Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Delicious Kale Smoothie Recipe..

1.5 cups coconut water
2 handfuls of chopped kale leaves
2 scoops of protein powder (mine has zero fat, zero carbs just 25 g protein a scoop)
3 frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/3 avocado
1 teaspoon ground chia seeds

Put all in blender and mix until thick and frothy. Add more coconut water if you want to think it out. I pour it in a tall chilled mug and stick a straw in it......its a green super food drink! All your protein, healthy fats, fruit and GREENS in one yummy drink! I mentioned kale smoothies a week ago at Central CrossFit and now everybody is drinking the yummy power packed drink!!

Please post your favorite recipe to comments! I know Michele and Carlos have one, Corinne has one, and Bo and Kathy have their version......

Get to posting! Lets share!!!

You guys are KILLING IT!!!



I have quite a lot of catching up to post here - many of you have been totally murdering your workouts with strength and speed.
Mary Ryan who is currently almost ready to welcome her little one - did some split jerks today and they were pretty perfect!
Carlos got HIS FIRST MUSCLE UP! And his beautiful partner in crime got her FIRST ROPE CLIMB!!

Bo followed my out of the gym training and completed a gnarley workout : 4 minutes all out sprint (.55 miles), 5 min sprint (.65 miles) and 7 min sprint (.95 miles) - he covered a lot of ground for little time and Im proud of his efforts!

Monday was a great day for Jeff. He PRd in a HUGE way in his deadlift and got 205 for 5 reps, where his last recorded effort was 175!!!! WHAT A HUGE GAIN IN STRENGTH!! So proud of him as well!

Many of you remembered me throughout the weekend afyer this tough endurance WOD :

800meter run
100 double unders
50 wall ball
40 kettlebells
30 push press
20 pullups
10 power cleans
prowler push
run 200
prowler push
10 powr cleans
20 pullups
30 push press
40 kettle bells
50 wall balls
100 double unders
800 meter run

everybody did great and the point of this wod was endurance. Going for longer than 15 minutes and pushing hard the whole time. All of you succeeded and there were some great times to beat. Sunday I had the pleasure of doing a training run with Cari and Marian - Cari ran 20, while Marian and I opted for 14. We all ran to the top in Nisene - I have never ran up that incline and it wasn't easy - while it seemed like nothing to Cari and Marian! You girls are so strong and have amazing lung capacity up hills! I was impressed and cant wait to run long and hard with you again. Eveybody is welcome to take part in training the long runs so we can all log the miles before all of our races creep up on us. Bo, Kathy.....that means you guys too! We designated Sundays to get together and run. If you are interested in training together please mention it to me during the week so I can make sure you have a person who is the same pace and doing the same distance as you :)


Thursday, January 26, 2012

Eating For Performance

I get asked all the time how to eat. I think we tend to make it more difficult than it has to be. If we make sure to stick to real foods and not packaged stuff we'll pretty much do great. Here's what i have to say about how to eat.....Post to comments your ideas.

PS I will post a recipe for kale smoothies later :)


EATING PLAN

Think lean meats, veggies, good quality fat, fruit (only 2 servings a day in first part of day). Eat REAL food as often as possible (limit protein shakes and bars ). Stay away from anything packaged!!! READ LABELS!!!

No gluten (bread, pasta, baked goods, cookies, etc)
No dairy (best way to go)


Breakfast- 3 egg omelet. Add veggies like spinach, tomatoes, diced peppers.
1 sausage link or 2 bacon slices.
1/2 sliced avocado

Snack- 1/2 - whole chicken breast, mixed berries (blues, strawbs. 1/2 cup- 1 cup max)
Small handful blanched almonds.

Lunch- Large mixed green salad. Throw as much veggies on there as possible.
Grilled chicken OR grilled steak slices.
Olive oil and vinegar, 1/2 avocado slices.


Snack- Grilled chi ken or whatever meat you want.
1/2- 3/4 sweet potato (Japanese yam is the best)
* bake yam in oven sliced open and add spoonful of coconut butter or coconut oil to yam. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Tastes like candy.


Dinner- Grilled meat your choice or fish
Kale salad with olive oil, sundries tomatoes and garlic. (sautéed in pan)
Asparagus wrapped in bacon sliced and broiled.

Snack- Protein shake
1-2 scoops whey protein powder. Vanilla or chocolate.
1.5 cups coconut milk or water depending on how thick you want it.
Small handful frozen berries



DELICIOUS day. No weighing or measuring and it's REAL food without crap!

Always Learning!




Heres a pic of me and my coach Brian MacKenzie at the Games this past summer. Spending time with him and Doug Katona at the training camp was the best! You know, as coaches we also need to continue learning and educating ourselves on fitness and nutrition. At CrossFit we are lucky to have access to the absolute BEST in every field of the fitness industry. We have coaches like Mike Burgener who is an Olympic level lifting coach, we have Eva T who competed in the Olympics.....Kelly Starett the mobility genius. Carl Paoili and Jeff Tucker gymnastics and parkour geniuses. Brian MacKenzie, Doug Katona and Carl Borg endurance athletes and amazing endurance strength and conditioning coaches....Rob Wolf nutrition Paleo guru, ....we truly are BLESSED. I feel lucky every single day to have stumbled into the wonderful world that is now CrossFit some 7 almost 8 years ago. These exceptional people have become my friends and mentors. I soak up information and training techniques from them every chance I get. The list is vast and wide of the athletes and professionals that call CrossFit their home and passion. Google some names, buy Rob Wolfs book if you have ANY questions regarding nutrition or hormones. Keep an open mind and ask questions. Making fitness top priority for our lives is crucial...we only get ONE body. Don't you want to make the most of the one you were given and be always improving? I know I do! I can also easily say that I am 43 (in a few days) and in way better shape than I was in my 20s. THATS what it is all about!

I promise to each of you that I will always continue to grow as a coach and bring all that information to you all. How to eat, train, recover, stretch.....because I have the very best in the industry around me! We cannot loose - and we WILL reap the benefits!

Today - get outside and move! Its gorgeous out there and the weather beckons us to enjoy life and fitness outdoors today. I know I'll be hitting the track at the days end and perhaps a walk along the beaches with the kiddos after dinner. Enjoy your day, smile....eat well and be good to your body. You trained hard today!!!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Crossfit Endurance Training Camp




Im in Laguna Hills preparing for day 1 of the CFE training camp. Looks like I'm going to receive quite an ass kicking is weekend courtesy of Brian MacKenzie and Doug . Today we start with a 5.5 mile trail run in Whiting Ranch, then to the gym for nutrition lecture and weight training. The day finishes with a CrossFit WOD. WHAT!? That's THREE workouts just today! I hope my legs hold up and I can take in everything as well as perform at my best.

Wish me luck!! I'll post pictures soon.......


PM---- Made it through the first day of training camp. Starting the day with a 6 mile TOUGH trail run with a bunch of fast ass kickers was the best way to start a day of training. I think I was smiling the whole way! After the trail run we headed to CrossFit NLP for nutrition lecture given by BMack. So much information ! Bmack is quite literally the best coach and incredibly knowledgable in training the endurance athlete-- so I took a lot of notes. Most I already knew, but there were a few new bits of info that I could definitely use for myself and you guys.

Then we hit the gym for some dead lifting, back squatting, and pullups. We focused on breaking down the butterfly PULLUP. Lindsay Smith and Jeremy were guest coaches and their ques were very helpful...so I perfected my butterfly! We went into a WOD that was a lot of fun, then back to classroom time. We finished the day with 1 more WOD.

It was the best day!!! I'm looking forward to today and doing my best to soak in all the information on programming I can. My goal is to always learn and become a better coach for you guys so you can all kick serious ass in your sports!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Registered for the She Is Beautiful Race...

So far I have these people listed as registered for the upcoming 10k/5k race in March:

Sylvia 5k
Kathy 10k
Marian 10k
Mary R. 10k
Mary L. 10k
Corinne 10k
Gia 10k
Teresa 10k
Megan 10k
Stephanie 5k
Lisa 10k
Jen 5k
Shari (me) 10k
Sarah (daughter) 5k
Liberty 10k

It's going to be SO MUCH FUN! I am so happy with how many of you immediately said "yes" when I brought this event to your attention. I guess it's just that easy......I find the races and encourage you all to do it with me and BAM! we have a huge event!

Brunch and mimosas will follow after the race at a location to be determined soon.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Tuesday Workouts....

I had a lot of animals in the gym today all doing slightly different workouts depending where in the months cycle they are at. Here are some of the PRs that took place today....

Matt did 20 rep back squat unbroken at 155# (old was 135)
Marian did 20 rep back squat unbroken at 93#
Mary did 20 rep back squat unbroken at 87# ---- she is 7 months pregnant and KICKING ASS !!!
Bo did 20 rep back squat unbroken at 155# (old was 135)
Kathy did 20 rep back squat unbroken at 87#

Cari did 5x5 box squat at 95#
Tiffany did 5x5 box squat at 87#

ALL of you pushed very hard for the following workout:

AMRAP in 12 minutes of:
8 DB push press
8 burpee lateral jumps
8 KB swings


There were great numbers ranging from 7 rounds to 9 rounds!

I know most of you are trying to balance training heavy at CrossFit and not being too sore to do your scheduled running. If you give me a email stating when your races are and what days are your important run/ride days - I will program around that so your legs stay fresh and not heavy. Bo and Kathy sent me their race schedule and run log so I can make sure I don't schedule heavy front squats a day before they have to run 13 miles on the trails. :) Point is - lets work together so CrossFit HELPS your sport instead of making you slower or too hurt to push hard. That being said - trust me when I say that lifting HEAVY is really important for each of you. Running a marathon takes leg strength. Its not the lungs that will give out, but the leg muscles will if not trained properly to carry you the distance or the terrain. Think about it - once your heart rate gets to the level where you "settle in" you pretty much stay there don't you? Unless you do Fartleks in the middle of a marathon you aren't likely to sprint during an endurance race but rather stay at a consistent beat. I experienced tired leg muscles a few times during my racing career while my lungs felt totally fine. I don't like that feeling! So what did I add? HEAVY BACK SQUATS, DEADLIFTS, and FRONT SQUATS. Know what??? My legs rarely tire now :)

Nuff said.....

Thought? I know I push all of you to lift heavier. Sometimes you decline, sometimes you trust me and do it. What are your concerns with lifting heavy and racing??

Monday, January 16, 2012

Monday Personal Records

Today some of you did 5x5 box squats for your strength set.

Here's the end of the day results:

Gia T. 85# (old PR was 83)
Teresa 100# (old pr was 95)
Megan 115# (old pr was 95)

And some of you did a 20 rep back squat smack in the middle of 2 AMRAP workouts that were fast and HARD! Heres the results of that...

Ian 95# x 20 reps unbroken
Erron 135# x 20 reps unbroken
Lisa 95# x 20 reps unbroken

Carlos did "The Chief" at the rx weight of 135# for the first time and he smashed it! Maintaining 4 rounds at each 3 minutes of work.

Julia learned how to POSE run and how to "pick her feet up instead of slamming them down".... shes going to be a fantastic runner!

Our First Official Race as a TEAM.....

Hi guys! I'm so happy to get this blog, much requested by you may I add, off the ground finally!

This coming March is our first ever race as a team! I am so excited about this and I look forward to watching each of you in action outside of the gym. I am lucky enough to coach amazing endurance athletes CrossFit. You ride, run, race, hike, play soccer, climb, and participate in team sports throughout the year, and CrossFit gets you stronger for each of these sports.

This blog will be our way of checking in with eachother and seeing what events are coming up that we can do together or see how a member does on their event. If there is anything else you want on here please email me or just give me a shout out in the gym and I will make it happen. This year we will be focusing on doing more events together and our training inside the gym will support our individual events.

I will also post the weeks workouts and PRs that were hit that week so you all can see how you did against each other. In the months to come I will be launching a diet challenge for those of you who want to take part in that as well. This is going to be alot of FUN!!!

Please email me with the events you are registered for so I can put then on this blog......

More to come....