Consistency

As a new box owner, it's been a real challenge to find a way to train over the last year. My original coach canceled the only class I could attend, and it was getting difficult driving 25 minutes each way with my hectic schedule. I tried going to another box, but I really wanted to do the programming I set up.

After 2 years of coaching my clients, I finally have a few folks who are far enough along to train alongside me.  In other words, I have some training partners.


Finally! I feel a part of a box again! I cannot tell you much I love doing the same WODs as my peeps, competing with them and feeling their pain.

This has been going on since January.  As a result, my training has been spot on consistent. I haven't missed a single scheduled day of training. I am diligently training 3 on 1 off then 2 on 1 off.

Not surprising, my lifts especially are exceeding my old PRs. My clients and training partners' lifts are too.

Since we're doing Linear Progression 3X per week, at 3 sets of 5 reps, I'm not at or near my old one rep maxes for these sets.


Deadlift--old PR 240, am currently working sets with 215.

Bench--old PR 100, am currently working sets with 100.

Press--old PR 75, am currently working sets with 80.

Squats--old PR 165, am currently working sets with 160.

In another week, we move into an indoor "facility". Actually it's a church gym. How cool is that? We've been using it for rain dates, now we get to put up pull-up bars, paint it, build weightlifting platforms and sort of set up shop.

I can't wait!

Paleo Recipes from Sunday's Paleo Seminar

I am really digging learning how to cook. This weekend's Paleo recipes were even better than the last seminar.

Here they are:


"Janelle's Cochinita Pibil"

aka Achiote Pork. 

If you've ever had excellent achiote, this recipe is superb! I mean REALLY superb.

Ingredients:
5-6lbs of pork (pork shoulder & loin; neck bones and/or pork feet for added fat & flavor)

(I used Costco's Hickory Smoked Pulled Pork plus pork shoulder. I think the Hickory smoked meat made this dish serious food ecstasy.)
5-6 large banana leaves
6 garlic cloves
3 bay leaves
2 large oranges
4 large lemons
3 limes
1/2 tsp oregano
1 cascabel chile
1 cinnamon stick
6 whole black peppers
1/2 tsp cumin
1 achiote pack -(100g)
4 roma tomatoes cut into fourths
1 1/2 large white onion cut into fourths
salt to taste

Marinate a least  8-12 hours before - use following ingredients in marinade: squeeze all citrus fruits and dissolve achiote in the citrus juice; marinate meat and add salt to taste as well - some achiote pastes contain salt but no enough for flavor

Preparation of banana leaves - heat banana leaves over open flame or griddle for a couple of minutes each side; the leaves should soften after heating; then place aside

Bake meat in oven at 275 for 5hours - use either dutch oven or large pirex; line container w/ foil paper then top foil paper w/ 1 softened banana leaf; place meat inside banana leaf lined container along w/ marinade and rest of ingredients; then cover the meat with the remaining banana leaves. Seal with foil.

Check meat after 4 hours and add salt to taste - taste great atop of roasted bell peppers and asparagus!! 

(To see what would happen, I made a second "quickie batch" in the crock pot. I lined the crock pot with banana leaves added the leftover meat and juices along with another batch of Costco's pulled pork. I also added additional marinade, which I made. I slow cooked it for 6 hours. It came out wonderfully.)

Son of Grok Simple Banana Custard


Ingredients:
- 2 bananas
- 1 can coconut milk
- 3 eggs
- Cinnamon

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients except for cinnamon in a mixer and mix well.
2. Pour into custard or souffle cups (coffee cups or other oven safe containers work fine if you don’t have custard cups).
3. Sprinkle top with cinnamon.
4. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for approx 45 minutes. Custard will balloon a bit and you may see some liquid… its ok, it will work itself out.
5. Chill.
6. Serve and enjoy.

I altered this by adding 1 tbsp vanilla. I poured it all into a 9 x 12 baking dish which I placed in a 10 X 13 baking dish filled with water. Since the color came out gray, I topped it with lots of powdered nutmeg.

I also subbed Trader Joe's lowfat coconut milk (since that's all they had). Great! Now this is a good treat for folks trying to lose bodyfat too.

This makes about 12 servings.
Protein 4g/serving
Carbs 10g/serving (about 1/3 banana per serving)
Fat 3.5g/serving

Seriously, this is so addictive, it's hard not to eat the whole pan at once.


Rakesh's Indian Vegetable Curry

Saute 1 large yellow onion in oil in a deep pot. When done,
Add 2 lbs chopped carrots
Add 1 head cauliflower chopped
Add 3 Roma Tomatoes chopped
Add 2 Tbsp Trader Joe's Curry Powder, 1 Tbsp Cumin and 1 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper

Add enough water to just cover everything.

Boil until reduced and veggies are done, but not mushy.

Top with freshly chopped cilantro.

Shannon's Sun Dried Tomato Pesto (inspired by Aurora Restaurant, Chapel Hill, NC)

In a food processor combine the following items:

24 oz jar Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Oil (tomatoes, oil, salt, spices) Sera brand Kurutulmus Domates are excellent...available at Sunland Produce in Sunland, CA. Include the oil.

2 tsp Garlic (or to taste)

1/4 tsp Salt

8 oz bag roasted Pine Nuts (Trader Joes)

Toss with a steamed spaghetti squash. This is seriously healthy and good!

Shannon’s Not Exactly Paleo, but Damned Good Fried Chicken

Chicken Breasts, cut up in to strips

Canola Oil for frying

Corn Meal

Chulada Sazonador de Carnes Meat Seasoning (nothing else is as good, from Sunland Produce in the meat department)

Eggs

Whip eggs until consistency good enough for scrambling. Set aside.

Mix 3 parts corn meal to 1 part meat seasoning in a separate bowl. Taste to ensure it is not too salty for you. Add more corn meal if it is, more seasoning if you like it a bit spicier.

Dip the chicken breast strips into the egg, then into the corn meal/meat seasoning mixture.

Fry in a wok filled with ¼ canola oil until brown on both sides.

Easy and tastes great cold the next day.
 

Getting Tougher

I've set some New Year's resolutions for myself. These are broad, but resolutions nonetheless.

1. No alcohol. This is a long term goal. I'm ready to be excellent, and I find that although I don't drink that much, when I do drink, it slows me down. I'm not in the mood to be slowed down at the present.

2. Train hard. I'm excited. I'm going to be training doing what I program at CrossFit Survival 4-5 days/week. This means I get to do a Linear Progression 3 days a week and focus on metabolic conditioning 1-2 days a week. I can't wait to lift heavy and frequently. Additionally, I think it's important for me as a coach to do the same WODs I have my clients do.

3. Be a better coach. Coaching is hard work. I have strengths and weaknesses like anyone. One shortcoming I can see I've had is a tendency to "pat people on the head and say ok" when they fail--especially when it comes to people's excuses on why they "can't" lose weight. No more. I see bull shit for what it is....bull shit. Everyone can lose weight. No one is incapable. It's one thing if the client refuses, but I don't have to buy into their reasons for failure. I see now that people fail b/c they give up. No, really they FORGET. They forget why they are doing what they are doing. In a moment of weakness, it is easy to revert to what is habitual rather than what is new.

I, and they, need to remember this quote:

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

There is a time and place for compassion, but I can no longer go into agreement or "feel sorry" for a client if they tell me they "can't" lose weight, give up sugar, quit drinking, give up pasta, blah blah blah, because of this or that reason, childhood drama, etc. 

They are trying to convince me that they are INCAPABLE.

I KNOW they are not.

It is my job to firmly (with a smile) remind them of this and continue to CONVINCE THEM that they can do it and ignore their protestations otherwise.

Better watch out! I'm getting tougher.

Humility

Every night I do the same thing. I check the schedule for the week.

I do a rough schedule months ahead of time. Then, every Sunday night I sit down at my computer and hash all the details out. Right now, I have one intern, Jonathan, who is doing a bang-up job. He's really trying to learn all of this stuff. By stuff, I mean there is a great deal of "stuff" that one needs to learn (and master) in order to be a great CrossFit Coach and Leader. He's really trying, but let me tell  you, there is a great deal to learn.

I hash out the details of who is working what shift, what will the WODS be, who will teach what depending upon their strengths and weaknesses, what will the warm-ups be, where will each class take place, etc., etc., etc. CrossFit Survival has been operating out of a park for over a year now. We use a church for rainy days. It's a tremendous amount of work.

Fortunately, I am a VERY patient person.

Let me tell you what this entails.

I get up every morning at 4:30am.

I'm cool with that. I'm a big believer in the power of the mind. I can choose to be resentful, or I can choose to be okay with it. I choose the latter.

But let me back up a bit.

Every night, my last class gets done by 7:30pm. We all pitch in to load my car. With any luck, I'm home by 8:30, at which time I get to load the car for the next day's classes. 

Once again, I point this out, not because it is so amazing, because to me, really it isn't (anymore). I point it out, because IT ISN'T AMAZING TO ME ANYMORE.

Every night, I load and unload anywhere from 1000-2000 pounds of equipment into my car. (Sometimes my most excellent boyfriend of 9 years helps me out (over 50% of the time), but the other 48.5% of the time, I do it by myself.) By the time I get done, if I'm lucky, I'm in bed by 10pm. It's a hell of a lot of work.

What is really incredulous to me is how easily I toss 45# plates into the car--2 at a time, one in each arm, like it was nothing. I literally think NOTHING of doing this. CrossFit has made me strong enough to think this.

This leads me to reflect on the WHY of WHY IN THE HELL do I do this in the first place?

Truth be told, I fucking love being strong, and I fucking love helping others to be the same way. (Sorry, but sailor-talk is just part of who I am), and I freaking love what I get to do everyday for a living.

I admire the hell out of Kate Rawlings. I'm a huge fan of her blog. One of the many things I admire her for is her penchant for telling the truth, and nothing but the truth, so help the embarrassment that it would've surely caused others to divulge the same.

I, on the other hand, am a Stoic. I was taught to be strong, to show no weakness. Try (in vain as it may be), I try to adhere to that. I tend to be silent and say nothing.

I guess what I am trying to say is that every night, no matter how tired I am , no matter how much I don't "feel" like loading the dang car, I load the dang car. I know other people would be exasperated by this, but I am not...

...Because it is an honor.

Honestly. This is not a ploy. I do it, because every day that I get to teach other people about CrossFit, I am humbled and grateful for my life.

And the fact that I feel that way is what really truly blows me away. I'm 46. Cool things happen to one as you age, namely, your focus is no longer on you.

I am not going away.

CrossFit Survival is here to stay.

I am determined to be excellent in every way.

I study every day. I read something new about teaching every day. I live this stuff. I breathe this stuff. I try really hard.

No matter what you think of me, I am determined to be excellent. I share this in the hopes that someone else will find value in it.

I am grateful for my life.

Naaaa. I'd rather write about lots of things.

I started this blog back in July, when my major obsession was gaining weight. Not that I don't care about that anymore, I do. It's just that I have much more to write about than that.

Nothing is more boring than reading about someone else's daily nutritional challenges (at least to me), so I've decided to create a blog that's more well rounded.

My name is Shannon Franklin. I'm 46 years old as of 10 days ago. I'm 5'8" tall and 129 lbs now (woot!). I've been a CrossFitter since July of 2008, going on 2.5 years now. That's me on the far left. The other beautiful women are some of my clients.

 

I'm also a Level I Certified CrossFit Coach (as well as being certified by CrossFit in Olympic Weightlifting, Nutrition and Running), and I own an affiliate, CrossFit Survival.

Needless to say, my life is EXCITING!

I'll tell you what, being a dedicated athlete is a challenge, but trying to hold onto that while running a box is a serious commitment.

CrossFit Survival is still small. We started as a bootcamp back in April 2008. We converted to CrossFit proper in January 2010. We are outdoors. I used to look at that as a detriment. Now I've decided it is a great asset!  My clients love it, the space is affordable, and we have LOADS of room.

I trained under Coach Eric LeClair, one of the only CrossFit Level III coaches in existence, for almost 2 years. I interned with him for the better part of 1 1/2 years. For any of you who know Eric, he is a no-nonsense, sharp as a tack, superb athlete, no holds barred kind of guy.  He suffers no fools, and he only accepts excellence. Thankfully, it rubbed off on me a bit.

I still have a lot to learn (but who doesn't), but I can honestly say I am proud of what I have built.

I have helped many people turn their lives around--get off anti-depressants, lose weight, find the athlete within.

I have athletes who are young men--learning proper weightlifting while still 14. I have women pushing 40, who are becoming serious bad asses. I have men who were once weak, finding their warrior within. I have women who were seriously overweight, becoming sleek.

When I was in college, I dreamed of becoming a classical artist. I studied for over 5 years to learn this amazing craft. As I got older, my dream fell to the wayside, and I gave it up. I finally rekindled the desire about 4 years back and moved to NC to finally pursue mastery once and for all.

Long story short, I broke my pelvis, lost my then business and had to start all over.

I dreamed of being a classical artist my whole life. The day I found CrossFit that all ended.

It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I have never looked back. I have found my calling. There is no greater joy than helping others achieve confidence, joy, friendship, athleticism, excellence and power.

It's Happening!

Me 122 pounds

Me 127 pounds

Hell yeah!

It has been just at four weeks since I started my serious quest to gain muscle weight. So far, I have put on 5 pounds. And hell yeah, it shows!

However, what is really cool is that I am already noticing strength increases as well. Not only am I absolutely

DILIGENT about eating enough, I am lifting heavy and often.  

Two weeks ago, I sincerely attempted a 150 lb backsquat and failed at 3 attempts. Today, I PR'ed at 165. Indeed, 150 was relatively easy.

I daresay, whatever your opinion of my physique, I definitely look and am stronger in the pic on the right. And getting stronger is going to get me where I want to go--skinny be damned.

Several things are working (for anyone struggling in their own attempts to put on muscle weight):

1. Getting enough sleep. 

I notice that I can lose 1-2 pounds easily if I don't sleep enough for several days in a    row.

2. Being diligent about eating enough protein and fat.

(I am following Robb Wolf/Performance Menu Suggestion, see blog entry #2). If I "cheat" and don't eat,  I lose the meat.

3. Consuming extra protein in my post WOD meal.

I've put on 2 pounds in the last few days. This began since I started consuming an additional 50% in protein (derived from my daily allotted blocks) in my post workout WOD. I usually use whey protein in a shake. I also add glucose per the recipe in The Paleo Diet for Athletes.

4. Lifting heavy.

Lifting weights is a relatively new phenomenon in my life. I didn't really start tinkering with this much until January of this year, and it's only been since March that it became clear to me I wasn't going to advance as a CrossFitter if I didn't learn to lift heavy. 

5. Having a good sit down meeting with my coaches--Le Clair, Ortiz and Robinson, setting up a schedule and sticking to it.

From here I hired Coach Robinson for the month of August to do 2 1:1 sessions weekly. He has been kicking my ass, improving my form and challenging me to go places I was afraid of before.

6. Chiropractic.

Yes, this is still controversial, but I believe that integrity entails saying what is true for you. Chiropractic works for me--specifically Dr. G. Before I went to Dr. Gary Vitullo, every time I lifted heavy above my head, a certain place in my spine hurt. A spot in my vertebrae stuck out further than the rest. This is no longer the case, and the pain no longer happens.

When I tweak, I go see him. He fixes it, and I get to go right back to lifting the next day. Works for me.

That's it for the "Adventures of Franklin" for now.

Signing off.

Redefinition....and BRING ON THE FOOD!

As I increase my understanding of my craft of CrossFit and its nomenclature, I realize that what I am seeking isn't really defined entirely by saying, "I want to put on mass."

I want to put on lean muscle--and a lot of it. However, as was made clear to me this weekend at the CrossFit Games, bulky is NOT better. STRONGER is better. So to redefine my goals, I want to get stronger and I want to put on about 15-22 pounds of lean muscle mass.

Why did I choose this amount?

Well let's look at the statistics of some of the women who excelled this past weekend. Once again, as of now, I am 5'8" tall and now 123#. (I gained a pound.)

Kristan Clever First Place
5'2" 130# Height to Weight Percentage .46

Annie Thorisdottir

Annie Thorisdottir Second Place
5'7" 143# Height to Weight Percentage .47

Valerie Mackenzie Third Place
5'2" 135# Height to Weight Percentage .46

and other women closer to my height:

Carey Kepler
5'8" 138# Height to Weight Percentage .49

Rebecca Voight
5'9" 150# Height to Weight Percentage .46

Lindsey Smith
5'11" 155# Height to Weight Percentage .46

Currently my height is at 55% of my of my weight.
To be at 46%, I need to weigh approximately 148#!!!

THIS IS SO EXCITING! This means I get to gain over 20 pounds...and I LOVE TO EAT.

No, not like that.  I'm doing it the right way, slowly, adding good proteins and fats, so it won't happen overnight. However, I must say this is an exciting journey.

CROSSFIT IS REDEFINING NOT ONLY FITNESS BUT PHYSICAL BEAUTY STANDARDS IN WOMAN.

HELL YEAH! IT'S ABOUT TIME.

I am so sick of seeing skinny malnourished women while the strong women think they are "fat". Clearly obesity is not good either, but as someone who fortunately has never had to struggle with that end of the spectrum, I must say I am pleased as punch to be given the opportunity to eat and to PUT ON MUSCLE!

I have never weighed more than 138 in my life. This is going to be fun!