I thought I�d share this. A few people asked me what I
did and what my results were during the Paleo Challenge. Between some great
suggestions and support from coaches and friends, I pieced together a weight
gain and recovery plan that looked like this:
Supplements:
1. probiotics (acidophilous). took daily with breakfast (meal #1). This
helped digestion, food absorption, and efficient use of food fuel.
2. magnesium, calcium, and vitamin d @ lunch (meal #3)
3. fish oil @ evening (meal #5)
4. tried to not eat past 8:00pm
Here are some links to blogs and resources that helped me:
http://zackottecfc.blogspot.com/2010/01/supplements-what-im-taking-and-littl
e.html
http://www.robbwolf.com
http://www.marksdailyapple.com
http://journal.crossfit.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probiotic
My meal plan:
- total 150g protein per day (1g per lb � was trying to get to 140lbs for
recovery, eventually 145-150lbs for the expedition)
- minimum of 25g protein per meal with veg/carb
- 6 meals a day (not including pre/post WOD) � a total of 8
- sm fruit 4-5x a day (1 with pre & post wod); all before meal #5
- pre-WOD: 1 piece of fruit and 3:2 carb/protein shake (whey protein has
helped with quick digestion, more absorption, and no "kickback" during the
WOD). usu 60-90 min prior
- post-WOD: 4:1 carb/protein recovery shake (endurox) within 30 min after
calling "time!"
For the most part, I was strict Paleo (whole food) except for pre/post WOD
shakes and 2 cheats (during the crossfit sectionals). In the beginning, the
diet sucked because I felt "full" all the time and didn't want to eat my
last 2 meals of the day (at one point, I even cried at how awful it was to
eat like this) - but once the supplements kicked in and I was
absorbing/digesting better, my appetite returned. I was honestly ecstatic
when I woke up �wanted� breakfast. This was HUGE. If you've been reading my
blog, you know how much I grew to dislike eating.
How I gamed it:
- prepped a lot of meals 2-3 times a week. I did a lot of raw or slightly
saut�ed food to keep in line with the Paleo premises- so not a lot of
cooking but a lot of bagging for pre-packed, mobile meals ("paleo kits") and
snacks
- bought organic food in bulk... costco, whole foods, and restaurant meat
markets rule
- bought jerkys, pemmican bars, supplements, and whey protein online (great
deals on amazon.com)
- when I wanted to cheat, I listened to my body for what it really wanted
and gave it that (Wanted sweets, ate a piece of fruit and meat. Felt empty,
ate nuts and either a whey shake or a bag of veggies)
- drank loads of water. Sometimes you think you're hungry for something -
when in reality, you're just dehydrated.
Results:
- I gained back 19lbs by the end of the challenge (19lbs of pretty lean
muscle weight ) almost all of the weight I lost when I was sick. I'm
actually "leaner, tighter, and smaller" than when I was "sick skinny".
- My strength returned 100%... I may even be a little stronger � I matched
or exceeded all of my performance records being almost 5lbs lighter than
when I started.
- Recovery. I�ve been tired from lack of sleep because of school, but
physically I�d recover within the day (sometimes even a few hours) and could
handle more in a shorter period of time. Prior to that, I�d have to scale
down and it�d take 2-3 days for acute muscle soreness, arthritic pain, or
joint swelling to subside. This is HUGE for me at the age of 40 and how
relentless mountaineering is. Arguably my biggest gain.
Showing posts with label recovery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recovery. Show all posts
19.3.10
11.2.10
Training Progress Overall
Good news: I’m up to 136# and about 90% capacity. Recovery is slow, but steady.
Still need to strengthen G/H movements and pulling movements. That would be...
G/H movements:
- squats
- kettlebells
- thrusters
- full cleans
Pulling/Pressing movements:
- rowing
- pullups
- ring dips/muscleups
- strict press
- bench press
Some skill movements like doubleunders will always be a work in progress.
Cleans, jerks, snatches, and push movements are solid (I'm a cross between a yak and a llama, what do you expect?!)
Gymnastics & metcon improving, but may never be my strength. I'm built more like a beast of burden, not a spider monkey. However, that first muscleup is inevitable!
3.2.10
30.1.10
20100130 Meal: Pre & Post WOD
If there's one thing I really appreciate is someone who gets me thinking and helps me figure out solutions to problems. One of mine was being able to digest my pre and post WOD meals. Bryce and I talked about timing, changing up the ingredients, and even proportions. It got me thinking about what would be easily 
- 2scoops whey protein (approx 46g protein)
- 16oz water
Pre-WOD:
- 2 scoops endurox
- 16oz water
- sm banana
post-wod:
26.1.10
20100126 Mid-Meal: I heart pheasant
Mid meal (around 9:30)
although bananas aren’t on the top of the paleo food list, i appreciate the recovery benefits of the natural potassium as well as how nicely it goes down. i’m not convinced that we should call this a cheat given that coach recommended that i eat fruit 3-4 times a day ... it helps me get the food down
- pheasant breast (about 7 oz)
- banana
- chamomile tea with lemon (not shown)
although bananas aren’t on the top of the paleo food list, i appreciate the recovery benefits of the natural potassium as well as how nicely it goes down. i’m not convinced that we should call this a cheat given that coach recommended that i eat fruit 3-4 times a day ... it helps me get the food down
16.1.10
2010 01 15: To Recover or Push, That is the Question!
Pesky teenagers at school! They don't cover their faces when they sneeze and cough ... they may have the immune systems to match the vivacity of youth, but I don't. Looks are deceiving my friends, I'm discovering that my 39.5yr old body just doesn't recover as quickly or smoothly as I did when I was 10, 15, 20 years younger. It's a f'ing physiological fact that I'm being slapped around with.
With that said (and the fact that I have 113 days left before the expedition), I have to take another approach in my training ... one that incorporates more recovery time, better nutrition, and discipline.
Today was day 5 of my Paleo Challenge diet - I'll post meals separately so that they aren't buried in all my rhetoric. Needless to say, I'm starting to think of food as just fuel because my meals are bulk-prepared, simple, and to the point ... not a lot of time for the fancies I had these past few months. The financial burden of my med education and this condo coupled with my crazy schedule and health setbacks, I can ill-afford the culinary lifestyle I once enjoyed. Bryce said this was going to be work and he is spot on.
Physical training was a hard decision for me today... I went home after school, cleaned up a bit, and went to sleep for about 6hrs. I simply have to face the fact that I can't train as often when I'm weak and recovering - my body just can't bounce back like it did 10 years ago.
Case in point, I tried training 4 weeks ago during my little flu, but then relapsed into a low-grade pneumonia. Had it not been for Rudy chewing me out and Anjali prescribing me 2 rounds of antibiotics, I might be much worse off. Facing your limits and mortality is a very tough thing to do ... and humbling.
Speaking of denial, I thought being scared of my workouts was tough ... not even close. Not being able to train hard when you have big goals and lots of motivation is what's really scary. I LOVE the challenge ... I CRAVE the challenge ... but I'm not super-girl. So I'm learning to work with what I've got and make the most of it. That's not to say that I'm giving up - I'm just learning how to take another approach and be more efficient with what I've got.
So I'll cry, I'll puke, I'll stumble, I'll crawl, I'll even bitch and complain ... but I will not stop. I cannot stop ... unless, of course, I'm sleeping ;)
On a scale of 1-10,
Today's posted WOD at CFC below - I'll makeup this tomorrow or Sunday. I'll probably need to taper myself by 15-20% since I'm still recovering and will be at altitude (returning to Ouray for the weekend for avy/ice/rescue training - gotta love those 8,000ft/+ WODs with the folks at Crossfit Hypoxia! Go Alan and Mel!).
Strength: Press 5-3-1 or more (75%-85%-95%)
Gymnastics:
With that said (and the fact that I have 113 days left before the expedition), I have to take another approach in my training ... one that incorporates more recovery time, better nutrition, and discipline.
Today was day 5 of my Paleo Challenge diet - I'll post meals separately so that they aren't buried in all my rhetoric. Needless to say, I'm starting to think of food as just fuel because my meals are bulk-prepared, simple, and to the point ... not a lot of time for the fancies I had these past few months. The financial burden of my med education and this condo coupled with my crazy schedule and health setbacks, I can ill-afford the culinary lifestyle I once enjoyed. Bryce said this was going to be work and he is spot on.
Physical training was a hard decision for me today... I went home after school, cleaned up a bit, and went to sleep for about 6hrs. I simply have to face the fact that I can't train as often when I'm weak and recovering - my body just can't bounce back like it did 10 years ago.
Case in point, I tried training 4 weeks ago during my little flu, but then relapsed into a low-grade pneumonia. Had it not been for Rudy chewing me out and Anjali prescribing me 2 rounds of antibiotics, I might be much worse off. Facing your limits and mortality is a very tough thing to do ... and humbling.
Speaking of denial, I thought being scared of my workouts was tough ... not even close. Not being able to train hard when you have big goals and lots of motivation is what's really scary. I LOVE the challenge ... I CRAVE the challenge ... but I'm not super-girl. So I'm learning to work with what I've got and make the most of it. That's not to say that I'm giving up - I'm just learning how to take another approach and be more efficient with what I've got.
So I'll cry, I'll puke, I'll stumble, I'll crawl, I'll even bitch and complain ... but I will not stop. I cannot stop ... unless, of course, I'm sleeping ;)
On a scale of 1-10,
- Stress levels: 6-7
- Mental Health: 8
- Physical Health: 3
- Diet/Nutrition: 5
- Sleep: 10hrs, 4-6 hour increments
Today's posted WOD at CFC below - I'll makeup this tomorrow or Sunday. I'll probably need to taper myself by 15-20% since I'm still recovering and will be at altitude (returning to Ouray for the weekend for avy/ice/rescue training - gotta love those 8,000ft/+ WODs with the folks at Crossfit Hypoxia! Go Alan and Mel!).
Strength: Press 5-3-1 or more (75%-85%-95%)
Gymnastics:
- 2x max deadhang pull up 1 min rest
- 1 max kipping pull up (stay on bar)
- KBS (Heavy)
- Box Jump (24"/20")
- Wall ball
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