back in training and the New Mexico games

Thanks to a vacation, illness, and a torn calf muscle yesterday was my first day training in over a month. Since it'd been so long since I'd lifted my coach had me lift light and with limited the sets. Snatches are mostly form so they were no problem, i was able to do the recommended weights and sets. For the  squat I built up to a relatively light weight of 115k. Even with the light weights my quads were exhausted and were cramping after the 2nd set. I also struggled at the end of my workout with push presses. Sets of 70k were no problem, buy anything more than that and my calf, which i tore a few weeks ago would hurt. Even though i went light I'm still SO SORE today!

It felt great getting back into the gym and training. i missed it so bad! I'm beyond grateful to whoever the anonymous person is that is helping finance me to get back into the gym.

I registered for the New Mexico state games last night. Hopefully my body will have recovered from my injuries and time off and I'll be back in shape by then. I'd like to break the state records at the New Mexico games that i had set earlier this year.

an amazing gift, weightlifting continues

Last week i posted on my blog that because of financial problems we had to pull my daughter out of gymnastics. I also posted i wouldn't be able to weightlift anymore because of the same reason. My post was overly emotion, full of self pity, and had some inappropriate  words in it so the next day i erased it. Apparently someone read it before i erased it. A couple days later i got a call from my weightlifting coach, Shane Miller. He asked if we could meet in person. When we met he told me there was an anonymous member at The Miller Gym who wanted to pay for my membership. My love and passion of weightlifting continues. Whoever you are, I'm speechless and touched beyond words. thank you so very much.

a new career

I've worked at the New Mexico state penitentiary since 1995. I'm eligible to retire from the prison on May 30th 2015. I put in a job application to my dream job of being a dock worker at ABF. Being a dock worker at ABF has all the things i love at my current career like shift bidding and bidding for days off based on seniority, but it has none of the bad things such as the possibility of being stabbed, taken hostage, or raped. I'll keep you informed if i hear anything.

a torn calf muscle

On Saturday i was playing football and chase with my kids and i tore my calf muscle. It hurt like a son of a gun. At the time i couldn't walk without crutches. It's healing up so quickly it's unbelievable. I can walk with only a slight limp, barely noticeable. I'm going to work tonight. Yup, I'm going to work with a torn calf muscle. I love my job and i love the people i work with. I always feel guilty when i call in sick, like I'm abandoning them. Anyways, back to my injury, I'm pretty sure I'll be back to training in a few weeks or less.  The New Mexico state games is in July and I'm close to qualifying for the masters national championships. I need  to get back in the gym!

The Miller Gym's 1st Anniversary Invitational Weightlifting Meet report

I haven't felt much like blogging recently. But I don't want to leave my last meet unblogged, so it'll be short and to the point.

Last week I competed in The Miller Gym's 1st Anniversary Invitational Weightlifting Meet. Before the meet I'd been on vacation and then I got sick. I missed a total of three weeks of training. Getting sick was my fault, my stupidity. It takes a long time to build up the ability to withstand a lot of training volume, especially when your 39 years old. I was pushing it, training to frequently. 

I went 5 for 6. I lifted an 80/84/86 in the snatch and a 100/106/ and missed my last attempt at 110k clean and jerk. The 86 snatch was a PR and a state record, I also set a state record with a 192k total. In the 15 months I've been weightlifting I've set 9 state records. 

bubba coffee mug

I'm broken hearted. I lost my big bubba coffee mug. I've had that thing for a little over 3 years. I used to ride my bike to work and my big bubba coffee mug lasted through bike crashes,  riots at work,  droped day on and day out,  etc. This is a very sad day for me. That was by far the best coffee mug I've ever owned.

trust your program, trust your coach

Since i missed two and a half weeks of training because of illness and vacation I asked Coach Miller if i could sit out the weightlifting competition this Saturday. He told me not to worry, I'd still lift more than i did at my meet in January. I didn't believe him. He loaded the bar with 86 kilos and had me snatch it setting a PR. He then loaded the bar with 108 kilos and i set another PR. After lifting those easily he told me, "trust your programming. Trust your coach. " He's right. He's one of the best at building programs in the nation. I need to stop doubting myself. As long as I'm being coached by coach Miller I'm in good hands.

rabbit Pâté Recipe

rabbit Pâté Recipe

Prep time
20 mins

Cook time
15 mins

Total time
35 mins

 A delicious Pâté recipe that uses fresh liver, spices, herbs and butter for a creamy and velvety Pâté that can be served on homemade crackers or vegetables.

Author: Wellness Mama

Recipe type: Condiment

Serves: 6+

Ingredients

½ pound chicken livers (I'll n be using rabbit liver)
6 Tablespoons grass fed butter (or coconut oil, but the taste will be different)
½ cup finely minced onion or shallots
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
½ teaspoon dried Thyme leaf
½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
1 bay leaf (optional)
3 Tablespoons Brandy or Scotch (or Apple Cider Vinegar but taste will be different)
2 tablespoons heavy cream (preferably raw)

Instructions

Note: You can soak the livers in milk or coconut milk for a few hours (up to overnight) and rinse before making this recipe for a more mild flavor if desired.

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet. Add finely minced onion and garlic and cook on medium until translucent- 3-4 minutes.

Meanwhile, trim the connective tissue off of the livers. Add livers to pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme and add the bay leaf if using.

Brown livers for 6-10 minutes until cooked on the outside and barely pink on the inside.

Add the Brandy or Scotch and cook until it thickens, 2-3 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Put in food processor or blender and puree until smooth. While blending/pureeing, add the additional butter and cream (if using). Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Once mixture is completely smooth, remove from blender and put in ramekins or a glass container and cover tightly. Put in the fridge for at least 5-6 hours or overnight (preferred) to harden and let flavors meld. Serve with crackers or vegetables.

sick again- overtraining

I got sick on April 2nd. It was a heck of an illness. I took 32 hours of sick leave last week, and today i was still too sick to go to the gym. Last week i almost drove myself to the emergency room, i thought i was having a heart attack. Of course I'm   a stubborn man. I decided i would wait to see how i was feeling rather than go get checked to see if i was dieing.

I think it was a really horrible upper respiratory illness. I don't know what it was (is), but i do know what caused it. I've been getting ill at the tail end of every 3 month training cycle since i started weightlifting 15 months ago. I'm great at digging deep, pushing myself longer and harder than most could, but I'm not very good at allowing myself the proper amount of recovery. I've been told from one of my former coaches I'm all heart, no brains. Starting next week I'm going to train one less day every two weeks. Hopefully that will give myself enough rest and recovery to stop me from getting sick every training cycle.

This long of an illness may have totally destroyed my chances at setting more PR's and state records at the next weightlifting meet. As a matter of a fact, i'm going to ask coach Miller if i could just skip this next weightlifting tournament. Taking this long away from training would make for a piss poor performance.

massage causes illness?

Last night after my massage i got the aches all over my body. A few hours after that i became sick. Cough, aches (very bad aches), sinus pressure, runny nose, weakness, cough, etc. i have no idea where that came from. Perhaps my body was fighting the illness and the massage pushed my body over the brink?  I dunno,  but it sucked.  I'm afraid to get another massage now.

massage for Olympic weightlifting

When i was competing in triathlon I heard a ton about the benefits of massage for athletes. I'd heard  it promotes flexibility, reduces fatigue, improves endurance, helps prevent injuries and prepares the body and mind for optimal performance.

Yesterday I'd had two hard workouts in a row and i was incredibly sore so i thought I'd try it out. It felt AMAZING! After i left i felt like a new man! No soreness at all! Truly, I've never felt anything as magical as that was.  And to think, it'll help my lifting on the platform too! I believe I'm hooked. I'm going to have to get a massage more often!

I went to Massage Envey on Zafarano Drive in Santa Fe New Mexico. They were incredible there! I highly recommend them!

missed training time

I was on a two week vacation late March. That was the longest I'd been away from the prison excluding  funerals or family illnesses in 3 years. It was magical being away from the prison that long. My family and i went to Denver. I didn't get a chance to work out while we were gone, i went a total of 5 days without weightlifting. That was the longest I'd gone without training since October of last year. There's 23 days until my next weightlifting meet. I really feel horrible about missing that much training so close to my next meet. My next meet is really important. If all goes well I'll set 3 new state records. But, i don't regret missing the training . The trip with my family was one of the most fun vacations of my life.

I fell of the diet wagon the whole trip. I ate what ever i wanted. It was great.

 BTW, I'm so sore today!

how to cook rabbit

Rabbit is one of the most lean animals you can eat, its perfect for an Olympic weightlifter!

Back in 2011 i got ran over by avehicle while training for Ironman Arizona. i was unable work for  a while and the family was struggling without my income. I started raising rabbits so my family could eat. I've become pretty good at cooking rabbit after 4 years of raising and eating them.
I got this recipe off the Livestrong.com its the best rabbit recipe i've tried so far.

Rabbit is one of the easiest game animals for novices to work with, because of its compact size. Rabbit is easy to cut up and doesn't require a lot of complicated preparation, and ordinary methods are usually all that's required to cook it. Most chicken recipes can be adapted to use rabbit, though the meat is leaner and usually chewier than chicken. Young fryer rabbits can be fried or grilled, but slow cooking in a crock pot will make any rabbit tender and tasty.

Heat a heavy skillet over moderately high heat. While the skillet is warming up, dredge the rabbit pieces in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.

Pour 1 tablespoon of oil or butter into the hot skillet. Add the rabbit pieces and brown on all sides. Transfer the rabbit pieces to your preheated crock pot. Add 1/2 cup of water or other liquid to the hot skillet, and stir it to loosen the browned-on juices. Add this liquid to the crock pot.

Add the onion, garlic and bay leaf to your crock pot. Season the rabbit pieces with salt and pepper, and add enough water, broth or wine to almost cover the rabbit pieces.

Add vegetables to the pot if you want them to cook with the rabbit. Otherwise, prepare them separately and have them ready when the rabbit has finished cooking.

Cook the rabbit on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or on low for 4 to 5 hours, until it is fork-tender. Remove the rabbit from your crock pot, as well as the vegetables if you've cooked them in the pot. 

Strain the cooking liquid from the crock pot into a small saucepan. To make a concentrated sauce, reduce the liquid until it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If you want more sauce, whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in 1/4 cup of water, then stir that into the cooking juices. Stop stirring once the sauce thickens.

Serve the rabbit and vegetables hot, with the sauce or gravy made from your cooking juices.

Things You'll Need

1 stewing rabbit or smaller fryer

Sharp knife

Heavy skillet

Flour

Salt and pepper

oil or butter

Water, broth or wine

1/2 medium onion, 

diced1 clove garlic, minced

1 small bay leaf

Mixed vegetables (optional)

SaucepanSpoon

Cornstarch

back squat day and increased calories

Today i was scheduled for 2X4 sets of back squat @147k (315lbs). On any other day that would be an easy couple sets, but it was a rough night last night at the prison. After all the adrenaline from last night my body was exhausted. It was all force of will and determination, but i was able to make the lifts.

About a week ago i started to struggle to finish my workouts so i increased my calories. Increasing my calories helped a ton. I maintained my weight during that week and started to feel 100% again. As of last night i decreased my calories again to 3250 calories a day. I'll lose about a pound a week with that. I'll keep you informed on how the weightlifting is going with the decreased calories. 

hydrostatic body fat test and Olympic weightlifting goals

Like i wrote on my blog yesterday,  I'm a flake. After i set a goal i get overly excited about a different goal and give up on my original. I've been losing weight since December and recently started thinking, "is this really worth it? What if I just maintain where I'm at? As long as I'm eating healthy foods and exercising why should it matter how much i weigh?". To help me decide what i should do in regards to my weight I went to get a hydrostatic body fat test at the University of New Mexico exercise physiology department.  The numbers i recieved were humbling. No. They were heart breaking. I'm currently weighing,  by their scale,  288.4lbs, i am 35.2% body fat, 187lbs lean mass, 101.5lbs fat. Alright, that hit me hard. I'll stay dieting. Yup, i need to drop 50-75 pounds. I think i need to set, AND STICK TO, a long term goal of getting to and maintaining 205-235 pounds.

Here are my hydrostatic body fat tests over the years:

March 2015: 288.4 pounds @ 35.2% body fat. 187 pounds lean mass. 101.5 pounds fat.

Nov 2013: 274.7 pounds @ 34.52% body fat. 179.9 pounds lean mass.  95.8 pounds fat.

April 2013: 229.7 pounds @ 23.12% body fat.  176.6 pounds lean mass. 53.1 pounds fat.

Feb 12 2013: 241.1 pounds @ 28.14% body fat. 173.3 pounds lean mass. 67.8 pounds fat.

Oct 2011: 181 pounds @ 6.86% body fat. 169.3 pounds lean mass. 12.5 pounds fat.

June 2011: 188.4 pounds @ 10.9%. 169.4 pounds lean mass. 19 pounds fat.

Nov 2010: 222.2 pounds at 19.01% body fat. 180 pounds lean mass. 42.2 pounds fat.

July 2010: 189 pounds at 9.81% body fat. 170.6 pounds lean mass. 18.5 pounds fat.

I'm a flake and OCD both

I used to drive my old triathlon coach Pete Alfino nuts. I'd set a goal to compete at a race and a couple months into training for it i'd get the itch and want to change my goal. And here i am contemplating changing my goal again.  Since December I'd been gradually losing weight. My goal was to get to the 105k weight class. Although i was still gaining strength as i was losing weight, I'm not gaining as much as I do when I'm not trying to lose weight. So now of course I'm attempting to  justify staying at current weight. There's no doubt I'd look better if i lost weight. I'm sure I'd also feel better about myself at a lighter weight. But if i stay my current weight I'll be stronger for Olympic style weightlifting. And i REALLY LOVE Olympic style weightlifting! I'm even better at weightlifting than i was at triathlon, and i ended up being a highly decorated triathlete. I also have a really legitimate fear of getting obsessed with weight loss. I have a tendency to get a little out of control with sports and food. I found a picture of when i was a hard core triathlete. I was to thin and absolutely not eating enough.

And here's one of me now. 

I'd love to lose 80-90 pounds, but I'm afraid of going off the deep end with my eating again. 

What to do? What to do? 

increased calories, PR's, and phone data

The last few workouts I've struggled to finish my workouts. I'm running out of energy which is an obvious sign that i need to increase my calories for awhile. I'll be raising it to my metabolic rate of 4000 calories a day for approximately 1-2 weeks depending how i feel.

I pick up my youngest son from pre-k before i go to weightlift each day. He's really well behaved for a 5 years old, but 1-2 hours in the gym everyday is a struggle for him. Last week i increased the data on my phone plan so he can watch NetFlix while I'm working out. That's been one of the best decisions I've made in awhile. I can lift with less interruptions and stress, and he's entertained and happy. Win win.

I lifted an 81k snatch rather easily last week which tied my training PR. The last time i got up an 81k snatch was in January and it was a struggle. Two weeks ago i squated 2 sets of 6 reps at 3301lb another PR. I'm looking forward to my next meet in April. I'm on track to crush my old PR's.

metabolic rate and Olympic weightlifting

In the last week I've lost 1.6 pounds. That's a little quicker than i had originally planned, but my strength doesn't seem to be affected at all. Last week i squated 301 pounds 6 times.  And today i tied a training PR snatch of 81k. In the last 3 weeks I've lost 1.75 inches around my waist. I've accomplished all that while eating 3,250 calories a day plus eating any calories burned from working out.  That means my metabolic rate is still hovering at around 4,000 calories a day. The life & metabolism of an Olympic weightlifter is great!

continued weight loss, 105k weightlifting division goal

This weight loss thing sucks. I'm down to 294 pounds. I've lost 17 pounds and it's been a huge struggle to say the least. i still have 58 pounds more to lose If I'm going to get to the 105k Olympic weightlifting division.  If i lose weight too fast my workouts fall apart. I've found the most i can lose a week without losing strength is 1 pound a week. If I'm able to stay on course with 1 pound of weight loss a week, that's a big if there, it's going to take me over a year to get to the top end of the 105k  division. There's weeks I've barely made it, 14 months of this is going to be tough. 

continued weight loss and a 94k weightlifting challenge

I'm still doing great with my weight loss, I'm down to 296 pounds. 15 pounds lost. So far no one from my gym has noticed. 


I'm even more motivated to lose weight now because my best friend challenged me to get down to the the 94k weight class and then we'd enter a weightlifting meet and compete against each other in the same weight class. He & i have always been super competitive with each other. That'll be great fun! Loser buys the beer!!!!