Archives
Listed below are some of the archive posts from the early days. Or you can view them all as they are still posted on the old site: http://hioctanefitness.blogspot.com
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Pig wrapped in pig!
Who said you can’t eat good while on vacation? Last weekend, while Brother Don was in town we headed to Lake Tahoe to do some snowboarding. Which by the way, if you are staying in South Lake Tahoe, i highly recommend the Marriott Timber Lodge, at the base of the gondola (the steep discount for Marriott employees made it quite affordable). Keep in mind, the fireplace, which appears to be a gas fireplace, is actually some sort of crazy optical illusion, not fire at all. We found this out the hard way after trying to dry our wet snowboard boots by placing them near the “fireplace”.
Anyway, the nice thing about this location was that it had a kitchen, and therefore we cooked our meals. This one in particular was our favorite:
All-natural rosemary pork chop wrapped in bacon, with a side of organic mangoes, organic fuji apple, and raw pecans.
While vegetables are usually a more nutritious side than fruits, and contain less sugar, sometimes fruit is just a tastier compliment to the dish, such was the case with this pork chop and it’s strip of salty bacon.
Ingredients:
6oz. All-natural pork chop
1 slice of bacon (no nitrates or nitrites)
1 rosemary sprig
1 organic fuji apple
1/2 cup of organic mangoes (frozen)
1/3 cup of raw pecans
Directions:
Set oven to broil – pre-heat to 400 degrees
Cook pork chop about 10-12 minutes on each side for medium rare – to medium
Slice apples
Serve
Nutritional Info:
Calories: 730
Fat: 40
Protein: 53
Carbs: 44
For those of you on the Zone, this is 7 protein blocks and 5 carb blocks. More than recommend for most people, so just cut down the portions if are smaller or less active.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Go Team!
Wednesday evening’s class was a team workout that matched up Team Veach (Brad & Bryer (pictured above)) with a younger, but less experienced team of Kristen and Jeff. The workout consisted of copious amounts of wall balls, rowing, thrusters, situps, burpees and running. Team Veach, who are now becoming consistent morning and evening Sweat Shop workers, crushed this workout, taking first place. Brad and Bryer have also been making some serious changes to their diet, eliminating processed foods, reducing grains and sugar, and increasing vegetables and lean meats. Their dietary changes have not only affected their weight and body fat, but it’s also had a direct effect on their performance during the workouts. They are even doing the WOD (workout of the day) from the CrossFit.com website some days where they aren’t able to make it to the Sweat Shop. Great work you guys, keep it up!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Thanks!
I sent this message out to those that were in the 6am class on President’s Day, but it really applies to all of my clients.
I just wanted to say everyone did an awesome job this morning! Training you guys first thing in the morning is a great way to start my day, it really is a lot of fun for me! Mainly I wanted to say thanks for having faith in me and the program I set forth for you all, and for not complaining when I ask you to do something like run around the block when its still a bit cold, dark, and wet. It’s not always easy for you all to go against the grain, especially when you are surrounded by a hundred or more people, all doing what has been accepted as “normal” (elipticals, recumbant bikes, machines), while I have you do burpees, pullups, running, jumping, lifting some relatively heavy weight at times, and cleans, lots and lots of cleans. But as long as you are able to stay consistent with the training, continue to improve your nutrition habits, and always strive to learn more, I am 100% certain that you will not only meet, but FAR exceed any goals you have in mind.
Nabil
And as a reminder, there will be no CrossFit Sweat Shop classes on Monday 2/23 (morning or evening) or Tuesday 2/24. Classes will resume on Wednesday morning at 6am.
Brother Don (he is my brother, not a brother in the church title, nor is he a brotha; this is his title b/c my best friend from back home is also named Don) is coming into town from Atlanta and we’ll be heading up to Tahoe to do some snowboarding.
If you want a workout for this weekend try this one out:
750 Meter Row
40 Dumbbell Swings (like Kettlebell swings, only with dumbbell)
20 Squats
10 Pullups (or assisted pullups)
500 Meter Row
25 Dumbbell Swings
40 Squats
20 Pullups
250 Meter Row
10 Dumbbell Swings
80 Squats
30 Pullups
Lastly, big props to the 6am crew this morning. It was a grueling workout, no smiley faces, but you guys got through it. Cameron E. finished with the fastest time. Cameron is also the first in the CrossFit Sweat Shop crew to dive into the Zone Diet, and he’s serious about it! He has been doing it for a couple of weeks now and he is even weighing and measuring is food (this is super important and necessary, but only for the first two weeks or so, after that you’ll have a good idea of portion size and won’t need to WAM). Not only will his improved nutrition help him reach his body composition goals, it will also help him dominate the workouts, as he demonstrated today.
Have a great weekend everyone, and if make it into the gym over the weekend to do a workout…… CRUSH IT!!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Get back to the basics!
Meat, vegetables, nuts… this should account for the majority of you daily food intake.Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 12 min
Ingredients:
Entree:
Grass Fed Sirloin
Asparagus
Red Bell Pepper
Salad:
Mixed Greens
Kidney Beans
Garbanzo Beans
Blackberries
Blueberries
Pecan Pieces
Vinaigrette Dressing
1/2 Avocado on the side (not shown)
Carbs – Berries, Beans, Asparagus, Bell Pepper (the mixed greens provide vitamins, but virtually no calories, don’t count these as carbs)
Fat – Pecan pieces, avocado
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Kettlebells
To date, 4,382 lives have been saved by kettlebells simply because of their soothing pink vinyl shell gives them a less frightening, more approachable look.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Post workout trauma
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Round after round after round after round…..
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Future monster!
Big props to future CrossFit Sweat Shop monster, Stefan. At 11 years old and weighing only 84 pounds, Stefan got a new PR (personal record) of 52lbs. on Hang Squat Cleans this past Tuesday! Hang Squat Cleans start just above the knee (the Hang), the weight is then accelerated up with an explosive hip extension, immediately followed by a full squat as the weight comes to rest in the front squat or “rack” position (hence the name Squat Cleans). Most of the cleans we do in the CrossFit Sweat Shop classes are done with either dumbbells or medicine balls, this is a great way to learn, and it’s also necessary when group size is large, and equipment is limited as it is at ClubSport. Stefan learned how to clean with dumbbells and has just recently moved to using a bar. With just a couple of sessions under his belt, Stefan is already cleaning 2/3′s his body weight, with EXCELLENT form! With technique like this so early on, there is no telling what he’ll be capable of in the coming years. Keep up the great work Stefan!Saturday, January 31, 2009
Fruit Smoothie Snack/Meal (Carbs & Fat Only)
Sunday, January 25, 2009
‘G’ is for Gets it done!
Congrats to Sarah G. for opening her restaurant (East Coast Pizza Bar & Grill) and having a very successful grand opening party! Not only do they offer great pizza and calzones, they also prepared some delicious bruschetta with some super fresh ingredients.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
East Coast Pizza Grand Opening!
Final note, Wednesday 6 am group post your Tabata (up downs, pushups, situps, squats) total score to comments!
Monday, January 19, 2009
11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Squat, Pushup, Run Ladder
Start to finish, as quickly as possible, rest only as needed
Monday, January 5, 2009
Snack #1
So it seems a lot of you are having trouble putting together healthy snacks. Just like the meal ideas I post, the snacks I’ll give are simple and easy to pack.
2 oz. of sliced pastrami
1/2 red bell pepper(raw)
4 broccoli spears (raw)
1/3 apple
~16 almonds (raw)
MAKE SURE the meat is uncured and has no nitrates or nitrites added! If it doesn’t clearly state all of this on the label, DON’T BUY IT, DON’T EAT IT, STAY AWAY FROM IT! You can buy this type of sandwich meat at Whole Foods or Trader Joe, if you are not able to get it, replace the sandwich meat with meat you cook yourself (perhaps the night before, beef, chicken, etc.) Meat you cook yourself will likely always be better than sandwich meat, but for ease of snacks, sandwich meat can be used as long as it follows the guidelines above.
These items are NOT just thrown together randomly. As always the proper ratio of carbs and protein is CRITICAL to controlling your blood sugar! So don’t mess with the portions, however, if you aren’t super active you can reduce the almonds (fat) in this snack by about half.
This snack takes about 90 seconds to prep and aside from the apple slices, you can throw it all into one ziplock bag.
Final note on snacks and nutrition in general. Many people will say they don’t like certain items, vegetables, etc. The fact is, if you are unhappy with your appearance or the way you feel or perform you need to make a change to your diet. This may include eating some foods that initially don’t sound as appetizing as pizza. However, I promise you that just like other things that you have acquired a taste for, you can also acquire a taste for veggies and other healthy food items. Who loved the taste of alcohol the first time they tried it?? Probably not too many, but we develop a taste for it because we like how it affects our body. The same is true for veggies, eat them long enough and you’ll develop a taste for them because you will notice how much better you feel when you eat a balanced diet. And unlike alcohol, it is instilled in our DNA to like veggies, however dormant that urge may be. And don’t try to argue if your parents are alcoholics that it’s in your DNA to like alcohol… I’m talking about going way back… caveman DNA!
more snacks to come… stay tuned
Monday, December 22, 2008
Whole-grain, the not so Holy Grail.
An article published in the New York Times a few days ago. “People with Type 2 diabetes on a high-fiber diet kept their blood sugar under better control when they ate foods like beans and nuts instead of the recommended whole-grain diet, researchers have found.”Read the full article here.
When looking at the nutritional information of a food, ingredients are listed from most to least abundant. The second ingredient of Cheerios is modified corn starch, the third ingredient is sugar. Not good.
Post to comments what you typically have for breakfast. Don’t worry I’ll start.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Steak Fajitas
Fajitas are a quick, easy and tasty way to get a good variety of fresh veggies with some lean meat and not too many carbs.Ingredients:
Grass Fed Beef (Sirloin)
Bell Peppers
Avocado
Sour Cream
Tomatoes
Cilantro
Mixed Field Greens
Spelt Wheat Tortilla
Pre-heat your grill to med-high heat. Season the beef to your taste. Cut the bell peppers into quarters or thirds (no need to season them or even put any oil on them). Throw the beef and the peppers on the grill. If the meat is average thickness (about an inch) cook about 5-6 minutes on each side for medium rare. While those are cooking chop up a couple of tomatoes, as well a little cilantro. Toss the chopped tomatoes in colander to let the juice drain. Go flip the steak and peppers. For quick and easy guacamole, spoon out 2 ripe avocados, add a spoon full of FULL FAT organic sour cream. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste. Whip it up with a fork. Go get the meat and peppers off the grill. Slice the peppers into smaller strips as well as the beef. Throw it all on a spelt wheat tortilla, and add some mixed field greens. Good luck folding it up.
Nutritional Information:
1 Steak Fajita
(~4-5oz. of beef, 1/3 bell pepper, 2 tablespoons of guacamole, 2 tablespoons tomatoes, 3/4 cup mixed field greens, (1) 8 inch spelt wheat tortilla)
Total Calories 450
Carbs 30
Fat 18
Protein 39
Here is some more info on spelt. You can find it at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. It taste just as good if not better than regular wheat and it’s better for you. Trader Joe’s brand has a really tasty one as does Rudi’s Bakery (found at Whole Foods), I don’t really care for the taste of the Ezekiel brand. Try it out, you’ll be surprised!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving Day: Battle of the Ages
What a workout! After abandoning the track at DVC due to it being locked, members of High Octane Fitness, as well as friends, convened at the track at Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek. Because there were 7 participants, and the workout was a team event, it was necessary for me to do the workout as well. After dividing the group into two teams (based on what I guessed everyone’s fitness level to be) I realized I had also inadvertently divided the group into the 4 youngest on one team, and the 4 oldest on the other team. Still feeling confident in the fitness levels of the older group, we continued with the teams as such.Team Youth
Sarah G.
Enrique
Aaron
Nabil
Total Age ~118 years
Team Wisdom
Lones
Mike
Veronica
Chris
Total Age ~195 years
Here is the workout:
EACH TEAM must complete the following, IN ANY ORDER, dividing the reps amongst the team HOWEVER they decide. Simply put, in order for the workout to be considered done, the reps listed below must be completed by each team; the order, as well as which teammate does which exercise and how many each teammate does individually is up to each team.
400 meter run (1 lap around the track) x 6 laps
Squats x 800 reps!
Dumbbell Swings (35lbs.) x 300 reps
Situps x 400 reps
Burpees x 400 reps
Pushups x 350 reps
Medicine Ball Throw (16lbs.) (1 round trip = 220 meters ) x 4 round trips!
Amazingly for such a lengthy workout with so many variables and different plans of attack it came down to a difference of less than 10 seconds between the winning team and the losing team. Finishing in a time of 37:22, I’m embarrassed to say, Wisdom beat Youth.
For those of you doing the math this averages out for each person doing:
1.5 Laps around the track
200 Squats
75 Dumbbell Swings
100 Situps
100 Burpees
88 Pushups
Throwing a wet and slippery 16lb. medicine ball for more than 2 lengths of a football field.
All done in just over 30 minutes, and with no rest periods! AWESOME work everyone! I had fun joining you guys! You’ve definitely earned the right to indulge a bit during your Thanksgiving dinner. As for anyone who just went to the gym, sat on a couple of machines, did some arm curls and maybe even got on a bike or treadmill, perhaps you should re-think what you consider to be “fit”. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
More tuna!
