Strong Is The New Skinny

Posted byLori Posted onOctober 26, 2010 Comments10

Inspirational blogs and pictures to get those veins pumping [iron].

Wish this was me- seriously impressive!

I’ve been reading more and more about weight lifting, bodybuilding, and all the positive gains you can make from both. In all the beloved* research I’ve found some (for me) life-changing information.

(*I thoroughly LOVE research the Hell out of things. Really.)

What if women trained like men? That is, stopped being a slave to cardio exercising and started lifting some heavy weights? I, as others, can attest to this positive change in routine. The moment I stopped doing so much cardio and started lifting (and heavy), following up with quality rest, I started to gain muscle- in return, gain weight on my lifts.

And then I really started to understand the mechanics of muscle building. This article, from MuscleHack, discusses how doing a lot of low intensity aerobic work will actually signal your body to make the muscle fibers more suitable for aerobic work- not strength. The article talks about why it is important to exercise smart–> for what you want to accomplish in the gym.

It’s not to say cardio work is bad, because it isn’t. But long, low intensity cardiovascular sessions will not create gain in the weight room. Again, it’s all what you’re end goal is.

Me, I want this…

Myra Marshall- BUFF.

Ok, maybe not that muscular, but you cannot say she doesn’t look good. I’ll take strong over “skinny” any day. As the (stupid) saying goes, been there, done that. MOVED ON.

I love love love lifting. I love CrossFit for allowing me the opportunity to feel powerful and strong and comfortable around weights. I still love going out for long runs once in a while, but I would rather throw those short bouts of cardio in with my weights… This leads me a killer workout I recently did. You call it Cruel and Unusual Punishment, I call it Ian’s CrossFit WOD Creation (Ian’s my morning CrossFit instructor).

WOD for time:

    • 800 meter run
    • 10 squat cleans
    • 10 pull-ups (*ahem* assisted if you must)
    • 600 meter run
    • 8 squat cleans
    • 8 pull-ups
    • 400 meter runs
    • 6 squat cleans
    • 6 pull-ups
    • 200 meter run
    • 4 squat cleans
    • 4 pull-ups
    • 100 meter run
    • 2 squat cleans
    • 2 pull-ups
    • catch your breath and try not to puke

If you’re doing a heavy enough squat clean, you’ll be feeling this one in the morning… or later on that day. And with these workouts, feel free to sub any exercise for anything else. Example: 800 meter run, 10 air squats, 10 burpees, etc. The workout is still probably going to give you a high intensity workout, trust me. The workout should take only about 15 or so minutes to complete.

And yet another thing I have learned from all my research in health and fitness, is to eat. Eat to live. Eat to progress. Eat to be HEALTHY. Eat because it tastes good.

A few weeks ago my sister made the most amazing turkey meatloaf. Really, words just couldn’t describe it. So tender, juicy, flavorful, and delicious. I had to recreate the masterpiece. Thankfully, she used Giada‘s recipe for Turkey Meatloaf, so it was easy to obtain the blueprints.

Since I have come to the conclusion that I just cannot follow a recipe, changes were made… and highlighted for your convenience below…

Turkey Meatloaf with Feta and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:

  • Vegetable cooking spray
  • 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs oats
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and spinach
  • 1/4 cup chopped garlic and herb-marinated sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup roasted red peppers (jar from Trader Joe’s)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk almond milk
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 pound ground turkey Italian Seasoned

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the bread crumbs oats, parsley, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, if using, eggs, milk, feta, salt, and pepper. Add the turkey and gently stir to combine, being careful not to overwork the meat.

Carefully pack the meat mixture into the prepared pan and bake until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and slice. Put on a serving platter and serve.

If you eat meat, try this. I’m not kidding.

Great reads:

Team Gorilla

Practical Paleolithic

Strong Is The New Skinny

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When do you feel most powerful?

What makes you feel strong? I think we all know what makes me feel strong and powerful…. 😉

Thursday is the last day to enter my giveaway! So get your mouse clicked over there and enter!!

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10 People reacted on this

  1. i love being strong (well, stronger than i was, haha) and having muscles! even if i’m thin, i’m MORE proud of being fit, active, and having muscles. and that meat loaf looks great!!
    .-= christina´s last blog ..Help Me and I’ll Help You =-.

  2. totally with ya girl!! I want muscle, I want to look toned…and the more I do short high intensity workouts and less running I am getting there ; )

    Meatloaf looks great!! I actually used to hate meatloaf as a kid, and then when I got older and enjoyed it…haha and then I decided to cut out meat, haha go figure.

  3. LOL, Michael always tells me I should of been a ‘researcher” because that’s all I do all the time..backing up my theories and thoughts by finding all the info possible on subjects!!!

    You go girl..i agree. strong is totally the new skinny!

    Accomplishing new things…or improving on things I have always done makes me feel powerful and strong!
    .-= Laury @thefitnessdish´s last blog ..I See You =-.

  4. I’ve been doing Insanity for about 3 months now – I’m on the modified track b/c 6 days a week for 9 weeks straight isn’t so do-able for me right now. I can do more push-ups than I’ve ever done and that feels good. I also have some definition on my abs which I thought was impossible after a couple of (big) pregnancies. Speaking of, childbirth made me feel really powerful. Painful, yes, but also so empowering to see what my body could do.
    .-= Michelle@ Housewife in the Raw´s last blog ..Banana Bliss x 2 =-.

  5. Playing soccer is what makes me feel strong. After a good slide tackle I get this rush…its incredible! And after a game my muscles feel completely drained..its so amazing!

  6. I love you, Lori.

    If you like to read about this stuff, get Science and Practice of Strength Training. Its a super sciencey book, but its great. Its taking me a while to get into it, but I think you’d like it.

    The meatloaf…I need to come over for dinner soon!
    .-= Katie´s last blog ..Beat poetry- food-blog style =-.

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