Newbie Corner

Reminders for Saturday:  Not only is the workout a Partner WOD, but its also Bring a Friend Day!  And @ 11:30 Beach WOD returns with Coach Lauren.

 Meet at the Venice gym 10 minutes early to walk over to the beach.  Friends can come for FREE to BOTH of these events! 

Friday April 11, 2014

Prehab:

Band Posterior Chain Floss
Lat Activations
10 Leg Swings

Warmup:

5 Inchworms
10 Bar Goodmornings
10 Wide Mt. Climbers, Slow
10 Straight Legged Deadlift
10 Shoulder Bridges
10 Deadlifts

Strength:

15 minutes to establish 3RM Deadlift

 Notes: These need not be touch and go.  Focus on a good set up maintaining proper back angle.

  Elevate the bar off the ground if needed.

 Conditioning:

AMRAP/ 20:
Run 200 meters
7 Power cleans (135/95)
7 Chest to bar pull ups

 Notes: Scale to regular pull ups as needed.

CoolDown:

Straddle or Pike Stretch, 1 min
Band Lat stretch, 20s each
German Hang, 30s
Foam Roll Hamstrings and Low Back
Child’s Pose, 1 min 

 The OG Base Campers

For those of you that may be new and learning about nutrition it can get a little confusing about what is the best time to use a protein supplement and how much.  Yesterday Matt wrote a great blog on this topic so be sure to read it.  It can also get confusing on what type of brand is best and the different kinds of protein.  I wanted to touch base on this and to break it down so you may choose what is best based on your needs.  From experience, its very easy to become lost at times when going to The Vitamin Shoppe and see 100 different kinds and brands.  Hopefully this will make your selection a lot easier.

When buying a protein, your intention is to buy truly just protein and not for a combination of carbs or fat PLUS protein. So when you are laying down your hard earned cash for a jug, skip the blends with high amounts of carbs and fat because chances are your diet can supplement the latter no problem. To be considered ‘great’, your protein product of choice must list ‘whey protein isolate’ or ‘hydrolyzed whey protein isolate’ as the very first ingredient in the list— this is the purest form of protein you can get. For you numbers people out there, simply determining the percentage of protein can say whether your product of choice is “top notch!

” Take the grams on protein per serving listed on the label and divide it by the serving size (in grams).To be considered a great whey protein powder, the percent protein per serving (or scoop) should be 80% or greater. 

Whey is not the only type of protein powder out there.  The other 2 types of protein powders besides whey are egg white, and casein.  Knowing the roles of each and when to use them in your day is key in how your muscle recovery/building process can yield the results that you are looking for as you see your goal in sight. Whey protein is a fast digestion protein, which means they can be easily digested, and they are loaded with Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) which help aid the recovery and rebuilding process. Ideally, you want to use a fast acting protein like Whey first thing in the morning, and 30 minutes before and after workouts. Aim for at least 20 grams which will provide you with long lasting energy and help prevent muscle breakdown. Pay attention to these time windows because this is when your muscle fibers can maintain a higher uptake of Amino Acids and maximize muscle growth. 

Casein is a very slow digesting protein, which means it provides you with a slow and steady stream amino acids.  Casein is great to use at bedtime, which will help stave off catabolism and will help any carbs not being stored as body fat.  Casein will help protect you from muscle breakdown. 

Egg protein falls somewhere between fast digesting whey and slow digesting casein, which can be great to use in between meals.  Protein between meals will help keep body fat and body weight in check.  They stimulate the release of gut hormones that trigger a feeling of fullness which will help you with your goal of weight control. 

While there are a lot of different brands, the one I have grown to love and that works best for me is Nutrition 100% Whey Protein.  I tend to like this product in the Vanilla and Cookies and Cream flavors because mixing these in water doesn’t have that all too familiar chalky taste that seem to suit most others I’ve tried.  This fact makes it easy to use on the go and also saves some calories by not having to use a milk type product.  We also sell SFH Recovery Protein at the gym.  Recovery is approximately 2/3 whey concentrate derived from a grass fed, free range cows, which are never treated with antibiotics or bovine growth hormones and approximately 1/3 essential amino acids for recovery.  This type is one of the cleanest forms of protein because it doesn’t have added artificial ingredients.  And the fact that it has 2-4 times more omega-3 fats than milk from grain fed animals makes it a great choice as well.

 For a bit of a change up, what can do besides mixing your protein with water?   Here are some creative ideas you can use:

1. In your morning add it to your oatmeal to keep your blood sugar levels stable, and also fill you up until lunch. 
2. Try baking with it to make healthy protein cookies or other baked healthy treats.  
3. Make some delicious smoothies by being creative with your use of different fruit, nuts, and veggies.  You really can’t go wrong here. 

There are endless ideas and recipes.  Below is one of my favorites for a post-workout recovery drink.  Enjoy!

1 scoop Whey Protein (try Vanilla or Peanut Butter Flavor)

½ cup frozen Cherries

½ TBSP ground flaxseed

¼ ripe Avocado, sliced

½ cup water

Ice Cubes

**Place all ingredients in blender and mix.