Get In My Belly

Recipe Chain…

So we’re always so excited to chat about new recipe ideas for clean eating, recipes that provide alternative ingredients to make sweets less toxic, and recipes that are just plain awesome!  

I made up these “Buckeyes” a little while back and thought they were killer so I brought a bunch into the gym and everyone loved them.  It couldn’t just be because of my master chef skills (I also have some mean nun chuck skills too...I digress...), but they tasted great AND were made with simple, easy, healthy ingredients. Everyone asked me to share the recipe so I have below, but I also thought it would be a great idea to share recipes from time to time with everyone...

I’ve posted the BUCKEYE recipe below and I’m opening up the door to any of you who want to share a great recipe you have too! Shoot it off to me at cat@starkestrength.com and I’ll be sure to post it for everyone. GET.IN.MY.BELLY.

BUCKEYES

Ingredients:
1 14oz can of white kidney beans (cannellini beans), drained and rinsed

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

½ cup pumpkin puree

2 tbsp. coconut oil

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1-cup peanut butter

Pinch sea salt

10 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Directions:

Line 2 cookie sheets with wax paper. In mixer, puree the crap out of the kidney beans until smooth, add in applesauce, pumpkin puree, coconut oil, and vanilla and continue to puree. Add in peanut butter & salt until fully mixed. Scoop ½ tbsp., roll into ball, and place on cookie sheets and then cover them and refrigerate for 15 minutes, while waiting work on some handstands! When 15 minutes passes, take them out and put a toothpick in each ball, cover again and this time toss them in the freezer for 45 minutes. We want to make sure the balls are stiff enough for the chocolate J. 45 minutes is enough time to send me one of your favorite recipes, so if you’re feeling motivated to do so shoot me one off at cat@starkestrength.com!  Just a bit before the 45 min is up, melt the chocolate! Take the frozen balls out of the freezer, one by one dip them in the chocolate so that a bit of the ball is still poking out the top and place them back down onto the wax paper. Remove all the toothpicks, toss them back into the fridge for whenever you’re ready to eat them, serve them, share them, hoard them, whatever you want to do with them. 

Enjoy!

Bring It Then Ring It!

Thanks for posing Mandy right after your massage ;-)

Hitting a new PR (Personal Record) is an awesome thing to do and to celebrate at Starke we ring the PR bell and typically everyone cheers (just like when someone offers to buy a round of shots). What is a PR and when is it appropriate to ring the bell?

A PR does NOT need to be a 1RM (Rep Max) effort. It can be a new record that you set for a previous lift at a lighter weight.

Example 1: Mandy busts out 5 deadlifts @ 230lbs and two months later she ends up building up to that heavy 5 again but pulls 250lbs for 5 reps. That is a new PR (Ring The Bell).

Example 2: Ryan tests his max unbroken pull ups. Last time he tested them he hit 38 reps unbroken. This time he hit 53 reps without breaking. That is a new PR.

One thing you need to make sure of is that you are staying true to form and the results are measurable to count it as a PR.

If I back squat 360lbs for 5 reps at full depth then try adding another 30lbs but don't hit full depth and break parallel then I shouldn't count that as a PR. (half assed squats only get you half a nice ass) What I should do it take some weight off the bar and do another set at full depth to make it count. Paul does not get to ring the bell ;-(

Be proud of your accomplishments and celebrate them with everyone around. We all love a new PR even if it's not ours.

Now you know. Bring It Then Ring It!

Posted by Paul

What A Change!

Becky setting up for some Deadlifting. 

Adding more training days to your week can be a great thing and you should definitely see more progress and return on your investment (time and money) but changing your training schedule can cause changes in the rest of your life and the balance that you had achieved is now gone. Making the jump from 2 or 3 sessions a week to 5 or 6 (or more) isn't as simple as just adding more workouts. Yes only training 2-3 times a week can limit progress and return on your investment but training more means more commitment on different levels.

When adding training sessions to your week (or multiple training sessions a day) there are several things that need to change along with it.

1. Training more means eating more. This doesn't mean that you can eat whatever whenever. You just need to be prepared to fill up the gas tank more often because you will be driving further during the day. By not filling up your tank with proper nutrition your body will start using muscle tissue for fuel if there isn't the right amount of carbs, fat and protein to sustain your new level of activity. Make sure to have fuel available before and after your training session.

2. Make sure your training is varied to promote growth and proper adaptation along with skill work to accomplish new tasks (and goals). If you run 6 days a week for 6 miles at a pace of 6 miles per hour what will you be good at? I'll give you a hint you'll probably be good at running 6 days a week for 6 miles at a pace of 6 miles per hour. Doing the same thing over and over will only get you good at doing that same thing over and over and it might leave you with an overuse injury. Vary your training so things don't get stale.

3. Step up your recovery. You may want to make more "you" time or make sure you get some extra time in the sac (sleeping). Recovery is the second part of training so make sure you can get 8-9hrs of sleep. I am writing sitting in my PJ's at 7pm after bailing on a second training session I had planned this evening because I felt a little slow and tired and decided that training Olympic lifts when slow and tired will lead to poor technique. I'm going to bed early so that I can tear Shi* up tomorrow!

4. Space out your training sessions if you are doing multiple workouts a day. If you are going to do two workouts in a day try and break them up and do the more technical and physically demanding session earlier in the day and have the second one as a skills session or use it to build the engine if you are trying to build your cardio respiratory capacity. Don't force a second session if you aren't up to it. The downtime you take could be more valuable than the throttling you give yourself.

5. Make sure you have a goal in mind that's measurable and that will help you to keep coming back for more. Losing sight of the "Why you are doing this" is a great way to lose motivation. Make a goal, set a date, follow a plan and make sure you have smaller goals to demolish on the way. It's not a bad idea to have some other big goals planned too. I believe in Kaizen (Constant and never-ending improvement).

6. Have fun with your training. This should be the best part of your day. No phone, no work, no traffic, no responsibilities. Just doing what your body was meant to do.

Some people treat their bodies like abandoned buildings. I like to treat mine like an amusement park!

Posted by Paul    

   

Are You Ready To Train?

How are you doing today?

Everyday when members walk in the gym I ask them “How are you doing today?” Sometimes I get the response “I didn’t get any sleep last night”, “My kid was sick”, “I have a cold”, “I was out partying” or a number of other responses. Sometimes I hear “great”, “awesome”, or my personal favourite from Craig “I’m going to Fuc* up your gym”.

Anytime I get this feedback I have an idea of how much I can push someone during the workout or if maybe today is a day that they should warm up with the group, work on some mobility, roll out and go home.

If recovery is the second part of training then why don’t people exercise recovery? This goes for any type of training. When you do your workouts and stress the body’s cardiovascular system, central nervous system, & energy systems you need time to recover and repair and recharge those systems. If you keep beating those systems down you may be forced to take more recovery than you think.

If you had a great weekend and got some great sleep (8-9hrs a night) ate well got in a workout or hit your mobility work and feel like taking on the world Monday morning when you hit the gym they you are ready to bring the heat. Lets say after that workout you didn’t bring any nutrition to recover with and went 4hrs without eating, had some fast food, coffee, very little water, and went another 5hrs without eating then only got 5hrs of sleep that night how do you think Tuesday is going to go? So you show up for your workout on Tuesday morning and its not so stellar. Lets say it’s about a 6/10 on the awesomeness scale. Lets say that the rest of Tuesday goes the same way Monday went. How do you think Wednesday is going to go?

Each day if we miss the chance to recover properly we are just beating down our bodies and doing more harm than good. Make sure you have a recovery plan along with your training plan to help you to succeed with your goals otherwise it might feel like you are running on a never ending wheel and you might just be digging yourself into a hole.

Other measures of readiness include a normal resting heart rate, grip strength, central nervous system and cardiac readiness. 

So next time I ask you “how are you feeling?” It lets me know if I can yell at you if your slacking off or I might suggest that you go a little lighter and easier that day because there’s nothing wrong with that.     

Paul     

Do You Even Swing?

Magda busting out "Russian" swings with a 100b bell.

Kettlebell swings are a great exercise to incorporate a lot of muscle activation, timing, and co-ordination. With that being said you need to make sure you are swinging the appropriate weight to to get something out of the exercise.

When choosing a weight you need to make sure that you can pick it up and put it down with correct form. I see people with great swings then look like an angry cat when they pick up and put the bell down. Make sure your pick up and put down are solid before going too heavy.

Once you have good mechanics for the pick up and put down make sure you warm up with the appropriate weight especially since this is such a dynamic movement.

LETS GO HEAVY!!! Ok so now you're ready for some weight. If you use a 25# bell over and over you are not going to get much out of the swings (especially if you are capable of doing more). Swings are a full body exercise and to stimulate the body you need enough weight & intensity to create change and progress.

Moving more weight recruits more muscle fibres. More muscle fibre recruitment means that you will get stronger with that challenging weight and cause some more damage to your tissues (this is a good thing and stimulates growth). This will also create more of an EPOC effect (Excess post exercise oxygen consumption) also known as the "afterburn" effect. That "afterburn" effect requires fuel where fat stores are broken down into the bloodstream and those free fatty acids are used as fuel (also a good thing).

In short. Go heavy, go hard, burn more!

Now ask yourself, Do I even Swing?

Paul  

 

Want to get better at Weightlifting? Try Weightlifting!

Starke Weightlifting classes are available to members and non-members. Our goal for these sessions is to devote the required time and importance to the proper execution of the Clean & Jerk and the snatch and work on the proper pulling mechanics and positioning required to successfully complete these lifts for what your body will allow at the time. This is also a great time to work on squats & accessory work for your lifts to support them (like me and my little triceps for a better faster lockout).

One thing you need to look at is how often you are hitting those lifts? If you are coming to classes a couple times a week and missing snatch and C&J day for weeks you won’t be hitting them enough to make a difference. 

Weightlifting is a demanding sport and skill and requires practice, patience and mobility to be successful. If you are someone who comes to class 2-3 times a week and you keep missing days where we Snatch or Clean & Jerk then show up on a day where we do hit one of those lifts you may be frustrated and disappointed when you are stuck at a previous weight and it doesn’t seem like your lifts are getting better.

Hitting your lifts more than once a month or month and a half is not going to cut it when it comes down to smashing PR’s this goes especially for the Olympic Lifts. If you wanted to get a new PR in you half or full marathon and only ran once or twice a month you would probably be disappointed when you didn’t meet your goal.

Our weightlifting classes are slower paced than our regular CrossFit & Fitness classes. There will be no lifting for time. We break the lifts down and work on technique and segments of the lift where people are getting stuck. If you are having issues snatching from a “high hang” position or from the “launch” position (just above the knees) then snatching form the ground is pointless because you will be just reinforcing improper form and lifting mechanics.

One of our newest members Corey started a few weeks ago and has shown up to more weightlifting classes than regular classes. This is a great way to attack the most technical aspects of what we do and start off on a great road to proper form and technique.

If your lifts are solid and smooth and you are willing to put in the time and effort to get them there then many other technical movements should come a lot easier.  

I want everyone to come try out 3 lifting classes even if you have a limited membership of 2-3x a week (we won’t count those towards your weekly workouts) so you can see what I’m talking about. Plan these classes into your week and shoot me an e mail to let me know you will be coming paul@starkestrength.com I want our members to be successful and the only way to get there is to put in the work.

See you in class.

Paul