My Brain Is Elsewhere

Thanks for checking out my former blog.  My new homebase can be found at http://ellsworthy.com.  I recently also released an ebook called the Total Recall Method:  A Short Guide to Hacking Your Confidence Instantly.  Please check out my new site and ebook.

Thanks,

Ells

Chicken Sausage, Eggs, and Kiwi Salsa

This dish is very simple, nothing fancy. The only thing that is really out of the norm is the Kiwi Salsa. I really like making my own salsa because I can make it to the consistency and spice levels that I want. It is also very affordable and goes a long way.

I got this chicken sausage at Costco and I can’t find the label that came with it originally, but it has gouda and apple inside. It is delicious.

Tonight I had 2 Omega 3 Eggs scrambled with 2 oz of Cheddar Cheese on top.

I heated up the Kiwi Salsa in the microwave so that it was at least warm when I put it on the eggs.

I got the Kiwi salsa recipe on nibbledish.com and modified it slightly.

- 2 kiwi fruit
- 2 large tomato
- 2 large jalapeno pepper
- 1 small white onion
- 1 bunch of cilantro (I cut back on cilantro because I am not a huge fan, but it still needs to be present.)
- pinch of salt
- pinch of chipotle pepper (I also loaded up on the pepper because I like it spicy.)

Enjoy.

Knowledge Search

I am busier than usual today so for now, here are a couple good links to check out.

I have been listening to a couple podcasts recently; TheFitcast.com for one.  Kevin Larrabee is on his 123rd show.  Kevin is very knowledgable on his own, and he also has a lot of experts come on the show and answer questions about their products and about individual training.  A great resource.

Mike Boyle’s Strengthcoach.com podcast, is also a great resource.  Mike Boyle is very respected and very smart.  I have learned a lot from Mike and this podcast keeps bringing up great current knowledge.

If you are looking to waste time instead of getting smarter, check out Armor Games.  Great flash games that can take up some time.  I really like Warlords and Warfare 1917.  Enjoy not getting your work done.

Workout Priming

I have a ritual that I go through every time I get ready to work out.  This process helps me harness the right state of mind to get my pump on!  I am actually writing an ebook on this process and it should be out shortly, which means sooner than later.  Be sure to check that out.  Beyond the internal factors I call upon for extreme motivation,  I like to look at some external forces for additional power.  So, I present to you, my top training videos.  These are the videos I watch when I know that I will be heading into the gym, and typically, I do this before I get to my own process.

1.  Frank Yang Training Mix Tape – Frank for me, was like a car crash.  I couldn’t help but watch.  I don’t try to understand it, I just know that I love it.

2.  Scott “Hoss” Cartwright – I can watch Scott’s vids all day.  Super intense before he lifts, and in the documentary Power Unlimited, he is hilarious.

3.  AC Barch – AC can get sky high.  I plan to train my vert after I finish Maximum Strength, so this is like future pump.  Here are 2 vids of the phenom.  The second of the two is an interview.

So there they are, one step in my pre-game madness.

Clustas are not for Bustas

Wow, so I thought Phase 1 in Maximum Strength had some really tough days.  The first two days in Phase 2 have both been long and tough, starting each day with cluster training.  Cluster training is a tool to build strength and size by doing reps at a higher percentage of your 1 rep max.  For instance, it could be sets of (4×1)x5 with 10 seconds rest.  This means I would unrack the weight, do 1 rep and rerack the weight.  Then I would count to 10 seconds, and do another rep.  I do this 4 times with 10 seconds between each rep, which is the 4×1 part of the equation and is 1 set.  So total, I would do that 5 times.  Since I have the 10 seconds of rest in there, I should be able to do around 80% of my 1 rep max, and benefit from doing more reps than I could without rest.  Though there is a big difference between the lower body and upper body cluster training.  The lower body portions have been more draining and I am out of breath when I finish a set.  Upper body is more along the lines of CNS and muscle failure, but I don’t feel winded.  This makes sense because the squats require more from the entire body than say, bench press.  I will say this though, the clusters are at the beginning of the day and after finishing those exercises, I feel like I should be done for the night.  Nap time.

I was excited to see clusters in the program because I had heard a lot about them.  Here is a more in depth article that describes some of the major benefits of Cluster training.  If you are interested in taking cluster training to the next level, check out Christian Thibaudeau’s Cluster Training product.  Check out all of his products for that matter, and gain some real knowledge.

Just remember, before your first day of clusters, get your pre-game pump up going because it will be a tough tough workout if you do it right.

Da Clean Bulk

I have been eating the the cleanest diet in my life recently.  I am working my way up to being the heaviest I have ever weighed.  The most I have ever weighed was 187 and that was in 2006 when I moved to Des Moines.  I was not as lean as I am now though, so I would say that my muscle mass is close to being the most I have ever had.  Anyways, I feel better in many ways after making some adjustments in my diet.  Currently, I am working my way through my Precision Nutrition V3 program, which will result in more planning and less off the cuff eating.  This morning I made an turkey, guacamole, and black bean Om-wich.  Pan fried turkey breast with guacamole spread on top, eggs are next, followed by black beans, and topped with some sharp cheddar.  I really like cooking food, dishes suck, and going out to eat less is nice on the pocket book.

Delicious Om-wich

Getting a quick start was the best decision I have made though.  Sure, I made mistakes up front and as I continued to research I have been changing my diet more and more.  The current objective is to take in surplus calories to add some more muscle, then shortly after this program I am looking to cut some fat.  I may be focusing on vertical jump training at the beginning of May, and one of the quickest ways to fly higher, is to be lighter.

Reporting Back

Training is going awesome.  I am still experiencing big gains and I have been loving the Maximum Strength programming.  I have just finished Phase 1 and am going to start Phase 2 today.  It looks like a nice fresh template of exercises, but I will be honest, I am going to miss the traditional back squats that have been replaced by just front squats in this phase.

I have put on some muscle mass already, going from 175 to 182.2 lbs.  Some of this is fat, but I have had a pretty clean diet thus far and I can tell I am gaining mostly lean mass.  I am hoping to settle around 185 in the end.

I am seeing nice progress in the bench as well.  My  1RM (One Rep Max) was 195, and this last week I did two sets of 3 reps with 195 on the bar.  The bench press is something that I have never trained well.  I was always focused on squats, so with some technique practice and the right programming and I making strides of progress.

If there could be one take away from this program for any athlete, I would say the soft tissue and mobility work should be #1.  I will let Mr. Cressey explain more about that, here.

Some Randoms

Twitter, now in full effect.

I played myself into the top 20 players on Hamster Battle, and then quit playing it.

Rap lyric graphs are funny.

With all the sickness going on, here is a post from Eric Cressey on how to stay Immune.

The old squat til your nose bleeds trick, from one of my favorite powerlifters, Scott Cartwright.  “Squat… God damn.”

Out Of Blog Retirement… Hop On The Pain Train.

So it has been a long time, hasn’t it?  Rest assured, I finally have some things to blog about.  I have been getting back into weight training to be in shape for ultimate.  I have always like lifting weights, but I haven’t been consistent about lifting.  I haven’t lifted for a month straight or longer, for at least 4 years.  Back then, I first started lifting in 2005 and stayed with it for 6 or 7 months at least.  Since then, I have had a couple spurts here and there.  I am just capping off my 5th week of training for strength and the upcoming ultimate season.  It feels damn good!  Besides the lifting, I have been reading and watching anything I can get my hands, that has anything to do with training.  That has also been very awesome.

Friday January, 9th 2009; I did some strength tests or 1 Rep Max tests for the Maximum Strength program by Eric Cressey.  I am starting the program tonight, and I am very excited because Eric is at the top of the game.  And here are my test results for the Packing Day:

Body Weight:  175 lbs.

Vertical Jump:  28″

Broad Jump:  104.5″ (8′ 8.5″)

Box Squat:  345 lbs.

Bench Press:  195 lbs.

Deadlift:  395 lbs.

3-Rep Chin Up Max:  200 (BW + 25)

I was extremely happy with these results for a lot of reasons.  Right now I am probably the strongest that I have ever been, and I have been making significant gains in almost every workout.  I know that I will start to plateau and it will be harder to make gains, so I am living it up right now.  Last year I measured my vertical around this time of year and it was 24″.  Since then I had a full season of ultimate and the recent lifting that I have done, so it was a pleasant surprise to see it go up 4″.  The deadlift was a pleasant surprise as well, I did it for the first time when I started lifting 4 weeks ago.  Now, it is definitely one of my favorite exercises.  I am at the mercy of my grip though.  I put up 400 lbs. but I couldn’t lock it out because my grip was failing.

All in all, I am excited to start this program tonight.  Hopefully, in 16 weeks I will put up some big gains.

Yo Politics…In The Year 2001

I have stayed pretty quiet about politics for a bit now, but I thought that this link was pretty funny.  Rex Sorgatz at Fimoculous, posted a link to a “Sarah Palin” search on Google…in the year 2001.  I think the 2001 search is a recent development from Google, at least as far as I know.  Anyways,  the results are pretty funny.  The Sarah Palin 2k1 search, and the Obama 2k1 search.