Recovery Nutrition

Back in the spring I subscribed to the mainstream weight-training philosophy behind muscle recovery. Throughout the course of the day you should take in one gram of protein per every pound of bodyweight. I bought chocolate protein powders from GNC, ate protein bars throughout the day, and ingested quite a silly amount of protein, all in the name of building muscle and helping my body recover from my workouts.

Now with Crossfit and Paleo I'm confident that I'm getting significant protein from the meat and nuts, so I'm not nearly as militant about protein shakes. However, within 30 minutes after any WOD I typically find myself drinking an excellent organic protein recovery drink known as Orgain. This has 16 grams of protein, sourced from organic whey. Though its ingestion is a departure from Paleo, it's pretty widely known at this point that post-workout it's crucial to have at least 8 ounces of a drink that has a 3:1 carb to protein ratio. Frankly a ton of sites, blogs, and discussion posts recommend straight-up chocolate milk as a recovery drink, because it maintains the ideal carb-to-protein ratio for ideal muscle recovery.

Here's some of the science behind that 3:1 figure (feel free to skip the next paragraph if you're about to start snoring): The sugar in the chocolate (a very popular flavor in these drinks) causes an insulin spike which primes your muscles for ideal protein intake. The carbs act as a vehicle for the protein to travel efficiently into your muscles to achieve optimal recovery of tissue that has been broken down during your workout.

Since chocolate milk still has the typical hormone and inorganic content found in whole milk, I prefer an 11-oz carton of Orgain. I still get the proper ratio of carbs to protein for recovery, and though it's not Paleo I'm still consuming an organic food. The optimal timing of the recovery drink is within the first 30 minutes after your workout. It's tough to hit that timeframe after a Crossfit WOD, since it's tough to move quickly while showering and changing. I need to start keeping some Orgain in the fridge at Crossfit.

Typically along with the Orgain (which I drink right there in the store) I get a fresh fruit cup and bring it to the office, where I drink 32 ounces of water and eat the fruit cup. By the time I'm done with the fruit and water I'm overcome with the most euphoric feeling. It feels so great to be feeding my body the fuel it needs to optimally recover from the intensity of Crossfit.

I have a lot more to learn, and I certainly can make more tweaks to my observance of Paleo, but vs. where I was a few months ago my nutritional habits are a dream come true!

Scotch Night

So here we are...my first departure from Paleo in over a month. Every month a "scotch club" gets together in my area to sample different types of scotch whiskey. I've skipped the last couple but tonight it was combined with a 19-man dinner with good people in a cool restaurant. So "fuck it" I said...while I stuck to it with the food (fantastic grilled chicken over warm arugula) I sampled two mighty tasty scotches, and I couldn't feel better about it. Better because I know it's a momentary indiscretion, and just because the majority of my intake is Paleo doesn't mean I can't have controlled departures while still hitting my fitness goals.

So here's to a successful cheat...good people, great scotch, and still high from my completion of today's WOD, which was the toughest I've endured yet...

rock on...

Filthy Friday Crushes My Soul

OK...so here's the WOD as RX'ed:
http://crossfitnyc.com/2010/12/filthy-friday.html

For time:
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders

I scaled to "Dirty 30" (i.e. 30 reps of everything vs. 50). I had no intention of doing jumping pullups at all, but Sara had me on the box doing them in no time. I was excited to have a WOD with kettle bell swings, as we didn't even do these during Elements. Since my knee is still bruised and a little tender, I scaled to step-ups for the box jumps.

I cruised through the first three exercises like I actually had business being there. I was surprising myself with my pace. Wall balls WERE my favorite exercise, but today, with them smack in the middle of the WOD, they tore me down hard...by the time I got to the burpees I hit the wall. But rep by rep Sara was on me hard to finish. Somehow I found a way, and before I knew it I was done. 35:15!

This is truly an incredible experience. I am so psyched that I'm actually finishing these workouts. I cut a new hole in my belt yesterday, and I'm officially one shirt size smaller. It's the only way I'm measuring my progress. I still haven't stepped on a scale since I started. I just need to keep plugging away...

The knee shows signs of improvement...I'll still wear the brace next week, and I'll keep it to three WODs, or maybe see how I feel by next Friday...I don't want to push too hard, but this Crossfit experience is damn exciting.

word.

"Come in from the Cold" - WOD 2010-12-08

WOD
Three rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
15 Pull-ups
50 Squats
15 Pull-ups

Scaled running to rowing 500m (hurt my knee last week)
Scaled pullups to ring rows

Completed two (2) rounds

23:18

Last 11 ring rows were with crowd support...thanks folks...you made all the difference!

The "Deads of Winter"

This is not Reis, in photo or form...

Today was a benchmark day for the deadlift.  Sara said she should be able to call us on any random day at 3 in the morning and ask us our deadlift max and we should know it automatically.  I'm just getting into the competitive aspects of Crossfit, as every workout is my benchmark (since it's always the first time for every exercise).  I remembered that my first deadlifts after elements were at 135, which was a super-safe weight at the time, but I've been super-cautious with weight since I have no desire to overdo any of this.

So I started with 135...we did two reps per round for ten rounds.  Here are my increments:

135-155-175-185-185-195-195-195-215

I absolutely could have pushed past 215, which is kind of the point of the WOD, but I'm happy settting a new benchmark, and I know by the time deadlifts surface again I'll have a better idea of where to start. 

WOD 2010-12-02

5 rounds of:

500m row
7 thrusters @ 95lbs

17:18

Pants that were tight last month are loose today...feelin great.

"Thompson"

Today we did "Thompson", named after David Thompson, a special forces officer killed in Afghanistan back in January.  It was a cool and challenging WOD, and I was happy to give this one my all in officer Thompson's memory, and in the general spirit of getting after it.

10 rounds for time of:
15 ft Rope Climb, 1 ascent
95 pound Back squat, 29 reps
135 pound barbells Farmer carry, 10 meters

I scaled the rope climb by grabbing two rings (pushed together in the center) above my head, then jumping up touching alternate shoulders each rep (x15).  Man that farmer carry can be a serious bitch at the end of three rounds. I'm most comfortable with any kind of squat, so while doing 29 reps of back squats was no joke, I was able to get through those OK.

I don't currently have notes on the exact number of rounds I did, but I remember it being in the 3-4 range.  I hope to find the paper I wrote these on sometime soon.  For now the best I can remember is that I was toast at the end of my last farmer carry, and it would have been dangerous to continue...

"Cool Runnings"

One thing I've been petrified of is the amount of time we'll spend running at Crossfit.  So when I saw today's WOD on the board I struggled with the thought of even attempting this one:

Run 1600 meters
Rest 3 minutes
Run 1200 meters
Rest 2 minutes
Run 800 meters
Rest 1 minute
Run 400 meters
 
...but I've also been in a strong mindset of just getting out there and making SOMETHING happen.  SO I showed up, and lo and behold we had the option to either run OR row the full WOD.  While my rowing form is basically crap, I was far more willing to go the distance rowing vs. running.  So row I did, and boy was this a tough one.

Jeff Yan was on hand to coach us in form, and we even went about 500 meters or so going over all of the pitfalls of my form that were causing me to waste excess energy.  That warmup combined with my shaky form cause Jeff to scale this one for me, so after we went over form he told me to start at the 1200 interval and skip the 1800.  Winded as I was before I even started, I was nobody to put up a fight there.  I was still psyched I finished, and it seemed along the way I improved my rowing skill tenfold.

Time:
1200m - 5:35
0800m - 3:55
0400m - 1:53

I have so far to go before my rowing form is optimal, but Jeff's tips really helped me conserve enough energy to get through this one without crushing my arms or my lungs.

word.

WOD 2010-11-22

Warmup:
20 lunges (forgot name - opposite of spiderman)
10 Overhead PVC Squats
20 double unders (sub singles)
10 chest to bar pullups (sub ring rows)
10 pushups (knees)
10 GHD situps

WOD:  AMRAP Push Press (I did a ton at 65 lb. - didn't want to push weight while getting form down)

feelin it...

WOD 2010-11-19

Warmup:
10 Kettle Bell Swings
10 PVC Overhead Squats
10 25lb weighted situps
10 pullup (scaled to ring rows)
also practiced w the jump rope

WOD (amrap 15 mins):
5 Deadlifts (135 was good for me)
10 Wall Ball
15 Double Unders (I just did 30 singles)

4 rounds plus a set of wall ball in 15 mins...not horrific, but at least a reference point for next time.