Weight Gain

This past Saturday I was hanging out with Coach Burgener at Mike’s Gym.  I brought up a couple of my soon to be trainers up there to get some work on technique with the Olympic Lifts and to get  a work out in.  Plus its always just good to hang out with “Coach B”.  Always full of knowledge and willing to help.  We had some time while everyone was training to talk about the surgery and how my recovery was going.  I told him that since I had the surgery I had lost 6lbs.  He asked me how much I weighed.  I told him 77.2kgs. (169lbs)  He said,” So you are light right now, and you want to compete in the 77kg class?  That doesn’t make any sense.  I have always felt athletes should eat up to their weight class, not lose weight.  You should be an 85kg (187lbs).”  That’s when I said, ” Those 85s lift heavy weights!!! I would rather stay at 77kg and try and compete.”  That was me just being funny though.  Ever since that conversation I have been thinking about how much food I would have to eat.  I would especially want to put on functional muscle and not fat.  Since fat doesn’t lift weight.  I have a hard task in front of me.  One advantage though will be that I am shorter then most 85s, I think.  So that is good.  I won’t have to get the weight that high.

This is a whole new experience for me.  There have been times in my life when I felt like I need to gain weight, like for football or rugby, but not like this.  If I felt it slowed me down on the field though, I would shed it off.  There is nothing worse then being caught from behind after you make a long break in Rugby or Football.  So I did whatever it took to make sure that wouldn’t happen.  Now, I am not sprinting down a sideline, but trying to move massive amounts of weight.  If gaining weight is going to make me more competitive then that is something I am going to have to do.  I have a hard road ahead of me, because from what I have been reading, putting on functional muscle is harder then losing weight.  There are all kinds of theories on how to do it, but the bottom line is that I have to eat clean and make sure I am getting more then enough calories in to support the muscle gains.  One suggestion that seems to come up often is drinking a half gallon to gallon of milk a day.  Which makes sense because of the high calorie and high protein content in milk.  John Welbourne (Crossfit Football) talked about this at his CF Football cert, Rippatoe talks about it in his strength books, and Greg Everette talks about it in his Olympic Weightlifting book. I am sold, I will be hitting that hard along with upping my protien consumption to 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight.  That should do it over time and then I will just have to maintain.  We will see how it goes.  

First and foremost I have to get this left shoulder healthy and back to 100% from the torn pectoral re-attachment surgery I had 2 weeks ago.  Things are going well as far as that goes.  Still in the sling, but able to train others and glad to be at work.  As long as I can do that then life is good.  

Stand by!!! I will keep you posted.

Get in the ZONE!!!

I subscribe to a newsletter from www.Zonediet.com.  They always send me some good stuff as far as how to stay in The Zone, and great recipes.  So occasionally I will throw something up here for you guys to check out.  This is a recent newsletter with with a recipes for dinner and lunch.  Check it out.  Hope you enjoy.

Grilled Turkey Salad with Mandarin Oranges
Here is a recipe adapted from Dr. Sears’ Zone-Perfect Meals in Minutes.
1 lunch entrée (4 blocks)
Ingredients:
4 ounces cooked turkey breast, cubed
1 cup celery, finely sliced
3/4 cup red onion, finely sliced
Romaine lettuce
1/2 cup Zoned French Dressing  
1/3 cup unsweetened Mandarin oranges
1 peach
1 1/3 teaspoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

Instructions:
In a salad bowl, combine turkey, celery, onion, oil, Zoned French Dressing, peach, oranges, turmeric and mint. Toss lightly to coat. On a lunch plate place lettuce, top with turkey mixture and serve.

 
Vegetable and Tofu Kebabs
Some people may believe that vegetarians cannot enter the Zone. That’s simply not true. In Dr. Sears’ The Soy Zone, published in 2000, chefs served up 100 tasty vegetarian recipes. Here is one of them.
1 dinner entrée (4 blocks)
Ingredients:
4 to 6 wooden skewers, soaked in water overnight
8 ounces extra-firm tofu, patted dry and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large red pepper, seeded and cut into large pieces
1 large green pepper, seeded and cut into large pieces
2 large red onions, cut into large pieces  
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch slices
2 medium summer squash, cut into 1-inch slices
1 1/3 teaspoons olive oil
Dried thyme, to taste
Dried oregano, to taste
Garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:
Put tofu and vegetables on wooden skewers, being gentle with the tofu so it doesn’t break. Place vegetable kebabs at the bottom of a shallow pan or bowl. In a small bowl or jar mix together olive oil, thyme, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper, adding more olive oil if necessary. Pour mixture over kebabs and let marinate, refrigerated for at least 1 1/2 hours. Prepare grill or broiler. Place kebabs on grill, medium flame, turning frequently. Watch carefully so that vegetables don’t burn. Cook until vegetables are tender. Serve.

If you want or need more information on nutrition or want to get fit contact me at:

jp@crossfitsandiego.com

Vitamins and Supplements

As you guys know I talk about nutrition and how important it can be for you.  Another component to feeling good is making sure that you are getting your vitamins and minerals.  Of course if you are eating in the “Zone”  then you have nothing to worry about.  But for most of us, that can be tough.  So another way to supplement your diet is by taking multivitamins and other supplements. 

I currently take a multivitamin and mix a protein shake when I feel like I am laking on the protein side.  I have been throwing around the idea of creatine but haven’t decided on one that I am comfortable with.  Meaning, I want to find one that I can enjoy all the benefits, without the weight gain.  If you know of any good ones let me know. 

As far as the multivitamins and protein, I have found the Nutrilite products to be pretty good.  Check them out at http://www.fitnessnbeauty.com  Their ordering process is pretty simple.  Just register and then shop like any other online store.  They also seem to have the best and cleanest products from the information that I have gathered.  If they weren’t I don’t think that Asafa Powell (World’s Fastest Man in 100m) would be endorsing them.  Especially with all the hoops Olympic Athletes have to jump through.   

jp@crossfitsandiego.com

NUTRITION!

Today I covered nutrition with a client.  I couldn’t express strongly enough how it can affect your performance.  If you eat right, your performance will go through the roof.  Just like if you eat poorly your performance will suffer.  There are tons of diets, or eating plans…..whatever you want to call them.  The only one that has seemed to turn out the best results is The Zone diet.  By the way I don’t get paid to say anything about the Zone.  I have seen the results and experienced them.  Even the bad ones, once I started eating wrong again.

  The whole idea about the Zone is to keep your levels level.  Too many carbs and you get an insulin spike.  You know, that feeling of sleepiness you get after a big heavy meal.  When your in the Zone you have 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% good fat.  That ratio will keep you feeling good and will sky rocket your performance.  There is too much to explain about the Zone,  and all the reasons why people should really pay attention to what they are eating.  But if your interested you can contact me and we will talk.  If not go out and pick up the book Enter The Zone. 

 jp@crossfitsandiego.com