Fasting to Lean Up

I was perusing through my book marks this lovely Sunday morning and came across this article and thought I would share with you all.
Ready Set Fast: How Strategic Meal-Skipping Can Help you Lose Fat, Gain Muscle, and Get Healthier
When we were kids, mom was always looking out for our health. Chew your food, Eat your vegetables. And always eat breakfast because it is the most important meal of the day. Continue reading....

I was introduced to Intermittent Fasting (or IF) by Crystal Nelson when I did her Fuel 21 about eight months (read about results here) and saw some pretty good results. Since that time I had done some variations of it off and on but have not been as strict as I know I should be. I have also added raw milk to the mix and have seen some dramatic weight gains and strength gains as well. In the process of the weight gain I also got a little laxed on my diet and put a little fat on around what I call my trouble spots (my midsection and back). Since September when I added raw milk I had gained about fifteen pounds having tipped the scale to about 207 pounds. My pants hardly fit and I didn't feel comfortable in my own skin. Something had to change!
So in December I put myself on notice and started to clean things up. Then in January I Am Crossfit was kicking off and I decided to take on the challenge along with my team. In one of my previous post about I Am, I put my body comp up and was not pleased. I was in at 21% body fat and WOW! not good. Since that time I have done the IF and just completed a week long cleans of eating nothing but veggies. Not easy for a meat eater like me! And I did a 24 hour fast this past Saturday, and I am considering doing the 24 hour fast once a week. In the time I started the IF it is starting to pay off! My pants are starting to feel a little loser and one of my athletes even told me I looked leaner! Talk about motivation!
One thing that I find ironic thou is my weight hasn't come down. I am still hovering around 200lbs. To be perfectly honest with you I don't really care. If I can get my body fat under 15%, and still weight 200lbs I will be a beast on the platform! My strength has gone up and my sleep has improved so I am not scared about losing and strength or energy. I plan on keeping this as my life style for the foreseeable future and will experiment with it. Can't wait to see were it all leads. I'll keep everyone posted on the results.

The Two Sports Compliment Each Other

You all have read several other post I have asked Cindy to do and here is another. If you are new to Crossfit or an OG, you are very familiar with the fact that the Olympic lifts are all over Crossfit WODs. They range from cleans, power snatch, and everything in between. She was kind enough to share her experience with the combination of the two practiced separately and what they have done for Crossfiting.
Hope you enjoy the video and her view on things.

Olympic Lifting Reignited My Crossfit

When Coach Zachary Thiel asked me if and how Olympic Lifting has helped my Crossfit, I had to think about it for a while-not because there wasn't a benefit, but because the effects have been numerous and gradual. I've been Crossfitting for nearly three years, and I added Olympic Lifting to my schedule in the fall of 2011. Before starting Olympic Lifting, I was doing Crossfit-style workouts both at the gym and at home, but was frustrated because I felt like I was losing strength and burning out. I turned to my coach for help. Zach suggested I change up my routine. And when I told him I wanted to get stronger, he suggested I add Olympic Lifting. Olympic Lifting is focused and we practise variations of the same lifts with an eye on form, rather than speed. In the months since I added this repeated focus to my workout schedule, I have noticed some awesome changes.

Strength

The most awesome benefit is that I'm stronger. Overhead strength has always been tough for me, but I'm finding I can lift more than ever before. Just the other day I did a power jerk at 90lbs. I've never done that before. But the weight has edged up all-around. I've been able to increase the weight I use in many of the Crossfit WODs , because I'm stronger overall.

Efficiency and Speed

Olympic Lifting is not just about lifting heavy weight-it's about lifting it efficiently, and that requires excellent form. I had no idea how bad my form was before I started the class. I just didn't practice the lifts enough to improve. Olympic Lifting is all about consistently practicing the basics and tweaking the tiniest movements. Even though I still have a long way to go, I feel I've made significant improvements in my form. That definitely helps me perform better in the Crossfit WODs, because I move more quickly and efficiently at a higher weights.

Body Awareness

One thing I've also noticed is how I feel more confident and stronger with exercises we do in Crossfit that seemingly have nothing to with Olympic Lifting. Because Olympic Lifting requires that I know how my body is moving at all times. I feel more body aware. And I really believe that has helped me improve my pull ups, push ups, squats, and handstand.

Olympic Lifting has been an incredible compliment to Crossfit in many ways. The best thing of all is that I’m finally back to making gains again in the gym, rather than struggling to keep up.

Latest Competition

This past weekend I competed in the Texas State Weightlifting Championship in Alvin, Tx. It was my fourth meet, and while not the best one I've competed in, I am making strides. My opening weight for snatch has worked itself up to 95kg. That was once a PR not to long ago and has now become an easy opener. I missed my second snatch attempt at 100kg, which was not caught on video, and also my third attempt which was the 101kg. I have to sit in it more! While I am making progress with the snatch, I have a lot more work to do.
You will also notice I missed all my clean & jerk attempts. That really frustrates me! The clean was once upon a time my bread and butter and has now become something that I struggle with. Ursula, my coach as pointed out to me that we are going to make some changes to my hand position on the bar and work on my pull off the blocks. I feel confident this will get me to were I should be on my cleans and punch me through a ceiling that I seem to have reached.
Every meet that I have competed in has taught me something new about myself, and showed me that I am making progress every time I step out on the platform. It has taught me patience and that being competitive in Olympic Weightlifting is incredibly hard. You have to be on your game that day and be just nearly perfect to hit your lifts. Unlike crossfit where you might have five minutes to find a PR, in a meet it is sixty seconds. It's nuts! I've also learned that I love this sport and have a desire to become the best that I can at it, and become a legit competitor in the sport.
My next meet is in February at Black Box Gym and I my opening snatch will be 100kg, and clean & jerk to be 125kg.
Time to #Assassinate the platform!

I Am Crossfit Is Back

It's that time of year again! I Am Crossfit is in its third year and is pitting the gyms against each other in the I Am Crossfit Civil War. We really aren't going against each other, but the success of Crossfit Central and the expansion that has happened has allowed each of the gyms to have their own teams. I Am is an awesome challenge and is prefect for the first of the year.
We always go strong at Crossfit Central so it being the first of the year really doesn't matter to most of us. BUT, it is still a great time to kick off a challenge because most everyone does recognize the first of the new year can be a time to refocus and start anew.

For the first time while coaching our I Am team, I will actually participate with the team. I am having my body comp done and will food log and post for everyone on the team to see. I will also be posting my goals for everyone to see here in the near future. I am pretty juiced about this and know I will find great success just like the rest of the athletes on our team.
Just so everyone knows, the athletes on the team are participating in an eight week challenge. They are required to food log, do extra workouts along with their regular CrossFit classes and have goals for the challenge. I Am is a great way to kick off the new year and I have seen it change people's lives! I am going to be posting every ones victories here throughout the challenge so be looking for that.
The pic below is of the team after our goal setting meeting at Central which got every one excited for the next eight weeks.

Update:

Ok ladies and gentleman I have my body comp results and I am not surprised.
First the results:
Weight: 200
Body Fat: 21%....ouch!
Neck 16, Shoulders 45.5, Chest 39, Bicep-right 13.9 Left 13.9, Waist 36.25, Hips 38, Mid thigh-right 24.25 Left 23.5, Calf-right 15 Left 14.75
So, about three months ago, I added Raw Milk to my diet. I take it post workout with my protein shake. Since that time I put on close to 15 pounds and my butt and thighs have grown...well a lot!
But, to be fair to myself, my strength has gone way up! Snatch has jumped 25lbs and clean and jerk by 15lbs. I back squat 380lbs for reps and rounds. 400lbs for reps and rounds is right around the corner. I have to admit I like the strength gains and the flab around the waist has got to go! I have already started logging my food with my I Am group and since last week dropped a legit 5lbs. I have cut my raw milk with protein intake to three time's a week and have bumped up my veggie intake quit a bit. I have also cut my protein portions almost in half and practice intermediate fasting four days a week. I don't necessarily want to cut weight and I say it again, my body fat must come down! I am fine tuning my goals and will post them just as soon as they are done.