WOD

“Street Sweeper”
21 – 18 – 15 – 12 – 9
Double Kettlebell Front Squats (53s/36s)
Pull-ups

Recipe of the Week:
Last week we threw everything in a pan and baked it. This week we’re going to throw everything in ONE pot and cook it! Hope you guys enjoy Lean Beef & Brown Rice Pilaf.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb lean beef sirloin, cut into 1-inch pieces
SUB: chicken breast, portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon The Fit Cook Everyday blend
SUB: 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder
1 tablespoon The Fit Cook Land seasoning
SUB: your choice of dried herbs: thyme, rosemary, Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
pinch of sea salt & pepper
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
1 large carrot, chopped into 1-inch chunks
1 1/2 cups uncooked (short-grain) brown rice
2 cups low sodium beef broth (or water, but not recommended)
8oz low sodium tomato sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (OPTIONAL)
zest from 1/2 lemon
2 Bay leaves
8 oz broccoli (or Brocolini) florets

Instructions:
1) Set a pot on HIGH heat.  Once hot, add oil and beef.  As the beef sears, add the paprika, The Fit Cook Everyday blend and The Fit Cook Land herb seasoning.  Cook for about  3 minutes, until sear marks begin to appear.
2) REDUCE the heat  of the pot  to low-medium and once the pot is cooler, add garlic, onions and carrots.  Cook until the onions turn brown and translucent, about  3 to  5 minutes.
3) The add in uncooked brown rice and stir continuously until every grain of rice is toasted and covered in oil and herbs.
4) Pour in the broth, Worcestershire and tomato sauce and stir.  Add in the lemon zest and Bay leaves.  Stir.
5) Adjust the heat of the pot to bring to a light simmer, then cover and cook for 25 to 30 minutes until the rice has absorbed the majority of the liquid.
6) Once the rice has almost cooked, simply place the broccoli florets ON TOP  of the rice and put the lid on halfway to  cook for  the remaining time and to allow excess liquid to be absorbed and evaporate.
7) When the rice has finished cooking, stir in the broccoli and remove from the heat.
8) Garnish and enjoy!!

20 Minute AMRAP:
teams of 2
Partner A – 200 Meter Run
Partner B – AMRAP
Sit-ups
Push-ups
Box Jumps (24/20)

Tomorrow’s Forecast:
Friday’s workout calls for front squats and pull-ups.

Throwback of the Week:
Throwback to a very blurry picture of everyone after an ugly sweater workout. Should we bring it back?

Hang Power Clean
Build to a heavy set of 2

“DT”
5 Rounds:
12 Deadlifts (155/105)
9 Hang Power Cleans (155/105)
6 Push Jerks (155/105)

Tomorrow’s Forecast:
Thursday’s workout calls for running, sit-ups, push-ups and box jumps.

Box Brief:
Bring A Friend Day is on Thursday!

Recovery of the Week:
“Rest equals recovery, and recovery is the key to making consistent progress.”

This week I’m challenging you to READ about healthy recovery habits! Today’s article goes over the ins and outs of sleep. I hope you enjoy “No Rest for the Foolish” by Bill Starr.

“Seeing Double”
25 Minute AMRAP: teams of 2
Partner A – Run 400 Meters
Partner B – Row for Max Meters

Tomorrow’s Forecast:
Wednesday’s workout calls for deadlifts, hang power cleans and push jerk.

Question of the Week:
Would you rather have super strength or super speed?

“Hangman”
6 Rounds:
20 Wall Balls (20/14)
15 T2B
10 Burpees

Tomorrow’s Forecast:
Tuesday’s workout calls for running and rowing.

Quote of the Week:
“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.”
Tommy Lasorda

Pausing Push Jerk + Push Jerk
Build to a heavy complex

“2007 Reloaded”
For Time:
Buy In – 1500 Meter Row
5 Rounds:
10 Bar Muscle-ups
7 Shoulder to Overhead

Recipe of the Week:
Here is a EASY recipe you can just throw in the oven. Try out Sheet-Pan Balsamic-Parmesan Chicken & Vegetables.

Ingredients:
4 cups broccoli florets
3 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup sliced shallots
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
4 large bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed if desired
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
2) Combine broccoli, cauliflower, shallots, 2 tablespoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Toss well to coat. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
3) Combine garlic, marjoram and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a small bowl. Coat both sides of the chicken with the garlic mixture. Place on the baking sheet. Roast the chicken and vegetables for 15 minutes. Toss the vegetables and drizzle the chicken with vinegar. Sprinkle all with Parmesan and continue roasting until the vegetables are tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken without touching bone registers 165 degrees F, about 10 more minutes.

Sumo Deadlift
3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3

“Guilt Trip”
15 Minute AMRAP:
200 Meter Run
20 Kettlebell Swings (53/36)
200 Meter Run
20 Sit-ups

Tomorrow’s Forecast:
Friday’s workout calls for push jerk, rowing and muscle-ups.

Box Brief:
The weightlifting clinic is Saturday at 11 am with Coach Ricky. There are only 12 spots available so sign up fast! The cost is $20 (paid to Ricky).

Throwback of the Week:
Here is a lovely picture of Chad in costume holding a baby in 2013. Foreshadowing?

Back Rack Reverse Lunge
Build to a heavy set of 4

“Bambi”
For Time:
50 Double Unders
100 Lunges
50 Double Unders
50 Kettlebell Lunges (53/36)
50 Double Unders
25 Double Kettlebell Lunges (53s/36s)
50 Double Unders

Tomorrow’s Forecast:
Thursday’s workout calls for sumo deadlifts, running, kettlebell swings and sit-ups.

Box Brief:
Congrats to Micah for being the November Member of the Month at Apollo! Scroll down to learn more about Micah.

Congratulations on becoming Member of the Month! You’ve been part of this community for a long time, so I’m glad we finally made this happen.  The gym wouldn’t be the same without you. I could go on and on about how great you are, but let’s get to the questions!

The majority of your workouts end in a puddle of sweat and you laying on the floor gasping for air.  You know how to push yourself during a workout. What gets you to push so hard everyday?
I believe coach Cole would put up a strong argument that I spend most of my time complaining about WOD’s rather than putting in the work!  Being raised as an athlete my entire life, working hard is built into my core.  I was always told you get what you work for and I never wanted to fall short because of my effort.  Effort is the one thing that is always in my control.  As a young man losing was my greatest motivation to work hard.  I’ve always been an athlete that hated losing more then I enjoyed winning.  But now that I’ve gotten older my motivation to work hard is my family.  I stay in shape so I can be active with my children and want to lead them by example. PS.  You cant judge my effort from sweating and breathing hard, that happens after warm-up most the time!

It’s no secret you like workouts with a barbell and you want the weight heavy.  What is your athletic background? Do you contribute that to your love of lifting?
As a young boy my father raised me to be an all around athlete.  He pushed me to play every sport I wanted too and I definitely took advantage. I played as many as 6 sports at a time and my poor mother drove me none stop, from one practice or game to another.  Once I was 16 my dad said it was time for me to pick 1 sport and play the highest levels I could reach.  So that year I chose to go all in with Ice hockey and moved to Vail, Co to start my career.  After that first season everything went by like a blur.  The next year I moved to Chilliwack, BC and played 2 years with the Chilliwack Chiefs (this is when I meet my future wife!).  Then my second year in Chilliwack I received a Division 1 full ride athletic scholarship to play for University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO).  I played 4 years at UNO and then moved home playing a few games for the ECHL Wranglers before I retired.  My love for lifting started when I was 17 and living in Chilliwack.  This was the first time a made a full commitment to lifting and had massive gains.  I went from 175LB little boy to a 210LB man in 12 months.  After that I was hooked and never stopped. PS.  This was great at 17 but now I’m old and cant stop gaining weight!

Some folks may not realize you own and operate Crystal Palace here in town.  What’s it like running a skating rink? 
Owning and operating a roller skating rink is very difficult at times but I love every minute of it.  My parents have been in the roller skating business for over 40 years and they have taught me everything they have learned.  The daily grind of owning your own business can be exhausting but I love having the chance to entertain families and could not imagine doing anything else with my life.

Have you ever been in a dance battle on skates at Crystal Palace? If you have, did you win?
Haha, yes I have been in many skate battles in my day.  And did I win?  Of course I won, my parents owned the rink.  I was not allowed to lose!  And I’m still waiting for Chad to post a WOD done on skates so I can beat LeeAnn and JD!

If my math is correct you’ve been a dad for almost one year! What surprised you the most about being a new father?
There is truly nothing that can prepare you for the rush of emotions when your first child is born.  The biggest surprise for me was how much you instantly fall in love your baby.  As soon as Gracelyn came into the world my entire understanding of love changed forever.  It’s a feeling that you can only experience and never be told how it feels.  I’ve played hockey in arenas packed with 15,000 screaming fans and its a distant 2nd to the birth of my baby girl.

You have a baby boy on the way too. What’s one attribute of yours that you would like to pass on to him? What’s one attribute you want to make sure doesn’t get passed on?
My guy answer to this question is I want my boy to be big, strong and athletic like his father.  But once I really think about it, I just want my boy to have a kind heart like his mother.  That’s the best attribute he could ever receive.  The one attribute I hope my child does not get is his fathers stubbornness.  If he gets this trait he will have a lot of hard lessons in his future.

What is your favorite hockey or skating related movie?
There is only 1 answer for your last question, the greatest hockey move ever made Slap Shot!