Muscle up...

 

Food, food, food, food

Protein Easter Egg

1 Scoop LA Whey Chocolate
2 Egg Whites
1 Egg
¼ cup flour
¼ cup of low fat cocoa powder
500ml Skimmed Milk
30 grams Dark chocolate

 Directions

• In a bowl, mix the protein powder, eggs, cocoa powder, flour and milk until a thick paste
• Roll mixture into an egg
• Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl of hot water
• Once the chocolate has boiled and melted, dip your egg shape mixture into the chocolate until covered.
• Put in a freezer for around 30 minutes to an hour
• Ready to enjoy

 

High in protein Peppered Omelettes recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 red pepper deseeded and chopped
• 1 yellow pepper deseeded and chopped
• 6 spring onions finely chopped
• 1 Whole egg
• 8 egg white
• 4 tbsp 1% fat milk
• 1 pinch ground black pepper

 Directions:

 1. Heat 1 tsp vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add the peppers and spring onions and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes
until soft. Tip them out of the pan into a bowl. Wipe out the pan with kitchen paper.
2. Preheat the grill.
3. Beat the eggs and milk together. Heat a few drops of vegetable oil in the non-stick frying pan and pour in one quarter
of the egg mixture. Let it flow over the surface and cook for 1-2 minutes to set the base. Sprinkle one quarter of the
pepper mixture evenly over the surface, then grill for 1-2 minutes until set. Slide onto a warm plate.
4. Repeat with the remaining mixture to make four omelettes. Serve, seasoned with black pepper.

Protein Waffles

 Ingredients:

 2 large eggs
1 scoop LA Whey protein in vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cup of skim milk
... ... 1/2 cup apple sauce
1 tbsp splenda sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

 Beat eggs until fluffy. While the eggs are beating mix all other ingredients. When the eggs are fluffy add to the mix. Put 2/3 cup in your waffle iron for no more than 5 mins. The most delicious almost fat free waffles in the world! Top with your favourite berries an low fat whipped cream.

 

 

Barbecued Tuna steak with Potatoes

 Ingredients:

• 100-200g tuna steak
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• A few thyme sprigs
... • 500g new potatoes, sliced
... • 2 red peppers, cut into large chunks
• 1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges
• 1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
• 400g cherry tomatoes

 Method:

 1. Preheat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7 and put in a roasting tin to heat up. Put the tuna in a shallow dish with half the oil, about two-thirds of the garlic and leaves from a sprig of thyme. Leave to marinate.
2. Get your barbecue on as you want a high heat to cook the tuna later (a griddle pan will suffice if it’s not barbecue weather).
3. Put the potatoes, peppers, onion and chilli into the hot tin with the rest of the oil and toss to coat. Roast for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are very nearly cooked (you might need to put them back in for another 5-10 minutes). Add the rest of the garlic and thyme and stir well before adding the tomatoes, then cook for another 5 minutes and add some seasoning.
4. Wipe most of the marinade off the fish, season, then sear on the barbecue for a minute on each side for medium (longer if you like it better done). Serve with the veg.

 

 

 

Heavvvvvvy....

3 good exercises that can help you create a strong, clear focus:

 

1. Strengthen concentration.

 

Twice a day, practice holding a specific object in mind steadily for 5 to 10 minutes. The item should have some detail that you can imagine, but it should also be simple to “see” it in your mind. Some good examples: an apple, a pencil, the face of your child or pet, your house as it looks from the outside, and so on. Choose something you won’t have trouble picturing, but something that requires you to focus in order to see it clearly. Call up a strong mental image of it, and then try to keep your focus on the object for a full 5 or 10 minutes without losing your focus.

 

This is hard to do at the beginning because your mind is probably untrained. Random thoughts and pictures may keep popping in and you’ll have to keep pulling your attention back to the object again. Don’t let this stop you! Remember, the only reason you struggle with this is because you don’t have a strong ability to focus yet. As you keep working at it daily, you’ll notice that you find it easier and easier to concentrate. The stronger your ability to concentrate during your focus sessions, the more you’ll notice you’re not having trouble concentrating at other times either.

 

2. Empty your mind.

 

Another focus-killer is a head full of scattered thoughts. You know those days when you’ve got a million things going on and you’re trying to remember them all at once and you keep forgetting things anyway? Emptying your mind can do wonders for scattered thoughts! Before you do this exercise, first make a list of everything you can think of that you need to remember. This will help you feel more comfortable about releasing your scattered thoughts.

 

Then, set aside 5 or 10 minutes to focus on quieting your thoughts. Though this exercise is called “empty your mind,” you really can’t completely empty your mind of thoughts. Your thoughts will keep on flowing through your mind the whole time. However, you can detach and simply let them pass by. You become an observer of sorts, watching your thoughts flow by. You’re aware that you’re having thoughts, but you don’t latch on to them and start actively “thinking” about them. You simply sit in a space of peace and being while your thoughts flow calmly past. This experience is hard to describe, but once you master it you’ll have discovered a powerful technique for releasing stress and improving your focus in a very short period of time!

 

3. Visualize for practice.

 

If you’ve got an important goal or task coming up and you’re feeling unsure about your ability to do it, visualize it first! Many studies have been done on the power of visualization, and the general consensus is that performing tasks and activities mentally over and over again is equally as effective as performing them physically! That means that visualization can serve as a powerful practice session that helps you master anything – including better time management!

 

Try visualizing yourself staying balanced, calm and focused throughout the course of your day, easily handling any surprises and interruptions, and feeling happy and proud of yourself at the end of the day. Visualize yourself giving a successful speech, getting better at sports activities, or anything else you want to master. The trick is to go through it completely in your own mind, seeing and feeling what you would see and feel while it’s really happening. The more you do this the more proficient you will become at it and the more you’ll start seeing results in your physical activities.

Pics...

Jenny LaBaw

Saturday 30th & Sunday 32st March 2013

REST

feel pretty peppered today.

Paul Anderson

Friday 29th March 2013

Going to spend the day periodically stretching my wrists, triceps and shoulders. Im just going to use different types of stretches and hold them for a minute.

I should stretch out my Achilles tendons but every time I do I cant walk for a few days after as I have strained them a long time ago from walking 4 hours a day everyday for 2 and half years trying to get to work and back. The boots would cut into me and eventually caused my injury.

So its going to be aggressive stretches on those body parts.

Partial reps....

I came across partial reps a very long time ago and i had always wanted to try them. I did use this form of training for alittle while when i first came across it and i did make some gains but i didnt use it as a main stay througth out my training. I became to understand that this form of training is quite productive and allows you to push past your limits. The best book/DVD's for good information on this type of training methodology are How to Squat 900lbs - Bd Jeffires and Dinosoar Training - Brooks Kubik

I started focusing on partial reps because of an injury that i had in 2011. This injury left me, after 8 months, very weak and fragile. So as apart of my rehab and unknown to my physio and doctor i embarked on partial rep training.

I started with just the bar on squats at a top position partial of around 2 inches and I eventually ended up after a long hard cycle of many many weeks doing 200 kilos at around 12 inches off the bottom position. My lower back became strong, in fact my whole body became strong I did over the course of the cycle bench press, seated press and deadlifts. All these were with a bar at first and I made great progress on these movements and I did end up again 12 inches off the bottom position moving -

Bench press - bar to 120 kilos
Seated press - bar to 90 kilos
Deadlifts - bar to 140 kilos

Its good to keep a full range movement in as so to keep the stretch/groove in the muscles. (As to wether the muscle becomes shortend with partial rep ranges is another matter but a full range should be kept in anyway to help work the muscle in full range and so as not to unknowingly produce a weak point any where in the range, ((other than when working the partial movment)).

I did not do full range movements because of my injury in the lower back. But there is tremendous value in doing full ranges.

So logic tells me that if i can bench press 200 kilos 1 foot off my chest and im unable to bench press the same amount off my chest, not only am i weak at the bottom position but also my leverages are weak too. So to help with adding some strength to the area under the partial range, in my case 1 foot - (12 inchs) a full range movemnt should be included. Also you could start at the bottom position of the movement and build up your strength that way.

You could use the same movment as a partial and full range and would be helpful but hitting the muscle from diffrent angle with a full range will help also and the point of setting up my training was to work upto a big weight at 12 inches from the bottom poistion and slowly add a 1 inch board under the bench or feet to decrease the weight to 11 inches then work upto past same weight. And also a form of rehab.

So for example -

If i worked upto 200 kilos in the partial bench press at a partial range of 12 inches from the bottom position i then would add a 1 inch board under my benches feet and work again upto and beyond 200 kilos so it maybe 210 or 220 kilos. And if my logic is correct i should by the time i get 1 inch off the bottom position be able to push a lot more weight then the 200 kilos 12 inches off the bottom position. Dont get me wrong i will still have to work my way upto the weight but i should have the strength and power to get there far more quickly if i had just stuck with a full range movement. Plus the added benefit is that along the way im adding muscle mass because i am constantly hitting a heavier and heavier weight and a big muscle is a muscle that can handle a heavy weight.

Maybe you can pump up your muscles with a light weight but it wont be as strong as it looks. This is a difficult argument to have but im a believer in big strong and powerful muscles are made by big heavy weights, its that simple to me. But i can see the value of lighter weights and during the begining of my training cycle the weights are light as you build back upto the heavy stuff. And i can see how lighter weights help to flush fresh blood into the muscles to allow for growth.

Anyhow and anywho, partial reps allow you to build up to a heavy weight at a given range of motion and you can slowly work your way down the range of motion untill you are at full range. this is not my idea but i read about it in books and articles. Heavy lifters like Paul Anderson and other old school heavy lifters used partial ranges with great results.

So I may start using partials again I do love these and they are a great benefit. I may do them after my full range movements but only on back squats, bench press, standing press and deadlifts. I could start using them on a row or a chin but id have to have a look as to how I can get a partial movement and be able to decrease/increase the distance as I would be training these at home.

So im thinking of adding thses and becoming strong as a big brown bear!!!

Epic Bodybuilding Motivation

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