Hope you and your family had a fantastic Easter. It's my all-time favorite holiday, and yesterday did not disappoint! Not quite sure when my mom (er..the easter bunny...) is going to stop creating basket treasure hunts for us - but I'm not complaining! Although my nutrition yesterday was not entirely commendable, these little treats look naughtier than they truly are. Tuck the recipe away for next year, or use for a spring birthday party - they are always a huge hit.

I used a recipe from caveman strong, but changed it a bit. I'm sure the original recipe is great too but I have this way of tweaking everything just a little bit and making it my own. So, after some experimentation, my changes were:
-a little more coconut than it called for (probably 1/3 cup more)
-some vanilla flavoring
-1 tbsp coconut oil
-1/8 cup maple syrup
-3 dates chopped (small pieces)
-1/8 cup chia seeds (you could probably even add upwards of 1/4 cup!)
-1/4 cup chopped pecans (small pieces)

After the macaroons baked and were cooling (followed same directions in the Caveman strong recipe except mine took a few more minutes of baking to finish), I melted down some semi-sweet chocolate chips, mixed in a little coconut oil (just a few teaspoons to smooth out the chocolate) and added some to the center of each "nest". While the chocolate was still melted, I pressed in 3 almond m&m's. If you are going to package into individual bags like I did, let cool completely first. I let them sit in the fridge for about an hour before placing in bags. Store in the fridge.

Warmup: Line Drills

Strength #1: Split Jerk 1RM
-end with 5 perfect reps @70% 1RM when finished

WOD (for time):
100 DUs
-1 prowler sprint
75 V-ups
-1 prowler sprint
50 pistols
-1 prowler sprint
25 HSPU
-1 prowler sprint

-2010 Regionals

Whether you have thoroughly enjoyed the Open thus far or can't wait for it to be over, try to leave these 5 weeks with some solid takeaways. A lot has happened in the past month at Paradigm. New PR's, first-time attempts, journeys far outside people's comfort zones...it's been pretty awesome to witness. I realize we still have a week left, but I've already reflected on the past 4 weeks and how I've grown as a result of the competition thus far.

1) I have some skills to improve on. There's a handful of movements I really suck at mid-WOD. So instead of praying that they just don't appear in the future (which is a really bad plan for how to deal with your goats), I'm going to choose 1 to tackle each training day. At the end of the met-con, whatever it is that day, I'll go complete a set number of my "suck skill". For example, let's say the WOD is "FGB". Immediately after the 17 minutes is up, I might go and complete 10 muscle-ups for time - yes, while I'm delirious and would prefer to make sweat angels. Because I don't need to practice MU's fresh...I need to practice them when I feel like I just sprinted up Everest and back.

2) I'm not gonna quit competing - at least as long as I can help it. We watched Spealler come "out of retirement" in this Open. I'm not entirely sure I believe Julie Foucher when she says she's out of the game. And is Annie T really done? Hmmm, again, not so sure. Jenny Lebaw broke her foot and even she can't keep away from entering a score, even if it's far from what she would capable of with two functional feet. I think for those who are competitors at heart, the game grips you. Albeit sometimes in negative ways, as it can be very easy to lose balance and become too engrossed in it all. But while some might see it as simply an obsession, competitors (regardless of rank or ability), are forged stronger through the process. It's very hard to just give up something that makes you better...and why should you? I know competition continues to make me push harder than I ever would otherwise. I need goals. I need something to work towards when I train. I need the sport of it all. And for that reason, I don't think I can or ever will, give it up completely. You don't have to be great to compete - and that's one of the really awesome things about CF. You just have to want to get a little better than you currently are.

3) I'm excited by my personal improvements and simultaneously incredibly humbled...and that's perfectly ok. I train hard and consistently, targeting my weaknesses and maintaining my strengths, and yet I'm far from top dog...(by a long stretch!) I can get down on myself for not being ranked where I would ideally choose, or I can be excited for how far I've come and grateful for the ability to run, jump, push and pull - luxuries some might only wish for. It really boils down to perspective. I remember the feeling of not being able to run 400m without stopping (yes that's true). I remember my very first pull-up, my accidental double under, my long awaited muscle-up, the adrenaline of my first competition...the list goes on and on. It's not about where we are, it's about how far we've come and where we are headed. I have a long ways to go, but I'm proud of how far I've come too. I will continue to celebrate the successes along the way - no matter how small they might seem to someone else. There will always be someone better, faster and stronger than me, but today I'm gonna focus on being a little better than I was yesterday.

WOD: "Fight Gone Bad"
1 min rds of:
- Row for Cal
- Box jumps (20'')
- Push Press (75/55)
- wall ball (20/14)
- SDLHP (75/55)
- Rest
x 3 rounds

Core Conditioning

CF Lite 5pm
"Fight Gone Bad-ish"
- Row for Cal
- Pushups
- DB Thrusters
- Box Jumps
- Goblet Squats (w/ KB 53/35)"

Week 4 is upon us! Prior to coming in for class today for a stab at this week's WOD, read through Tabata Time's Coaching Roundtable to glean some quality tips and advice as to strategy, warmup, and mindset. 7 minutes is far too short to lack a serious game plan!

Open 13.4: 7min Ascending AMRAP (3-3, 6-6, 9-9....) of
*Clean & Jerk (135/95)
*Toes to Bar

Saturday April 13th, from 10am-1pm @ Brethren CF, 675 Jarvis Drive, Morgan Hill
Sign-up is in the office!



The video above is a little clip of what Hoover ball is and how it's played. Although rules vary site to site, we will have our own unique set of rules that have been thoroughly researched and thought about by... me, Ronny Varghese.

1 - Teams will consist of 4 players, 3 of which are needed to play and will be on the court at all times, with 1 being an alternate that can sub in and out when necessary.
2 - Scaled athletes will use an 8lb med ball and RX will use a 12lb.
3 - Athlete must release ball from hands within 5 seconds (think of 'hot potato').
4 - Team is allowed ONE hand/toss off to another teammate before throwing over the net. It isn't necessary to toss the ball to a teamer, but its allowed. Only one. Max.
5 - Athlete is allowed to take a max of THREE steps with the ball in hand before throwing it.
6 - Athlete can take as many steps as necessary with the ball in hand when attempting to catch/recover a throw.
7 - Each time the ball hits the ground, a point for the other team will be awarded.
8 - The player who drops the ball will be penalized by having to run a distance, complete 5 burpees, and then run back and re-enter the game.

This tournament will be a shared event with our good friends Brethren CF in Morgan Hill! They have a volleyball area which we will use on site. Lunch and social time will be going on as well, so bring something yummy to share. Drinks will be provided. Sign up in the office!

Strength: 5RM Bench Press

Met-Con: 3 RFT of...
50 DUs
12 DB G2OH

Core Conditioning: 100 bicycle abs, 50 sit-ups, 25 hollow rocks

What up Paradigm Peeps! LT here to talk about why food preparation is the key to maintaining proper nutrition throughout the week and to show you how prepping meals ahead of time really isn't as hard as it might sound.

So, most of you guys are eating about 3 full meals/day with some snack meals in between those full meals (or hopefully you are!). Breakfast is fairly easy to eat clean, but lunch and dinner are much harder because it's difficult to easily grab “clean” meals from just anywhere that don't cost a ridiculous amount of money. And by the time you get home from work, cooking is much less appealing than just eating.

Here’s my tip for keeping your nutrition on track all week: cook your meals ahead of time and toss them in Tupperware in the fridge so you can just grab-and-go each day. Preparation is everything!

Every Sunday, I spend about an hour in the evening just cooking up a bunch of food for the week. I eat very simple meals because...
(1) I’m perfectly content eating the same thing every day for lunch
(2) It’s cheap
(3) I’m uninventive when it comes to cooking.

If you are like me, then feel free to copy what I do. If you don’t satisfy all three conditions, vary it up and toss steak in there, or make something fancy - just make sure to make 1 extra meal for me to try ☺

First, make sure you have enough containers for your meals and that you know you have a cold place to store your food when you take it with you. I take a cooler and ice pack with me to school every day. Do what you have to do to make it happen.

Each meal is meat, veggies and nuts or avocado (I told you I was uninventive). This is just a sample of my lunches for the week. I will set aside extra meat for my dinners and throw something together, or just cook other meat to eat.

Meat: I cook up about 2.5 lbs. of meat (ground turkey, ground beef, chicken, etc.) and usually add about ~7-8 oz. of meat per meal. My favorite seasoning is paleo taco seasoning with chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and my secret ingredient: either TJ’s red salsa or Aqui’s fire-roasted salsa (yes, I take many containers of it every time I eat there).

Veggies: These are the carbs of your meal. Pretty much just cook up a huge quantity of whatever vegetables you enjoy and divide them into the containers. Again, think of how much you’d make for yourself for a meal and multiply it by the number of meals you’re making. For me, I use at least 4 heads of broccoli, ~8 Zucchinis, couple bell peppers, and sometimes spaghetti squash, asparagus, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, etc. Go big on the greens! The deeper the green color, the richer the nutrients. When I hear about somebody gaining weight from eating too much broccoli, I’ll adjust my statement. Most of us don't eat nearly the quantity of veggies needed to supply the amount of nutrients we need. And veggies cook down a lot, so throw a lot in there!

Fats: Here is where the nuts & seeds/avocados come into play. Toss a few handfuls of nuts (cashews, pecans, walnuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, almonds, Brazil nuts, etc.) in each container. If you want to add avocado, wait to add it into the container until the day you are taking the meal…unless you enjoy brown avocado. If you aren't sure how many nuts are appropriate for your size/weight/goals, consult the Zone block chart (ask Ronny if you don't know what this is). You need good quality fats but because they are calorie dense, it can be easy to accidentally overeat if your "handful" was more like two handfuls. Measure or weigh the first few times until you are clear on what your portion size should be.

Boom! You’re done and now have at least lunch for the entire week made. Once more, this is super basic and can easily be altered to create more interesting meals. It allows you to eat completely Paleo, even Zone if you wish, with ease. Furthermore, you will certainly save money on meals this way. And cooking in a bigger quantity does not add much extra time to cook; in fact streamlining the process this way will save time in the end.

Strength: 5x5 OHS from ground

Conditioning:
1) SB suicide sprints
2) 3x8 Ab Barbell Roll-outs