Giving them something to talk about.....

I guess I've always been kind of an expressive person.

A shrink would probably say I was a person yearning for attention.... probably a result of some deficiency in my childhood.... whatever.

I do tend to be an extremist.

That's another shrink term for someone who figures anything worth doing is worth doing right....

So you put everything into it.

Back when I was a kid that used to be a good thing.

But in this day of "If you can name it you can tame it" and a world gone mad on counseling and anti-depression drugs and blah blah blah.....

Even a strength is a weakness.

So about 2 weeks ago I was in Liz P's Strength, Core and More class at Anytime Fitness and we were doing some elastic band work....

I selected the thickest band I could find.... a black band.... and was doing some overhead presses with it with the band under my feet and the handles in my hand and putting a pretty good stretch to the old black bands....

Probably more than they'd had before.....

Cause the f'g thing snapped on me..... went off like a .22 and the broken end snapped down and wacked my calf leaving a good welt on it.

Everybody in the class was startled....

I just laughed it off and said something about exceeding the load capacity of the band.

So this week.... same class.

Liz P comes up with something different every class - part of the reason why I like her classes.

She introduces ball slams.... which is a movement with a weighted ball where you lift the ball over your head and then slam it down to the floor and catch it on the bounce.

Now the first thing to understand is that these weighted medicine balls don't bounce very well.... at least that's been my experience.... cause I've done these things quite a few times before.

I mean you really have to slam the balls down to get 'em to bounce.

Well.... like I said... that's been my experience.

So anyway I was using a 15# ball.... the heaviest one I could find.

Now you gotta understand the demographics of these group exercise classes at Anytime Fitness and pretty much everywhere.

The average group exercise class attendant is just there to get some exercise..... they're working out hard enough but they're not killing themselves.  I mean most of the hard core folks stay in their CrossFit boxes or Boot Camp type classes or whatever.

I'm unique in that way..... I like to do it all.... and take it all seriously..... I load up the weights and the intensity in the group exercise classes just like I would at CrossFit..... No coasting for this hombre.

So's anyway.... back to the medicine ball slam.

I didn't think to do a "test" bounce on the ball I was using.... it felt like every other "dead" weighted ball I had ever used.

So I slammed that 15# ball down on the floor pretty hard expecting a dead cat bounce.....

And that SonofaBitch came off that floor harder and faster than it went down and hit me in the face so fucking hard I saw stars.

It surprised me, shocked me and hurt me at the same time and I let out a loud "Goddammit" while recoiling from the face slam I had just administered to myself.

Everybody in the class looked at me like I had 3 heads.... which is kinda what I felt like at that moment.

I quickly apologized for the expletive and Liz asked me if I was OK.... and I said....

"Yeah.... but I think that'll leave a mark"..... with my nose and face already turning red.

So I was stupid and nearly knocked myself out.

Today after my PIYO Strength class, I overheard one of the class members relating to another who was not present at yesterday's face slamming class, how I had done it.

She did a pretty good job of going through the entire process with the ball slam down and the face slam up.

I guess I'm pretty good at making a fool out of myself.

Sometimes that's what you get when you try too hard or basically just don't give a shit what people think about you.

Most people don't understand my intensity.... my approach.... my style.

Why I wear the workout clothes I do.... short shorts, tank tops, loud socks, bright colors.

Simple - I get hot when I workout hard.... the less clothes I have on, the less I sweat.... and I can't stand to have clothes clinging to my body restricting my movement.... and I like to see my muscles working while I'm working out..... I think the Mind - Muscle connection is critical and it's difficult to make that connection without seeing what you're doing..... that's one of the big bitches I have about CrossFit.... No mirrors.

They say..... "Oh you have to feel the movement"  Bullshit - I think most people (at least me) would learn twice as fast if they could see what they're doing wrong.  Anyway, what do I know... I can't even do a double under.

I like loud socks cause I like loud socks.... and bright colors make me happy.

I rode my bike up to Anytime Fitness this morning in the middle of a few snow flurries.

A guy going into the gym said "Man you must like to ride a bike to ride in weather like this".

I skipped the part about not having a car and just said "Well anybody can ride a bike in good weather".

I started to add.... "It takes a real idiot to ride in weather like this!".... but the guy had already went through the door.

Some people are comfortable doing things that are pretty middle of the road.

I guess I tend to approach things in a way that leaves me on the fringe.

Oh well..... at least I'm giving a few folks....

Something to talk about.

An Egg a Sweet Potato and warming up.... To Freezing.... and a Kickin' Chicken Sandwich!

What's for Breakfast Wills?

1 Egg

1 small Baked Sweet Potato

Season the egg with Salt and Pepper

And the Sweet Potato with Cinnamon

Mix and Enjoy.

That's about 200 calories of protein and slow release carbs that will get you started for the day!

And you might want something under your belt for a 16 degree bike ride to Anytime Fitness.

Aaaah...it's warming up.... to 18.

What do you do with a banana, some kale, a tomato, some roasted chicken and a couple of slices of focaccia bread?

Dice the chicken and season with the African - Moroccan spice mix.

Dice the banana and season with cinnamon.

Start the kale, a few slivers of red bell pepper and a sliced jalapeno saute-ing in a smoking hot cast iron skillet.

Make room to grill the focaccia bread and add the banana.

Flip the bread, turn the veggies and banana and add the chicken.

Bread is done and keep rolling the meat, veggies and banana for another 3 minutes.

Coat the focaccia with sweet mustard and pile on the chicken, veggies and banana and top with tomato slices and side with some Thai chili paste for an added kick.

Fridge the rest of the mix for the next meal.

Geez.... Sometimes I even impress myself.

A Vulgar Display of Turkey...

I gotta say.... 

When your only transportation is a bicycle and you have to get up every morning and face Snow at 25 degrees....

It kinda makes you appreciate a lot of things.

Was in a Rage Against the Machine mood this morning...

Unfortunately I haven't had much of a Vulgar Display of Power lately.

But that doesn't mean I can't eat right.

After a cold ride back and forth to Anytime Fitness and Liz P's Strength, Core and More class, I was ready for a big Post Workout Meal.

A little Focaccia bread and red bell pepper slices and a sliced baked sweet potato.

TJ's Peppers stuffed with Turkey and Rice.

Open faced sandwich with chicken breast and bell peppers and baked sweet potato on the side.

Add the boiled egg for a little more protein.

Ground Turkey Breast Mix....

To TJ's Ground Turkey Breast I added a seasoning mix of Salt, Pepper, Hot Madras Curry Powder, Cumin and TJ's 21 Season Salute and then a wet mix of 1 beaten egg, Sweet Mustard, Balsamic and Tabasco sauce.

Then a dicing of 1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 green bell pepper, 1/2 sweet onion, 1 stalk of organic kale, handful of carrot sticks.  The veggies are seasoned with the same spice mix.

Mix in the veggies....

And make a nice 6 oz patty.

See how the veggies are seared with the meat creating a wonderful turkey - veggie patty.

Add in a protein drink for an extra 30g of protein....

And at least 30g in the turkey....

So it's a nice 60g of protein meal.

I feel the Power coming on already.

Training / Living to the Point of Failure

Training to the Point of Failure is a pretty simple and widely used technique in progressive weight training.

Simply stated, you do a particular exercise with a given weight until you can't do any more.

Gravity wins.... You FAIL to do another rep.

So why do people use this technique?

Taking the body, a particular muscle group, to a point of failure breaks down the muscle fibers in that muscle group, creating micro tears and lesions.

With the proper nutrition and recovery, these muscle "fractures" repair themselves stronger than they were before.

Stronger, denser muscles are able to lift more weight.

So the individual's future attempt at higher weight or higher reps with the same weight is successful.

The individual becomes stronger and moves to a new level.... a point beyond his previous best.

How did the individual get to a new higher level of strength?

They experienced FAILURE.

They then receded from that FAILURE, followed a simple plan for recovery and made ANOTHER ATTEMPT.

You can see where this is going, right?

Very few Happy and Successful People (and you can define Happy and Successful however you want to) have experienced their state of Physical, Mental, Emotional, Spiritual, Relational, Vocational, Financial Nirvana without experiencing their share of Failure.

Failure is simply a Temporary Limit or Boundary.

It is a way of informing you that you need to Back Off, Come Up with a New and Better Plan, Do Your Homework and then.....

Try again.

It is this breakdown of Life's Muscle Tissue and the rebuilding of it stronger than it was before that represents our Progress in Life.

It is how we grow.

Yes - Failure is part of the Growth Process.

Live to the Point of Failure.

Just can't make the Cut... BJ says eat more Carbs and Fat and drink more Water!

I took a week off from CrossFit cause I was tired and sore and disgusted with my performance.

I was consistently at the bottom of the list in every WOD.

So I came back to the Box today to see if the week off helped.

Push Press Max Reps at 60% of Training Max.

Then a 5 min AMRAP with 6 Burpees and 6 Thrusters at 135#.

1 minute rest...

Then another 5 min AMRAP with 6 Deficit Pushups and 6 Push Presses at 135#.

Once again I was at the bottom of the list with 2 Rounds + 4 reps on AMRAP #1

And 2 Rounds + 5 reps on AMRAP #2.

I just wasn't strong enough to do the reps on the Thrusters and Push Presses.

So afterwards I sat down with the Zia CrossFit owner, BJ Monger, and told him what I was eating, what I was taking for supplements,  how much I was sleeping, etc.

And in a nutshell, he said I was taking in plenty of protein, the supplements were good but try eating more carbs, more fat and drink more water.  More energy.... Better recovery.

So I came home and worked up 4 open faced sandwiches with grilled Focaccia bread coated with honey mustard with the following proteins:

2 with Sweet Basil Pesto Chicken Sausage topped with soft boiled egg

1 with Ground Turkey Breast patty topped with soft boiled egg

1 with Pork Loin

Sided with 1 small baked sweet potato and a Spring Mix Salad and a Black Toad Dark Ale.

This is a lot of great tasting and nutritious food....

BJ asked me what my goals were....

I told him.....

Everything....

A balance of Strength, Agility, Endurance, Flexibility....

And I wanted to be Big,  Lean and Muscular.

Now..... 

Let's get back to work.

A Simple Breakfast... Taking a Hike to Trader Joe's with an Ortlieb Backpacker Plus!

Want a Quick and Nutritious Breakfast?

Cube up a portion of roasted chicken breast - I bought the already roasted chicken at Smith's last night for $6.99.

Toast a small piece of whole wheat bread.

Add some honey mustard.

Slice half a tomato.

Boom!

2 minute breakfast.

What's this?

It's an Ortlieb Bike Pannier (Saddlebag that fits on a rear bike rack) with an special accessory.....

A back pack rack that converts this spacious, waterproof, rugged bike pannier into a day backpack.

Check out a YouTube video I did on this system some years back!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZdzif7eQzM

It was a beautiful sunny day, so I decided to make the 1 mile walk down to Trader Joe's with my Ortlieb pack and pick up some groceries.

I tried to get a pic with the pack on my back but was unsuccessful.

Anyway, here's the pack I carried back crammed full of groceries.

Yes.... all this was in that pack!

The Man Who Knew Too Much.... Sometimes Ignorance is Bliss.... And Beneficial!

Catchy title?

Mebbe.... but this is a theme and an evolutionary process that I am Victim of .....

And Victor of.

Let me lay this post out for you real quick.

My whole life.... My vocation.... My career.... My personality... My approach to Life....

Has always been one of Careful Thought and Planning....

Ok.... Marriage has been the exception.... but that's another Post for Another Day.

In general, with most things, I'm pretty analytical....

I like to collect data before I make decisions.

Consider the Good, the Bad and the Ugly....

and devise and develop contingency plans for each genre.

In most cases..... A good thing.... probably saved me from a lot of Uh Ohs.

But as with all things, a Strength taken to an Extreme becomes a....

Weakness.....

Sometimes a Fatal Flaw.

Analysis can become Paralysis....

And Planning can become Paranoia.

A Few Years ago I realized I had fell into this rut....

A continuous daily monotony of predictability.

No growth.... No evolution.... No revolution.

So I quit.....

Thinking so much.... Analyzing so much..... Planning so much.....

And I started....

Forcing myself to try new things....

To remove predicated limits and boundaries....

To face fears....

And the unknown....

And to embrace.....

Pain and Discomfort....

Relocation.....

Dislocation.....

Having a Good Head on Your Shoulders....

And the Vision to See and Plan Your Future....

Is a Great Thing.....

Just don't let your Commitment to Certainty....

Keep You from a Life of.....

Discovery!

A double plate of goodness.... Riding the Snow Wave!

Last Night's Supper....

Double up on the protein....

Seared Tilapia fillets.... one on the salad

One on an open faced sandwich....

And a ground turkey breast open faced sandwich with a topper over medium egg.

This morning's breakfast...

Another open faced ground turkey breast sandwich and an over medium egg with a side of sauted kale and the last slice of TJ's Smoked Turkey breast.

Cold and Snowy.....

Whadduya do?   

Well if ya... is me...

You dust the snow off the seat and take the 3 mile ride to Anytime Fitness.

To a Turbo Kick class....

And then some tuna sushi with a side of brandy for supper.

Hey.... When Santa Fe gives you Snow....

You make tracks!

Holy Shit Batman - it's Cold out there! Making Leftovers... Right!

Woke up this morning to Overcast Skies and Cold Temps.

I've kind of learned how much I need to put on based on the temps....

40 and above - 1 layer

30 - 40 - 2 layers

20 - 30 - 3 layers

10 - 20 - 4 layers

This was definitely a 4 layer day!

The only thing that gets cold on days like this is my hands.... I wear these huge Snowboarding gloves but even that's not enough when my hands are exposed to the air while riding a bike....

May have to add a thin glove inside that....

Kid Rock covers so many different genres of music, you can never tell what will pop up on the Kid Rock iHeart station.

OPM for the masses?

Horny?

Ok..... moving right along....

So how do you deal with leftovers?

Personally I love leftovers.... I think most food tastes better the next day because it's had time to soak in all the seasoning after having been cooked.... but there's some that get snooty about leftovers, so here's a suggestion on making your Leftovers more enjoyable.

Freshen them up with an infusion of freshly cooked vegetables and fruit.

I diced up a fresh Poblano and Jalapeno pepper and a sliver of onion and sliced up a Red Delicious apple.

I added the peppers and onions first and let them saute for at least 5 minutes keeping them turned....

Then added the apple.

Here's all the leftovers....

I diced up half of one of the pork chops I cooked last night and a half a baked sweet potato I had left and you can see the leftover veggies in the background.

Throw in the leftovers on top of the fresh stuff and cover and steam for 3 minutes....

Throw in a couple of over medium eggs....

And you've got a warm meal for a cold day!

I was so hungry I forgot to take a pic of the final product!

Suffice it to say it was Sweet and Salty and Savory and packed with protein and energy....

So that's a wrap on Paleo Leftovers!