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.
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!
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.
Hey guys-
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.
your fitness shepherd,
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!!
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)
Directions:
Entree: Pre-heat oven on broil to about 450 degrees. Put the meat, asparagus, and bell pepper in a pan, drizzle with olive oil, season to the taste. Put it in the oven on one of the upper racks. After about 6 minutes flip the meat. 10-12 minutes should cook the meat med-rare to medium (depending on the thickness).
Salad: Put the ingredients listed above in a bowl. Done.
I didn’t post total calories etc. because it will vary slightly depending on how much beans, and fruit you put in your salad, as well as how much of the veggies you consume. What’s important is that you can look at this meal (or any meal) and identify where each of your three macro nutrients are coming from.
Protein - Sirloin
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
Bottom line: Eat lean, organic, grass fed meats, a variety of fresh vegetables, fat from nuts and seeds, limited amount of fruit.
To date, 23 people who have eaten this meal for dinner have either received a job promotion, found a $5 bill while doing laundry, or stumbled across an amazing sale item the very next day. In contrast, since January 2009, 577,000 people who have eaten Rice-A-Roni, Healthy Choice frozen dinner, or pasta primavera have been laid off. Choose your dinner wisely.
Kettlebells are everywhere. When a shot of Lance Armstrong swinging a kettlebell shows up in Men’s Health magazine, you know they are becoming popular. When pink, vinyl coated 5 lb. kettlebells show in Target, you know it’s a fitness phenomenon! Fact of the matter is they’ve been around for years, but are just now becoming popular with the general public due to the increased awareness of the effectiveness of
truly functional training, especially done at high intensity. Nothing proves this point more than when MSN Health & Fitness, a go-to source for everything health and fitness (please read sarcasm here) has an
article on the “latest workout craze, CrossFit” .
Honestly though, kettlebells are a great tool for total body explosiveness and overall conditioning. We use them in CrossFit Sweat Shop on a regular basis. However, we don’t use 5 lb. kettlebells, and we will never use any coated in vinyl, or colored pink in order to lessen their “rough” look. And if you are really in love with kettlebells, you should try Kettlebell Power, a small group class offered at ClubSport by Steve Schimdt on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6pm. Steve is extremely knowledgeable and very passionate about all things kettlebell. He’s always innovating and is super high energy. If you want a full hour of fun with these little cast iron gifts from the Russians, check out the Kettlebell Power class.
Thursday’s Workout:
This workout was 21 minutes, all out effort that makes you re-evaluate why you decided to try CrossFit Sweat Shop instead of step aerobics.
Complete as many rounds as possible in 21 minutes:
5 Burpees
10 Kettlebell Summo Deadlift Hi Pulls (men 45lbs./ women 26lbs.)
15 Squats
1 Lap Run
15 Situps
10 Pushups
Still new to the Sweat Shop, Flora blasted through this workout with crazy intensity! She finished with 9 complete rounds plus 10 Hi Pulls of round 10! This was the top score for the day!
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.
Former client and fellow native Atlantan, Donna D. and I examining our “war wounds” after a brutal team workout at
Diablo CrossFit last month. Although I’ve worked really hard to get rid of my southern accent, it’s always refreshing to hear Donna and her charming southern drawl.
Donna has been making some huge fitness gains under the care of Jeremy, Craig, and the entire DCF crew! It was a blast for me to be able to compete alongside one of my former clients.
See you soon Donna, keep crushing it!
Friday’s Workout: As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes:
15 Squats
10 Pushups
10 Situps
5 Pullups
Sara K. began at an all-out pace, and never let up for the entire 20 minutes! She finished with 18 completed rounds! For those trying to do the math, that’s 270 squats, 180 pushups, 180 situps, and 90 pullups, all done in 20 mintues! Jennifer B. was right behind her with 15 completed rounds. Nice work ladies.
Caroline B. had the fastest time in the 500 meter “row-off” (1:56) that followed, even after accidently performing double the amount of pullups during each round of the entire workout!
The entire 6am crew really pushed the intensity during both parts of the workout. Nice job everyone! Have a great weekend!
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!
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.
Friday’s workout:
When: Saturday Jan. 24th 5pm-10pm
Where: 2085 North Broadway, Walnut Creek
What: Pizzabeerfestivities!
Sarah G. and her sister have been working like crazy to prepare for the opening of their new restaurant, East Coast Pizza Grill and Bar. I’ve been super impressed by Sarah’s ability to stay consistent with her workouts as well as change and maintain healthier eating habits, all the while going through the stresses of opening a new business! Come on out Saturday and support a local business! Remember, if you get your nutrition dialed in really well, it’s okay to have a cheat meal every now and again.
Final note, Wednesday 6 am group post your Tabata (up downs, pushups, situps, squats) total score to comments!
