Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Power Cleans!!!!

of the lifts i do, the power clean is my weakest and worst technically speaking... i struggle with form and the weights i'm using are embarrassing. Yesterday i shot a quick vid for coach Steve to criticize... 




the notes:

1. stance is too wide- i think it actually gets worse as the efforts continue.
2. i am not straightening my knees enough initially- causing the bar to move around the knee 
3. not committing to catching the bar on the chest... worst one was #1  

Wings version 1.0

 I was thinking about wings- and i refuse to eat them at a restaurant because most places that serve them tend to be nasty. I live directly behind one of the busiest wing restaurants in LA and i know first hand just how shady they are! i am not letting those people touch anything i eat!

so i grabbed 4lbs of chicken wings- i didn't cut them or anything, just dumped them in a bowl and seasoned them with salt, smoked paprika, a drizzle of honey, some chopped rosemary and a half dozen cloves of garlic that i pealed and smashed- but left intact. I let it marinate while my oven came up to 235f. once the oven was at temp i spread the wings on a sheet tray making sure they were all turned up, with all the smashed garlic underneath- so the garlic would steam and not burn...

i popped them in for 3-hrs and let them go... after i pulled them and turned the oven to broil and coked them until they were golden, pulling ones that were done and leaving others longer...

they came out OK- this technique will need a little work. While the meat itself was really good from the slow low temp cook the skin did not do so well. it turned out a little tough and not as delicate as a skin on a fried wing... Not every go is a winner!

more wings later!

Gym Log 3/16

It was 10 days between gym visits- just after last Wednesday's session, where I actualy felt decent despite a string of bad training days that were mostly the result of me searching for the correct bar position for executing a low bar squat... Yes something I thought I mastered over a year ago. Anyway- after last Wednesday's session I got sick, and ended up starting antibiotics Friday and then loosing a week+ to feeling like shit.

 So here I was back in the gym. I was not feeling amazing, but I was hell bent on lifting as heavy as I did the week previous. I set out to do a 3X5 work set of Squats at 4-plates which adds up to about 385# in my crummy gym! More on the non-calibrated plate debacle at another time... Anyway I took copious rest between sets and managed 15 good reps at that weight.

 My weakest lift (that I care about) the Power Clean, was at best- OK. I have moments where I feel I am understanding the technique side, but I never totally understand why I am so weak at them... A form-check video will follow soon...

Squat-3X5X385#
Cleans-5X3X135#
body weight-188#

Eats

here is a video-recipe for something that i truly cook all the time, Charred Baby Broccoli..

This stuff is really great and good for you and this method does not yield your moms broccoli! this is powerful stuff ! Enjoy!



What you need:

1. Baby Broccoli
2. butter
3. salt 
4. chili flake (optional)
5. garlic (optional)

Training Log 3/15

ok- shaking the congestion from the lungs! after seeing my doctor on Friday, and starting my 5-day run of antibiotics i was feeling pretty bad all weekend. I started my normal 45-minute roller sessions on Monday... one roller session a day was my only training through Wednesday. those sessions felt good to great- i assume it is because i have rarely done one without a hard gym session immediately preceding it.. max speed on my sprints was about average 52-53mph in an 81" gear... or about 225-230rpm. Today was my first day back at the track since last Tuesday. not sure if i was just thrilled to be riding or actually feeling strong- but i stuck out the whole 40-lap warm up and sprinted at the end.. top speed 36.3mph in an 81" gear. my warm up jumps felt OK but after i finished them i rolled in and sat down and got sick like i just rode a fast kilo! dizzy and dry heaving! awesome! a set of standing starts and another set of jumps followed... for the Moto Session my coach told me to take it easy and do 4-sets of 3X500m... i made it through 2 sets... here is the second 500m of the second set... not fast

Here we go!

Ok- here we go, it's march 2012 and I am firing up the Blog. I have pecked out a few first post in the past for blogs I never followed through with, and tweeted until it became clear that i had to make a choice between that or my masculinity... So what got this round going? Total boredom and a bout with death- not actually death, common Bronchitis really, but it cost me over a week of training and feels like the end of the world... In my Couch bound daze I spent a bunch of time looking at weightlifting Blogs and Food Blogs and Bike Blogs.... So why not my own? The plan is to chronicle the training and competing of a nearly 40-year old dude with a more than full time job, 2 amazing children and a wife who thinks all of this is a big fucking waste of time! So why not spend more time typing about it?