My NROL Experience

[tcoy777]

Great job Tom!!

I may have to try this workout next week on my "off week".

[stingo]

Originally Posted by tcoy777

Great job Tom!!

I may have to try this workout next week on my "off week".

Yeah it's a pretty fun time. Now that I've done one I feel a lot more confident to try some of his others. Will be interested to know what you think.

[Willie]

Tom, I've googled "pike press" but I can't find it... can you explain it?
Thanks!

[stingo]

Originally Posted by Willie

Tom, I've googled "pike press" but I can't find it... can you explain it?
Thanks!

It's kind of like a pushup, except you're working you shoulders more, not your chest. If you look at this page and look at the shoulder section you'll see stick figure drawings of the knee tuck press (which is what I did from the bench) and the pike press - both as done using a stability ball. Does that help?

[Willie]

Originally Posted by stingo

It's kind of like a pushup, except you're working you shoulders more, not your chest. If you look at this page and look at the shoulder section you'll see stick figure drawings of the knee tuck press (which is what I did from the bench) and the pike press - both as done using a stability ball. Does that help?

Cool! I get it now!
I think I'll try those in one of my team workouts.

Thanks!

[UpNorth]

Originally Posted by stingo

Yes! My first Ross workout! I don't know why I'm so thrilled but I am... I guess I always figured they were beyond me.

Welcome to the club but proceed with caution -- the workouts are addicting... not too mention fun!

[stingo]

Originally Posted by Willie

Cool! I get it now!
I think I'll try those in one of my team workouts.

Thanks!

You're welcome - the end of the line progression for these are handstand pushups. I'm nowhere near that yet, but it's fun to dream.

[stingo]

Originally Posted by UpNorth

Welcome to the club but proceed with caution -- the workouts are addicting... not too mention fun!

Thanks - I'll have to figure out a few more routines I think I can do and go from there.

[L'ilJ]

I leave for a week and Tom is doing Ross workouts? Awesome!!!

[Willie]

I tried the hand stand push ups once at a CrossFit class. I was very quickly humbled. I look forward to following these workouts of yours!

[stingo]

Originally Posted by L'ilJ

I leave for a week and Tom is doing Ross workouts? Awesome!!!

The day 1 Beginner workout from NG, but yes it's a start.

[stingo]

Originally Posted by Willie

I tried the hand stand push ups once at a CrossFit class. I was very quickly humbled. I look forward to following these workouts of yours!

All depends on what my trainer mainly (or me if I don't see him on a given week) - I do the program he gave me twice, then I see him once for my 3 resistance training workouts. If I don't see him, then I put in a random workout of my choosing.

[Egham]

Tom -

Welcome to the "Ross Zone"! I've never had so much fun with my workouts. They leave me absolutely beaten, but there's NEVER any boredom.

You may recall the cooking with bacon discussion in my log a few months ago. If I recall correctly, you suggested using pancetta instead of bacon in the spaghetti carbonara recipe I posted and were chastised for even thinking of it. We made this tonight....It's something in which I think pancetta is definitely a better choice than bacon would be.

This one's a fair amount of work, but well worth it. Absolutely wonderful with a good Zinfandel!



Coq au Zin
Enjoy with a great Zinfandel!

This is a contemporary spin on the classic French dish, Coq au Vin, which was traditionally made from rooster and a reduction of red wine, typically Cabernet Franc from the Loire Region. The rooster blood and cognac have been eliminated. Instead, this dish focuses on the rich, hearty flavor redolent of garlic, onions, pancetta, herbs and Zinfandel. The recipe could be made (and served) with Pinot Noir with almost equal success.

4 ½ lbs chicken breasts, thighs, and legs
½ tsp salt
1/3 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
2 Tbs unsalted butter
4 oz. pancetta, chopped
2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
4 cloves garlic, chopped
¾ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried chervil
2 bay leaves
2 cups Zinfandel
2 cups seeded, chopped tomatoes
2 Tbs tomato paste
¾ cup chicken broth
10 oz pealed pearl onions
½ cup pitted, sliced Spanish green onions
1 Tbs cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbs cold water
2 Tbs Dijon mustard

Rinse chicken in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mix together salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons flour and sprinkle mixture on chicken on all sides.

In a large stockpot over medium heat, melt butter. Add pancetta and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes. Add chicken pieces skin side down and brown for about 5 minutes per side in batches. Remove with thongs and place on paper towels to dry.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon flour to the stockpot and brown for 1 to 2 minutes. Add onions, mushrooms, garlic, and herbs and sauté for 5 minutes. Add wine, tomatoes, tomato paste and stock along with chick and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add pearl onions and green olives and continue cooking for 10 minutes.

Remove chicken from pot to a large bowl and cover with aluminum foil. Keep warm.

Add cornstarch mixture to cooking liquid and mix in mustard. Raise heat and boil rapidly for 6 to 7 minutes so that liquid reduces and thickens.

To serve, place chicken on plates or in large soup bowls and top liberally with sauce.

Serve with rice or pasta and crusty garlic bread.

Serves 6 to 8

[stingo]

Thanks for the recipe Egham - looks delicious...

[stingo]

All rests 30 secs, all weights per hand (dumbbells) unless otherwise noted.

Rowing Machine: 5 Minute warmup

A: DB Clean & Jerk: 2x10@30 (+2 reps)

B: Stairs (2 at a time): 3 Flights x 4

C: Plank, 30 secs, 45 secs, 2 minutes

D: Renegade Row: 2x8@15 (6 each side (+1 each side))

E: Lat Pull/Shoulder Press Combo 2x8@80/30

F: Saxon Side Bend 2x10@12

G: Medicine Ball Lift (from floor) 2x10@12

H: Pullups 1x15@-250, 1x12@-250 (+6 reps total)

DB Clean and Jerk - added a couple of reps each set, but still need to be able to squat fully on each rep.

Stairs - stronger today, but balance was weak. If I could get the two of them at the same time I'd have something.

Plank - took a longer rest between the 2nd and 3rd sets, but was able to stay up for the two minutes. Will have to keep a tighter rein on rest periods for this and other exercises in the workout.

Renegade Row - added another rep per set with the same weight. Tough but doable.

Lat Pull/Shoulder Press Combo - I misread my log, thinking I'd done 15 reps at 70/25, so I upped the weights and reduced the rep range to 8. Works for me.

Saxon Side Bend - I think form is coming along with this one, so I'm keeping it at the same weight until I feel comfortable with the technique.

Medicine Ball Lift - there's a sticking point in this one, which is just getting it off the floor. If I can do that I can do the rest of the repetition.

Pullups - I think the rather liberal rest periods this workout were responsible for the increase in reps, but I'll take what I can get.

Overall - I'm happy with this workout, though it was pointed out to me that maybe there could be some hamstring work put in.

[RacerBill]

Good workout. Great work on those planks!