Workout of the Day:
Take 12-15 minutes to find your new 1-RM Jerk;
and then,
Seven rounds for time of:
3 Push Jerks (155/105 lbs.)
6 Pull-Ups
9 Box Jumps
Super Shakes
Written by George Economou
The subject of today’s blog post requires a little back story. I am on a mission…to get big. Not like Tom Hanks in his 1988 feature Big, but more like Coach Calvin Sun big. After watching Cal put up a 275lb Clean and Jerk during the Invictus Athlete Challenge, I had an epiphany: “I am not strong enough.” Staying with my welterweight 147, I could probably make some pretty decent strength gains, but what will I be able to do at 170? It’s with this thought process that I’ve embarked on my journey to bigness.
One of the tools in my new BIG toolbox is the Super Shake. A quick internet search will pull up several million links, but my inspiration came from the guys at Precision Nutrition, a very savvy bunch of Canadians with a phenomenal site full of great information. As a disclaimer, if you are looking to lose weight, I do not recommend liquefying your food, at least not regularly. However, if you are looking for a way to get in some extra calories, grab the (occasional) meal on the run, need to get in some more veggies, or get as big as “The Sun,” the Super Shake can be a good option.
Here’s how it works:
1. Pick a liquid – water, green tea, unsweetened hemp/almond/coconut milk, etc. My preference is water, and I caution against getting a non-dairy alternative that’s full of preservatives and artificial sweeteners.
2. Scoop in protein – whey, casein, egg, rice, hemp, etc. If you don’t tolerate dairy products, I would avoid dairy based proteins. And if you plan on making the Super Shake a regular habit (2+ a day), you may want to think of rotating your protein choices on a daily basis.
3. Throw in a fruit – berries, apple, banana, raisins, dates, mango, pineapple, grapes, etc. Sky is the limit here. If you’re going for more of a smoothie like consistency, I would freeze them first. Costco sells a large bag of frozen organic blackberries that works really well.
4. Load up on veggies – spinach, chard, kale, carrots, celery, beets, spinach, bok choy, arrugala, greens, broccoli, did I mention spinach? You’re probably thinking ewww, really George? And yes, really. If you’re afraid of the taste, definitely start off with spinach…you can’t even tell it’s there (except for the color of your shake).
5. Throw in some nuts – almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamias, nut butters.
6. Ice – more for a thicker shake.
7. Topper – dark chocolate, vanilla extract, cinnamon, coffee beans. This is totally optional, but it can be VERY tasty.
8. Blend – throw it all in a blender and hit the “high” setting, and voila!
One of my favorites:
¼ cup of water
1 ½ scoops of whey protein, chocolate
1 banana
1 cup frozen spinach
1/3 cup walnuts
5 ice cubes
1/3 tsp espresso grind
Great shake recipe! I have been a fan of homemade protein shakes for a while now. I prefer almond milk, frozen banana, scoops of protein, and some almond butter. The frozen banana makes it like a milk shake without having to use ice, and it’s like a tasty reward after a hard workout!
I’m a big fan of the can of coconut milk, banana, frozen strawberries, egg protein, casein and cinammon. Oh yeah, and 3-6 second pour of olive oil adds a nice touch.
Here’s my favourite recipe.
‘The Fat Bomb’
-handful of frozen blueberries
-1/2 cup crushed pineapple
-1/2 cup coconut cream
-1/2 avocado
-handful of raw pecans or some almond butter.
-2 scoops vanilla whey or egg protein
Blend. You can stand a spoon up in this sucker so add ice, water or more coco cream to thin it down.
Thanks for the workout tonight CJ!
Cool. Never thought about adding veggies to a shake. So you need a pretty powerful blender for something like this, yes?
Pat,
I use my Magic Bullet to blend my shakes, which normally have spinach in them. Or you can go super classy and get the Blendtech that George has – which is promised to be the last blender you will ever buy.
Thanks CJ.