Before and After

OK as promised.. Here are my "Before and After" Crossfit Photos! Please keep all jokes to yourself!! Starting weight 195 pounds - 5 months later 175 pounds!!

Training Day 66

Todays Training:

Toe was starting to feel better yesterday! Until one of my students hit me in the foot with their golf club!! Needless to say it was a little soar the next morning.. Still got a work out in but it was a slow strength workout.. Heavy Deadlifts mixed with some Hand Stand Push Ups..
3 Sets of 5 Deadlift at 275
3 Sets of 5 reps of HSPU

3 Sets of 3 Deadlifts at 315
3 Sets of 5 reps of HSPU

1 Deadlift at 325
Max HSPU - 10

I am in the process of starting a new training program.. One where I hope to gain a considerable amount of strength.. Its called Max Effort Black Box..

Training Day 66

"Unknown"

I know you...
I know you're bigger, faster and stronger than me.
I know your Fran time is lower, your 5k is quicker and your deadlift is heavier.
I know you have 1,000 views on YouTube.
I know you're a "WOD" warrior.

I know you, but you don't know me.

You don't know what's in my head, what's in my heart, what's in my soul.
You don't know that pain is my ally.
You don't know that sweat and blood are my training partners.
You don't know that I'm unbreakable.

I know you train in your temperature controlled gym with the tough sounding name while I'm training in garage exposed to the elements. In the heat and in the cold, in the humidity, rain and snow, I'm forging mental toughness. I'm tempering my resolve. I'm fueling my passion. I'm getting ready for the day that we meet.

I know your 1,000 YouTube views won't mean shit in front of 1,000 spectators. I know when the heat goes up I go big and you go home.

I know you don't know me...but you will.

Today's WOD: weight for Clean n Jerk - 155#
For Time:
1 Clean n Jerk
1 Round of Cindy (5 Pullups, 10 Pushups, 15 Squats)
2 Clean n Jerk
1 Round of Cindy
3 Clean n Jerk
1 Cindy
4 Clean n Jerk
1 Cindy
5 Clean n Jerk
1 Cindy
4 Clean n Jerk
1 Cindy
3 Clean n Jerk
1 Cindy
2 Clean n Jerk
1 Cindy
1 Clean n Jerk
1 Cindy

My toe is still a little tender so these clean n jerks were pretty tough..
Time: 18:57

Training Day 65

~Day 1 of Rotating Meats and Nuts Breakfast~

I recently read a post from on Crossfit Calgary written by Charles Poliquin (check my sidebar for more info on this guy). It reads:

The Meat and Nut Breakfast
The rotating meat and nuts breakfast for optimal body composition
by Charles Poliquin
When people ask me for the best single dietary tip of optimal leanness, energy and sustained mental focus, I invariably tell them to try the rotating meat and nuts breakfast. Clients ranging from NHL & NFL stars to corporate executives, rave about the increased mental acuity and focused energy they derive from this food combination. The meat allows for a slow and steady rise in blood sugar. The nuts provide a great source of healthy smart fats that allows the blood sugar to remain stable for an extended period of time.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. My seminar hosts are well made aware of it. It is a non-negotiable item. I am very grateful to have hosts all over the World that cater to my breakfast needs. My Dominican host Juan Carlos Simo always comes by the hotel with a kick ass breakfast. The best salmon I have ever had. Mats and Helen in Sweden bring me elk for breakfast.

What you eat for breakfast sets up your entire neurotransmitter production for the day.

If for some reason there is no host, lets say I am giving a seminar at a location I am not familiar, I always pre-scout where the best breakfast is served and simply choose steak and eggs, or a salmon omelet, or lox and poached eggs.

It is quite funny sometimes to see the reaction of the hotel staff when I ask for meat in the morning. For example in Tuscany, when I asked the chef for meat for breakfast, he had a look on his face like if I asked him to point in the right direction for the tunnel that links Rome to Oslo.

Multiple studies on employee productivity or on children’s attention patterns have demonstrated that a high protein breakfast does not only impact on the energy and productivity levels of morning till noon, but extended its positive way in the late afternoon.

Here a sample 5 day rotation of the meat/nuts breakfast. It goes without saying that you DO NOT ADD ANYTHING TO IT in terms of food or beverage.

Tea, coffee or herbal infusions are permissible, Milk and juice or other liquids are not allowed.

Day 1
• 1-2 Buffalo meat patties
• 1 handful of macadamia nuts
Day 2
• 1 large venison steak
• 1 handful of cashew nuts

Day 3
• 1-2 Lean turkey burgers
• 1 handful of almonds

Day 4
• 2 lean ground beef patties
• 1 handful of Brazil nuts

Day 5
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 handful of hazelnuts

One of the other advantages of this system is that is reduces the development of food sensitivities which are known to increase cortisol in people. More than often enough, when we test first time clients for food sensitivities we find that they have antibodies to the food they have consumed on a daily for years. That is even more true in bodybuilders, it not uncommon to see them have allergies to beef, eggs, whey, casein, tuna and oatmeal, the basic bodybuilding staples.

What about if you are allergic to nuts?

I then recommend you a portion of the following low glycemic/low fructose fruits with your breakfast:

apricot?
avocado
blackberries
blueberries
grapefruit
loganberries
nectarines
olives
papaya?
peach?
plum?
raspberries
strawberries

Make sure that the fruits are organic, especially the strawberries, as they are one of the most sprayed crops in the World.

After breakfast, I recommend to use a teaspoon to a tablespoon of quality fish oil to mitigate even more the insulin response. That will insure top level concentration till your next meal.


So I have decided to implement this rotation to my breakfast on training days... Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, & Saturday, Sunday.

This morning I had 7oz of Grassfed Ground Beef Paleo Meatloaf with a handful of raw cashews.

Today's WOD:
Due to the pain in my big toe, I had to make my own WOD up this morning that didn't involve any Jumping, Landing, Running or Heaving Ground Lifting. I came up with the following

5 Rounds for Time of Unbroken Reps of:
15 GHD Sit Ups
10 Pull Ups
5 Body Weight Bench Press - (175#)

Time: 10:48 - lost some time trying to walk to and from the different stages with a bum toe.. But this ended up being a tough test for me. Great work out.. Hope to be back at 100% either Thursday or Saturday for sure!!

Back At It!!!

Finally got back to the gym!!! Took 7 Days off to rest, recover and eat like crap! And I loved every minute... I had 2 Pints of Coconut Milk Dark Chocolate swirl Ice Cream, a Twix Bar, and a Dark Chocolate Bar!! First cheat meal in 3 months.. It was heaven!! But I paid for it the next couple of days.. When I finally got back in the Gym the first time my legs felt very heavy and I was sluggish. All the weights were heavier than usual and my heart rate went up right away on the first move.. But I ate a great dinner and got 10 hours of sleep and was ready to go on Sunday for an OPT Bench Workout.. And I felt like I was back to about 90%
I'm now in preparation to compete in a "Mini Crossfit Games" being held in Miami by Crossfit Blueprint. All the guys and gals that went to the sectionals are competing, as well as a few new ones! Should be an awesome time in South Beach!!
The WOD:
"Every Rep Counts"
As Many Rounds as Possible in 20 Minutes of:
10 Wall Balls - 20#
10 Box Jumps - 24"
10 Deadlifts - 205#
10 Burpees - 10

Results:
I ended up with 7 complete rounds and 25 reps. Overall grade probably about a B-
Should be 100% in a few more days.. Ready to "Eat Bees" as OPT says!!

UPdate:
Had a little minor procedure today to fix my Toenail... Might be sidelined a few days from jumping and running.. Still gonna try to do a work out.. Maybe some Pullups, Bench press...anything to stay off my foot.

Sectionals Update

Well, my WPB Sectionals Weekend was a blast.. Didn't do as well as I wanted to.. I got a pretty picky judge in my first WOD and she took away all of my reps in the 2nd and 3rd round.. I was on a pretty good pace I got 27 Kettlebell swings first round then hit a bit of a wall and only got 8 on the 2nd.. Then the third round the judge was making me redo my man on fires and I was unable to complete a Kettlebell swing in that round.. Meaning that my score was only the first 2 rounds.. After I was done I was watching a few others go and their form was way worse than mine and every one of their reps counted.. What can you do.. Next time I won't give them a reason to questions my range of motion.

The 2nd WOD wasn't one of my strengths either but I thought I did ok.. Finished in the middle of the pack.. Ripped my hands pretty bad on the Pull Ups but was able to finish them and the Thrusters that followed without even feeling my hands.. I think my whole body was numb at this point.

3rd WOD I ended up setting a personal best on both the Power Clean Lift @ 215 pounds and the Push Jerk Lift @ 225 pounds. Felt Great with this performance and was so pumped to hit those weights.. My previous best for both were 185 on the power clean and 205 on the Push Jerk.

4th WOD was a 1500m Row, 400m 60# Sand Bag Sprint up a hill, Then a 2k Run... Finished with a total time around 21 minutes.. The run killed me.. But I smoked the row.. I kept a 1:45 pace and it felt very easy.. Good form. The sandbag sprint was easier than I thought.. I took it kind of easy to save myself on the run, probably could have snuck out a minute or two if I would have pushed a bit more on that sprint, but I didn't know I would feel for the run. I don't do a lot of running and was unsure how to pace.. Just another aspect of my fitness I need to work on!!

Just want to thank my parents for the all the words of encouragement and also all the guys and girls at the Redline Box and OPT for the training program! Could not have done it with out all of you!! Thanks!!

Here are a few videos of my lifts.. You can also see them as well as some pictures on my Facebook.

No Grains

Why We Don’t Eat Grains

A. Grains provoke an inflammatory response in the gut

Lectins are specialized proteins found in many plants and foods, but are found in high concentration in grains (particularly wheat), legumes (particularly soy), and dairy. The most commonly referenced grain lectin is called “gluten”, but there are many others which are found even in pseudo-grains like quinoa. Lectins serve many biological functions in animals, but foods with high concentrations of lectins are harmful even if consumed in moderate amounts.

Lectins are hardy proteins that do not break down easily, and are resistant to stomach acid and digestive enzymes. They migrate through your digestive tract largely intact, and disrupt the intestinal membrane, damaging cells and initiating a cascade of events leading to eventual cell death. (Translation: lectins destroy the cells that line your intestines, leading to small “microperforations” or tiny holes in your intestinal lining.) These holes allow intact or nearly intact proteins, bacteria and other foreign substances to cross into the bloodstream – where they do not belong. As the immune system notices foreign substances in the body, it responds and attacks. The immune response can manifest in an unlimited number of conditions (not just in the digestive tract!) commonly referred to as “auto-immune” in nature.

It’s important to note that these cautions are not just critical for those with a diagnosed Celiac condition. These negative downstream effects happen to everyone who eats grains, to various degrees.

B. Grains spike insulin levels

Grains pack a whopping amount of carbohydrates in a very small package. As most grains are also heavily processed (yes, even whole grains) they are broken down into blood sugar (glucose) in your body very quickly. A high amount of ingested carbohydrate broken down very fast leads to a spike in blood sugar. The body, demanding homeostasis, then releases a massive dose of a hormone called insulin to pull blood sugar levels back down. This is often referred to as an “insulin spike”.

When too much blood sugar is present in the system, your body quickly runs out of places to store it as useful energy, and will store any excess as body fat. In addition, when too much insulin is present in the system, the cells in your body become desensitized to the hormonal “message” insulin is trying to send. Since the message isn’t getting through, your pancreas is prompted to release even more insulin when your body does not need it. Finally, chronically high insulin levels lead to a condition in which your body has trouble releasing the energy already stored in your cells. This is a bad place to be. If (via a diet high in carbohydrates) this pattern continues, insulin levels continue to rise, fat stores continue to grow and the body becomes completely incapable of responding to its own directions.

C. Grains have an acidifying effect on the body

A net acid-producing diet promotes bone de-mineralization (i.e. osteopenia and osteoporosis), and systemic inflammation. Grains are one of the highest acid-producing food groups. By replacing grains and grain-containing processed foods with plenty of green vegetables and fruits, the body comes back into acid/base balance (and a more positive calcium balance). Recent research out of Tufts University has also shown that a more alkaline diet preserves muscle mass. We like muscle mass.

D. Grains are “empty calories”

All grains – things like oatmeal, pasta, breads and cereals – have two things in common. They are calorically dense, and nutritionally meager. A small portion of grains packs a whopping amount of calories, almost all in the form of carbohydrates. All those calories, however, contain a miserly amount of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients (also called phytochemicals). Compare the calories, carbohydrates and vitamin profile of two large slices of whole grain bread (100 grams) to one cup of chopped, cooked broccoli (184 grams – nearly twice the mass). (Nutritional stats from NutritionData.com)

Note that we’re not saying there is nothing good to be found in grains. They do contain vitamins and minerals in various proportions and amounts. But the serious down sides of grains far outweigh any potential health benefits. Bottom line – there is NOTHING found in grains that you can’t get from a better source with NO down sides (like vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds).

-Crossfit Optimum Performance