Alpha, great job man, you’re a beast. I’m convinced you will have your pro card before next year’s nationals.
Just to give you an update, I bought some tacky and went back to the gym to try the stones again and I also had a “are you kidding me?!” moment. I smoked the 250 stone and had no problems with a 275 stone (the heaviest stone they had). Thanks again for the advice, I’m feeling much better about my upcoming competition.
Incredible performance! I’ll bet you win it next year. And thank you for for taking the time to do the write up. I love reading them, and its very inspirational.
Knox: That is awesome news brother! It makes a huge difference right!?! You are going to do great at your competition brother! And thanks for your kind words! I hope you are right about the Pro-Card, that is my ultimate goal for right now.
Roran: Thanks man! I really appreciate you heading over to my site to read it! As long as people want to listen to the stuff I write, I will continue to do so!
TUESDAY, 06OCTOBER2015 - Work For Today
Wave 3/Week 3/Day 2
STRONGMAN EVENTS - 50 Foot Yoke Waiter’s Walks
180lbs
200
230
250
270
300
340
360
STRENGTH GIANT SET
Pull-Ups: 20, 20, 20, 20, 20
Log Incline Bench Press: 300x5, 300x5, 300x5, 300x5, 300x5
Kettle bell Side Bends: 53lbsx10 (Each Side), 10, 10, 10, 10
ACCESSORY - Axle “Z” Presses
155lbsx10, 10, 10, 10, 10
NOTES:
18th place for your second nationals is very impressive especially considering your last competition’s placement. In a year you’ll get your Arnold’s card for sure!
BTW, I guess strongman isn’t as neurologically taxing as strength sport like powerlifting if you squatted and worked this heavy so soon.
Hey Alpha. Awesome write up, very informative. Do most competitors cut weight that you know of?-- I was unaware that logs were different like that, but I’ve only ever seen 1.— I lol’d when you tried to coerce the judge on that last rep. Good stuff. – your quips about stellar planning and balancing with weights show your lighthearted side, nice. – you killed the medley in training, I was surprised to see you struggle to be honest. But the education is invaluable. – in regards to the bent over rows, may I suggest more of a bend at the waist to perhaps isolate the upper back more. — I/we are all proud of you. Now with more knowledge, and a renewed fire under you. You’re going to be a force to be reckoned with.
Regev: Thanks brother! I don’t think i would say that it is less taxing to your CNS, I’d say that this Nationals had light weights and was all about moving fast. The only static event we had was the Log clean & Press, and even that had to be cleaned every time. I think it all depends on the events. If there was more of a traditional deadlift (Car dead, Axle for reps, Max Load 18", etc) then it would have definitely put me in more of a deficit. Also if it had a squat event or a traditional yoke walk at a heavier weight, then I think it would have hurt me a lot more.
Light weights and fast feet don’t hurt me too bad. That is why i was able to hit the SSB the next day. If it is more or less taxing than a powerlifting competition is a question i would have to leave to someone with more experience. I have never competed in a PL meet so I don’t really have any business making that kind of comparison.
Betabill: Thanks for the feedback about the write up man! As far as cutting weight. Yes. Most guys at the local level cut weight for their competitions and virtually everyone does at a national level. I am not saying that every single person did, but I was below average in size for my weight class.
There are countless brands of Logs out there and every single one has different balance points and good/bad features. I really should have visited some place that had one like the competition brand before going.
The medley surprised me as well. I felt like that was going to be my best event! Just just like the log, you need to train with the equipment you compete with or you will run into problems like I did. Brute strength is nothing compared to technique when it comes to things like this. Even if i would have had my best showing ever with that medley, i still wouldn’t have won it. I think the guy that did had something ridiculous like 10 reps of each exercise in the minute…That is ridiculously fast!
Good call on the bent rows. I only lean over that far because the weight is so heavy that it knocks me forward. But i will definitely give your suggestion a try!
Thans for your kind words man, they mean a lot!
Damn, I guess I forgot how strong you are, repinng 520 SSB squat for reps just a few days after nationals.
And good wright up! I watched the vid during class today (yep, I’m badass) and loled watching you arguing about that rep, got some unwanted attention haha.
When is the next competition?
Strong effort man. Great videos and write-up as well, I’m sure you will smash it at Maryland’s strongest man
Now I see you do the SSB squats after the nationals, this strikes me: you’re something special. Not out of this world, not the best, you will be tho, but nevertheless a specimen of a magnitude I might never will see in real life.
The internet ruined me me… the internet fixed me
Regev: Thanks for the kind words brother, i really appreciate them! Maryland’s Strongest Man is November 7th. I only have 32 more days so i don’t have the luxury of taking any time off. I will probably not have my best stuff for that comp being that it is so close to the last, but I am going to give it everything I’ve got!
IronWarrior: Thanks so much man! i REALLY hope you are right about that!
Pano: Thanks boss! And don’t worry, the internet ruined me as well. Before I started looking around online, I thought you had to be completely roided-out in order to deadlift eve 500lbs. Once I saw what was possible, it changed my little pond into a big pond and I got better instantly. It is the best, worst thing that has ever happened to me! You will surpass me before you know it if you are willing to put the work in and go through all f those hours of suffering. No doubt in my mind
WEDNESDAY, 07OCTOBER2015 - Work For Today
Wave 3/Week 3/Day 3
CONDITIONING - At The Top of Every Minute for 10 Minutes
30 Kettlebell Swings
STRENGTH - Double Pause Deadlifts
135x3
225x3
315x3
405x1
500x1
550x1 (Vid)
585x1 (Vid)
615x1 (PR and Vid)
ACCESSORY GIANT SET
Stiff Leg Deadlifts: 315x8, 405x8, 455x8, 500x8 (Vid)
Seal Rows: 225x8, 225x8, 225x8, 225x8
NOTES:
Here is the vid
32 days is all you need! Go get em tiger.
Alpha, just finished reading the write-up (your site is blocked by my work firewall, and it’s the only time I’m on T-Nation).
I think you showed a lot of what is important to succeed in this sport/life. There was no blame on the judges, on the equipment, or other outside factors, but instead on what you needed to do to get better. Ego can kill us, and you’ve done an amazing job not letting it get in the way.
I’ve also sulked after not meeting my own standards, and there’s no shame in that. I always refer to it as my “5 minute tantrum”, because sometimes you just need to go off on your own, be pissed off about the situation, and then get over it. It’s better to get it out in just a quick burst than let it eat at you slowly while you deny it.
Looking forward to your showing in this next contest. I was trying to sell the Mrs. on traveling to the other side of the country for this one just because of the car squat. “Hey Honey, remember when you told me you always wanted to see Maryland in November?”
…it didn’t work, haha.
Hi Alpha. So you put on 20 pounds pretty much after the way in and you were still one of the smaller guys in the weight class. That’s eye-opening to me. I’ve tried we cutting one time and it did not go very well. I felt like I had no energy my get up and go got up and went.Since then I guess I’ve always taken an Eastern European way about it, and just came in at the weight I normally was. My trainers would ride me about it constantly, but I stayed adamant because I’m an ignorant bastard. I was never a heavy hitter so the weight didn’t matter to me. But I suppose in strength sports the extra weight would help move heavier weight. That’s the theory anyway. But I digress.
Thanks for sharing, your candor and insight about this whole event is awe inspiring. My eyes are opening to the fact that I must push harder daily, not just when I feel good.
Awesome post above Pwnisher.
Alpha, congrats on your efforts and your placing. Can understand why you would not be totally satisfied with your final placing given your own high standards and where you were after day 1. But 18th at the Nationals no less after being in the sport for a relatively short period of time is amazing - a testament to your drive and commitment. Thanks also for the detailed write up - particularly sharing your thoughts and feelings as you went through the events. Really good insights into how guys at your level approach competition - especially when stuff doesn’t go to plan etc. Good luck in your prep for the upcoming comp.
Regev: Thanks man!
Pwnisher: Thanks for all that you wrote man! I think you and I would get along really well in real life, I really, really hope we get to find out at next year’s Nationals! And the car squat should be fun, hopefully all of the SSB work i have been putting in will pay off there. Time will tell my friend!
Betabill: Yea man, there is definitely a science to cutting the weight and some guys are wizards! If you try to cut it too fast, you will usually lose a lot of energy, but the same things happens to a lot of people when they are dieting. Everyone feels pretty bad when they are at their lightest point of the cut, but after you pound enough electrolytes/water/food then the energy comes back fast. A lot of that is figuring out what helps you recover the fastest when your body is in that state. It is all trial and error. And unless you have done it many, many times, there will always be speed bumps. But you learn and it goes better the next time.
I can only speak for myself, but i don’t think that it is just guys trying to come in as big/heavy as possible. It is that they have gained multiple pounds of muscle since their last competition and they are not strong enough to compete in the higher weight class just yet. So they need to get water out of their body so that they can make the lighter class. For me personally, i don’t see a big jump (or loss) in strength when I go up or down in weight. Then again, I only gain/lose 15-20lbs on average…So i don’t have a lot of experience to back up what i am saying.
And ALWAYS push harder than you want to man. Never put yourself in the position where you find yourself wishing you would have done more. I am not saying max out every day, I am saying that if you are doing speed work that day, do it to the best of your ability. If you are working reps, don’t skip any sets and go as heavy as you are supposed to, etc… Whenever I am coaching and someone asks me if they should go up in weight, drop the weight or skip a set, my standard answer is to look them in the eye just a little bit too long and then challenge them with, “I don’t know. It’s not MY workout. i know what I would do, but I am not you…just do what you think is right.” How they respond tells me a lot about the athlete. I try to leave every workout better than hen i came in. If my CNS is shot and i don’t have strength that day, then i try to perform every rep as perfect as possible. If I am doing speed work, i will put 100% focus into every set…I think if you are going to sacrifice the time away from other things, then the most disrespectful thing you can do is just go through the motions. Even if you are having a bad day and feel off, you can still make every rep as perfect as possible, work on your mobility or crush your cardiovascular system with bodyweight stuff. If you do that, you will leave the gym better than you walked in. You do that enough and your entire life will begin to change drastically. Just my 2 cents, sorry for pontificating!
justrob: Thanks man! I am really glad to hear that you guys like it when I share how i felt the day of and during the competition. I wish more high level guys would do that so we could all learn from their experiences. Good to hear from you man.
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No training for me today. Resting up for stones tomorrow…well that…and i feel like i was run over by a water buffalo.
FRIDAY, 09OCTOBER2015 - Work For Today
Wave 3/Week 3/Day 5
(Morning)
STRONGMAN EVENTS - Atlas Stone over a 52" Bar
142x5
185x4
205x3
232x3
245x2
Add Tacky
300x9 …I really thought I had done 10 until I looked at the video…Stupid oxygen depleted brain!
(Afternoon)
STRONGMAN EVENTS - Log Press (out of a rack)
155x2
205x2
245x2
265x2
285x2
300x1.75…Missed the lockout and was plenty angry
300x1…Didn’t even try for the second rep here. just wanted to hit the 300 again to prove to myself that i could.
Then At the Top of Every Minute for 8 Minutes
205b Log Press (1 Rep)
130lb Circus Dumbbell (1 Rep Right/1Rep Left)
NOTES:
You’re getting back at it with verve!
Are you going the strength-skill route? Like 40 day program style? (exept shorter, Dan John says by dat 20 you pretty much are nailing PR’s) I heard great thing about that (The 40-Workout Strength Challenge).
I guess upping the weight and volume would be neccesary for you, but the idea of practicing the implements used at comp for the majority, if not all, of your volume…It might work out.
Don’t do something you don’t feel right about. It just came up after you told about the feel of not having enough experience with the implements.
Give em hell boss!
Pano: Nah man, i don’t really have time to follow anyone’s program at the moment. I am only looking at about 3 more weeks, then a deload, then the contest. All of that while cutting weight. The hay is in the barn. I am probably not going to get any stronger between now and then, especially with Nationals having just been finishing up this time 7 days ago…I am just really working on my technique right now. Practicing the events will be making up 90% of my training for the next 3 weeks. That and accessory stuff. Focusing on staying healthy and getting my foot healed before the comp. Thanks man!
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“…If you work hard enough and assert yourself, and use your mind and imagination, you can shape the world to your desires.” --Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers
SATURDAY, 10OCTOBER2015 - Work For Today
Wave 3/Week 3/Day 6
STRONGMAN EVENTS - 50 Foot Yoke Walks
270lbs, 360, 450, 540, 620
750
750
750
750
750
ACCESSORY - Reverse Hypers
180x20, 270x20, 270x20
NOTES:
Here is the vid from yesterday’s and this morning’s training
yeah man, I didn’t mean follow someone’s workout, no time for that!
I meant you focus on technique for the time being, pretty much the gist of dan john’s program. So hammer the implements very often, get very skilled at them, and be a beast at comp.
Sorry for cramming ideas in your head; )
No mean to judge but shouldn’t you be more consistent with the log press? Some of the reps looks more like a push press and some are more like a jerk. Maybe it doesn’t really matter but it can be a huge flaw in training in my opinion.
But hey, perhaps I’m wrong…