I posted this a while ago on the other blog, hopefully it helps a few more people. Post comments below.

I'm going to put some things out there, it's up to you to follow or not. Freedom of choice and self expression is a wonderful thing. First of all, throw out all the crap in your kitchen. If its not crap, good for you, eat it. Secondly, don't buy any more crap, that's it. Simple stuff, really.

In no particular order, avoid and eliminate the following as best you can...

-Food made with refined flour and corn products, such as bread, cookies, crackers, pasta, chips, cereal, cakes

-High fructose corn syrup, almost any drink other than water, salad dressings, ketchup, this crap is in so many items, watch closely

-Trans fats, margarine, vegetable oil, yes, that means Velveeta

-Artificial sweeteners, essentially anything that says sugar free or diet

-Commercial pasteurized dairy, as awesome as bovine growth hormone sounds, just say no. If you're not going to get down and drink it straight from the tit of a "clean cow", don't do it (figuratively speaking of course), avoid pasteurized milk, cream, yogurt, cottage cheese

-Commercial meat and fish, such as canned meat and fast food, eat grass fed and wild caught

-Soy, no more tofurkey burgers

-Sports and energy drinks, just drink water, and green tea sometimes

-Protein and energy bars, they are crap, yes, you hippie, even your Kashi bar

-Processed foods, prepackaged meals, instant anything, rice cakes, pop tarts

 I know, I hate being told what I can't do also. So here's some things you should do. Eat 17 colors a day. This ensures you are getting a wide range of micronutrients. Don't get too literal here, just be sure to get a wide range of real food in you. Think nutrient dense and calorie light. Every meal should contain all the macronutrients to maximize your hormonal response. Eat a quality protein, fat, and carbohydrate source with every meal. Put the emphasis on quality and you won't have to worry much about the quantity. Obviously there is an optimal amount per individual based on needs, levels of abilities, and even time (pre and post workout). Eat a little extra carbs after you train hard, like a potato. Some good choices of proteins to consider are beef, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, venison, and lamb. Good fats are olives and olive oil, coconut oil, avocados and a variety of nuts and seeds. Great carbs sources are green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, broccoli, asparagus, collards and mustard greens. Vibrant berries are tremendous, such as blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, cranberries and even cherries. Eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Your higher carb foods will include sweet potatoes, brown and wild rice varieties, gluten free brown rice pasta, black, red and pinto beans, steel cut oats, raw honey and pure maple syrup. Use lots of fresh herbs and spices, such as basil, thyme, oregano, cilantro, cinnamon, cayenne, turmeric, curry, ground cloves, ginger, paprika, chili, parsley and pepper. I do recommend "cheating" as a strategy to optimize fat loss. Every 4-6 days have a meal or three with lots more carbs and fats than usual. It shakes the body up and keeps it primed to achieve the things we're after here. In this case, cheating is good and recommended, not only for our bodies, but our minds as well. Now I'm not recommending Taco Bell and Hardees all day, but utilizing this principle will enhance the desired effect.

A sample day meal plan:

Breakfast:
1 teaspoon coconut oil
5 free range eggs
1/2 cup fresh salsa (tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, orange pepper, pineapple, black beans)
1/4-1/2 cup steel cut oats with a little honey and lots of cinnamon

Snack:
Fresh berries
Non pasteurized cottage cheese with cinnamon
Raw almonds
mix all together if you want, I do

Lunch:
Curried grilled chicken
Bowl of spinach, garlic and onion, lemon juice, olive oil
Wild rice or sweet potato
Avocado

Snack:
Jerky
Bell pepper
Brazil nuts

Dinner:
Salad with homemade Olive oil & vinegar dressing
Grilled fish, seasoned to taste
Lots of vegetables, no starch or high carb

Snack:
A few ounces of turkey
Nuts/seeds
Bite of DARK chocolate :)

Add lots of krill oil/fish oil to your routine if you're not already. A good rule of thumb is to start low, and keep adding a pill or so every now and then until your stool gets a little runny, then back off a bit and that is the right amount for you. Never mind the dosage recommendation on the bottle. This is just my opinion and I am not a doctor, so exercise free will when making decisions and don't blame anyone except yourself for your actions, as I didn't force you to do anything.

Take it as you want it, but this is a decent plan to follow. Post questions and comments below. I'm sure I neglected several key aspects, but it will all come out over time.

Had a good time at the park this morning with some friends on my birthday. We practiced some bodyweight drills, a little kettlebell work, and getting schmacked in the grill with playground swings. Haha, unfortunately I wasn't able to get the grill schmacking on video, but it is a lesson learned. If something is coming at your face, move. Simple, genius.

5 rounds

Handstand pushups x 5
Pullups x 5
1 arm kb clean and press x 5/5
Bench jumps x 5

Nothing too strenuous, we got a hard week ahead of us.

Warm up

1 kettlebell (light)
1/2 get up x 3
Get up x 3
Arm bar x 3
1 leg deadlift x 3
Windmill x 3
Press x 3
Swing x 3
H2H clean and press x 3
Goblet squat x 3
Front and back lunge x 3
Switch hands and repeat cycle 1-3 times as necessary

1.) Tire flips 5 x 3-5

3 Rounds

2A.) Run x200m
2B.) Single leg groiners x20
2C.) Ball Slams x20
2D.) H2H Swings x20

Mobility Work  

1.) Power Clean
-work up to a heavy single, then drop 10-20% and do 3 more
2A.) Bench Press Bodyweight x max reps x 3-5 sets
2B.) Pullups 3-5 sets x max reps
3.) Farmers Carries 5 x 150'

Below is an unrelated video, but it is certainly a great full body exercise, or lower body finisher for the strong.

Here is one of my favorite protein shakes I like to enjoy from time to time. Early mornings, pre/post workout... Give it a shot.

Rest day, but don't sit around on your ass all day. Do something fun, active and engaging. Read a book for enlightenment and surely do some active recovery work and mobility drills.

W1D2

Warm up drills
Mobility exercises
Activation exercises
Animal movements

Barbell Complex
- We frequently perform barbell complexes, it's one of my favorite way to increase conditioning and rip fat off your body. But this particular complex was inspired by Martin Rooney's Warrior Challenge: 100 reps in 100 seconds.

If you are familiar with this challenge, you will notice that we performed the exercises in slightly different order.  In order to maximize each movement, I put the push ups last, as I think they are the easiest to do, so doing them first while fresh isn't as difficult. I also wanted to perform the overhead lifts first to keep things a little safer.

3 Rounds

Push press x20
Squat x20
Bent over row x20
RDL x20
Push up on barbell x20

Thats 100 reps! Do not perform them as fast as possible until you can perform them as good as possible, please. Once you have developed technical proficiency, do them faster and better. When you can do the entire complex in 1 minute and 40 seconds, you're on your way. We did the complex with 40 kg. Not too much weight, but enough to hit the guys hard. As we continue through the cycle, we will adapt.

Next we did 3 rounds of a run/row deal that I absolutely despise so good. We will work our way up throughout the cycle, but 3 rounds and a little shorter distance is good for now.

200 meter run
250 meter row

We ran, got on the rower immediately, then rested about 90 seconds after each round. We will increase the work and decrease the rest over the next several weeks. We actually used the inclined treadmill at 10mph for this, because of the fact that only a few people trained. But if there were more people, we would run outside and probably perform swings or high pulls instead of rowing the C2 to accommodate all the athletes, as I only have 2 C2 rowers. Not all ca finish, this is a brutal workout, as any crossfitter can attest to.

Week 1 Day 1- Warrior Cycle (W1D1 WC)

Warm up
Mobility & agility drills outside
Muscle activation
Box jump variations
Gymnastic tumbling

1.) Med ball throws 4x10 from different angles

2.) Bottom's up clean & press 3x6-8
-light

3.) Snatch + overhead squat 6x1
-beginners used DB's, no ohs

4.) Clean & jerk 3-2-1...find heavy single, then decrease 10% and do 3 more singles
-beginners used sandbag or KB's, added volume

5A.) Front Squat 5x3-5
-beginners did goblet or sandbag squat
5B.) Muscle ups 5x3-5
-beginners did a set of pullups and dips on bars or rings






 

Single Kettlebell Complex

5 Rounds

Snatch x10
Clean & press x10
Reverse Lunge x10
Swing x10

Switch hands and repeat, rest as necessary between rounds

Carry Medley

3 Sets

2 KB Overhead Carry x 40 meters
2 KB Rack Carry x 40 meters
2 KB Farmers Carry x 40 meters
Keg (Sandbag) Front Carry x 40 meters

All nonstop, then rest and repeat

Time to mix it up again!  I'm going to start posting a new cycle of training because it has simply been too long since I have done so. Let's get started, why wait til Monday? On rest days I will try to have something worth reading for you to view.

1.) Clean & Jerk 3-3-3-2-2-2-1-1-1
work up to a heavy single

2.) Front Squat 4x3
start with last c&j weight and progress from there

3 Rounds, 60 second rest
3A.) DB push press x8
3B.) Box Jump x10
mid thigh high
3C.) Pullups x12