Your Body. Your Mind. Your Circle. Why Progress Requires All Three

This week, we’re highlighting the momentum building inside Argent Alpha.

We’re recapping two physical challenges that test very different capacities—rucking for load and endurance, and static holds for tension and control.

We’re diving into the mindset work unfolding in the May R.A.D. series, exploring the roles we play—and the beliefs that shape them.

You’ll see why our monthly testing matters—and what it reveals.

And we’ll close with a deeper look at the pull-up as a symbol of transformation for men over 50.

Each piece connects to a bigger picture:
Your body. Your mind. Your circle.
That’s the structure. That’s the standard.

Show up. Do the hard things. Track the truth.

Let’s get to work.

From Miles to Minutes: Two Challenges, One Standard

Each and every month, we lay out an optional challenge for Argent Alpha members.

The goal is simple: build mental and physical resilience.
To get comfortable being uncomfortable.
To test yourself in a specific domain—and grow because of it.

April was about external load.
The Argent Alpha Ruck Challenge combined distance and weight, tracked using a straightforward formula:
Miles rucked × Weight carried (in pounds) = Points
2 miles x 20 lbs (ruck sack or weight vest) = 40 points
The target: 600 points by April 30

That could look like 2 miles with 20 lbs, done 15 times—or any other combination that demanded consistency and grit.
The top performer didn’t just cross the finish line—he demolished it, logging 2,510 points, over 4× the challenge minimum (congrats Brandon!).
Men who hit or exceeded the standard earned the Argent Alpha Ruck Patch—a symbol of effort, not ego.

Why ruck?
Because it builds your aerobic engine, reinforces joint-friendly strength, and hardens your mindset.
It’s one of the most effective ways to develop real-world capacity—especially for men over 50.

May shifts the focus inward.
We’re trading miles for minutes in the TUT Test—accumulating 62 total minutes of Time Under Tension over the course of the month.
That’s just two minutes per day of bodyweight-only static holds.

Approved movements include:
• Push-up hold
• Pull-up hold (chin over bar or elbows at 90°)
• Squat hold (not resting, maintain tension)
• Hollow hold

Hold each movement for as long as you can. Expect shaking, quivering and trembling!

Track clean time only.
If form breaks, the clock stops.
No shortcuts. No ego reps. Just full-body control under stress.

April tested what you could carry.
May tests what you can hold.

Two different challenges. One standard:
Show up. Do the work. Track the truth.

Not a member? No problem.
Start your own challenge this month.
Pick a physical test. Recruit a few solid men.
Track it. Push each other. Get uncomfortable—on purpose.

This is one of the many ways Argent Alpha members build resilience, sharpen their edge, and become harder to kill.
Challenges reveal who’s serious.
Make it real. Make it count.

The Roles We Play: Identity, Drift, and the Voice That Holds You Back

Every Monday, we gather on Zoom for our R.A.D. meeting—Recurring Accountability Drivers.
It’s where men check in: on track or off.
We troubleshoot, we challenge, and we go deep on a topic that matters.

In May, the topic is identity.
Specifically, the roles we default to—and the limiting beliefs that keep us stuck in them.

At any given moment, you’re operating from one of four roles:

• Victim – “This always happens to me.”

• Villain – “They don’t get it. They’re the problem.”

• Hero – “This is hard, but I’m doing it anyway.”

• Guide – “Let me help others rise.”

These roles aren’t just reactions to pressure.
They’re belief-driven operating systems we run—often without realizing it.
They show up in how we train, lead, respond, and recover.

What pressure does is expose the default.
And for many men, that default isn’t Hero or Guide.
It’s Victim or Villain—roles that feel justified in the moment, but quietly reinforce weakness, resentment, or drift.

Behind that drift is a familiar voice.
Steven Pressfield calls it Resistance.
Phil Stutz calls it Part X.
I reference both because they describe the same internal enemy—the voice that wants you small, reactive, and safe at the cost of progress.

In Week 1, we laid the foundation—naming the four roles and helping every man identify where he’s been operating.
That awareness is non-negotiable. You can’t shift what you won’t name.

This coming Monday, we move into Week 2—a focused look at Victim and Villain, the two roles that keep men powerless.
You don’t consciously choose them. You drift.
Every excuse, every delayed action, every moment you pull back instead of leaning in—it’s another quiet vote for the wrong role.

Then in Week 3, we’ll break down what it means to choose the Hero.
Not perfection. Not bravado. But forward motion in the face of discomfort.
And in Week 4, we’ll close with the Guide—the man who has walked through resistance and now helps others rise.

This isn’t about temporary motivation.
It’s about permanent pattern recognition—and the courage to change it.

So ask yourself:
What role are you in today?
And what belief is keeping you there?

Drift Happens. That’s Why We Test.

Every month inside Argent Alpha, we test.

Not randomly. Not occasionally.
Deliberately—on two fronts:

• InBody Scan – Body fat %, lean mass, segmental analysis. Find an InBody location near you.

• A³ Fitness Standards –

  • Maximum Hand Release Push-ups

  • Wall Sit for time

  • Maximum Pull-up or Chin-up

  • Plank Hold for time

  • Bar Hang for time

  • Max Burpees in 60 seconds

For a free guide to the A³ Fitness Standards visit Argent Alpha.

All movements can be scaled to meet you where you are.
Can’t do a full pull-up yet? Start with band-assisted, chair-supported, or eccentric-only reps.
Wall sit too painful? Shorten the hold time or adjust the depth.
It’s about challenge with integrity—not forced performance.

This isn’t about perfection.
It’s about pattern recognition.
Because if you’re not testing, you’re guessing—and guesswork is how drift begins.

Most men think they’re doing “pretty well.”
Until they see the numbers.
Testing forces the truth to the surface. That’s the point.

It’s not about comparing yourself to anyone else.
But doing this alongside a group of sharp, committed men? That changes the game.
You’ll push harder. You’ll find another gear.
And you’ll inspire others just as much as you’re inspired by those ahead of you.
This isn’t “compare and despair.” It’s iron sharpening iron.

We test for three things:

• Body composition – Are you dropping fat, holding (or building) muscle, and moving toward 15% body fat?

• Capability – Are you stronger, more durable, and more resilient than last month?

• Function – Can you move with control, capacity, and composure—or are you compensating and coasting?

Testing doesn’t lie. It just tells you what is.

And that’s the mindset shift.
You’re not here to avoid feedback. You’re here to use it.
Whether your results show progress or expose drift, the outcome is the same: clarity.

And with clarity, you can course-correct.

One of the most telling indicators we track?
The pull-up.

In the next section, we’ll break down why that single movement reveals more than just your strength—it reveals your upside.

The Pull-Up Reveals More Than Strength

For most men over 50, the pull-up feels like a distant memory—or a physical impossibility.
Something they did in high school… or never could.
But inside Argent Alpha, we treat it differently.

The pull-up is more than a movement.
It’s a proxy.

For body composition.
For mobility.
For mindset.
For whether you're serious—or just going through the motions.

Because here’s the truth:
If you’re carrying too much body fat, lack shoulder range of motion, or don’t have a plan—you won’t get your chin over the bar.
Not yet.

But this isn’t a dead end. It’s a checkpoint.
A clear, honest signal that shows you where you stand.

To get your first pull-up, you need three things:

1. Better mobility – Open up your shoulders, improve scapular control, and free up thoracic movement.

2. A smart progression plan – Start with dead hangs, isometric holds, and eccentric lowers. Build from there.

3. Lean body mass over excess fat – A man at 15% body fat will out-lift his 30% self. Every. Single. Time.

This isn’t magic—it’s mechanics, mindset, and momentum.

And when it clicks? Everything changes.

A man’s first pull-up isn’t just a rep—it’s a revelation.
He stops asking, “Can I do this?”
And starts asking, “What else am I capable of?”

That shift matters.

Inside Argent Alpha, we’re not chasing fitness for its own sake.
We’re pursuing capability—reclaiming ground we never should’ve given up.
And the pull-up becomes a turning point.
Not just because of what it demands—but because of what it proves:

You’re not done.
You’re not broken.
And your upside is bigger than you think.

You’re Either Drifting or Driving

Everything we covered this week—
The monthly challenges.
The roles you operate from.
The discipline of testing.
And the pull-up as a proxy—
It all points to one truth:

You are either drifting, or you’re driving.
There’s no neutral in this phase of life.

Inside Argent Alpha, we don’t just talk about change—we engineer it.
Through accountability, structure, and a brotherhood of men who refuse to coast.

If you’re reading this and haven’t stepped fully into the work…
Or if you know a man who needs to find his edge again—

Send him here: argentalpha.com

He’ll either rise to the challenge…
Or stay where he is.

And you already know what we’re choosing.

Let’s go.