August 4, 2009

It was a 'short' day as far as training was concerned, but it was an intense workout by the folks at crossfit.com. The idea was to mimic a fight of 3 rounds, each 5 minutes long. The total workout is below. After the workout a quick stay in the sauna and a nice jump into the pool were perfect for cooling down.

Speaking of the sauna, I'm becoming a big advocate for hitting a steam-room post workout (sauna where steam-room not available). Much evidence exists looking at the benefits of daily time in a steam room. The upsides include:

• cleared pores and moisturized skin
• increased blood flow to muscles (great after muscle damage from working out)
• benefits to people with allergies or sinus issues
• benefits to people with asthma
• excellent stress reliever

In the few months I've been hitting the steam room (or sauna) regularly I have noticed great reductions in my levels of stress and muscle tension. Getting in the steam is one of the many things I look forward to each day and after 15 or so minutes in there I really feel relaxed and ready to take on my next challenge, whatever it may be.

Product recommendation: Supreme Protein - Carb Conscious bar - Caramel Nut Chocolate
This things are absolutely delicious...I swear they taste like a good candy bar. And the best thing is the large bars have 30 grams of protein and only 400 calories and 10 carbs (fantastic meal-replacement bar in my opinion). I bought them for post-workout protein but really like a cold shake after training so these will stay in my office and at home for when I need a quick meal!

Workout From Crossfit.com:
Tuesday 090804
"Fight Gone Bad!"
Three rounds of:
Wall-ball, 20 pound ball, 10 ft target (Reps)
Sumo deadlift high-pull, 75 pounds (Reps)
Box Jump, 20" box (Reps)
Push-press, 75 pounds (Reps)
Row (Calories)

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute.The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. On call of "rotate", the athletes must move to next station immediately for best score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

Today's Meals:
Breakfast: 3 egg omelet with fresh veggies, 8 0z grapefruit juice
Lunch: 1 protein bar (30 g protein, 400 calories, 16 carbs)
Snack: Protein Shake - (300 calories, 40 g protein, 40 carbs)
Dinner: 1 1/2 chicken sausages, grilled corn, grilled veggies, roasted beets and yams
Snack: 3 oz lowfat cheese with hot sauce
Water: Around 100 ounces, also 1 large coffee (black)

I won't post my daily meals...this is rather typical though. Generally I eat lunch of spinach, grilled chicken, and other veggies...but today I was on a time crunch so opted for my new protein bars (read above). I have cut out red meats and pork (for the most part) and have been eating a good amount of tofu and soy-based stuff. The key for me is taking in enough fat, carbs and protein to fuel my workouts, but not too many access calories. Once my training hits 3-4 hour days I'll up my calorie intake, but for now it's right around 2000 as I still need to drop a few pounds.