Nutrition 7/31

8:00 am (post workout)
Protein shake (2 scoops (50g) whey protein isolate in 24 oz. water)

10:15 am
2 oz. ground turkey breast
1/2 large grapefruit
4 oz. celery
5 walnut halves

1:30 pm
5 oz. grilled salmon with lemon & dill
salad - 1 1/2 cup mixed baby salad greens, 1/3 cup sliced mushrooms, 1/3 cup cucumber, 1 cup grape tomatoes, 5 black olives, 1 Tbsp chopped basil and cilantro
9 almonds
1 cup blueberries

4:30 pm
2 oz. grilled chicken breast
3.5 oz. carrots
6 strawberries
6 hazelnuts

7:30pm
6 oz. round eye steak - saute'ed with evoo, shallots, onion, garlic, pepper
1 cup (about 24) red grapes
1 banana
1/6 cup mixed walnuts and almonds

132 oz. water on the day

Fitness - WOD & Muscle Ups! 7/31

I was excited for 2 reasons when I looked at the white board this morning, there was a partner stretch session and there was time dedicated to practicing one skill. Something that you personally struggle with, or want to try. But first we had to get through the dreaded 20 rep squat WOD.

WOD: back squats, 20 reps, max effort:
1x20 - 105 Kg (231.5#)

I gave everything I had and this performance felt great! The goal was to work up to a weight where it was difficult to get 10 reps, then go for 20. It's a great way to work through a barrier like that. So after many warm up sets I felt like 105 Kg was where I needed to be.

I got to the 12th rep and thought to myself "Holy s***, what did I get myself into?" It was extremely hard and I still had 8 to go. But I got all 20 of them. I almost bailed on the bar at 18 but kept with it and put em' up. Although, I became that guy at the gym that I hate. You know, the guy who yells after every rep when he goes heavy. It's ok though, I had lots of encouragement from the other CrossFitters. I count this one as a big mental success too. I mean, I was dead at 12 reps but I just focused on one rep at a time and trying to block out the pain. I really wanted that 20.

I gladly hit up the partner stretch then it was time to play. I told the coach that I wanted to try something I had never done before, let alone even tried before. . . THE MUSCLE UP. After a quick tutorial on the false grip and working through the progression on my knees with the rings lowered, I stepped up to the set of rings hanging from the ceiling. After a failed first attempt, I reset my grip and got the second one no problem, then hammered out two more. 3 in a row, not bad for a first timer. To be honest, it felt a little easy, I know I'm built for them more than other people, but maybe it's just because they were in my head or I was siking myself out. But after I got the comfortable with the motion, muscle memory took over and they felt solid.

Here is a good video of a muscle up. This guy has pretty perfect form. He's doing them from a dead hang. There's also a kipping version where you start the movement with your legs to generate some momentum.

A good day at the gym for sure. I plan to take tomorrow and Sunday off. My body needs the rest. Next week I'm going to break it up so I have a rest day mid week, then I'll take my 5th class on Saturday. Instead of going 5 in a row and hitting on all the weekdays.

Nutrition 7/30

6:20 am (pre workout)
6 Strawberries
1 spoonfull sunflower seed butter

7:50 am (post workout)
Protein shake (2 scoops (50g) whey protein isolate in 24 oz. water)

10:15 am
2 hard boiled eggs
1 cup red grapes
3.5 oz. celery
3 almonds

1:30 pm
Taco salad - 5 oz. ground turkey breast (saute'ed with shallots, garlic, green onion, cilantro, evoo, pepper, red pepper flakes, paprika, chili powder and cumin), 1 1/2 cup lettuce, 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro, 1/2 avocado.
1/2 cup salsa
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (as a topping)
1 Tspn hot sauce
1 kiwi

4:30 pm
2 oz. round eye steak
3.5 oz. carrots
1 medium red plum
3 walnuts

8:00pm
5 oz. round eye steak - suate'ed with shallots, onion, garlic, evoo, pepper
4 cups stir fry veggie mix - broccoli, carrots, snap peas, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, water chestnuts, red & green bell peppers.
1/4 cup cranberry craze
1/5 cantalope

140 oz. water on the day

Fitness - WOD 7/30

I woke up today and my shoulders and traps were hating life from yesterday's hang power snatches. Not to mention my legs were Jello from the box jumps and air squats. So, of course today's focus was on strict/military press and the WOD had to include some dumb bell squat cleans.

Focus
Strict press, 5x5, max effort:
1x5 - 40 Kg (88.2#)
1x5 - 50 Kg (110.2#)
1x5 - 60 Kg (132.3#)
1x5 - 70 Kg (154.3#)
1x5 - 60 Kg (132.3#)

WOD
EMOTM (every minute on the minute) for 20 minutes of:
5 Dumb bell squat cleans - 40# dumb bell each arm
5 pushups

Calories burned (strict press & WOD): 498
Calories burned (bike to gym, press and WOD, bike to work): 1171

I'm pleased with my strict press effort. Although I didn't end there, 70 Kg was the perfect weight for my heaviest set. I for sure had the body vibrations going on while putting up the last 3 reps. I felt like my form was locked in though. I was getting my head out of the way, the bar was moving straight up, and my head and chest were coming through at the top with a strong lock out. I really want to do some push press work to see how heavy I can go with a little spring from my legs.

I must say, today's WOD was pretty tasty. I've never done an "EMOTM" workout before and this was a great introduction. In retrospect, I should have gone heavier with the dumb bells. At least 45#'s but probably 50#'s instead of the 40#er's I used. I was expecting it to be more of a challenge because I was still so sore from yesterday. Don't get me wrong, it was still extremely hard and I was spent the last 5 rounds. But I could have gone heavier. I finished every round with about 20-30 seconds to spare.

Nutrition 7/29

6:20 am (pre workout)
Large banana

7:50 am (post workout)
Protein shake (2 scoops (50g) whey protein isolate in 24 oz. water)

10:15 am
2 hard boiled eggs
1 large peach
3.5 oz. carrots

1:30 pm
Taco salad - 5 oz. ground turkey breast (saute'ed with shallots, garlic, green onion, cilantro, evoo, pepper, red pepper flakes, paprika, chili powder and cumin), 1 1/2 cup lettuce, 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro, 1/2 avocado.
1/2 cup salsa
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (as a topping)
1 Tspn hot sauce
1 cup blueberries

4:30 pm
2 oz. round eye steak
3.5 oz. celery
14 cherries (mixed rainier and bing)

8:00 pm (too hot to cook anything)
5 oz. left over grilled chicken breast
2 Tbsp TJ's bbq sauce
1/5 cantalope
1 Tbsp raisins
3 dried apricots
1/4 cup mixed almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.

136 oz. water on the day

Fitness - WOD 7/29

I loved today's WOD. I was hoping this morning on my way in that there would be some sort of pull up work included in the WOD. And wouldn't you know it, there was! Weighted dead hang/strict pull ups were the focus then we got into a great WOD

5x5 weighted pull ups
5x5 - 20 Kg

WOD, 21-15-9 of:
Hanging power snatch - 40 Kg
Box jumps - 24"
Air squats

Time: 4:55
Calories burned (WOD only): 388
Calories burned (bike to gym, WOD, bike to work): 1115

I love these 21-15-9 WOD's, short and super intense. I'm really stoked on my time. Even though I just barely got it, I was shooting for a sub 5 minute performance. I hadn't seen anybody on the white board post one yet and I wanted to be the first.

I felt great on the snatches and made it almost all the way through the first round of 21 without a break (made it to 17, then rested a few seconds). The second round of 15 I broke into 10 and 5. And I didn't break on the last round of 9. On my breaks, I never set the bar down though.

The Box jumps took a lot out of me but I tried to just keep plugging away at them. Actually, during the box jumps is were I probably rested the most. Sometimes I'd get through 10 at a time then rest, then only be able to do 3 before I had to rest again. Never with my hands on my knees, I just took a step back and a few deep breaths. The air squats were no problem, I jammed through those.

I'm thinking about taking tomorrow as a rest day but we'll see. My legs already feel toasted from today's WOD and all the bike commuting this week. But i'm just so addicted:)

Nutrition 7/28

6:20 am (pre workout)
5 Strawberries

7:50 am (post workout)
Protein shake (2 scoops (50g) whey protein isolate in 24 oz. water)

10:15 am
2 hard boiled egg whites
4 oz. celery
1 medium orange
1/8 cup walnuts

1:30 pm
4.5 oz. grilled chicken breast (marinated with cilantro, EVOO, garlic, lemon juice, pepper)
Salad - 1 1/2 cup organic mixed baby greens, 1/3 cup tomato, 1/3 cup mushrooms, 1/3 cup cucumber, topped with chopped fennel fonds, cilantro and basil.
1 kiwi
9 almonds

4:30 pm
2 oz. grilled round eye steak (marinated with garlic, onion, pepper, EVOO, cilantro, lime juice)
4 oz. carrots
6 hazelnuts
1 medium plum

8:00 pm
5 oz. grilled salmon with lemon and dill
1 1/2 cup roasted yellow (crookneck) summer squash (roasted with EVOO, rosemary, pepper, garlic)
1 cup red grapes

120 oz. water on the day

Fitness - WOD 7/28

Today's WOD pretty light. Rode my bike to the gym again today and it felt amazing. It's always tough because coming from Capitol Hill to Fremont there's a ton of hills. That early my legs are always sore from the WOD the day before but by the time I get to the gym, they are nice and warm.

Today we started of with dead lifts and ended with a short kettle bell snatch and run workout

Dead lifts, 3x3, max effort:
1x3 - 100 Kg (220.5#)
1x3 - 120 Kg (264.5#)
1x3 - 140 Kg (308.6#)

My deads felt good this morning. Last time we did sets of three I ended at 130 Kg. I feel like I'm getting so much stronger, It's incredible. Next time I intend to go up even more. Probably only another 5 or 10 Kg's but still, that'll be a new PR.

WOD:
20 Kettle bell snatches each arm - 24 Kg (53#)
400m run

Time: 7:59
Calories burned (WOD only): 430
Calories burned (bike to gym, WOD, bike to work): 1103

I split the first round into alternating sets of ten (ten right, ten left, ten right, ten left) to get the 20 on each side. For the second round I alternated every five reps. Although more time was spent switching hands, I noticed with this method that I could get through them a little faster because my shoulders weren't being pushed to the point where I had to slow down and I could keep a steady pace.

I smoked the 400's though, my legs felt really good. People finished their KB snatches before me then I'd pass them on the 400 and be the first one back to the gym on the kettle bell. Then they would smoke me on the KB snatches. If I got this movement down like some of the other guys I could totally get this time down to around 6 minutes, without question.

That being said, obviously I'm not terribly pleased with my time (although it was a great little workout). I'm still working at trying to dial in the fluidity of this exercise. For the sake of my form, I probably could have benefited from using a lighter kettle bell. Also, as I get tired I've been told that I'm squatting down, instead of hinging my hips back, to generate power. Which is causing me to waste a lot of energy by having to work a lot harder to pop the KB up.

Squatting down instead of hinging back is also bad because it tends to push your hips forward which causes your knees to move out over or in front of your toes. Which is not ideal for weight distribution and can cause a lot of balance problems with the KB snatch. You want to be digging in with your heals to start this movement, not your toes. Something I certainly need to be more conscious of.

Nutrition 7/27

6:30 am (pre workout)
1 medium banana
1/2 Tbsp almond butter

7:55 am (post workout)
Protein shake (2 scoops (50g) whey protein isolate in 30 oz. water)

10:20 am
2 oz. tri-tip steak
1 cup chopped mixed green, organge and red bell peppers
1/2 large apple, sliced
1/2 Tbsp sunflower seed butter (to go with apple)

1:30 pm
5 oz. Albacore tuna (canned)
Salad - 1 1/2 cup spicy salad greens, 1/2 cup tomato, 1/2 cup cucumber, 5 olives, chopped basil and cilantro
6 almonds
6 hazelnuts
1 fresh apricot
7 cherries

4:30 pm
2 hard boiled eggs
1/2 large apple, sliced
1/2 Tbsp sunflower seed butter (to go with apple)
5 oz. carrots

7:30 pm
Scrambled eggs - 3 whites, 1 yoke, pepper
saute'ed/caramalized shallots (1), garlic, 3 oz. mushrooms, 1 Tspn olive oil.
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (as a topping for eggs)
1/6 of a cantalope
1/8 cup walnuts

126 oz water on the day

Fitness - WOD 7/27

Wowie! It's crazy how a weekend of pure indulgence and eating whatever, whenever really affected my body's performance. I woke up this morning feeling heavy and sluggish, although my muscles did feel rested and fresh. So, I decided to ride my bike to work today to wake up my body and start the week off on the right foot. I plan to bike to the gym and work every day this week.

For today's WOD I definitely felt like I had to brush off the cobwebs. I was excited to see overhead squats on the board as they are a movement that I really want to focus and improve on.

WOD - AMRAP in 15 minutes of (starting at 1 rep each, then 2, 3, 4. . . etc):
Over head squats - 50 Kg (110.2#)
Push Ups
V-ups

Score: 8
Calories burned (WOD only): 488
Calories burned (including bike to gym, WOD & bike to work): 1270

The WOD broke down like this: We went through each of the exercises starting out at 1 rep, then 2 reps each movement, then 3, 4, 5. . . etc. until the 15 minutes was up. We recorded the rep count of the last round we fully completed. I had started on my 9th round (9 reps each exercise) but time ran out before I could finish all the movements, so my score was 8.

I'm not terribly pleased with this performance, except for my form on the over head squats. For some reason, everything David had been teaching me totally clicked today and I had it dialed in. I feel like I could have easily finished 9 rounds fully and maybe even 10 but with the way it worked I spent a lot of time waiting for the guy in front of me to finish his squats before I could get on the bar (he and I were the only ones to take on 50 Kg so we shared a bar).

Overall, it was a productive day back at the gym after a weekend of fun in the sun (I've got the sunburn to prove it).

Lake Chelan State of Mind

I will be heading to Lake Chelan this weekend (leaving in a few hours). I'm super excited for this trip. My girlfriend's sister lives there and has a sick place right on the lake. Although, it's supposed to be 100+ degrees there every day this weekend, so my skin and I are a little worried.

My goal is to make healthy food choices as aften as possible, stay away from bad carbs (chips, crackers, pasta salad, sugar etc.) and dairy (mostly cheese . It's not hard for me to not eat other dairy anymore). Where I might break down is in the sweets category (cookies, cake, candy, ice cream). Which oddly enough, usually contains both bad carbs and dairy.

And then there's the alcohol category. We'll be sitting by/out on the water all day with a cooler full of cold bevy's, beer and liquor alike. So that's probably where I'll be racking up the majority of my empty calories this weekend.

And instead of burgers or dogs I'll hit up a chicken breast, fish fillet of some sort or a steak. Overall, it's a vacation and I pretty much plan to eat whatever, whenever, enjoy myself and some good food that I don't eat often and not worry about it. It's going to be an awesome getaway and one i've been looking forward to for sure.

As far as workouts go. I doubt there's a CrossFit affiliate in Chelan. So I probably won't be able to get a WOD in. Which is fine, I hit all 5 week days this week so I'm feeling pretty worn out. My plan is to get a good run in Saturday morning and maybe come up with a light WOD that includes exercises that only need body weight.

Since I'll be out on the water doubt I'll be at a computer able to log everything. And since i'll be drinking and not really paying attention to it I doubt I'll be able to remember it or write it down accuratly at the end of the day. I will try to write it down as I go or at the end of the day, and post it all on the blog when I return, maybe. It's bound to be pretty bad. And by bad I mean extremely satisfyin;)

Enjoy your weekend. I know I will!

Nutrition 7/24

6:30 am (pre workout)
1/2 Tbsp sunflower seed butter
1 medium banana

7:50 am (post workout)
1 protein shake (2 scoops (50g) whey protein isolate in 24 oz. water)

10:30 am
3 oz. grilled turkey breast fillet
4 oz. broccoli
6 hazelnuts
1 peach

2:00 pm
7 oz. grilled sesame crusted ahi tuna steak fillet
Salad - 1 cup spicy salad greens, 2 radishes, 1/2 cup tomato, 1/3 cup mushrooms, 1/3 cup cucumber, 3 chopped basil leaves
9 almonds
1 pear

5:00 pm
Scrambled eggs - 3 egg whites, 1 yoke, cracked black pepper
1/4 cup salsa
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (as a topping for eggs)
1/2 cup blueberries
1/8 cup walnuts

8:00 pm
Salad - 1 cup spinach, 5 black olives, 1/2 cup tomato, 1/3 cup cucumber, 4 chopped basil leaves, 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
3 oz. Grilled turkey breast fillet - mixed in with salad
2 oz. Tri-tip steak (left over from last night) - mixed in with salad
1 medium plum
1 fresh apricot
9 almonds

110 oz water on the day

Fitness - WOD 7/24

Today's WOD was another mild one. This morning focus was push ups. All different variations to play around with. No times or scores or anything, just stations set up (push up jacks (which were insane and something I'll remember to work in regularly), roving push ups, chain/plate push ups, roving push ups with a little medicine ball, elevated push ups and ring push ups) to work your form and try new variations.

I had not done much work with rings so I was at the ring push up station a majority of the time. It felt super strong on the rings. One thing I've noticed that I attribute to CrossFit and CrossFit alone, is the strength of my core these days. It has grown exponentially over only the past two months. Being able to maintain a pressurized core is so important in so many exercises/movements.

Since you're feet are elevated and your arms are on a dynamic plain (not a static plane like if there were on the ground) your midsection is the first part to fail. i.e. your stomach starts sinking or you start to raise your hips to compensate. This was a non-issue for me. I did all types of ring push ups. From moving one out to the side, forward and backward while keeping the other in close to my ribcage as I completed the rep.

Anyway, on to the WOD.

WOD: 1 mile barbell carry - 60 Kg (132.3#)

Time: 15:39
Calories burned (during push up work and WOD): 489

The 1 mile barbell carry went as follows: You and another person team up and share one barbell. While one person is carrying the barbell around the 400m lap, the other is running. When they catch up to you, they take over the barbell and you take off running until you catch up with them, then you are back on the barbell, and so on and so on. It doesn't matter how much you or the other person run with out barbell, It's the barbell that has to travel 1 mile (4 laps). If your partner is really moving with the barbell, you may have to run 500 or 600m to catch up to them.

My partner Jason was an animal. He was going about 450m when he had the bar, where as I could only get to about 350m before he would catch up to me.

We both decided the best way to carry this thing was like you were going to back squat it. But after all that push up work, my shoulders and chest were tired and I started to bend at the waist which was putting a huge strain on my back. When I had the bar I had to really try to focus on keeping my chest up, looking forward (not down) and taking shorter, but quicker steps.

I was super happy with our time. It took the only other team of two that tried 60 Kg 22 minutes to complete the mile.

Nutrition 7/23

6:30 am (pre workout)
1 medium banana
1/2 Tbsp sunflower seed butter

8:00 am (post workout)
Protein shake (2 scoops (50g) whey protein isolate in 24 oz. water)

10:15 am
3 hard boiled eggs (only 1 yoke consumed)
9 almonds
11 rainier cherries
4 oz. carrots

1:30 pm
5 oz. grilled lemon/garlic chicken breast
Salad - 1 cup spinach, 1/3 cup mushrooms, 1/2 cup tomato, 6 olives, 1/3 cup cucumber, 1 Tbsp fennel fonds
1/2 cup blueberries
9 walnut chunks
3 dried apricots

4:30 pm
3 oz. Ahi tuna steak
1 orange
4 oz. broccoli
6 Hazelnuts

7:30 pm
5 oz. Grilled tri-tip steak: marinated for 24 hours with fresh grated ginger, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, evoo, fennel and onions.
1 cup sliced fennel & 1 cup sliced onion (from the marinade), 1 cup sliced mixed red, green and orange peppers saute'ed together with evoo, lime juice, cilantro, garlic & ginger.
1 Tbsp TJ's BBQ sauce
6 hazelnuts
1 Tbsp raisins
7 rainier cherries

118 oz. water on the day

Fitness - WOD 7/23

Today's WOD was a little bit of an easy one and I was relieved. Lots of stretching to warm up then some interval training and back squats afterwards.

WOD - Interval training
30 seconds at each station, 3 rounds (2 minute rest between rounds):
Handstand hold
Kettle bell dead lift - 24 Kg KB in each hand
Box jumps - 28"
Medicine ball cleans - 20# ball
Hanging leg raises - Ankles to bar

Score: 156

The score was just a running tally of all the reps completed, for every exercise, for all three rounds, added up (handstand hold counted as 1 rep).

Back squats, 3x3, max effort:
1x3 - 100 Kg (220.5#)
1x3 - 120 Kg (264.5#)
1x3 - 130 Kg (286.6#)

Calories burned (including squats and interval training): 389

My back squats felt really strong. I was getting super deep and two of the coaches commented on my range of motion. I felt like I could have thrown it through the roof at the top of my squat because I was putting it up with ease. I would have jumped up in weight had it not been for lack of time.

Overall a light, yet productive day at the gym.

Nutrition 7/22

7:10 am
2 eggs - Over easy
1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (as a topping for eggs)
1/4 cup salsa
1 Tspn hot suace
1 cup blueberries
1/2 Tbsp sunflower seed butter

10:20 am
2 oz. sesame crusted ahi tuna steak
1 cup mixed red, orange and green bell peppers
1/2 large apple, sliced
1 Tbsp almond butter (to go with apple slices)

1:30 pm
5 oz. grilled lemon/garlic chicken breast
salad (1 1/2 cups red butter lettuce, 1/2 cup tomato, 6 olives, 1/2 cup mushrooms, 1 Tbsp fennel fonds)
1/8 cup walnuts
1 parge plum

4:30 pm
2 oz. grilled turkey breast fillet
12 rainier cherries
6 hazelnuts
4 oz. carrots
1/2 large apple, sliced
1 Tspn almond butter (to go with apple slices)

7:00 pm (post workout)
Protein shake (2 scoops (50g) whey protein isolate in 24 oz. water)

8:00 pm
5 oz. grilled lemon/garlic chicken breast
1 Tbsp TJ's BBQ sauce
Salad - 1 cup spicy salad greens, 1/2 cup cucumber, 1/2 cup tomato, 1/3 cup radishes, 3 chopped basil leaves
1 Tbsp raisins (as a topping for salad)
1/8 cup almonds
10 hazelnuts
1 kiwi
1 fresh apricot
2 dried apricots

112 oz. water on the day

Fitness - WOD "Helen" 7/22

I was initially worried when I pulled up to the gym today and noticed people running around the block with a look of agaony on their face. When I saw the white board, worry turned into excitement.

It was a benchmark day and "Helen" was on the agenda. I've done so few of these benchmark workouts that I'm always stoked to see a new one on the board. First things first, our focus before the WOD was on strict, military press. No jerk or spring/push from the legs allowed.

Strict press, 5x3, max effort:
1x3 - 40 Kg (88.2#)
1x3 - 50 Kg (110.2#)
1x3 - 60 Kg (132.3#)
1x3 - 70 Kg (154.3#)
1x1.5 - 70 Kg (154.3#)
1x3 - 60 Kg (132.3#)

I failed on the last set at 70 Kg so I went back down and finished the set at 60. I was really happy with my form, concentrating on moving my head out of the way, pushing straight up, then getting my head and chest through and a good lock out on top.

WOD: "Helen"
3 rounds for time of:
400m run
21 kettle bell swings - 24 Kg
12 pull ups

Time: 7:49
Calories burned (including focus and WOD): 413

I was licking my chops in anticipation (mixed with a little nervousness) for this one. I looked over the white board and the majority of the times fell in the 9-12 minute range. A couple outliers were some times in the 8th and 14th minute.

It was my first time with this one and I really had no idea how it was going to go down. We had already done a lot of shoulder and back work this week so I was a little tender and I knew my legs weren't as recovered as I wanted them to be. But I said if I could get into the sub 9 minute category, I'd be very pleased.

I rocked this one with a sub 8 minute time. One of only two other people that entire day to get sub 8. Needless to say I was jacked. Spent, but jacked. My legs died on the last 250m or so but I did all the KB swings and pull ups (chest to bar) without breaking.

As always, if I were fresh I think I'd be able to crank it out a little faster. My goal for next time with "Helen" is anything under 7:19.

Nutrition 7/21

7:15 am
4 oz. turkey breast fillet (saute'ed with olive oil, onion, garlic & mushroom)
2 eggs - over easy
1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (as a topping for eggs)
1/2 Tspn hot suace
1/4 cup salsa
1 cup blueberries

12:00 pm
5 oz. grilled lemon/pepper garlic chicken breast
salad (1 cup spicy salad greens, 1/4 tomato, 3 chopped mushrooms, 1/4 cup cucumber, 1 large radish, cilantro)
1 pear
1/2 Tbsp sunflower seed butter
1/2 Tbsp almond butter

2:30 pm
1/8 cup walnuts
2 small otter pops

7:00 pm (post workout)
1 protein shake (2 scoops (50g) whey protein isolate in 24 oz. water)

8:00 pm
5 oz. Sesame crusted ahi tuna steak - 1 tspn Tiger sauce
Salad - 1 cup spicey salad greens, 1/2 cup spinach, 6 olives, 1/4 large tomato, 3 chopped mushrooms, 1/3 cup cucumber, 1/3 cup chopped fennel)
1/8 cup hazelnuts
1 orange

11:00 pm
2 fresh apricots
1 Tbsp raisins
3 almonds
3 walnut halves

88 oz. water on the day

Fitness - WOD 7/21 - Tabata Tuesday!

I think today's WOD is the kind I enjoy the most. Short, intense and just plain raw. "As fast and as many as you can hammer out" type of workout.

To begin we did 5x3 of heavy/weighted pull ups. Then we got into out Tabata WOD. My pull ups were as follows:
1x3 - 16 Kg (35.3#)
1x3 - 20 Kg (44.1#
3x3 - 24 Kg (53#)

For our Tabata's we did 2 rounds with a mix of two exercises at a time for this. We still did 8 sets of each movement with 20 seconds on and 10 seconds rest (1 set), but alternated between exercises. So, it was a total of 16 sets (8 for each movement) and 8 minutes total time (instead of 4, for one exercise). Which actually was nice (at first) because it gave more rest time between specific exercises. Then, it got super hard, super fast.

As you start the front squats, blood has to rush from your upper body to your legs to oxygenate those muscles. Then having to switch so fast to an upper body movement, there's little blood there to assist the muscles engaged in a push up. So it's a constant eb and flow of not enough blood at the points where you need it during those exercises.

Example: 20 seconds front squats - 10 seconds rest - 20 seconds push ups - 10 seconds rest - 20 seconds front squats - 10 seconds rest - 20 seconds push ups - etc. Until 8 sets (20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest) of each are complete.

First round:
Front squats - 40 Kg
Push ups

5 minutes rest

Second round:
Hanging knees-to-elbows
2-arm kettle bell swings - 24 Kg

For our score we recorded the set (20 seconds on) that contained the least reps achieved for each movement. For me that looked as follows:
FS - 9
PU - 11
K2E - 10
KBS - 10

Calories burned: 668

I'm happy with this performance. It seemed to be on par with the top performers in today's class. This is one of those mentally tough challenges as well. You just need to dig in, forget about the pain, and find a rhythm for 20 seconds.

Nutrition 7/20

6:40 am (pre workout)
1 medium banana

8:00 am (post workout)
Protein shake (2 scoops (50g) whey protein isolate in 24 oz. water)

10:10 am
2 hard boiled eggs (1 yoke)
6 almonds
1 peach
3 oz. carrots

1:15 pm
Left over spicy Asian red cabbage wraps (recipe on blog, posted 7/18)
8 Jumbo boysenberries
1/8 cup walnuts

4:30 pm
3 oz. grilled salmon
3 oz. broccoli
13 rainier cherries
6 almonds

8:00 pm
5 oz. diced turkey breast fillet (saute'ed with evoo, onion, garlic and mushroom)
2 1/2 cups veggie stir fry mix (broccoli, bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, snap pees, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots)
1 kiwi

108 oz. water on the day

Fitness - WOD 7/20

Today's WOD was deceptive. It started out feeling like a good warm up but quickly turned into a pretty tough workout. We did 5 different Kettle Bell movements (1 at a time) and worked up through a progression of 5 weights. The lighter weights were all about fine tuning your form to get ready for the heavier Kettle Bells.

WOD: Kettle Bell Complex

10 KB swings - 12 Kg, 16 Kg, 20 Kg, 24 Kg, 32 Kg
5 Single arm KB swings each arm - 12 Kg, 16 Kg, 20 Kg, 24 Kg, 32 Kg
5 Single arm KB cleans each arm - 12 Kg, 16 Kg, 20 Kg, 24 Kg, 32 Kg
5 Single arm KB cleans w/ front squat each arm - 12 Kg, 16 Kg, 20 Kg, 24 Kg, 32 Kg
5 Single arm KB clean & jerk each arm - 12 Kg, 16 Kg, 20 Kg, 24 Kg, 32 Kg

We finished with some dead lifts. After all that KB work my legs were pretty toasted. But the good part was that also meant my legs were warmed up. I was able to jump right into a pretty heavy weight which felt good.

5x5 Dead lifts, max effort:
1x5 - 100 Kg (220.5#)
1x5 - 110 Kg (242.5#)
1x5 - 120 Kg (264.5#)
1x5 - 120 Kg (264.5#)
1x5 - 130 Kg (286.6#)

Calories burned: 710

Overall i felt good with this performance. If my legs could ever be fully recovered and not in a state of perpetual soreness/fatigue, I could probably up the weight a little more.

Spicy Asian Red Cabbage Wraps

I was really in the mood for some spicy, fresh tasting, citrus and cilantro-ey Asian food. But, ever since I started on the, "Zone with Paleo foods" thing, going out to an Asian restaurant would just not fit in.

So I found this recipe and decided to do a little different take on it.

Spicy Asian Red Cabbage Wraps:

Zone Block Count - Makes about 4 servings of: 4 Blocks Protein - 2 Blocks Carbs - 4 Blocks Fat

Ingredients for turkey mixture:
About 1.5 pounds of ground turkey breast (our package was 1.44 lb)
3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 large (3 small) cloves fresh garlic, minced

Ingredients for sauce:
1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce (reduced sodium if available)
3/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
Saracha - to taste
red pepper flakes - 1 Tspn
Thai chili sauce (if available, we didn't have any. That's why we used the Saracha and red pepper flakes)

Other ingredients:
1 lime
1 Tspn black sesame seeds
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and roughly chopped
3 bunch green onions, chopped
1 head red cabbage, pull off leaves
1/2 - 1 cup chopped cilantro


This picture only shows the fresh ingredients. Because really, how sexy is an image of ground turkey breast and some bottles of vinegar and other wet ingredients? Not very.

Directions:
1.) Saute' the onion in a pan with evoo until onions start to caramelize. Stir in garlic until just brown then add turkey. Stir and mix together until turkey is cooked through. Add pepper/red pepper flakes to taste and set aside.

2.) While the turkey is going, chop the green onion, water chestnuts and cilantro. Separate/tear the individual leaves from the head of cabbage and cut the lime in half and cut one of those halves into wedges (wedges to be used as garnish).

3.) In a bowl, mix together all wet ingredients (and red pepper flakes) to make the sauce.

4.) In a large bowl, combine turkey mixture, green onion, water chestnuts cilantro, black sesame seeds and the juice of 1/2 a lime. Stir until evenly mixed.

NOTE: At this point you can also add the sauce and toss it all together. Or you can keep the sauce separate and drizzle it over the turkey in your wrap (which was our approach).

5.) Serve with a few cabbage leaves on a plate, add a few spoon fulls of turkey mixture in the leaf, drizzle sauce over turkey (or not if you incorporated the sauce earlier), wrap or fold over and. . . ENJOY!

Nutrition 7/18

9:30 am (pre workout)
1/2 cup blueberris

11:00 am (post workout)
Protein shake (2 scoops (50g) whey protein isolate in 24 oz. water)

1:00 pm
1 medium pear
4 oz. carrots
2 hard boiled eggs (1 yoke)

4:00 pm
1/4 cup cranberry craze
3 dried apricots
1 Tbsp raisins

5:30 pm
7 rainier cherries

7:00 pm
5 oz. Salmon
2 cups ginger garlic cauliflower & zucchini (recipe on blog, posted 7/17)
1/8 cup walnuts
1/2 Tbsp almond butter
1 kiwi

7:00pm - 2:00am
One of my best friends' birthdays today so we tied one tonight. I can't say exactly how much so i'll just list everything I had:
Vodka soda's with lime wedge - MANY!
Gentleman Jack Daniel's - 2 shots
Irish Car Bomb - 1
Jameson Irish whiskey - 1 shot
A light beer or two

2:00 am
A handfull (or two) of animal crackers

Fitness - WOD 7/18

Today's WOD was fun. Tough, but fun. We started with overhead squats, which I need some work on, then ended with a little team competition.

WOD: 5x5 Overhead squats, max effort
1x5 - 40 Kg (88.2#)
1x5 - 40 Kg (88.2#)
1x5 - 60 Kg (132.3#)
1x5 - 60 Kg (132.3#)
1x5 - 70 Kg (154.3#)

Overhead squats are still relatively new to me. Although I challenged myself today, I decided not to push it to the limit and really work on my form. Dave gave me a ton of coaching and pointers today. It was awesome and extremely helpful. Even after just a few tips he gave me I could feel the weight coming up easier, even though I was moving up in weight. I felt like could have thrown it through the roof on my last set.

The team comp broke down like this: Each team (of 3 or 4) had ten minutes to rack up as many points as possible. Then a 2 minute break, then another 4 minutes to accrue points. Movements and their corresponding point values are as follows:

20 O.H. Squats, 30 Kg - 4 points
20 Wall Balls, 20# - 4 points
20 Kettle bell Swings, 24Kg - 3 points
20 Kettle bell sumo high pulls - 3 points
20 Burpees - 5 points

Team score: 98 points

So while one person was doing one movement, the other two were doing one of the others. Or, two people could split any exercise (Burpees for example) and do ten each, that would count as well. So, there was a little bit of strategy involved as well.

Calories burned (including O.H. squats and team comp): 687

Saute'ed Ginger-Garlic Cauliflower & Zucchini

This is a twist on a dish I love that my girlfriend makes really well.

What you'll need:
1 head of cauliflower
1 star burst zucchini
3 cups chopped perpetual spinach (a little more bitter than savory spinach)
1/4 large onion (I used a sweet onion)
1 heaping Tbsp fresh minced ginger (right off the root)
2 Tbsp minced garlic
Turmeric (adds a vibrant golden color and great curry flavor)
Fresh cracked black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

(Sorry, forgot to take a picture of all the ingredients before hand. My b. You can imagine what that would look like here)

To get started chop the cauliflower up into bite-sized trees, wash them and pat dry. Chop the zucchini into even, small-ish sized pieces and pat dry. Rinse, pat dry and chop three cups worth of spinach. Give the onion a rough chop and set it aside.

Heat a pan over medium heat with 1/6 cup olive oil and throw in the cauliflower and onino and cover, tossing/stirring occasionally. After a few minutes the cauliflower stems will start to become soft, throw in the zucchini the at that point, add pepper to taste and cover.

Let that simmer, tossing/stirring occasionally until the cauliflower is just about done. Add the spinach, minced ginger, garlic and a couple dashes of turmeric and stir together until the spinach wilts down to your liking.

Remove from heat and grind a little more black pepper over the whole thing and give it a few more good stirs, then enjoy! This makes about 6-8 cups depending on the size of your cauliflower and zucchini.



I paired this side dish with some salmon grilled with lemon and fresh dill.



Not only is this dish extremely tasty, it's incredibly healthy as well. Of course because of the fish and all the Omega's it posesses. But also because of the turmeric. Because when paired with cruciferous veggies (which cauliflower is), helps prevent cancer, particullarly in men.

Nutrition 7/17

6:20 am (pre bike commute & WOD)
1 medium banana
1 Tbsp sunflower seed butter

7:55 am (post workout)
protein shake (1 scoop (25g) whey protein isolate in 24 oz. water)

10:30 am
1 hard boiled egg
1 oz. chicken breast
1/4 large apple sliced
1/2 Tbsp almond butter (to go with apple slices)
1/2 small grapefruit
3 oz. broccoli

1:30 pm
5 oz. Tri-tip steak
Salad - 1 cup red butter lettuce, 1/2 cup tomato, 1/2 cup cucumber, 1/2 cup radishes, 1/2 cup mushrooms
5 jumbo boysenberries
1/8 cup walnuts (about 12 pieces)
3 almonds

4:30 pm
1 cup chopped mixed green, red and orange peppers
1/4 large apple sliced
1/2 Tbsp almond butter (to go with apple slices)
2 oz. chicken breast

7:30 pm
Spicy Asian Red Cabbage Wraps (recipe on blog, posted 7/18)
1/2 German chocolate cupcake
3 Oreo's
2 cups 1% milk

104 oz water on the day

Fitness - WOD 7/17

Rode my bike again this morning and it was great. I left at 6:25am and it was already hot outside! Today's WOD was pretty brutal. I saw it on the white board and was ready to crush it, but it ended up getting the better of me.

WOD - 3 rounds of:
800m run
3 rope climbs (or substitute 10 pull ups for 1 rope climb)
15 clean & jerks - 40Kg (88.2#)

Finish with:
400m farmers walk - 24Kg kettle bell in each hand

Time: 28:46
Calories burned (WOD only): 753
Calories burned (including bike in, warm up, WOD, bike to work): 1526

OK, let me start by saying that this was a fun one, no matter how painful. I felt good on the 800's, well the first two at least. I slowed it down on the third one to have a final push through other exercises. I tried to keep track of how long it was taking me to run them but I lost track at some point.

The first round of three rope climbs was great. I flew up the rope with no leg support on the first two and struggled to do the same for my third, but I got it. the second round of rope climbs was significantly harder. My forearms were struggling and I had to change my technique and pinch the rope with my feet to get some weight distribution. The third set I only got two rope climbs in and had to opt out and do the 10 pull ups in place of a third rope climb.

This is a super light weight for clean and jerks for me but it wore me down. My forearms for the most part were destroyed by the second round and my shoulders and legs were on fire. I just tried to grind out each rep. I Got all 15 in the first round, second round I broke into 10 and 5, the third round I broke into 3 sets of 5.

Here's where I fell apart, the farmers walk. My forearms just couldn't keep my grip. I could only go about 50 meters at a time before I had to set them down and rest. I'm hoping forearm stamina will come with time because it seems to be a recurring issue.

Overall I'm not happy with my time only because of the farmers walk. It took me somewhere between 5 and 7 minutes to complete only the farmers walk. Not good. I should have had this workout at around the 24 minute mark.

Nutrition 7/16

7:30 am
1 hard boiled egg
2 oz. chicken breast
1/2 cup blueberries
2 fresh apricots
1 Tbsp raisins
1/2 Tsp almond butter
1/2 Tsp sunflower seed butter
1/4 Tsp pumpkin seeds
(obviously I could not make up my mind this morning so I had a little of everything)

10:30 am
2 oz. Tri tip steak (leftover from last night)
10 cherries
3 oz. carrots
6 walnut halves

1:30 pm
5 oz. grilled garlic-lime chicken breast
Salad: 1 cup spinach, 1/2 cup tomato, 1/2 cup mushrooms, 1/3 cup cucumber, 1.3 cup radishes, 1 tsp chopped cilantro, 2 fresh chopped basil leaves.
12 almonds
3/4 cup (approx. 18) red grapes

4:30 pm
2 hard boiled eggs (whites only, no yokes)
2 oz. broccoli
1 medium plum
3 walnut chunks
3 almonds

7:30 pm
5 oz. Salmon (grilled with fresh dill, lemon juice & pepper)
2 cups Garlic-Ginger Veggies Cauliflower & Zucchini (recipe on blog, posted 7/17)
1 kiwi

10:30 pm
3 dried apricots
1 Tbsp raisins
6 walnut chunks
3 almonds

80 oz. water on the day (so far)

Fitness - Rest Day 7/16

I'm took today off as a rest day and I think it will be very beneficial. I really wanted to hit up a WOD today but I'm holding myself back in order to not overtrain. Even though I felt pretty good this morning with minimal soreness I thought it best to not go 4 days in row. As I stated in an earlier post, I'm trying to break up my week a little more to give my body some recovery time. Not to mention the extra hour and fifteen minutes of sleep felt fantastic:)

However, I did bike to work. It is a beautiful day and those only last so long in Seattle so I took advantage. Plus, I don't really consider the ride to or from work a workout because it's only about 20 minutes each way and not that taxing.

I think my body will be thanking me tomorrow when I wake up fresh and I can't wait to see what tomorrow's WOD has in store.

Nutrition 7/15

6:20 am (pre bike commute & WOD)
1/2 Tsp almond butter
1/2 Tsp sunflower seed butter
1 medium banana

8:00 am (post workout)
Protein shake (1 scoop (25g) whey protein isolate in 20 oz. water)

10:30 am
2 hard boiled eggs
4 oz. cauliflower
1/2 medium grapefruit
4 almonds
4 walnut chunks

1:30 pm
5 oz. Solid white albacore tuna (canned)
Salad (1 cup red butter lettuce, 1/2 cup tomato, 1/3 cup of: radishes, cucumber and mushrooms)
6 Almonds
6 walnut chunks
1 medium apple

4:30 pm
2 oz. chicken breast
2 oz. sliced mixed peppers (green, red, orange)
3 almonds
3 walnut chunks
1 pear

8:00 pm
5 oz. Tri tip steak - Marinated about 1 pound (for 24 hours) with 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup minced garlic, 1/4 of a Walla Walla sweet onion, 1 cup cilantro, pepper and the juice of 1 lemon = SO GOOD!
3 oz. broccoli
4 oz. carrots
1 Tbsp raisins
3 dried apricots
3 almonds
3 walnut chunks
1/4 Tsp sunflower/pumpkin seeds

11:00 pm
5 large organic (Seriously huge! As big as the top half of my thumb at least), delicious boysenberries. I think it's my first time having these in true berry form, ever. I got them at the Ballard Farmers Market and forgot I had them until now.

124 oz. water on the day

Fitness - WOD 7/15

I rode my bike into CrossFit this morning, then on to work. It felt really good. My plan is to do that more often. I only need to get up 10 minutes earlier to make it happen, but sometimes those extra 10 minutes in bed are just too good.

Today was a good WOD. Max effort on back squats with a short little Met-Con to finish it out.

WOD: 5x5 back squats, max effort
1x5 - 70 Kg (154.3#)
1x5 - 90 Kg (198.4#)
1x5 - 110 Kg (242.5#)
1x5 - 120 Kg (264.6#)
1x5 - 130 Kg (286.6#)

Met-Con:
50 single jump ropes
20 push ups
50 single jump ropes
18 V-ups
50 single jump ropes
16 push ups
50 single jump ropes
14 V-ups
50 single jump ropes
12 push ups
50 single jump ropes
10 V-ups

Time: 4:24
Calories burned (WOD only - squats & Met-Con): 656
Calories burned (Including bike in, WOD and bike to work): 1235

I felt strong despite my legs still being uber sore. But, because of the bike ride my legs felt super warmed up and loose. I was planning on staying at 120 Kg for my fifth set because my last 2 reps at 120 on my fourth set were tough, really tough. But I decided to up because I know I'm capable of more. I jammed through the first three reps at 130 and it took everything I had to get the last two.

Afterwards, the coach said that even on my last two heavier sets, I was going as low as I was with the warm up weight (which was just the bar). Which was a nice compliment. I was trying to pay attention to my depth and form, but I think at a certain point my attention shifted to making sure I was still breathing.

The Met-Con was enjoyable. Short, intense and a good final sweat. Jumping rope still slows me down though. Rest assured, if they were double unders, my time would have been at least double what it was. I can never seem to get more than 3 in a row, which is horrible. Definitely the most room for improvement is with double unders. I need to start working on them outside of CrossFit.

Nutrition 7/14

7:10 am
Spicey Greek egg white scramble:
3 oz. ground turkey breast - saute'd with garlic, mushroom, onion and red pepper flakes. Add pinch of: cumin, allspice, oregano and coriander and cook until meat is brown. Add 2 egg whites and 2 cups radish greens (spicy & delicious). Stir until whites are scrambled and greens are just wilted. Top with: 1/2 cup salsa, 1 tsp hot sauce, 1 tsp basil.
1/2 Tbsp almond butter
1/2 Tbsp sunflower seed butter
1/8 cup walnuts
1/2 cup blueberries

10:15 am
7 Rainier cherries
6 almonds
2 oz. turkey breast
3 oz. broccoli

1:20 pm
5 oz. chicken breast (marinated with lime juice, cilantro, garlic and pepper)
Salad (1 1/2 cup spinach, 1/2 cup tomato, 1/2 cup mushrooms, 1/3 cup radishes, 1/2 cup cucumber)
1/8 cup walnuts
1/2 cup red grapes
1 medium plum

4:10 pm
2 hard boiled eggs
3 oz. carrots
1 fresh apricot
7 cherries


7:00 pm (post workout)
Protein shake (1 scoop (25g) whey protein isolate in 24 oz. water)
1 hard boiled egg
1/4 cup cranberry craze
1 Tbsp raisins
1/2 cup blueberries

88 oz water on the day

Fitness - WOD "Fran" 7/14

Today I hit up an evening WOD at 6 pm and I'm glad I took the extra rest instead of going to a 6 am class. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the white board. After our insane hang clean squat workout yesterday, today's WOD was "Fran" - a healthy mix of thrusters and pull ups. I'm not going to lie, I was on the verge of pissed. My quads, shoulders and upper back still felt absolutely torn up and now I had to endure thrusters and pull ups. I quickly changed my attitude and realized there was no getting around it and I'd just have to put up as fast a time as possible. It was my first time with this benchmark WOD.

WOD: Fran - 21-15-9 for time of:
Thrusters - 95#
Pull ups

Time: 4:45
Calories burned (including warm up): 701

Thankfully there was a nice long warm-up that included lots of stretching so my legs did feel good and warm come go time. The first few reps were still agony but I got through the first 21 thrusters without setting the bar down. I did have to rest it on my shoulders though. I rocked the first two rounds of pull ups without stopping. The second set of thrusters I broke into 10 and 5 and the third set was 6 and 3. I was ready to rock through the final set of pull ups but my forearms were on fire and I lost my grip after 6 and had to rest before completing the last three reps.

Overall I'm very pleased with my time considering the workout yesterday and my level of soreness. I was shooting for anything sub 5 minutes. I know for a fact that if I were fresh I could get my time under 4:30.

Nutrition 7/13

6:40 am (pre workout)
3/4 Tablespoon Sunflower Seed Butter

8 am (post workout)
1 protein shake (1 scoop (25g) whey protein isolate in 20 oz. water)
1 medium banana
2 hardboiled eggs (1 yoke)
9 almonds

10:30 am
2 oz. turkey breast
1/2 cup baby carrots
1/2 medium grapefruit
1/8 cup walnuts

1:30 pm
4 oz. albacore tuna steak
Salad (1 1/2 cup red butter lettuce, 1/2 cup tomato, 1/3 cup mushrooms, 1/3 cup radishes, 1/3 cup cucumber)
9 almonds
1 kiwi

4:10 pm
1 hardboiled egg
2 oz. broccoli
1/8 cup walnuts
1/8 cup almonds
1 medium pear
1/2 cup blueberries

7:10 pm
Spicey Greek egg white scramble:
3 oz. ground turkey breast - saute'd with garlic, mushroom, onion and red pepper flakes. Add pinch of: cumin, allspice, oregano and coriander and cook until meat is brown. Add 2 egg whites and 2 cups radish greens (spicy & delicious). Stir until whites are scrambled and greens are just wilted. Top with: 1/2 cup salsa, 1 tsp hot sauce, 1 tsp basil.
1 fresh apricot
3 dried apricots
1/4 cup cranberry craze

156 oz water on the day

Fitness - WOD 7/13

Holy cow! As my good friend Loren would say, this one was a barn burner. We started out with a nice little military press workout then got into the WOD, which was done with a partner and alternating sets of three counted as one round (i.e. my 3 reps, then his three reps counted as one round).

Un-timed, 21-15-9 of strict press, max effort: 40 Kg (88.2#) for all sets

WOD - AMRAP in 20 min. of:
6 hang squat cleans (alternating 3:3 with partner)

Rounds: 30 (that's 90 reps!)
weight: 70Kg (154.3#)
Calories burned (including press workout) - 757

I was extremely pleased with this out put. Like, totally jacked! And it seemed everybody else in the gym was too, I received many high-fives, knuckle bumps and congrats. Even Shawn (the coach) seemed to be surprised. Hell, even I was a little surprised with myself. I'm still not sure where it came from but I absolutely dominated this WOD. Taking yesterday as a rest day helped immensely I'm sure. I felt fresh and ready to rock.

I completed 5 more rounds with 20 Kg more weight then the next guy down. My partner, Joe, did fantastic job as well. I could tell we both pushed each other to the max as he set a PR with his weight and reps also. He used a lighter weight then me but is way smaller than me and extremely strong for his size. His fast pace is the reason we got 30 rounds for sure. I didn't want to be the one to slow us down so I tried to kept the same pace going as best I could.

I focused on getting all three reps at a time and not breaking or setting the bar down to reset my grip between reps. This seemed to work extremely well. As soon as Joe dropped his bar from his set of three, I picked mine up and went to work (and vice-versa). I just kept repeating out loud, "you can do anything three times".

I have always loved cleans and have established them as one of my 4 strengths for sure. I think my form is what allows me to do so well, and Shawn agreed.

Always remember, more weight/reps is a bi-product of better technique. Get your form down and you'll be racking on more weight and/or cranking out more reps faster then you think.

Nutrition 7/12

3:30 pm (fasted until this meal)
1 apple, sliced with 1 Tbsp almond butter
2 apricots
5 oz. ground turkey breast (saute'd with mushrooms and onions)
2 chocolate chip carmel brownies (Frick! But pretty tasty)

9:45 pm
2 oz. chicken breast
2 oz. round eye steak

76 oz. water on the day

Fitness - Rest Day 7/12 - Farmers Market Madness

Today I took a much needed rest day and it felt extremely good. My body needed this day off like you wouldn't believe. I definitely took advantage of the day off. I slept in until 10, then headed off to the Ballard Farmers Market to buy some food for the week.

I cannot stress how important eating organic is and I'm so thankful there is this year-round resource right in my backyard. Believe it or not I was at the market for almost 3 hours trying to decide on what to buy. I spent hours talking to vendors, learning about their farms and products. Farmers markets are so awesome because you know exactly where the food is coming from and how/when it went from the soil to the market.

I spent under $40 and walked away with enormous organic: tomatoes, pears, apples, cherries, berries of all kinds, basil, cilantro, parsley, spinach, bok choy, garlic, onions, butter lettuce, radishes, mixed spicy greens, purple cabbage, zucchini, cucumber, mushrooms and carrots. Then I headed off to Trader Joe's to buy my protein for the week and some nuts, seeds and dried fruit.

Ever since I started the Zone/Paleo thing, grocery shopping and eating have become much more enjoyable. I get excited about exploring with new recipes and foods/ingredients that I've never cooked with before.

I ended my rest day with a movie: The Hurt Locker, I highly recommend it!

Cranberry Craze!!!

This is something that has been, and will be popping up on my food logs. . . regularly. Cranberry Craze is a delicious trail mix that I've extremely fond of. It's the perfect mix and ratio of: almonds, brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds (no husk, just the seed itself), raisins, craisins, dried apple and dried diced peaches, pineapple and mango.

I wanted something with seeds because it's hard to fit those into Paleo without spending a lot of money on a few packages of different types. But every other variety of trail mix they had also contained chocolate, which is something I'm trying to avoid.

This little treat is made of all organic ingredients and can be found at Fred Meyer (of all places) in the bulk food section. And if that's not all, it's pretty inexpensive at $4.49/pound. I've seen it as low as $3.79/pound. One pound typically lasts me at least a week and can't reiterate how scrumptious it is.

I almost don't trust myself with it (I had to stop buying Sunflower Seed Butter from Trader Joe's for that exact reason). I try to never have more than a quarter cup of the trail mixy goodness at a time because It's probably a little more sugar than I should have (what with all the dried fruit and especially mango and pineapple). And I usually only have it that quarter cup once a day. But other then that it fits right in with Paleo.

As I said before, It's extremely tasty, cheap and nutritious. Chalk full of healthy fats, antioxidants and a sweet treat for sure.

NOTE: If you have never had the aforementioned Sunflower Seed Butter (it's like peanut butter but made from sunflower seeds), do yourself a favor and pick up a jar at TJ's. But be careful, you may become addicted and find yourself panhandling outside the sliding-golden-automatic gates to get your next fix.

Nutrition 7/11

6:45 am (pre bike ride to WOD)
1 medium banana
6 almonds
6 walnuts

9 am (post WOD)
protein shake (1 scoop (25g protein) with 20 oz. water)

10:30 am
Egg white scramble (4 oz. ground turkey (saute`d with mushroom, onion, garlic ), 1 cup spinach, 2 Tbsp salsa, 1 tsp hot sauce, 3 egg whites)
1/2 cup red grapes
1/2 cup blueberries

1:30 pm
5 oz. chicken breast
1 cup lettuce
1/2 cup mushrooms
2 oz. (4) baby carrots
1 oz. (3) broccoli florets
1/2 medium tomato
1/4 cranberry craze

4:30 om
1 hard boiled egg
1/4 walnuts
1/2 cup cranberry craze
6 dried apricots

7:45 pm
Salad (1 1/2 cups lettuce, 4 small radishes, 1/2 tomato)
5 oz. round eye steak
2 oz. (4) baby carrots
1 oz. (3) broccoli florets
1 plum

10pm
36 oz. Rolling Rock
4 oz. Glenfiddich (quite good I might ad)
2 cups potato chips
7 Triscuts
2 oz. Extra sharp chedder

12 am
1 cup red grapes


140 oz. water on the day

Fitness - WOD 7/11

I started out the morning with an awesome ride on my fixie through Madrona and Capitol Hill, down into Downtown Seattle then to Fremont to hit up an 8 am WOD. And wouldn't you know it, it was a heavy dead lift day. Needless to say, I was dreading the ride home because I knew my legs would be Jello.

WOD: 5x3 of dead lifts, max effort
1x3 - 130Kg (286.6#)
1x3 - 130Kg (286.6#)
1x3 - 136Kg (299.8#)
1x3 - 136Kg (299.8#)
1x3 - 140Kg (308.6#)

Followed by 21-15-9 for time of:
alternating lunges (right leg - left leg=1 rep)
knees to chest (1 leg at a time, right leg - left leg=1 rep)
Time: 5:08

Finally:
400m farmers walk - 24Kg kettle bell in each hand.
12 pull ups

Calories burned (including bike ride in, WOD, bike ride home): 1505
Calories burned (WOD only): 601

This was a good WOD. I hadn't done dead lifts in a long time so it felt good to get back into it. Since I hadn't done them in so long I wasn't sure how much I would be able to do. I started at 150Kg for my first set which was way too heavy (I only got 2 reps, there was no way I would be able to get 5x3) and I had to back it down and start over on my first set and work up from 130Kg.

My last set was a struggle for sure but I feel like I could have gotten more. Since it was my first time back with deads in a while, I decided to not go for broke and focus more on my form as I got tired.

NOTE:
In retrospect, I probably should have taken today off along with tomorrow. It was my 4th CrossFit day in a row and I'm freakin' spent. I don't think I will do four days in a row again. The most I think I can handle is 3 in a row so I'm going to try to break the week up a little more.

Nutrition 7/10

6:45 am (pre work out)
1/2 cup blueberris

7:50 am (post work out)
Protein shake (1 scoop (25g protein) whey protein isolate in 20 oz. water)
2 hard boiled eggs (1 yoke)

10:35 am
1 medium banana
3 oz. ground turkey breast (saute`d with mushrooms, garlic and onion)
15 almonds
4 oz. carrots

1:30 pm
1/8 cup walnuts
Salad (1 1/2 cup spinach, 3 radishes, 1/4 medium tomato, 1/2 cup mushrooms)
5 oz. chicken breast
1 cup red grapes

4:30 pm
4 oz. broccoli
3 oz oz. ground turkey breast (saute`d with mushrooms, garlic and onion)
1/8 cup walnuts
1 kiwi

7:40 pm
Taco Salad (2 cups lettuce, 1/2 medium tomato, 1/2 mushrooms, 1/3 cup salsa)
5 oz. round eye steak
6 dried apricots
2 prunes
1/4 cranberry craze

132 oz. water on the day

Fitness - WOD "Nancy" 7/10

This morning we started with a fun little dodge ball warm up - CrossFit style. 6 balls, each a different color that corresponded to a specific exercise. So when you got hit with the ball, depending on what color it was you had to do either 10 reps of: squats, burpees, a 100m run, knees 2 elbows, push ups or box jumps. Then it was on to the WOD.

WOD "Nancy"
5 rounds for time of:
15 overhead squats - 95#
400m run

Time: 16:07
Calories burned (WOD only): 619

Nancy killed me today but overall I'm happy with my time and proud of myself that I got the Rx. It was my first time with this benchmark WOD and I could tell my body was super fatigued from all the leg, shoulder and back work this week (presses, KB c&j's, snatches etc.). I got through the first two rounds without taking a break on the overhead squats but I probably took too much time resting after the run before starting back in with the overhead squats. I had to break the last three rounds of overhead squats into sets of 10 and 5. When I felt my form starting to waiver I focused on keeping my elbows locked, chest up and going deep enough to count the rep and get the Rx.

Nutrition 7/9

6:45 am (pre work out)
1 Tbsp sunflower seed butter
1/2 cup blueberries

8:10 am (post work out)
Protein shake (1 scoop (25g protein) whey protein isolate in 24oz. water)
1/2 medium apple
3 hard boiled eggs (2 yokes)

10:40 am
5oz. broccoli
1/8 cup almonds
1/2 large grapefruit
3oz. turkey breast

1:30 pm
Salad (1 1/2 cup spinach, 3 small radishes, 1/4 tomato, 1/3 cup mushrooms)
5 oz. round eye steak
1/4 cup walnuts
2 dried apricots
1 prune

4:40 pm
1 hard boiled egg
1/8 cup almonds
5 oz. carrots

7:30 pm
Taco salad (2 cups lettuce, 1/4 tomato, 1/2 cup salsa, 5 oz. ground turkey breast, 1/4 onion, 1 clove diced garlic)
1/4 cup cranberry craze
1 large plum

136 oz. water on the day

Fitness - WOD 7/9

Today's WOD everybody was split into 3 person teams and was more of a met-con style. Only the rowing was split between each person so I put down what I was responsible for (total row was 1500m = 500m/person). Everything else we each had to complete separately (i.e each person did 3 rope climbs, each person did the 5 rounds of c&j's and burpees etc.). Everybody on the team did the boat carry (basically a three person farmer's walk) with about 200# on a bar bell.

"The Viking"
500m row
200m boat carry - 200#
3 rope climbs - no leg support

5 rounds:
5 clean & jerks - 135#
10 burpees

200m boat carry - 200#
500m row

Time (as a team): 31:12
Calories burned (during WOD only): 554

This was a fun WOD and deceptively difficult. I think I may have established rowing as one of my weaknesses (double unders are probably my #1 weakness). Each set of movements was meant to be part of the theme: A viking rowing inland then carrying the boat far enough up the shore, climbing the castle wall (rope climbs), plundering and pillaging (5 rounds of c&j's and burpees), then carrying your boat back to the water and rowing to the main ship. I thought i finished pretty well and tried to push through the final row with a good split but I was pretty spent by the end.

Nutrition 7/8

6:40 am - (pre work out)
1/2 cup blueberries
10 almonds

8:15 am - (post work out)
1 scoop (25g of protein) whey protein isolate
1 medium banana
2 hard boiled eggs (both yokes)

10:30 am
4 oz. halibut
1/8 cup walnuts
1/8 cup almonds
6 oz. carrots
2 dried apricots
1 prune

1:30 pm
Salad (1 1/2 cup lettuce, 3 small radishes, 1/4 tomato, 1/3 cup mushrooms)
6 oz. chicken breast
1/4 cup cranberry craze
1 kiwi

4:30 pm
1/2 medium apple
1/8 cup walnuts
1/8 cup almonds
4 oz. broccoli


8:00 pm
2 cups mac n' cheese
3 cups salad (mixed greens, 10 grape tomatoes, 1/4 cup feta cheese, 1/4 cup garbanzo beans, carrot strips)
3 glasses champagne (with raspberries)
1 banana split (2 scoops ice cream, 1 Tbsp caramel sauce, 1 Tbsp strudel topping, 1 tsp sprinkles, 1/2 large banana)

136 oz. water on the day

NOTE:
Today was my girlfriend's 24th birthday for which she had three requests: Mac n' cheese (which I made from scratch), champagne and banana splits. We had some good company over to share in the celebration. I'm not gonna lie, it felt good to indulge a little. I tried to keep everything in moderation but I do make a mean mac n' cheese and I hadn't had ice cream in a while. So, I'm not sure how well the whole moderation thing went. I know I'll pay for it during tomorrows 7 am WOD.

Fitness - WOD 7/8

Today was my first WOD at my new CrossFit gym: Level 4 - CrossFit Seattle. I was amped to get in there and establish dominance. . . sike, haha. I still get nervous before every WOD but I also felt like the new kid in class. I do miss the Kirkland CrossFit fam, hey guys!

Anyway, todays WOD was a goodie. We did some exercises I've never done before. First we started with a warm up and 2 max sets of dips, ring dips or muscle ups. I chose the ring dips because I wanted more of a challenge then regular dips and I've never tried a muscle up before (although, I'm pretty confidant I could bang a couple out). So, the ring dips were a good compromise. Next time though, I'm gunning for muscle ups.
Set 1 - 16 Ring dips
Set 2 - 12 Ring dips

WOD: 4 rounds for time of:
5 Single arm kettle bell snatches - 18kg (39.7#)
5 Single arm kettle bell clean & jerks - 18kg (39.7#)
5 Single arm kettle bell thrusters - 18kg (39.7#)
400m run

Time: 14:19
Calories burned (including dips, WOD, Sabota sit ups): 573

The way it worked is we did the three KB movements all with one arm, switched and went through them with the other arm, then did the 400m run.

I'm not too happy with this time but considering these were all new movements for me, it will do for now. They felt a little awkward and I lost my balance a couple times in the first two rounds but I eventually got a feel for it and found my rhythm. I feel like I easily could have shaved a minute or two off my time If I were more familiar with these movements. My legs felt good on the runs though.

We ended with something that was also new to me: Tabata sit ups. All Tabata means is 8 rounds of: 20 seconds on, ten seconds rest, of any movement. It ends up being a total of 4 minutes. You can do Sabota anything (ex. Tabata thrusters, Tabata pull ups, Tabata hang power snatch. . . etc.)

Nutrition 7/7

7:10 am
1/2 cup blueberries
Small banana
1/4 cup walnuts
2 hard boiled eggs (only 1 yoke)

10:30 am
1 cup cherries
1/8 cup almonds
1/8 cup walnuts
2 oz. turkey breast

1:15 pm
5 oz. round eye steak
2 cups mixed veggies stir fried with 2 Tbsp EVOO
(broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, snap pees, 2 cloves minced garlic)
1/2 large grapefruit
1/3 cup cranberry craze

4:45 pm
1 cup red grapes
1 hard boiled egg (including yoke)
1/8 cup walnuts
1/8 cup almonds

7:30 pm
5 oz. chicken breast - 1 Tbsp bbq sauce
Salad (1 cup spinach, 1 cup lettuce, 1/3 cup mushrooms, 3 small radishes, 1/2 medium tomato)
2 prunes
4 dried apricots

9:15 pm
1/4 cup cranberry craze

128 oz. water on the day

FIRST POST!

I was inspired by Loren Winter, a close friend of mine for a long time, to join CrossFit. I've watched Loren dedicate and transform himself and take his level of fitness off the grid. I'm about two months in and I could not be more stoked that I took the plunge. I'm sore in ways and places I've never experienced before, each WOD is a killer and I've already noticed changes in so many aspects of my life. Including; a greater overall feeling of health and longevity, more energy and most of all, my level of fitness.

I started my journey at Kirkland CrossFit but have since moved back to the city and just joined at Level 4 - CrossFit Seattle.

So CrossFit was all Loren, but I mostly attribute my blog to Brad Sim. Who has also transformed himself into a CrossFit machine and keeps a great blog.

For me, this blog is a place to post results of workouts, keep track of records/PR's and my diet. As well as post recipes I enjoy and experiment with (the successful ones and the disasters). I recently, with my new found love for CrossFit, have also adopted the nutrition methodology that CrossFit recognizes. The way I eat comes from the "Zone" diet. As for what I eat, I stick to foods prescribed by the "Paleolithic" diet.

Here is a great article by the CrossFit Journal with a simpler explanation of the Zone and a chart to determine your block requirement. Along with examples of Zone meals and a pretty extensive food block chart.

Here is an article about how Paleo can be tweaked for athletes for optimum performance and/or recovery.

In conclusion, read the following description of world-class fitness as described by the founders of CrossFit, and you will get the idea.

"Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Dead lift, clean, squat, presses, clean and jerk, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week, mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports."