You Need A Gym Membership

You need a gym membership!

People tell me that whenever I tell them the world is my gym.


When I tell people they usually roll their eyes and tend to change the subject and that is fine. The reality is that you do not really need a gym membership to get in shape.

Even the fitness guru Elliott Hulse says it is not necessary.

If you are living on a budget and have time constraints making the world your gym is your best option. Use chairs, walls, ledges, and even your bed to have a nice workout. Some natural movement and calisthenics workouts only require the floor! If you cannot find a space in the floor then you are in trouble.

To give a good example, Nelson Mandela would train in 6 foot by 6 foot cell every morning. Now just let that one sink in.

I am about to start a new job that is more demanding, so I probably will not have time to have long weightlifting sessions. So for me it is crucial to find places to workout. Go out enjoy nice weather and learn yoga, martial arts, or just do a mixture of body weight movements.

This will save you time, money, and it will leave you sore.

Stay Real.

Truth about Lentils Nobody will Tell You

The truth about lentils nobody will tell you is that this awesome grain is packed with protein and good carbs.

Often times, the paleo movement will demonize lentils. They say it contains anti-nutrients and it could harm our bodies. The reality is that, if you do not have a sensitivity to grains you would not be affected by these "anti-nutrients". Obviously if you eat two pounds of the grain you may get yourself in trouble and on the toilet. Adding this grain to your diet will give you new source of nutrients as well save you money.

Then you have supermarkets, which push the mighty grain aside by almost hiding it on the lower shelves. Then next time you go to your grocery story, they try to shove soda and white bread up your eyes. The lentil, in my opinion, is the underdog of health foods.

Per serving, lentils pack 20 grams of carbs and 10 grams of protein. It is low calorie and it is loaded with fiber!

The lentil is low in fats and it contains a lot of iron. This could be a good replacement for beef, specially for those on a budget. If you say that taking iron pills is a good substitute for beef, you should hit yourself with a rock. Lentils also contain a lot of Vitamin B-6 and Magnesium.

Not only it is nutrient packed, but the mighty lentil is cheap!

One pound of lentils sits at around $1.50. One pound can yield about 14 servings of 1/4 cup.

You can boil them and eat them with chicken, rice, spinach, anything!

Hope you go out and try them.

Stay Real.

Salmon Kale Pasta/Pasta con Salmon y Col Rizado al Ajillo

Eating healthy on a budget is something that people deem unthinkable, but this recipe will change your mind.

Comer saludable bajo un presupuesto es impensable para muchas personas, pero esta receta cambiara tu perspectiva. 

This is an extremely healthy semolina pasta made with kale and scampi salmon. It has excellent taste, texture, and price.

Esta pasta es extremadamente saludable ya que esta hecha con pasta de semolina y viene acampanada con col rizado y salmon al ajillo. Tiene un excelente sabor, textura, y precio. 

Before we start to cook, let look at the nutritional benefits of the main ingredients. 

• Semolina Pasta: One serving of 56 g contains 200 calories, nonetheless is a complex carb and is high in iron. It also has a low glycemic index which will keep us full longer. 
• Kale: this cruciferous vegetable is similar to broccoli and cabbage. It is high in fiber and it also contains Vitaman A and C with over 100% of the daily value. 
• Salmon: excellent source of Omega-3. One portion of this fish contains about 21 g of protein. 

Antes de empezar a cocinar, veamos los beneficios nutritvos de los ingredientes principales. 

• Pasta de Semolina: Una porcion de 56 g contiene 200 calorias, sin embargo es un carbohidrato complejo alto en hierro. Tambien tiene un indice glicemico mas bajo y nos mantendra llenos por mas tiempo.
• Col Rizado: Este vegetal crucifero es familia del broccoli y el repollo. Es alto en fibra al igual que Vitamina A y C con mas del 100% del valor diario. Este vegetal tambien ayuda a reducir la acidez general del cuerpo. 
• Salmon: una excelente fuente de Omega-3. Una porcion de este pescado contiene alrededor de 21 g de proteina. 

Ingredients/Ingredientes

1. 1/2 leek (chopped)/ajoporro (cortado)
2. 2 parsley branches (chopped)/ ramitas de perejil (cortado)
3. 1 clove or garlic (chopped)/ diente de ajo (cortado)
4. 4 oz (100 g) Salmon
5. 1/2 cup of whole wheat semolina pasta/ pasta integral de semolina
6. 1 cup of Kale (chopped)/ taza de col rizado (cortado)
7. Salt and pepper to taste/ Sal y pimienta al gusto

To prepare cook the pasta in the stove, cook it to desired texture. It took me like 10 minutes

Para preparar cocine la pasta en una olla, cocinela a la textura de su preferencia. A mi me tomo 10 minutos.

After we make out pasta we put some oil on a pan on high heat. We place the leeks and garlic so they get slightly brown. After about 3-5 minutes we put our salmon marinated with some salt and pepper. After a few minutes we place the parsley. Once the salmon starts to dry or crack we lower the heat and place the kale. After three minutes we throw the previously cooked pasta on the pan with the rest of the food. We then move these and mix them together for a couple of minutes. You may add more salt or pepper depending on taste. 

Luego pones un poquito de aceite en un sarten y ponemos el fuego alto. Colocamos el ajoporro y ajo para que se doren un poco. Luego de 3-5 minutos Ponemos nuestro salmon con un poquito de sal y pimienta. Luego de un par de minutos colocamos el perejil sobre el salmon. Ya cuando el salmon empieze a separarse bajamos a fuego medio o bajo y colocamos el col rizado. Despue mezclamos todo en el sarten por un par de minutos mas. Puede agregar mas sal o pimienta al gusto. 

There it is! Hope you enjoy it!

Ahi lo tienen, espero que les guste!

Body-weight Training is for Wimps

If you to do your pull-ups then you are more than likely a wimp!

That is what most meatheads in a regular Globo-gym will claim. Is like for some people, doing a calisthenics workout is like a insult to masculinity.

I am not going to attack weightlifting because I love it just as much as calisthenics. I am going to shed some on light on the benefits of calisthenics and why you should include it in your training plan.  Furthermore the benefits that this may have on our pockets.

About Calisthenics

The word calisthenics come from the Greek Kallos Sthenos which means beautiful strength. Calisthenics is essentially the rhythmical movement of our bodies without involving an apparatus. Therefore calisthenics is body-weight training. This encompasses any of those movements like push-ups, air squats and burpees. There is more to calisthenics than just those simple and dreaded exercises. Hand-balancing is considered a type of calisthenics and if you have not seen an out shape circus performer then you are probably no going to the circus. Calisthenics has no boundaries since there are an infinite number of progressions and this type of training will never get old

Benefits of the Beautiful Strength

Back in December I hurt my shoulder while working on my bench press. This put out of commission for about a month and then classes started again and I had no time. Not only that, but my shoulder was still aching and standard Olympic Lifting was extremely painful.

I looked around and came across Ido Portal's method, a method that only involves using your body-weight and gymnastics occasionally. I had forgotten that my introduction to fitness was via body-weight training. So for the past 6 months I trained with some of Portal's workouts as well as some old Gymnastics workout I used to do.

Not only my shoulder recovered faster, but I was just overall stronger. When I went back to the weight room, My mobility and stability on the snatch was incredible. Not to mention that I benched my body-weight (185 lb/ 84 kg) 5 times!

These impressive results led to do some research and I found out the following. Body-weight training can lead to better proprioception or body awareness as a research group found at the University of North Florida. With that said, we become one with our bodies and mind to obtain better muscle control.

http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/26029969

Furthermore, I was feeling energized after these workouts and not fatigued. Obviously squatting               300 lbs/ 136 kg everyday will be devastating for the nervous system. Compared to primal movements and body-weight workouts the body was better ability to adapt.

Monetary Benefits 

Gym memberships can be pricey. This includes CrossFit as well as any other gym brand out there. I know that some gyms will give full year memberships and still be relatively cheap, but then how about the commute?

There is an old saying that says "time is money". I often live by that saying, because my commute to gym is about 10 to 15 minutes and I would waste so much coming and going to the gym. I realized that if I trained in my room or nearby I could do more and save me time.

Also, body-weight training is essentially free since you need hardly any equipment. Eventually you may want to invest on a wall mounted pull-up bar and some rings, but those are about $25 each.

Bottom Line

Do not go and cancel your gym membership. Instead add some of these body weight training elements to your training program. You can also chose a month of the year to just do body-weight training and give you CNS a small break. If you don't feel like going to the gym then some calisthenics at home will keep you active and shape.

Stay Real!

Soup for Post-Workout?

Soup for Post-Workout? Are you insane?

As crazy as that may sound, I tried soup for my post-workout and it is excellent. Not only I feel like I killed a workout, but I feel replenished.

Before I go on and talk about this wonder soup, let me explain a few things that happen to your body after you train.

After we workout our bodies go under stress. This stress causes our bodies to break down muscle fibers, deplete glycogen, and exhaust the nervous system. Depending on what type of workout you have, your body will react differently. In the case for strength training (olympic lifting and powerlifting) the nervous system gets drained. If we run 10 km then our glycogen gets depleted. Finally if we do a hypertrophy workout we will more likely break a lot of muscle fibers.

At the end of it all we must refuel out bodies with good proteins, good carbs and good fats. This can be complicated for most of us. Then I realized that soup is a cheap way of making an excellent meal it would be a great post workout.

I went ahead and made a black bean soup loaded with all sorts of vegetables. This soup is high in fiber, carbs, and protein. Here are the ingredients:

• 3 small potatoes
• 3 parley branches
• 1.5 cups of black beans
• 3 carrots
• 3 celery stalks
• Half an onion
• A red cabbage wedge
• 3 Cloves of Garlic

There really isn't a particular way of cooking this. If you are using fresh beans put them in first with carrots and celery. Right after add the chopped onion and garlic. After it boils add the cut up potatoes and parsley. After 10 minutes throw in in the chopped cabbage. Wait until the beans and potatoes are fork soft. 

You can add salt and pepper to taste and add some olive oil to boost fat content. 

This soup was good for three big servings. This is high in carbs and has decent protein. One serving of this soup can contain over 20 grams of protein and lots of fiber. Not to mention the complex carbs in the potatoes and beans which will refuel your muscles. 

Furthermore this soup can be made on budget since one serving is just under one dollar in cost. All of the ingredients are extremely cheap and these can last a long time in your fridge. 

Also this soup can be versatile, you can use a different type of bean, cabbage, and potato. I am planning on making a sweet potato version of this soup. Also if you have sensitivity to grains you can use chicken legs instead. Chicken legs are an excellent cheap source of protein. 

Go out and enjoy this post-workout soup. 

Stay Real. 

Limiting Range of Motion

Limiting my range of motion and finding out how to improve it.

Almost a year ago I had a I small injury. My sacrum got twisted out of place and it hurt a lot. I couldn't fully squat so most of my Olympic lifting program was now pointless. Most of my workouts consisted of squats, cleans and snatches.

Then I realized that the pain only bothered me when I went ass to grass. So modified the program I had at the time and only did power snatch, power cleans and box squats. At first I thought I was cheating myself. I found out that I could do more weight with the box squats which did give me a bigger challenge.

After doing this for four weeks, and going to the doctor and getting my spine fixed I could now move in a full range of motion. The surprise came when that first session after that doctor's visit I was snatching 30 lbs more on average. I went from a 135 lb snatch to a 165 lb snatch consistently. Few weeks later I hit my personal best which was 205 lb snatch!

Not only that, but I got more confident when squatting heavier. The box squats gave me a great confidence boost with +300 lb lifts. Before the injury was afraid to squat over 250 lbs and now I go in a confidently squat 275 lbs for reps.

I realized that today, tweaking our ROM is crucial for improvement. Some of us have weakness and working on a limited range of motion will make us improve. I did some research on climbers and how they achieve such impressive strength. It is funny how they will perform limited ROM exercises to strengthen certain parts of their pull movements.

So with that said, go out in your next workout and try to limit that range of motion to improve a specific movement. Then you will add variety to your training and obtain unforeseen results. Keep in mind that is to supplement your training. You can occasionally add limited range of motion movement with difficult lifts. For example if you 3RM is 315 lb you can try to do 335 lb for 3 reps to see how that feels.

I use limited ROM to give me that confidence and prepare to lift heavier at a full ROM. Again use the limited ROM to work on weaknesses and then go back to full ROM to keep getting stronger!

Stay Real!

**I will soon be posting about the food on a budget series!

Why (American) Football Sucks

Why American Football or Gridiron Football sucks

**Before I go on this epic rant, I want to say that American Football is not my favorite sport.**

As the Olympics are just around the corner and I told one of my friends that I cannot wait to watch rugby for the first time in over a hundred years.  Funny enough, my friend went to say "I wish they had (American) Football in the Olympics". I went on small rant and yest there is no doubt that shiny helmets, attractive cheerleaders and rambunctious crowd is exciting. Nonetheless, American Football just seems like a cumbersome and awkward sport.

From a functionality standpoint, American Football athlete must have a very specific function. Most of them specialized in either defense or offense and some players will never get to touch the ball in their entire careers. Yes Quarterbacks have amazing arms, Running backs amazing speed, and defensive linemen have impressive strength. The problem is that some of these athletes will spend their entire careers just focusing on one thing, it becomes monotonous.

Unlike everything else in nature, football is not free flowing. It is sport in which you have to stop every ten seconds to reset play, in the real world there are no breaks, timeouts or huddles. There is only one hour of playing time, but the games last on an average of three hours. Then you have all of those bulky pads they have to wear. Football has a culture of selfishness since it is a statistic obsessed sport. Players who play the main offensive positions like Quarterback, Running Back and Wide Receiver get most of the glory when in reality the true heroes are those at the offensive and defensive line.

Most American football players I have met, have been taught to hurt other players and that the more you hurt them the better it is. The worst part of it all is that is actually no sending off a player for unnecessary violent behavior. In similar sports like rugby, players are told to never run into contact and that extremely violent behavior results in a red card or suspension. Furthermore, sports like rugby teach athletes to respect one another similar to martial arts.

This is why I think American Football sucks, it is a sport for people who do not like to run. I have played American football with some friends and we spent more time deciding on plays than actually playing. That day I spent more time standing than running and by then of it all I was not even tired. One of the guys that was playing never even touch the ball once.

Why is it even called football? The players rarely kick the ball and most professional teams have a washed up soccer or rugby player kicking for them. Like I mentioned earlier American Footballers are highly specialized. Unlike other athletes in other sports, You can grab a Quarterback the only thing he may be able to do is throw the ball. Then you compare to a rugby player and he will be both defensive and offensive player as well as having a passing, running, tackling, and kicking skill.

So when we think of an Olympian, we think of human beings that are versatile specimens. These can do unbelievable things that can only be dreamed of. American Footballers, although talented, are not what I would call Olympic athletes. If you want to look at Olympic athletes watch sports like soccer, rugby, running, swimming, and volleyball among others. Watch and play real sports.

Stay Real.

Why would you eat Cottage Cheese?

Why eat Cottage Cheese if it is a the nastiest food on earth.

While being in college my budget was extremely tight for healthy foods. Obviously back then I was not aware of the many different healthy options one could purchase for a cheap price.

It all came to me by accident on a December morning of 2014. I woke up after a night of drinking and my stomach was killing me. I started to throw up and ended up in the hospital. The doctors found that I had a beginning of an ulcer. So they told that for the next five days to eat white foods with low fiber.

I told my grandmother about this and she said "what you need is Ricotta!" So I spent the following five days eating nothing but egg whites, white rice, and tons and tons of ricotta. I ate it so much of it that by the fifth day I was kind of addicted.

Then when I returned to college for the spring semester I went to buy ricotta and found out it was about $ 4. I found it quite pricey, so I looked around and found cottage cheese. This was a food that I had never even seen before in my life, but it was $2.50 and it had the same amount of protein.

I then did my research and found out the benefits of both ricotta and cottage cheese. Obviously the caloric value of ricotta is much higher, but the protein is about the same. You can get up to 25 grams of protein in a cup of cottage cheese. Not only that, but cottage cheese is high in glut-amine and casein which great for muscle recovery.

The biggest issue with cottage cheese is taste. That is why when people hear cottage cheese they say "HELL NO!" Cottage cheese is versatile and if you have an imagination you can mix it with almost anything.

For example, today for breakfast I had about one cup of cottage cheese with some frozen mixed fruit (peaches and pineapples), some coconut shavings, some flax seed and unsweetened applesauce. The taste was awesome and it was extremely palatable.

Furthermore you can add all sorts of other condiments like raw honey, strawberries, cocoa powder, maybe even use it for making smoothies with mango or banana.

This way you can get an excellent source of protein in your diet without having to disburse a lot of money our of your wallet.

Stay Real!

Pokemon Go and the Best of Fitness

Got to catch them all!

This is is the famous phrase that is in the memory of millions of people all over the world. Most of us when we were kids played the video games and watch the TV shows. Pokemon is a phenomenon that took the world by storm. 

Recently Pokemon Go came out, and let me tell you it has been a blessing for the fitness industry. Now people who are stereotypical nerds are walking miles everyday! People are now socializing in person and making new friends. Hopefully, soon, all of these people who never worked out will be in optimal shape and we will live in a world of toned legged Pokemon Masters. 

The Best of it all...

I want to say that Pokemon Go is an awesome game, although I have not played it or plan on playing it. The game's concept is extremely original and futuristic. It is also great that is making people come together in public spaces and giving life to the streets. Also, most people who would never dare to walk a mile in a day are now covering 6 miles on a daily basis.

My problem with Pokemon Go is that people who play it now think of themselves as regular athletes as well praise the game for being healthy. Yes you are walking and yes that is awesome. I have seen a lot of people play this game hours on end with a bad posture which affects our neck and breathing pathways. Some if not most Pokemon Masters still will quench their thirst with Soda or take casual breaks with a cigarette. I have seen some people even play for continuous days skipping trips to the bathroom and not eating meals.

If you want to use Pokemon Go as a motivator to go out walk, then go ahead be my guest. This could truly be a segway for many people to start a healthier lifestyle, but people need to shy away from bad eating and habits. If you ask me what I think Pokemon Go is, I like to compare it to eating a kale salad and smothering it with ranch dressing, and topping it with pizza.

Stay real.

Eating Healthy is Expensive, I am just gonna eat Ramen Noodles!

I am just gonna eat Ramen noodles!

Often times we find ourselves starting a new training program and say "this is the one that will get me that six pack". Then you go to the gym and follow your program, which is awesome, then you don't see a result.

Then you realize the problem is not the training, but the nutrition. Then that is where most people will say that "eating healthy is expensive".

I will put this out there, eating healthy is expensive. It is expensive when you want to buy that expensive veggie chips, and those weird tasting green smoothies. Yes! Healthy eating is only accessible for those who have a masters degree and work for a big accounting firm!

The reality is that we often times we forget that simplicity of healthy eating. The fact there are simple options that all that healthy and not all that fancy. You do not need outrageous veggie chips (I'm not hating) or some crazy fad diet item.

What a healthy lifestyle seeker should do is find those healthier options that fit the budget and also know which are your goals. Keep the following in mind;

• Dollar Store: is it cheap? Yes. do you find healthy items? Yes!
• Produce section: You can buy uncut and uncleaned veggies for  a lot cheaper. 
• Buy dry grains: You will get less sodium, more fiber, and a bigger bang for a buck!

Dollar Store is that place where you can get cheap planners, cheap kitchenware, and cheap food. Among these options we find durum wheat pasta, sugar-free pasta sauce (only has tomato and some salt), awesome seasonings, and cheap oily fish like mackerel and sardines. 

Produce Section is not just for old people and housewives. Here you can find sweet deals. Often times we are lazy to wash and cut out own vegetables. Stop being lazy and spend a few extra seconds to wash your greens! I will be posting some tips for washing them vegetables some time in the future. 

Finally Dry Grains. Grains (like beans and lentils) are both praised and hated. Buying them canned not only it will contain unncessary ingredients, BPAs, higher sodium, sometimes sugar, and will be more expensive. For example, you can get a can of black beans for about $ .98 and only get about 3.5 servings. If you buy a packet of black beans, you get over a pound of beans for about a dollar and get about 10 servings. 

Now, I will be posting some awesome items that will save you money, and feed your muscles to achieve your fitness goals. Also remember to be adventurous when it comes to eating. Try new foods and mix things up. I will be back soon!