Congrats with your win at MSM, and your showing at Nationals.
Haven’t caught up with reading the rest yet; those posts just stand out.
Matty: Yea man, the support everyone has given has been amazing! Still no word from Dave Tate yet. The log only has a few posts left and I think i am going to continue with another log, we will see when this one gets locked up in a few days. Thanks for checking in brother!
LoRez: I saw that you were back (I read about all of the craziness in your log a few days ago). Thanks for the kind words man and I am really glad you are back to posting!
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“Being a warrior is not about the act of fighting. It’s about the ability, courage, and commitment to end the war within oneself and not quit until the job is done.” --Richard Machowichz
MONDAY, 30NOVEMBER2015 - Work For Today
Wave 2/ Week 2/ Day 1
STRONGMAN EVENTS - Got As Far as I Could in 15 Minutes
1 Tire Flip
1 Keg Clean & Press (185lbs)
1 Dumbbell Man Maker (60b dumbbells)
2 Tire Flips
2 Keg Clean & Presses
2 Dumbbell Man Makers
3 Tire Flips
3 Keg Clean & Presses
3 Dumbbell Man Makers
…Continued to Add Reps for the entirety of the 15 Minutes and finished my “6” Set
STRENGTH - Maximum Effort Lower
Deadlifts
135 + Doubled Green bands
225 + Doubled Green bands
315 + Doubled Green bands
405 + Doubled Green bands
500 + Doubled Green bands (PR)
525 + Doubled Green bands (Bigger PR - Vids of both)
Dropped back to 80% which was 420
420 + Doubled Green bands x5
12 Glute Ham Raise Sit-Ups
420 + Doubled Green bands x5 (Added this set to the video)
12 Glute Ham Raise Sit-Ups
420 + Doubled Green bands x5
12 Glute Ham Raise Sit-Ups
ACCESSORY - 4 Rounds
12 - 3" Deficit Stiff Legged Deadlifts
12 Reverse hypers @ 180lbs
12 Glute Ham Raise Sit-Ups
NOTES:
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Wow. I had pulled against blue mini bands in the past and missed the 500 rep. Today I went with the much tougher green average bands and it was absolutely brutal. I was happy that i hit the 500 but still felt like I had a little left in the tank so i added 10’s and ground out a bigger PR. After I got done, i was actually catching some weird ammonia type smells in the air. It was weird. No one had used ammonia in the gym in months so I have no idea where that came from.
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I have no idea how much doubled green bands add to the top of a deadlift but it felt pretty considerable. The tension really came in right at that sucking point I have right below my knee, which is why you can see me almost pause in those areas.
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I also added the circus dumbbell PR from Saturday and the battle with he 405 22" Atlas Stone in the video.
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I finished book 95/100 for 2015…Only a few more to get through!
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I am also working on an article that i am going to submit to both EliteFTS and T-Nat to see if either one is interested, if not then i will pst it as normal on my page but I’ll keep you guys updated.
Here is a vid of the training from this weekend and today
Alpha dude! You almost had that damn stone! That was crazy how you recovered and got even closer to getting it! And I know what you mean on the T-Rex arms, its annoying. Also just let me know if i need to send Mr. Tate another letter and if I need to send to T-Nat. as well
FarmerOwen: Hahahaha thanks for having my back on this one man, hopefully your letter will help!
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“If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough.” --Mario Andretti
TUESDAY, 01DECEMBER2015 - Work For Today
Wave 2/ Week 1/ Day 2
STRONGMAN EVENTS - 10 Rounds of
50 Foot Yoke Walks: 360, 450, 540, 630, 720, 630, 630, 540, 450, 360
STRENGTH - Maximum Effort Upper
Worked up to a 1RM Axle Overhead Press (jerk/push-press mutated baby…I really need to learn how to jerk correctly)
135x5
15 Kettlebell Swings @ 92Lbs
225x3
15 Kettlebell Swings @ 92Lbs
275x2
15 Kettlebell Swings @ 92Lbs
315x1
15 Kettlebell Swings @ 92Lbs
335x1
15 Kettlebell Swings @ 92Lbs
370x1 (PR VID)
ACCESSORIES - 3 Rounds
Axle Strict Press @ 225lbs: 10, 8, 8
Face Pulls: 10, 10, 10
Handstand Push-Ups: 10, 10, 10
NOTES:
- I can’t believe that I hit the 370 overhead with he axle. Zach Mcarly broke the 231 world record with 363 or something this weekend. If I could just continental clean & press that thing up to my chest, I may actually have a shot at something like that!
- The yoke walks were a little slower than normal, my foot is still bothering me.
- Accessories…225x10 was a surprise. I had never tried doing that before and i feel like 10 is a decent number for the strict press, but i’m unsure.
Either way, i had a good training day!
Here is the vid of my 315, 335, 370 (2 Different angles) and the 225x10 set. If you like what you are watching, please take the time to subscribe to my youtube channel. Thanks Everyone!
Wow. Congratulations on that press. Actually looked like you had pretty good control over it too, all things considered.
That was impressive.
Dat moment when you hit world records in training…
Great work!
Sorry I haven’t posted much in awhile, school is getting rough. But the 370 Axle Press was incredible!! I had to come say good job.
Outstanding work on the axle press Alpha. Always inspiring.
Alpha you are beast. Those presses look so easy. That was very inspiring.
LoRez: Thanks brother! I have been working my overhead a lot lately and think i have figured a few more things out. Also, adding in Yoke waiter’s walks has really seemed to help build the core stability I need to fight with heavy weights above my brain. Your idea with the chain suspending weights from a bar is a good one as well. I have been doing similar things with kettlebells hanging off the end of a log suspended by bands. I can say it has definitely helped my press some. Thanks for checking in man and again, it’s great to have you back around.
Pano: Hahaha thanks man, I’d be lying if that same thought didn’t cross my mind afterwards…The only difference is that Zack did the continental clean with the press. That was a VERY impressive lift. It didn’t even look heavy to him! The most I’ve ever continental clean & pressed has been 345 and it was pretty brutal. But hitting that weight out of a rack is the first set I think. I’d hate to work that hard to get it to front rack then not have enough left into me to finish the lift. Thanks again for the kind words man!
Roran: Thanks so much man! Sorry to here school has been rough. It will be worth it in the long run brother, even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time. Let me know if I can help you out at all man!
Pwnisher: Thanks man, that means a lot coming from you. I am following your new log and excited to see how much stronger you get from the different work you are doing while being hurt. I think it is going to give you a good amount of time to build up the things you wouldn’t normally work on which I know will lead to even greater progress in the future. I only see things getting better and better for you brother!
BlackieBluewings: Thanks man, they definitely didn’t feel very easy! I am humbled that you would say they are inspiring, means a lot man. Thank you.
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“We do two things here…We work hard - And We win. The reason we win is that we work hard. So really, we only do one thing here. If you don’t want to work hard, don’t waste my time.” --Oxford Boxing team welcome message.
WEDNESDAY, 02DECEMBER2015 - Work For Today
Wave 2/Week 2/Day 3
CONDITIONING
3 Minutes Work / 1 Minute Rest For 3 Rounds
50 Foot Bear Walk, 50 Foot Backward Bear Walk
50 Foot Gator Walk, 50 Foot Backward Gator Walk
50 Foot Crab Walk, 50 Foot Backward Crab Walk
100 Foot Burpee Broad Jumps
STRONGMAN - Stone Shouldering
115lbs x 3
145 x 3
175 x 3
205 x 3
232 x 3
250 x 3
300 x 2.9999995 (PR)
ACCESSORY - 5 Rounds
8 Pendlay Rows w/ a pause at the top @ 225lbs
15 Standing Banded Crunches - Average green band
15 Face Pulls - Blue mini bands
NOTES:
- Animal walks will smoke you. I don’t care who you are or how good of shape you are in…
- Stone Shouldering went really well. It has been a really, really long time since I have gone heavy on these. As soon as i picked up the 300 i knew I had it for at least 1. Then once it was on my shoulder, i decided to go for 2. Same thing with he third, but I got the store a little bit too high on my chest during the lap. This takes my hips out of the movement a little bit more and i knew i was in trouble. I rolled it up but not fast enough to get the last bit. I fought with it for a little bit, raised it even higher but just couldn’t get it over the line where it switched over to my shoulder. I could have cleared a standard height bar by a foot though…I took a video of this and will post tomorrow or the next day, whenever I get the time.
- Finished book 96/100 for 2105 today. 4 more left before the end of the month! Getting close!
dude you are a beast, definitely motivating me
Damn that 370 went up well. I wonder if you’ll get 400 OHP till I finish basic and specific training. Do you think you can manage additional 30 lbs to your press in 6 months? Hahah
It’s super motivating seeing your progress, I wish our schedule had enough free time for me to strength train, I can’t wait to finish basic training just for that.
Hope all is well!
Know that feeling. After you battled to finally push that thing, you are just to weak to finish. Like gritting through a few rounds of low and body kicks, only to get there and feel like a kitten.
If you wish to weigh in: lately I noticed a bunch of guys (Ido Portal, John Kavanagh/Conor Mcgregor (influenced by Portal I assume) ,even Jim Wendler) who all talked in one way or another about “building the base”, or “not-singular approach”. They may mean slightly different things with it, but the gist seems to be “don’t focus on just one thing, focus on surrounding things”. Hollistic, so you will.
What is your opninion on it? Does the base really needs to be broad for the top?
For example, a powerlifter trying to hit some kind of bench mark, and has as secondary goal longevity, would you recommend:
- a pure powerlifting routine (like Bulgarian, ramp up to a best for that day and call it quits, 5 times a week)
- a all-round regime (like implementing a heavy and a rep day for every lift, lots of body weight stuff, lots of weighted carries, different types of conditioning)?
[quote]Panopticum wrote:
Hope all is well!
Know that feeling. After you battled to finally push that thing, you are just to weak to finish. Like gritting through a few rounds of low and body kicks, only to get there and feel like a kitten.
If you wish to weigh in: lately I noticed a bunch of guys (Ido Portal, John Kavanagh/Conor Mcgregor (influenced by Portal I assume) ,even Jim Wendler) who all talked in one way or another about “building the base”, or “not-singular approach”. They may mean slightly different things with it, but the gist seems to be “don’t focus on just one thing, focus on surrounding things”. Hollistic, so you will.
What is your opninion on it? Does the base really needs to be broad for the top?
For example, a powerlifter trying to hit some kind of bench mark, and has as secondary goal longevity, would you recommend:
- a pure powerlifting routine (like Bulgarian, ramp up to a best for that day and call it quits, 5 times a week)
- a all-round regime (like implementing a heavy and a rep day for every lift, lots of body weight stuff, lots of weighted carries, different types of conditioning)?
[/quote]
The top lifter already built their base so when one have some goals he prioritizes and specified on what’s important for him. At lest in my opinion.
kckfl: Thanks brother, I am humbled by your words.
Regev: Thank man, i really appreciate that! I hope basic is going well for you even if it doesn’t allow you the time to lift right now. As far as adding 30lbs in 6 Months…Well, I think If I actually learned how to perform a split jerk correctly, i think that is definitely doable. I know the strength is there, but the technique is not yet. I am going to get in contact with an Oly guy soon to see if he can help me out in that department.
Pano: I think it is similar to what Regev said. I would say that if powerlifting was your end goal then mastering the technique of the 3 big lifts would be paramount. But even then, you are still going to need to work out your weak points with accessories and more bodybuilding type training or else you will create imbalances.
I would say that the second example you gave would build a much more well-rounded, athletic individual, but one that MIGHT never become a world champion at any given thing because of the lack of specificity.
As you know, i have chosen to take more of the latter approach and it has served me well in sports, fighting, strongman and life in general. I would get bored if I were to only train for one specific thing. In my past, i have trained like a bodybuilder which helped give me a little bit of mass and some strength. Then when i stopped caring about ascetics and focused on strength, more mass came and it added to my base. Being involved in some form of fighting for most of my life, all of the conditioning and bodyweight stuff helped me stay limber and mobile while the mass showed up on my body. People say that i “move well for a guy my size” but I think ALL humans should move well, no matter their body composition. More often than not, i think people loose these abilities not because of the amount of muscle but more because they stop making there body do interesting things. How many 35 year old do you know that still climb tress and attempt to walk on their hands. It’s not that they can’t it is that they haven’t tried for years and are now unwilling. Having my past experiences in building my base has definitely helped me become the athlete I am today.
I can honestly say that when it comes to strength sports or fighting, your base is probably one of the most important things. Maybe even more so than technique. You can have perfect deadlifting form, but if you haven’t spent the time with he bar then you are not going to get very far. Conversely, if you are the strongest guy in the room, but have horrendous form, you are going to get injured or will plateau pretty quickly. You need both I suppose. It is like mat time. You can be learning from the best teacher in the world, but it is hard to beat the guy who has 20 years experience grinding day in and day out on a mat.
Anyway man, that was a long winded approach to saying that your base is of utmost importance. You need to spend thousands of hours at whatever you are trying to pursue in order to become a master of it. And it seems like the deeper you go, the more you realize that you really don’t know much about it at all.
Basics performed well under pressure win championships. And you really don’t even understand the basics until you have spent the better part of a decade in daily, mindful, perfect practice. It is not a cool thing to say in our “have it now” culture, but NO ONE has ever become a champion overnight. It may look like it on the surface, but in reality, what you are seeing is thousands and thousands of hours spent in practice coming together in one triumphant moment. It is a journey. learn to love what you do for its own sake because trophies and titles fade with time…But the journey doesn’t tell you any lies and will never pump up your ego… It changes your body, hardens your mind and forms you into who you really are. You are nothing without your base and the journey it took to build it. Thanks for asking brother.
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No training for me today. Unless putting up my Christmas Tree counts as conditioning…
I uploaded the 300lb Atlas Stone shouldering video and actually tried to mess around with the editing a little bit. i am going to try to do more and more of this as I learn.
Wow, that stone shoulder is seriously impressive. Is that a 20 inch stone? If so, I have no idea how you shouldered that lol.
Regev and Alpha, thanks alot for chiming in!
I agree, the base is what you need, you can specialise from that. And agreed, if you spread your self thin, you might never be at the top of one game, but it pays of in more aspects of life.
Just being an active being in different parts of life keeps you moving well: like portal says “If you specialise, you will pay the prize”. Move around, do conditioning, get strong.
Well, I started really thinking about it when I met a brother in law from my granddad. He was quite the man at the local technical university over here, so I assumed he knew alot about life in general.
But I found out, when we asked about James Bond, he never heard of him. When we asked further, he could’t name 1 film! It wasn’t his thing. Then we found out that he could’t name a band besides the Beatles.
In the end, he seemed to know nothing but his own little field of expertise. What a boring life, and not quite the guy the be around!
Then I thought: what a miserable life it is to just know this one thing, and nothing else. Wouldn’t my body think the same?
This is some of the craziest training I’ve ever seen. In to learn and enjoy!
This is a great log to read if you want something to make you feel like a little girl.
Hey Alpha,
I’m glad to see you are still kicking ass. Just wanted to say the MD strongest man video is intense!