future.
My next two cycles on 5/3/1 are all about trying to hit some numbers that Iāve had in mind since I started training as representing āstrongā, and although my perceptions and ambitions are already changing and looking past those numbers, itāll be good to cross them off.
I dropped all conditioning for the past six weeks, to really focus on the weight and strength gain goals. I think it was a good thing, because it allowed me to work really hard on something Iām less good at - Iāve always known how to get conditioned and drop weight. But I donāt want to keep that up, as I hate being deconditioned, so Iām going to use the deload week to introduce a bit more conditioning, getting back to ruck marching in the mornings, and doing some moderate conditioning at the end of my weight sessions. After the next 6 weeks, when Iāve hit my strength numbers, Iāll be looking to really kick on and reintroduce some aggressive conditioning.
I hope you donāt mind the wall of text. I really appreciated the time you took to give me your advice, and I hope it is clear that it didnāt fall on deaf ears. Iām going to start logging in this section of the site, as it seems pretty busy and there are some very knowledgeable guys giving great advice - I have been logging in the combat section previously. Thank you again for your help, itās made a big difference to my training, and got me on the path I want to be on.
I also noticed when I went back to reread the advice you gave me just now that JustRob gave me a link to an article, that I missed at the time but have since checked out. If youāre reading this, thank you for the advice and I apologise for not seeing it sooner!
All the best.
Iāll be down your way for work the week of August 17-21. Any way you could talk the Neversate management into lifting my lifetime ban from the facility?
Nice video man, love watching strongman events. Itās ashame you canāt compete this time round. Good to see you killing it on the stones without too many issues with your back.
Please ignore me if I come too upclose and personal, but isnāt Alpha the owner of neversate (and thereby the management)?
awe-inspiring strength man! Glad you could find a good lifting partner for the time, we all know the pains of trying to find someone to stick with working out with you 100%. Glad to see it pushed to not only one but three new PRās! haha
Vinny: That is very, very useful man! Thank you! The stone size is definitely a factor and this is the first time I have gotten the chance to really mess with ones of that diameter so I really appreciate the help. I will definitely apply what you said next time I can get a hold of them. Thanks again man!
Roran: Thanks man! My back is still pretty far from all better, but I would say i am healed to around 70%. The strange part about stones is that, since you are hugging your body around the implement, it seems to provide you a strange kind of support. At the last Marylandās Strongest man a guy hurt his back during the deadlift, but doing the stones actually helped him feel better. They are a weird animalā¦I DO wish I would have given that 405 stone another try though. I think if My hand didnāt slip off, I may have had a shot at it.
LondonBoxer: That is awesome news man! Looks like you have been killing it! 6lbs of mass and your strength gains over 7 weeks is incredible progress! Hard work pays off brother, and you have obviously been putting it in! And thank you so much for letting me know how things are going for you! I often give advise but then never hear back if it worked out or not. I really appreciate you filling me in. And I am stoked for your log, I will definitely be following!
BJack: Hahahahaha I know the owner, so iāll put in a good word for you! You know we are all dying for you to get back to the gym man, canāt wait to see how you have progressed! You are still on the PR wall by the way, hopefully we will have some numbers to change! Just text me and let me know when you are thinking about coming out to train!
IronWarrior: Thanks man! I am ok with not competing in this show. I edged out the guy who will most likely win my class yesterday, so I have that in my brain. Now I can cheer him on with a clear conscience! Plus I have 5 athletes from my gym competing in it, so I will be a very busy coach that day. Thanks for checking in man!
Pano: Yea man, I am owner and operator. BJack would never be banned, he was just joking around because we havenāt seen him for a little while.
gvaldes: Thanks man! Yea, he lives about 3 hours away from me, so it will not be a regular thing, but it will be good to train with him every once in a while. Keeps me in check and disciplined knowing he is out there working every day to beat me!
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āI was never afraid of failure; for I would sooner fail than not be among the greatest.ā --John Keats
MONDAY, 20JULY2015 - Work For Today
Wave 2/Week 10/Day 1
CONDITIONING - As Fast As Possible
25 Dimel Deadlifts @ 275lbs
15 Burpee Lateral Jumps (Over the Bar)
20 Dimel Deadlifts @ 275
10 Burpee Lateral Jumps (Over the Bar)
15 Dimel Deadlifts @ 275
5 Burpee Lateral Jumps (Over the Bar)
STRENGTH GIANT SET
Banded Glute Ham Raises (Red Band): 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8
3" Deficit Deadlifts: 315x3, 405x3, 455x3, 500x3, 550x3, 570x3
Log Incline Bench Press: 205x5, 245x5, 265x5, 300x5, 315x5, 300x5
Dragon Flags: 10, 01, 10, 10, 10, 10
NOTES:
- Performing Dimel Deadlifts as conditioning prior to actual deadlifting is a great thing. It always seems to help increase my bar speed. It has also worked for almost every single on of my athletes prior to setting PRs
- I NEVER would have believed that a little tiny red band would make GHRs THAT much harder! My hamstrings were shot walking into every one of the deadlifts. I was walking funny all night.
- I decided to do Deficits because I know my back is not ready for really heavy weight just yet. This helped regulate that, but I was able to hit 570x3 without pain. I am happy with this for now.
- I was also pretty happy to hit 315x5 on the log since my shoulders were pretty shot from yesterday.
- My whole body is tired from yesterdayās training, but I feel like it was a fairly good day overall, considering.
- It is hot and humid as balls in Maryland right now and my gym is open air. I swear you could chew it during conditioning todayā¦
Here is a vid of some highlights from todayās training. I really appreciate all of the support everyone!
Iāve got it! Pretty dense of me:$
Awesome work on the stones man, that 405 will be on the platform soon.
I also noticed this weird kind of support you get. Well I got it from furniture lifting as I never tried stones.
Nice work sir. Deficits work my transition point harder and make locking out more of a choreā¦ whereas it makes it harder off the floor for others. So it can be a great way to work around issues in lowback while they heal.
Hey Alpha, Itās great to see you still killing it day in day out! How did you make the axle you use for deads and presses? Did you attach a sleeve to a regular bar? Do you lose much off you dead pr compared to a standard bar?
Pano: No worries brother, it happens to the best of us. And I hope you are right about that 405!
Barbedwired: I totally agree man. Since I am weak off the floor, that is where they are harder for me, so i was actually pretty happy with 570x3. It may not seem that impressive to some others around here, but it was a good day for his guy. Thanks for stopping in man!
law8: Hey brother! Actually i bought all of my axles from Rogue. They are like $125 or something like that. I know a lot of guys have just bought a piece of 2" pipe then used plumbing fittings as collars and that only costs around $50 or so. I know LoRez has done this, so he may be able to give you more info than I can.
As far as weight differences. I think they are considerable. For instance, my barbell deadlift is 685, where my axle deadlift is only 635. The fact that the bar has zero flex, doesnāt rotate and the thicker bar makes you start your pull from a small deficit all make the maximum numbers drop. And that is not even considering the grip factor. For me, holding onto anything over 585 is VERY Challenging. With pressing, I think the max number stays closer than it does on deadlifts, but you definitely do have to learn a different bar path as the thicker bar forces you to push the bar out further in front of you to initiate the press. However, since it is thicker, I find that heavy overhead presses actually feel better on my wrists and shoulders just because the weight is more distributed. But I get a little less leg drive involved because the axle slips off my front delts more.
Overall though, i think an axle is a great cheap way to make you stronger in everything while really increasing your forearm strength and size. I hope that helps brother!
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āItās a disease. Nobody thinks or feels or cares any more; nobody gets excited or believes in anything except their own comfortable little God damn mediocrity.ā --Richard Yates
āGreat spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.ā --Albert Einstein
TUESDAY, 21JUY2015 - Work For Today
Wave 2/Week 10/Day 2
CONDITIONING - 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Reps of
Kettlebell Turkish Get-Ups
Keg Shouldering
Sandbag Get-Ups
Handstand Push-Ups
STRENGTH GIANT SET
Squats: 225x3, 315x3, 405x3, 455x3, 500x3, 500x3
Axle Push Jerks: 225x1, 275x1, 315x1, 335x1, 370xFail. 370xFail again
Plate Around Head: 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 (Each Side)
ACCESSORY
Overhead Squats: 95x3, 135x3, 185x3, 225x3, 245x3
NOTES:
- Horrible day of lifting for me.
- Coming in, my legs were kind of shaky from yesterdayās workout, but I figured I could just push throughā¦No bueno. Squats felt heavier than they should have, but I did get back up to 500x3 which is the heaviest iāve done since being hurt. Still, it felt like I have a truck on my back.
- I have no idea why I thought the push-presses would go well. This is my third day of pressing in a row, and if i were smart, i would have laid off them today. But I am not smart. I got the 370 to 3/4 of the way to lockout on both attempts and just couldnāt get it done. I was pretty angry. I know i can get it, i just need to be smarter about it.
- I am trying to work on my overhead squat a little bit to help my shoulder and core stability for my squatting and pressing. I was pretty shot by the time I got to them, but 245 isnāt a bad OHS weight for me.
[quote]Alpha wrote:
law8: Hey brother! Actually i bought all of my axles from Rogue. They are like $125 or something like that. I know a lot of guys have just bought a piece of 2" pipe then used plumbing fittings as collars and that only costs around $50 or so. I know LoRez has done this, so he may be able to give you more info than I can.
[/quote]
Iāll give my experience.
Took 1.5" galvanized steel pipe (thatās the inner diameter, outer diameter worked out to just under 2"), got it cut it to 7ā (next time Iād go 7.5ā just for a little extra space on the ends). 1ā out from each end, I took some gorilla tape and just wrapped it around the axle over and over again until it was thick enough to function as a collar. Been using this since 2013 with zero issues.
That said, Iāve never taken it out deadlifting, so Iām not sure how well itād hold up to heavy loads, but Iāve pressed 250 with it with zero issues.
Alpha: You remain a beast, even on your bad days.