Summer Ready: Today's Lift!

We did lots of sets with not too many reps yesterday. Today, we're going to do less sets with more reps. Be careful today when doing the exercises! Hack Squats are less dangerous on a machine. Always where a lift belt when doing squats and dead-lifts! Also: You can superset the first three exercises (in red) and the last four exercises if the gym isn't too packed. If the gym is crawling with people, you can super set in groups of two (in the order that they appear in the chart below). 

So, break out your lift book, and jot these down! Remember that the numbers in the second column are *my* numbers. I'm not a complete beast in the gym, but I'm not a wet noodle, either. Play with the weights, warming up with lower weights (or even just the bar) and then adding more weights. You should be able to get to the last set set without failure, or at least close to it. 

Label this chart as 1L. We'll be returning to it!

Hack Squat [4 sets of 15]	270 [4]
Seated Cable Row [4/15]	130 [4]
Crunches (on stability ball) [4/25]	[4]
Stiff Leg Dead Lift [4/15]	110 [4]
Shoulder Shrugs (dumbbell) [4/8]	85 (each) [4]
Leg Raises [4/20]	[4]
Decline Push Up [4/15]	[4]

Just a few quick things: Try not to spend more than an hour in the gym. If you're spending 2 hours there, its just plain too much. Also: try to make sure you get about 25 grams of protein in you within an hour of your lift (ideally, 15 minutes). If you're supplementing with protein, great! Your body can only handle about 50 grams of protein in a sitting, so,  don't over do it. Its far better to eat 5 times at 25-50grams at a go than it is to eat 75 grams twice! Regardless of what you're using for protein, make sure you get a serving of simple carbies to go along with it! It'll help the muscle heal and rebuild much more effectively

I'm getting about 50 grams of protein from my seafood, another 50 from my two protein shakes, and about 12 from my beans/legumes/dairy. Its a little less than I'd typically eat for muscle growth, but for now I'm looking to get leaner muscle, not bulk, so its okay.

Summer Ready: Pecan Crusted Hake

Hake is a delicious white fish that tastes a bit like cod-- in fact, it can be used in just about any cod recipe. I this it a tiny hint of sweet that pairs super duper well with the pecans. 

I've included the weights so that you can factor in the carbies for your Summer Ready nutrition log. If cooking for one, go ahead and just cut it in half and save some for the next day or dinner. This will serve 2, but the recipe is easily doubled or even trippled for guests. If making it for one, feel free to cut everything in half.

• 220g (1/2 lb) Hake Fillets
  
• 15g  (~1/4 c) panko breadcrumbs
• 20g (~1/4 c) finely chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• pepper to taste
• 1 egg yolk
• nonfat cooking spray
  
• 
  

1. Remove yolk from egg and place egg white on saucer
2. Rub pinch salt and pinch of pepper on fish
3. Combine dry ingredients on second saucer. Mix.
4. Dip fillet in egg, then in breadcrumb mixture. Repeat, repeat, repeat until fully coated.
5. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, heating pan over medium heat.
6. Cook fish on each side for about 3 minutes, or until crispy but not burnt.

Serves 2

Total time: 15 minutes

adapted from the Food Channel's pecan crusted tilapia.

Summer Ready: Nutrition Kickoff!

Fatty Fatty, two by four, couldn't fit through the bathroom door! No more!

With the weather flirting with gorgeous, and even the rain being less chilly, I'm starting to feel the last minute crunch to be ready for summer. Aren't you?

Some call Memorial Day the unofficial start of summer, but I've got a far less arbitrary day: My birthday! Which, ahem, is on memorial day weekend this year...

For what its worth, last year I went out and decided I wanted a new career path for my birthday. And you know what? I got it!

That, at the time, seemed daunting and improbably difficult. A move to the ashram, the constant hustle required to get all those teaching gigs... but, time and effort bore fruit. Success, as they say, breeds success. This year I'm interested in something else: my dream body. 

I rededicated myself to lifting at the start of the new year, and also cut out the majority of the hooch. Now its crunch time. If I'm going to slut it all over town with my guns and abs out, I've got to really kick it up a notch. 

Here's how its all going to go down, and here's how you can play along:

If you want to play along, make sure you have a kitchen scale. Old school or digital, it doesn't matter. Just get one. We're going to ignore nutrition info (mostly) and just stick with physical weights. It makes keeping tabs on what you're eating a ton easier, and is a heckuva lot more reliable than cups and tablespoons (can you eyeball a cup of carrots?).

This is what I'll be eating. I'm 195lbs and 6'3, so remember you may need to modify this a bit. I've got a resting metabolic rate of about 2500, so I have to eat enough not to hit starvation mode, but also not so much that I'm plateauing. This can be easily modified, but I'd only take it smaller, not bigger.

For nutrition, daily:

• 500 grams veggies
  
• 310 grams fruit
  
• 310 grams carbies (potato, bread, rice)
  
• 200 grams meat (fish and shrimp only)
  
• 2 eggs (no yolk!)
  

In order to keep tabs, go get a cheap little notebook and divide the page into 6 columns.  

Veggies	Fruit	Carbies	Meat	Shake	Eggs
100	45	75	100	1	1
220	24	156	75	1	1

Keep it handy in the kitchen, and start filling it in! Focus on all the stuff you can eat!  Just remember that this is all pre-cooked. 

• I'm keeping dairy to a minimum, occasionally having fage 0% yogurt or skyr to up my protein and to dress up a salad or fruit.  Pretty much one serving of dairy a day.
  
• Vinegars, oils, sugar, and condiments are used with discretion (keeping sugar to an absolute minimum), but not eschewed entirely.
  
• If you are going to lift, feel free to work a protein shake (or two!) into the diet. This will allow for an extra banana or apple a day not to be included in the main daily totals.

My daily caloric intake should be right around 1600-1800. Opt for whole grains over potatoes or rice (opt for brown). Opt for mashed cauliflower or pimped out brussel sprouts instead of a potato. Eating in this manner will help keep your blood sugar from spiking, crucially getting rid of the mid-day sleepies and famines.

Speaking of famines, try to eat smaller meals more frequently. 150 grams of leafy greens with some homemade dressing goes a long way. Wait a bit. Eat half an apple, wait a bit. If the hunger doesn't subside, then eat the other half. 

Keep good food on you at all times! Weigh it before you leave the house, and write it down. Expect to finish all your yummy food, after all, its been accounted for!

Limit your bananas. They spike blood sugar a bit. 

If you're stuck going out to eat, opt for Asian. Nigri sushi is an excellent way to kind of eye-ball your nutrition. Maki sushi isn't bad either, but be mindful that the rice is hard to gauge. Seafood skewers and salads at a Mediterranean joint can be very helpful, too!

If you find that you're getting hungry, and I sure did at first, make some peppermint tea. What a godsend! It aids in digestion (hurray!) and has that extra menthol-y kick which helps to make it seem quite rich. Add in some agave, stevia or splenda to make it nice and sweet.

Lastly, keep tabs on *everything*. Don't be afraid of a little olive oil or toasted sesame seed oil, either. A serving or two of nuts a day is fine as well. There are almost no fat grams coming in as is, so there is a little wiggle room for these guys. 

Don't lie! Enjoy!

Old McFatty Had a Farm...

How to grow veggies in pots - Sunset.com

 

All you need is a generous-size container, good potting soil, and a suitable spot ― a patio, deck, or corner that gets at least six hours of full sun a day.

Has anyone had any luck planting an urban victory garden? I'm thinking about using my fire escape for this little project. Sunset had some good recommendations about pots and irrigation as well as setting up a watering system. If I could set up a little auto-waterer, I think I'd be in business. But would it break the bank? 

This calls for a trip to Home Depot.

Gwenyth's Salad Dressing

I can't believe I'm reposting a recipe from Gwenyth Paltrow. I don't make nearly enough money to be chillin' with Madonna's bestie, but that doesn't mean I can't steal some of her dietitian's very best secrets. 

Anyway, regardless of what you think about Chris Martin's Missus,  I think this dressing is slamming. You can get the rest of her salad recipe from the "Detox" issue of her newsletter, GOOP.

I feel the same way about Burberry as I do about GOOP. I get laughs and occasionally inspiration from those who live a dramatically different life (read: more money more ...something...). Okay, from GOOP, there's a higher laughter-to-inspire ratio, but whatever. Not unlike Burberry, if I save my pennies, I can take one of the good ideas home.

This dressing counts as a good one:

• 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
  
• 1 large shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
  
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger
  
• 1 tablespoon sweet white miso
  
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  
• 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seed oil
  
• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
  
• 2 tablespoons water

Throw everything in a blender/food processor/magic bullet and call it a day. With all the fresh arugula and delicious greens coming up at the Farmer's Market, I'm sure you won't lack for something yummy to throw this simple recipe on.

Summer Ready

Its quite easy to start bitching about gaining weight. I'm a marathon runner, yoga teacher, and pretty damn active guy. I also really, really dig food. One of my greatest passions is eating. This leads to me getting fatty fat fat.

I used to be much, much bigger than I am now, and have managed to keep between 80 and 110lbs off for (gasp) a decade come this October.  

Early last September, I decided to take what I dubbed "The Tara Challenge," named for my dear friend Tara McRedie. In as few words as possible, it meant that every meal that I ate solo I had to prepare myself. I especially wanted to focus on minimizing anything that came from a box. Your's truly was finally learning to cook! As it turns out, I don't just like eating, I really like the craft of preparing a meal, too. Since early September, I've only cheated once (in the guise of a bagel omelet from Cosi).  

Then came January. I've been lushtastic for as long as I've been svelte, but after realizing that the sauce was keeping me from my potential as a yoga practitioner, I decide to severely limit my hooch. No drinks after work, no casual happy hour, no "de-stressing" via alcohol. Period.  It was like a Tara Reid Challenge, a sort of self imposed rehab.

Drinking was to be minimized to very special occasions. Wild nights out and single glasses of wine had the same effect, generally speaking, on my life. Useless calories, stupid hangovers, inflexibility, and a lack of clarity in general all came from the same bottle. So, I decided to limit my drinks to 10 Wild Cards. One drink or ten, a wild card is in play for 36 hours. 

I've stuck to it, and still have 2 Wild Cards left, right on schedule  Hooray!

I've also been lifting between four days a week since January 2nd. I've been following the Lee Hayward 12 Week Plan, which I've now modified. As of Saturday, I've changed my diet as well. 

More on each topic as the week goes on.