Got to respect that, although I think you may have an ulterior motive of looking shredded during those cuts for the weigh-ins, ha.
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Cool, just to clarify wasn’t advocating gear!
Yep I looked it up and seems weird how the scoring played out (as well as just depth of competitors) -the top guy only got 6 reps on the circus press and didnt win any event until the final carry, second placed guy got 10 reps on the dead and eighth placed guy got 1 
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What lessons have you learned? And how do you move forward from here? You either win or you learn!
Win or Learn, man! If I know you a bit by now, I have no doubt things will go far better next time. Not because you will get lucky, but because you will do everything you can to improve.
After one of my previous videos, people have been asking what program I followed to build my strength and Size. In this Video I layout what my plan consisted of and How I went about doing it. I hope some of you will find it to be helpful!
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Great info Alpha.Based on your template,I made some changes cause I intend to show it to a friend that’s fairly new to lifting and I wanted to see how it looks
Remember,he is a relative newb,has little experience with squatting and deadlifting and trains at a commercial gym
Deadlift
Deadlift,Ab variation
Stiff leg deadlift,Ab variation
Hypers,Leg press,Some seated row
Bench
Barbell row,Bench,Oblique work
Dumbbell row,Incline,Oblique work
Dips,Tricep extensions,Side laterals
Squat
Squat,Abs
Front squat,Abs
Lunges,hypers
Ohp
Pullups,ohp,Oblique work
Row or pulldown(he is weak at pull ups),Seated dumbbell press,Oblique work
Dumbbell low incline press,side laterals,facepulls
Also,since we’re gonna pick weights by feel on some movements,and we’ll probably be on the lighter side,I’ll suggest his last set is an amrap.Thoughts?Not sure about that though since it’s gonna fry him up too much
Also,do you do the same rep range on the first and second giant set?
Your newbie friend need something Brian did to build his strength in the first place, not what he did lately…
Brian used to do giant sets of 1 leg exercise, 1 pull, 1 push and a core/abs movement. 4x8, 5x5, 10x3 or 3x10.
Rotating between
A:
Squat+Pull/Chin-up+Vertical Push+Leg Raise
B:
Deadlift+Low-back friendly row+Horizontal push+Pulldown abs
With some strongman conditioning and light accessory would be ideal. Let’s see what Brian thinks 
Awesome vid on programming!
Well, I had 2 questions about it, if I may ask:
- When I read your workouts on NEVERsate from the time you programmed like this (like when after 18 june 2015), I notice you use a range of variations for the main lifts (like front squat, back squat, ssb bar, etc). However, the way I interpret the given program, I have to pick 1 variation of each lift.
Can you shed light on this? Do I have to pick 1 variation, or multiple. And when should lifts be changed? - Martial arts are pretty busy lately, and I have only so much energy and time in a day. And workouts that last 1,5 hour are something I can’t really do…If I had ‘lean out’ the workout, how would you do that?
Keep rocking man, and thank for everything you do!
Like most workouts they seemed prioritized from most important and he even mentioned in the video of stopping early, so basically just do it until you have no time/energy left and call it a day sounds like the reasonable solution here?
Also I’m in no way qualified to answer this but it seems like this program is not for someone doing another full time sport like martial arts, instead of trying to modify it maybe a completely different program is a better approach.
@stronkfak I think that is good for a very new guy man. Honestly, you won’t know until you try and if he really is that new than just about anything you do with him will work because of the adaptation. Don’t over think things too much for a brand new guy. Just make him work hard and he will get better.
But if you do decide to run it with him, keep the MGS and SGS the same sets/reps and auto regulate the ASG with what he has left in the tank.
@Regev19978 That is not what i am doing lately and it will work completely fine for a new guy. Running linear like that will work for people who know what they are doing a little bit. I would highly recommend that type of layout for people with a little bit more experience. I personally loved it but I could no longer do that because the weights I am using are much more heavy so recovery becomes an issue. Deadlifting 500lbs for sets of 5 takes much less out of you than 650x5. But I appreciate you going back and showing people what i used to do. Thanks man!
@Panopticum I have never run this type of layout with my athletes at my gym so i am not really sure what you are referring to. I was doing something completely different back then.
And you can do whatever variations you want man. The video was just laying out principles, a basic template for each session and rep ranges to cover a 3 month span. I even say in the video to not follow this exactly but these are just ideas on how I lay out linear progression. You can change them up as much as you want. I would stick with the main movements for your main giant set then change up the secondary giant set variations as you see fit as long as they are focusing on your weak points and closely mimic the main mover that the session is built around.
If you need to cut it down then just do the main work. It depends on what you want man. If you want to take your martial arts seriously than most of your time should be spent there and your strength work should take a back seat. If you want to get stronger than your martial arts should take a back seat. and if you want both than something else needs to be sacrificed. Like time spent watching tv or on the internet. If you are spending 2 hours a day doing those things then you can fit both in. It is just what you are willing to do to reach your goals. Everything costs something.
Thanks for the kind words man, i really do appreciate them.
@sufiandy I would agree with you or just go in and hit the MGS. If you still have time and energy hit the SGS, but like you said. If you want to be a strength athlete, that needs to be your focus. If you want to be a martial artist, than that needs to be the main focus. It is a tough balance
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I’ve been meaning to comment, but you’ve been putting out so much stuff it’s hard to keep up! I’m about halfway through the contest video. It sucks not placing as well as you want. It sounds like you learned a lot through the experience though, which means it wasn’t a waste. Too many folks try to find ways to soften the blow with excuses and learn nothing.
I’m excited to see what the future holds for you man. Looking forward to some new merch as well.
Well, I thought when I read the earlier programming and daily workouts, they were pretty similar in terms of reps and giant sets. Well, no hassle, just happy you shared this with us.
Haha, touché, I don’t HAVE to do some a set way of variations, but what would you advice? Using 1 variation for a while, or changing things up?
Well said about the cost of things, I will try to cut some stuff out to make time
Hey Alpha,
Awesome video!
If training time is limited to about 65-75 minutes would you advise doing the assistance giant set or getting the conditioning done?
Thanks,
Chris
Just getting caught up here,
Great nationals video. I understand you didnt do as well as you hoped, but it was your first one and if anyone has what it takes to move up in the ranks my money is on you.
Im sure you are reflecting a lot on what happened and how to improve, I have a question if you dont mind:
Given that you overshot the water cut so much, and maybe could have gone “easier” or… “more strategic” lets say, how will you alter this next time around to make it work better for you?
Keep it up man, you have come a long way this year and I am sure you will do even better next year. Everything is a lesson learned.
Also just want to say a massive thank you for the videos and sharing them with everyone. It is not just your lifts or insane workouts that I look up to, but your no excuses attitude and a willingness to help people who want it. Even as someone that does not do strongman, so much of what you teach has massively helped me get back on track after a very “off” year last year.
@T3hPwnisher Thanks man, that means a lot coming from you brother. I really appreciate you always helping me out man!
@Panopticum When I run a program like that, I usually stick with the specific variation for the entire month. That is, unless I KNOW I have hit my max on that particular movement prior. Then I may switch it up early. Otherwise I just stick with the given main mover for the entirely of the month and then switch it up. I hope that points you in the right direction man!
@anon50325502 Thanks brother! I would always advise the conditioning, but maybe put it in such a manner that the exercises hit a variation of the main movement, that way you kill two birds with one stone. I hope that helps brother and thanks for the kind words man!
@Lonnie123 Well man, unfortunately this is my 3rd Nationals…No bueno. That said if I had to consider the water cut again, I would have packed less clothes and thrown my scale in my bag so that I knew where I was at. It was good to see what I was capable of doing, but in hindsight, it was definitely a big mistake. Thanks for asking brother!
@Ironwarrior25 Thanks so much man, you saying things like this really do mean a lot! I know you are feeling similar to me right now, but we will rebuild better than ever man, I am confident in that!
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Here is the Second Part of my 3 part series on How to Bench Press. In this video I cover how to Create some kinetic energy, Initiate Leg Drive and Fix the Bar Path. I hope some of you will find it helpful getting toward some new PRs!
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@Alpha thank you for everything you do on here.
I’m sorry if this has been asked before, but how do you determine band tension on your dynamic days? For instance, if you’re at 60% on a week is that all bar weight, or does that bar weight ever change for more accommodating resistance? Is there something you are looking for in terms of band tension at the top, or do you just put on as much as you can without slowing down? Would there be any difference with chains?
Thanks for any tips
@TrainForPain hey brother, it is very subjective. I weight how much band tension there is at the top of the movement so on squats, for example, I add red and blue mini bands and that adds right around 300lbs. I try to get a Banded 1RM on the movement before I start the dynamic stuff (Usually my first variation in the conjugate wave) and then get my percentages off of that. So if my banded SSB squat 1RM is 400lbs and I am supposed to hit 50% for sets of 3, I will go with 200lbs on the bar. I hope that makes sense and points you in the right direction, my friend!
That makes a ton of sense. I’m not sure why that wasn’t my first instinct - thanks!
@TrainForPain I’m glad it helped brother!
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Are you mentally capable of pushing yourself past what you think is physically possible? Try one of these 6 Mindset Challenges to find out…Hope you guys like the video, thank you, as always, for all of the support!
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