Real World Strength and Conditioning - Richmond, VA\’s authority on strength and conditioning, muscle building, fat loss, and fitness.

I have a love hate relationship with squat day.  Maybe it’s because I absolutely love crushing my lower body unlike a lot of folks out there.  Maybe I’m just too hard on myself but I think I suck at squatting.  My squat strength just isn’t where I want it to be.  Progress is being made but patience isn’t one of my best virtues!

Squats will blow you up like no other exercise. That’s why they call them the king and just because I’m not as good as I think, doesn’t mean I won’t stop trying to dethrone the king!

Today’s training session was short, sweet, and intense

1 - Squat 5×3

2 - RDL 3×6

3 - Sled Drag - 5×250′

I pushed the pace on this one and rested no more than 1:30 between sets.  Squatting is all about mindset.   Before I started I put my frustrations aside and crushed it!

If you’re looking for a huge muscle building primal meal after heavy squatting check out this one I threw together.

2lbs lean ground beef

1/4 onion, or more if you desire

1 cup salsa

1 can Trader Joe’s refried beans (optional)  I know, I know, legumes aren’t exactly primal but I couldn’t resist.  I need something a little extra.

Cook up the ground beef in a grill pan then drain it.  Saute the onions with the ground beef then add the salsa and beans.  I heated the beans before I added them to the beef, onions, and salsa.  Let everything cook together until you reach your desired consistency and enjoy.

I also grilled tons of zucchini, squash, and more onions on the side.  It only took me about 20 minutes to put everything together.

Give it a shot, add other seasonings if you so desire and enjoy.

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Mom always said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Not only is she right but it is my favorite meal of the day.  Usually I wake up every morning and my body is screaming for food.  After being in a fasted state for 8-10 hours, I wake up ready to chew my arm off!

Some folks are really breakfast people and can’t handle a ton right when they get up in the morning.  NOT ME!

Before making the move to a more primal eating pattern I used to have some egg whites and oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins.  I probably had this breakfast consistently for the last 6-7 years so it was time for a change!

What DOES my primal breakfast look like you ask?  Here is what I had this morning.

3 whole eggs + 3 whites

5 oz of deer sausage

1 banana

5-6 strawberries

3 fish oil caps

Adding in the whole eggs have been awesome.  It’s providing me with tons of good fat which is keeping me full and full of energy.

In the winter I hunt!  Before I get hate mail about how it’s cruelty to animals and immoral, I eat everything I kill.  I don’t just go shoot animals for the hell of it!  Deer is a great source of protein, about 23g to a 3oz serving.  It doesn’t have a ton of fat but they way it is made into sausage includes adding in some good fats to hold everything together.

I love fruit in the morning and the extra fish oil makes up for some of the lack of fat in the deer sausage.

This tasty breakfast had me fueled and ready to go for this morning’s training session.

Get some!

Get Strong(er) Wk 2 - Day 1

1 - Hang Clean + Press 4×4,4,3,3

2a - BB Row 3×6

2b - Flat DB Press 3×10,9,8

3a - Mixed Grip Chins 3xsubmax

3b - Pushups 3xsubmax

Conditioning - 5rds for time

1 - Sandbag Thruster 5

2 - Sprawls 10

3 - Thick Rope Slams 20

4 - Box Jump 10

5 - Sledge Swings 10 L/R

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Friday’s training session was short, sweet, and too the point.

After three tough days of training I don’t feel like spending tons of time with the iron.

I prefer to get after it and “git r done!”

Load up the bar and pull it!

A little inspirational training music for you, in case you need it.

Hed pe isn’t for everyone I know but it gets me hype to train.  What’s your favorite training music?

Get Strong(er) Wk 1 Day 4

1 - Deadlift 4×5,3,3,3

2 - Box Squat 5×8,5,3,3,3

3 - DB Reverse Lunge 3×12

Like I said, short, sweet, and to the point!  I pushed the pace here and my legs were smoked!

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In my last post I mentioned cutting out grains.

Am I going low carb?  No.

Am I going true paleo or primal.  Not exactly.

Over the last few months I’ve been reading a lot about paleo and primal eating.  I do not claim to be a nutrition expert by any stretch.  Nutrition is such a tough subject because there is so much information and misinformation out there for the matter on the the subject.  Like I said, I’ve been reading so much about paleo and primal eating that I figured to better understand it and see if it’s for me, because let’s face nutrition is different everyone, I should give it a trial run.

So over the next 30 days, I’m gradually moving toward primal eating.  So far, I must say I like where this is going.  I’ve upped the fats and protein and cut almost all grains as a carbohydrate source.  Now, most of my carbs come from fruits and veggies.  After a particularly tough training session I’ll through in some beans or sweet potato but other than that, that’s it!

I will say in the beginning it was tough.  I wasn’t adding in enough good fats.  I was a little scared to be honest but overcame that pretty quickly.  Training has been a tad sluggish but I suspected as much as my body begins to learn to use the good fats as the main source of fuel instead of grains.  Overall, I feel great and eating this way isn’t as hard as I thought it would be.  I’ll keep you posted.

Although my training has felt a little sluggish, I’m still going after it to get strong and “jacked!”  Take a look at my training sessions from days two and three from this week.

Get Strong(er) Wk 1 - Day 2

1 - Squat 5×5

2a - RDL 3×8,5,5

2b - GHD Situps 3×15

3 - Sled Drag Forward/Backward 5×150′

Short sweet and explosive baby.

Wk 1 - Day 3

1 - BB Hang Snatch 5×5,5,5,5,3

2 - Bench Press 5×5

3a - Pullups 3xsubmax

3b - Dips 3xsubmax

Conditioning 5rds for time:

1 - Sandbag Thruster - 10

2 - Thick Rope Slams - 20

3 - Box Jumps - 10

4 - Sledge Swings - 10 L/R

This was a tough finisher as it was already 90+ by the time I started.   Don’t let the heat stop you from reaching your goals.  Gladiators didn’t have AC and I’d say the turned out just fine!

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Time to get strong(er) folks!

Last week was a much needed deload week.  I attacked this training session with focus and passion.  Hell, is there really any other way?

With some business stuff coming into focus and looking better and better I was pumped to train.

This training cycle I’m going back to a 4-day split with 2 upper days and 2 lower days.  It’s a split I’ve had some success with in the past but this time the focus will be strictly on pushing and pulling heavy sh*t!  These sessions will be short and sweet but highly intense and effective!

It’s also time to ramp up the nutrition.  I’ve given up the grains and I’m going paleo/primal.  Nothing but leans meats, fruits, and tons of veggies and good fats. I still thrown in the occasional legume and sweet potato but that’s about it!

Below is what Day 1 looked liked:

1 - Clean/Press 5×5,5,5,3,3

2a - Flat DB Press 3×8

2b - BB Bent Over Row 3×8

3a - Chins 3xsubmax

3b - Pushups 3xsubmax

Conditioning - max rounds in 20 minutes:

1 - Sandbag Thruster - 5

2 - Burpees - 10

3 - Thick Rope Slams - 20

4 - Box Jump -10

5 - Sledge Swings 10 L/R

I was toast after this one, especially after being out in the heat.

I’m focused MAN!

Nothing can stop me.

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