I am a self admitted skeptic of anything that has to do with a diet that does not contain animal products yet claims to give you all the nutrients. At least that is how I USED to think. Today we are consumed by the marketing which we see and the tribe we run with. Plant based Protein supplements are certainly a product and a time that has been foreign to me...the meat eater.. until now!
Flip over your current TUB of Protein and I would venture to guess that it is either a WHEY concentrate or Isolate of some sort. WHEY is a product of dairy processing. WHEY is inexpensive, can be sweetened very easily and contains vital Branch Chain Amino Acids used in muscle Synthesis. Because this product is so inexpensive, every quack supplement maker can create their "perfect" version relatively easily and market it to the public who thrives on cheap products in huge packaging.
This is not to say that I don't buy into it. I am admittedly a supplement guinea pig, searching for the right one for my body...
WHEY Protein has a dark side that most don't acknowledge and are grounds for exploring Plant Based Proteins. WHEY products are dairy #1. Dairy, as you may know, does not settle in everyones stomach and can give consumers real problems in the GUT. WHEY Products are dirty. Because 99% of dairy comes from factory farms, the WHEY has traces of arsenic, lead and other heavy metals. Finally WHEY is sweetened with the same shit that your CrossFit Coach (and myself) tell you to stay away from like aspartame and Sucralose.
Plant Based Proteins have been given a bad wrap because of 2 distinct faults, they taste like shit and they lack the essential BCAA content that creates the best muscle synthesis and enzyme production. Lets take a quick look at these because my new findings have exposed a very different reality.
It is true that Plant based Proteins do not have the same 'milk shake' consistency and taste of WHEY. This is caused by a standard in the market which has limited the amount of sweeteners as compared to WHEY products. Maybe the producers have made an ethical choice or maybe its just that they don't like 'double fudge cookies and cream' flavored drinks after a workout..
PBP do give you a ton of fiber in each serving. Fiber is not present in WHEY Products. Fiber rich diets help regulate blood sugar, promote a healthy GUT, improve digestion etc. PBP's tend to be sweetened with natural ingredients like agave.
The BCAA conundrum is something that seriously kept me away from Plant Based Proteins. Leucine is a BCAA found in dairy and it is important for muscle development. Pea, hemp, and soy lack this vital nutrient . Brown Rice Protein is the only one with the same amount as WHEY. What sealed the deal for me was the blends of both Pea Protein and Brown Rice Protein. This potent combination contains all the nutrient that you need for optimal recovery and enzyme production without all the fluff of WHEY.
Coupling the health benefits with the fact that most PBP's are NON-GMO, high in fiber and do not contain any 'fluff' ... I was sold. So what if I have to shake my bottle a few extra seconds to make sure it blends well, at least I won't feel like I need to sit on the toilet after I drink it or have cotton mouth after drinking it Post WOD.
In closing, experimentation is what the optimal athlete needs to be doing. Finding the right supplements is like finding the holy grail. Get stoked, do your homework and keep training hard. Make this year the best year of your life.
In love and strength, E.
Programming Notes 7/31-8/4
7/31
Baseline:
400m Ladder Shuttle Run (50m out and back X4)
3X
10 Fire Hydrants (each Side)
10 High Skip
1:00 Plank Hold
400m Shuttle Run
Squat Flow: Kang Squat, Internal Rotation , Hip Bridge, Ankle Roll Out, Squat PNF, Squat W/ T Spine Rotation
Strength:
Exposure #4
Back Rack Lunges- Single Leg
3X8
*Heavier than Last week
*All 8 reps on one leg before moving to opposite leg
WOD:
20 Min Alternating EMOM
A) 200m Sprint
B) 15-20 Wall Ball Shots
8/1
Baseline:
500m Row
10 Divebomber Push Ups
250 m Row
10 Piked HSPU
100m Row
1:00 Handstand Hold
Gymnastic Strength:
Exposure #4
3X5 Weighted Pull Ups
12-9-6 Ring Dips/ Pistol Squats
WOD:
3 RFT
500m Row
21 Kettlebell Swings
12 Handstand Push Ups
Cool Down: **Mandatory**
Lat Band Mobility
Bully Stretch
Childs Pose
8/2
Baseline:
Calf and Ankle Roll Out for 5 Mins
Snatch Warm Up:
7 x romanian deadlift
7 x snatch high pull
7 x muscle snatch
7 x tempo overhead squat @ 23X1
7 x snatch balance
7 x power snatch to OHS
7 x snatch pull under
7 x hang (squat) snatch
6 Min Quality Warm Up
:30 Hollow Hold
8 PVC Power Snatch (tempo 3,1,1) 3=lift off to hip
:30 Superman Hold
Spend 8 Minutes Working Strict Toes To Bar and Kipping Toes to Bar
-Hollow Body Position
-Kip Swing
-Piked Kipping
WOD:
6 Rounds For Time
5 Power Snatch 135/95
12/10 Toes To Bar
40 Double Unders
8/3
Baseline:
Banded Good Mornings
Banded Hip Activation
Banded Squat
Banded Press and Rip
Banded Row
Banded Trunk Rotation
Banded Pass Thru
WOD:
30 @ Each
-Side Step Reverse Lunges (plyo style)
-Pull Ups
-Hang Power Clean 95/65
-Hip Extension
-Push Ups
Rest 2:00
15@ Each
Rest 1:00
10@ Each
8/4
Baseline:
2X:30
Mountain Climbers
DB Side Bend
Standing Toe Touch
Russian Twist
Burpee Tuck Jumps
Core Strength:
To be done with 1 heavy-ish Dumbbell
3X12
Deficit Dumbbell Deadlift
Bent Over Row
Bench Press
WOD;
21-15-9
Deadlift 255/175
Burpee Box Jump Overs
*Compare to 1/6/17
