Workout of the week

If you are following this blog for general fitness, I would suggest having a look at the workout of the day on http://www.crossfit.com/ whilst I continue with my strength and size challenge.

Although I have quite a few challenges facing me at the new store, I am greatly enjoying the role and working with my new team. My training this week has been good. I have still added weight to everything but the overhead press with each workout, which I increase weekly by 1kg only.

I have plateaued with regard to body weight. I have resolutely stuck at 14 stone but my insides appear to have settled down after their initial struggle to cope with increased food volumes.

I have reduced the lifting to two sessions this week, one "A" and one "B" but have added back in a little moving activity - one run, one bike ride and one swim. All three have been short and easy and undertaken just for the joy of moving rather than any specific training purpose.
The workouts now have been distilled as:

Workout A

Squat 67kg 5x5
Bench Press 67kg 5x5
Deadlifts 67kg 5x5

Workout B

Squat 5x5
Overhead press 61kg 5x5
Bent over rows 67kg 5x5


I continue to have neck stiffness from my old injury which I am managing.

My plan for the week is:

Monday - Workout "A"
Tuesday - Yoga
Wednesday - D/O
Thursday - Workout "B"
Friday - Swim
Saturday - D/O
Sunday - 1.5 mile run

Workout of the day

Just lifting weights is making me stir crazy! Lifted well this week, but need to do some other things simply for the joy of moving. Today, its:

Swim any stroke 20 laps

Banana and pecan loaf

I don't do much baking. I can bake, but I always feel like its a lot of work for the return... but then sometimes, I just NEED CAKE! This banana and pecan loaf has just come out of the oven. I will just post the recipe but then I can't hang about - a cup of coffee and a slice beckon.



Ingredients:

• 250g self-raising flour
• 125g butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 100g pecans, chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tbsp honey

Method:

• Rub the butter into the flour.
• Add all the other ingredients and mix well.
• Grease the sides and line the base of a loaf tin.
• Put the mixture in the tin and smooth the top.
• Bake at 150C, 35-45 minutes, until golden. Leave in the tin to cool. 

Moroccan Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 chicken breasts
• olive oil
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped into small cubes
• 1/2 cup whole dates, pitted and sliced

Method:

• Combine 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon with the cumin, turmeric, chili powder, and salt in a toss in the chicken to coat well.
• Heat the olive oil, saute the chicken for about 5 minutes then remove from the heat .
• Saute the apples and dates for 1 minute. Sprinkle with remaining teaspoon cinnamon; cook and stir to coat.
• Spoon apples and dates onto chicken. Serve

Basic Tomato Sauce

Can't believe I haven't posted this before!

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• finely sliced bunch of fresh basil
• 2 x 400g tins of chopped plum tomatoes
• sea salt and black pepper

Method:

• Using a large non-stick frying pan on the heat some oil, the garlic the basil and the tomatoes.
• Season with salt and pepper. As soon as it comes to the boil, remove the pan from the heat.
• Strain the sauce through a coarse sieve into a bowl, using your wooden spoon to push any larger bits of tomato through.
• Discard the basil and garlic that will be left in the sieve, but make sure you scrape any of the tomatoey goodness off the back of the sieve into the bowl.
• Pour the sauce back into the pan, bring to the boil, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Spicy cabbage soup

Lot of soup this week. Don't really know why, just fancy soup!

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• cabbage
• 1 large potato
• teaspoon chilli
• teaspoon coriander
• teaspoon cumin
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 200g cooked butter beans
• olive oil

Method

• Peel the onion and potato and chop.
• Heat the oil, add the onion and potatoes. Add the chilli, coriander and cumin
• Saute for 10 minutes.
• Wash the cabbage and shred it finely.
• Add the cabbage and the vegetable stock and simmer gently for 15 minutes, until the potato chunks are soft.
• Take out half the cabbage and blend.
• Add the butter beans and heat through.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Workouts this week

If you are following this blog for general fitness, I would suggest having a look at the workout of the day on http://www.crossfit.com/ whilst I continue with my strength and size challenge.


The training this week has been patchy even though the new store is giving me plenty of time to train. I have been tired all week and despite eating as big as I can each day, have lost two lbs, which combine to suggest that I am not giving enough time to recovery.

The workouts continue unchanged, being "A" and "B" which means:

Workout A

• Squat 65kg 5x5
• Bench Press 65kg 5x5
• Bent over rows 65kg 5x5
• Deadlifts 65kg 5x5

Workout B

• Squat 5x5
• Overhead press 60kg 5x5
• Chins 5x5
• Deadlift 5x5

I am still increasing weight each workout, with the exception of the overhead press, which I m adding 1kg per week.

I also wonder if I am deadlifting too much?
Continue to have little neck stiffness from my old injury which I am managing.

Lentil Soup

Lentils have a bad rep. My wife thinks she hates lentils and yet never knows when I sneak then into dozens of our everyday dishes.

Lentils contain high levels of proteins, dietary fiber, folate, vitamin B1, and minerals, are cheap, can be very tasty if cooked right and fill you up.


Ingredients:

• 1 cup of green lentils
• 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 stick of celery finely chopped
• 1 red pepper finely chopped
• 1 large garlic bulb, crushed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• olive oil
• 6 cups chicken stock
• salt and pepper

Method:

• Into 2 cups of water, add in the green lentils and bring to a boil, about 10 to 15 minutes. 
• Add all the chopped ingredients and the oil to the pan and saute for 5 mins.
• Add the stock, tomato paste, a little salt and pepper and simmer for 30 mins
• Stir occasionally to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Blend and serve with a little cream or finely chopped fried bacon.

Scouse (aka Lobscouse)

Scouse is a type of stew. I've often made a similar dish to it, but had never heard of this version until Christmas when my Brother-in-Law said how much he liked his mothers version which used roasted veg.

Apparently the name comes from "Lobscouse" a Norwegian for "stew" and refers to any meat based stew, but commonly one eaten by sailors throughout Northern Europe. This version became very became popular in Liverpool - which is how the area got its nickname.

Ingredients:

• 500g of Stewing Steak, cut into cubes
• Large onion, diced
• 500g of carrots, diced
• 2kg of Potatoes, diced
• 1 ltr beef stock
• olive oil
• 2 table spoons Worcester sauce
• Salt and Pepper

Method:

• Cut the meat into large cubes and brown with a little oil and Worcester sauce.
• Transfer the meat to a large saucepan, add the onion, carrot, and about 500g of the potatoes finely diced.
• Add the stock, salt and pepper and bring to a gentle simmer stirring occasionally. The large pieces of onion will start to break up and the potato will become soft and will make the final sauce thick.
• Simmer for two hours, then add the remaining potatoes, along with a few splashes of Worcester Sauce. Then simmer for another two hours.
• Serve piping hot with red cabbage, beetroot, pickled onions and crusty bread.

Workout of the day

If you are following this blog for general fitness, I would suggest having a look at the workout of the day on www.crossfit.com whilst I continue with my strength and size challenge.

Its been a decent training week as I have a lot more time at the new store (15mins travelling against 2-2.5 hours each way!)


Today is a training day. It's workout "A" which means:

Squat 65kg 5x5
Bench Press 65kg 5x5
Bent over rows 65kg 5x5
Deadlifts 65kg 5x5

I have a little neck stiffness from my old injury which I am going to foam roller

Scotch Broth

Strictly this should be mutton, but as I have never seen Mutton for sale and have a fridge full of beef, its going to be beef!

Ingredients

• 250g stewing beef
• 250g carrots, peeled, diced
• 250g turnips, diced
• 2 onions, peeled, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 leek, white part only, sliced
• 100g pearl barley
• 100g peas
• salt and pepper
• 2 ltrs beef stock

Method

• Dust the beef in a little flour and brown off.
• Add all of the other ingredients to the pan and bring to the boil
• Reduce the heat and simmer gently for a 4 hours.

Workout of the day

If you are following this blog for general fitness, I would suggest having a look at the workout of the day on http://www.crossfit.com/ whilst I continue with my strength and size challenge.

Today is a training day. It's workout "B" which means:

• Squat 63kg 5x5
• Overhead press 60kg 5x5 (failed on last workout)
• Bent over rows 63kg 5x5
• Deadlifts 63kg 5x5

I am also getting use to eating more again - although, not always the most perfect of stuff, but have cut the sugar down incredibly.

I think my ideal day will pan out as follows:

• 0700: Breakfast: 2 eggs any style with whole grain toast and green tea
• 1000: Snack: mixed nuts, piece of fruit and 1 pint whole milk
• 1300: Lunch: 200g meat, jacket potato and salad with a little dressing from my day jobs canteen (which is a pretty decent place to eat)
• 1600: Snack: 200g cottage cheese with fruit
• 1900: Dinner: 200g meat or fish, plenty of green veg and either rice, whole wheat pasta or potatoes
• 2200: Snack 1 pint whole milk, whole grain toast with peanut butter.

Very pleased to see that the scale are creeping up already, but I am not feeling fat. That I have eliminated my lower back pain, that I am bursting to train each day (which I am not doing) and that I am not yet suffering any soreness or pain.

Vegetable pasta

Ingredients:

• 2 red peppers, seeded and cut into chunks
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 mild red chillies, seeded and diced
• 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1 tsp golden caster sugar
• olive oil 
• 1 can chopped tomatoes 
• 300g penne
• a handful of fresh basil leaves
• grated Parmesan

Method:

• To roast the veg, preheat the oven to 180C, scatter the peppers, onions, chillies and garlic in a large roasting tin. Sprinkle with sugar, drizzle over the oil and season well with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, toss in the tomatoes and roast for another 15 minutes until everything is starting to soften and look golden.
• While the vegetables are roasting, cook the penne according to the packet instructions.
• Remove the vegetables from the oven, tip in the pasta and toss lightly together. Tear the basil leaves on top and sprinkle with Parmesan to serve. 

Overcoming the plateau

Okay, on the last workout I stalled on the overhead press. Having done a little reading my approach to overcoming this is going to be:

• I will keep adding 1 kg per workout to each exercise EXCEPT the overhead press.
• I will stay at my working weight for the press of 62kg for three more workouts.
• If I make 5x5 at this weight (I am on 5,4,3,1,1) I will start increasing again.
• If I can't get 5x5 at this weight, I will deload 10% (ie: 6kg) and work back up to 62kg again.

Workouts

Survived my last week at "the day job a long way away" (up to 2.5 hrs each way, ouch!) but still managed to get two 5 x 5 workouts in this week. The workouts were one "A" and one "B". The weight has stuck at 62kg because of the overhead press, although I know I can go a lot heavier on everything else. Going to give some thought as to what to do with this and will write here soon, but I don't want to race ahead too much with the other lifts and leave this lagging (again)

Diet has been much better also. 5 meals a day this week being roughly:

• 0600: 2 eggs any style, 1 cup porridge oats made up with 1 cup of water and 1 cup of milk with a little honey to taste.
• 0930: 1 cup of brown rice or two medium potatoes with a tin of tuna or salmon or 200g cold meat with 1/2 cup green vegetables
• 1300: Lunch from the staff canteen, usually fish / chicken / beef casserole, jacket spud and veg
• 1600: 1 pint whole milk, fruit and 250g mixed nuts
• 2000: Dinner as normal.

Plus all the water I can drink whenever I get the chance

To gain the weight I am seeking (around 28 pounds) I am going to have to increase the intake (substantially), which I will try to do by increasing portion sizes rather than adding in more meals just yet (or supplementing, which I am not really a fan of) but I am trying to get myself used to eating more first before doing anything.

I must say that I am finding that my energy levels are much better already - even after just one week - and I have not suffered my usual sugar and caffeine cravings.

The goal for me now is to stick with this plan for the next six weeks and make it back into being a habit lost when I started up my business in 2001.

Workout of the day

4 x 2 mins jumping jacks

5 sets of 5 reps squats (61.5kg)

5 sets of 5 reps bench press (61.5kg)

5 sets of 5 reps reverse rows (bodyweight)

5 sets of 5 reps roll outs

Chestnut Soup

Okay, so I'm at the stage of creating meals from the final remains of Christmas. I hate food waste and so I try to use everything up, which is how I have come up with today's recipe. It's a delicate, but warming soup:

Ingredients:

• 450g chestnuts
• olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 sticks celery finely chopped
• 1.5 pints chicken stock
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme

Method:

• Bring a pan of water to the boil.
• Cut a cross into the base of each chestnut and drop them into the boiling water for about a minute, then drain and peel off the shells.
• Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion, celery and potatoes. Cook for a couple of mins
• Add the chestnuts. 
• Pour over the stock and season with salt and pepper.
• Cover and bring to the boil simmering for about 20 minutes
• Blend the soup until perfectly smooth.
• Sprinkle over the thyme and serve