New TrainRite Logbook feature: Pre-planning Workout Guide!

Hi all! I wanted to bring your attention to an exciting new feature that will ship with every TrainRite Logbook order!

The TrainRite Workout Guide  allows you to pre-plan a rotating 2 week fitness routine. This is a great addition to the logbook in the sense that you'll fill out the chart well in advance, so when you show up to the gym you've already done the hard work and know exactly what you're working that session.

I do this myself, and has been a critical step in creating well rounded workouts and meeting my goals. I've received an overwhelming request for this feature from current TrainRite users that I've shown my chart to. I rarely repeat exercises over my 2 week rotation, so my pre-planned routine can actually outlast my 90 day TrainRite Logbook.

Top 3 reasons to pre-plan your routine with the TrainRite Workout Guide?

1. Saves you time. By spending the time and doing the  hard work upfront, you're never scrambling to dream up your workout while on the way to the gym.

2. Forces you to take a step back and get a birds-eye view of how effective your workouts are. You'll see which muscle groups you're overlooking, or overworking, and help you gear your workout routines to meet your goal

3. Expands your horizons. You'll take more time researching new exercises and training techniques while you fill out your guide. The more variations of exercises and techniques you use, the less "routine" it will actually be!

How do I use it?

1. Choose up to 6 days per week, and fill out the top row of the chart for each week. I workout Monday through Saturday, with Sunday's off for rest - so I'd fill out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and so on to Saturday.

2. Then under each day, choose the musclegroup(s) you're going to target. A few examples from my own guide are Fridays I workout Legs/Shoulders and Saturdays I hit my Back/Core.

3. Now just fill out the exercises you're going to complete and the SETSxREPS of each. Over the two week rotation you can use the same days for similar muscle groups, but try to choose different variations of exercises to work those groups. This will help you build muscle and prevent you from getting bored with your workouts. The more variations, the longer you can keep using this same routine. And don't forget to choose additional rest days!

4. Peel off the backing and stick it to the inside the plastic backing of your TrainRite Logbook.

Where do I get one?

When you order any TrainRite Logbook, you'll automatically be shipped one.  http://trainrite.ca/products/

Quinoa Salad

So I just wanted to post a quick photo of what I've basically been eating all week. It's so simple to make and an amazing side to a protein (I prefer fish) and some steamed veggies. This recipe makes quite a bit if you're eating it as a side like I do. I'm new to this quinoa business...but I really like it. I've also made some quinoa burgers which I'll feature separately. Recipes will all be posted under the "FOOD!" section...

Find this recipe HERE!

Breakfast showdown: Cottage Cheese vs Plain Yogurt

 

Most mornings when I’m short on time I reach for cottage cheese for breaky. Low in sugar and carbs, high in protein – it keeps me full throughout the day. Slice up some fresh fruit, or go the savory route with chopped onion, red pepper, celery and black pepper – it’s extremely versatile and takes me about a minute to prep. But this morning I was out. Being far too lazy and short on time for a grocery run, I found some plain yogurt and went for it. It was delicious! Better than my usual cottage cheese and fruit breakfast I’ve been eating for years. So I thought to myself, what really is the difference between the two?

Here’s a comparison of Nordica 2% Cottage Cheese and Astro Original 2% Plain Yogurt per half cup.

 

I didn’t choose these brands for any particular reason, but most plain versions tend have similar nutritional values anyways.

Calories Yogurt is slight lower in calories than the cottage cheese (40kcal less, 36% lower). So if you’re strictly counting calories, yogurt can be your friend.

Protein Cottage cheese wins this one, and by a long shot (9g more, almost 300%). A few years ago I opted for a low carbohydrate focused breakfast to a high protein one. That’s why I started eating cottage cheese in the first place. I always found I was starving at work within a few hour of eating cereal, toast etc. Most mornings I work out before eating breakfast so that blast of protein afterwards is great. Plus I still replenish carbs with the fresh fruit I add.

Fat They’re both the same. You chose them at 2%. :P

Carbohydrates Surprisingly they’re both the same. I’ve seen some versions of plain yogurt that have significantly more carbs via sugars, but the Astro brand seems to be a good choice.

Taste I really liked the yogurt better. This may be because I’ve been eating cottage cheese for years straight, and the change up is nice. Both have very different textures, and different flavor. I’m leaning towards the yogurt!

Conclusion: I was honestly expecting to heavily favour the cottage cheese. I assumed the two would vary quite a bit and always thought yogurt was higher in sugars and carbs, so this is a pleasant surprise. I’ll definitely keep both in my morning routine. Keep in mind this is PLAIN yogurt, once you get into the Vanilla and other flavors expect lots of sugar and/or artificial sweeteners. If you add chopped fruits, you really shouldn’t need the flavored version anyway.

There are obviously other factors involved in making the right choice for you – some yogurts have higher calcium, lower sodium and Greek yogurt will have more protein. Yogurt also has bacterial cultures with proven benefits for your immune system and so on. For me, I’m more worried about excess sugars, and getting that higher protein content. I’m not afraid of fat either, and it can be your friend - although calorie dense. So unless you’re concerned about higher calories, go the yogurt route. If protein is what you’re looking for, go for cottage cheese. Otherwise – either are a great addition to your morning.

Which of the two do you favor? Or am I the only one who thinks this much about breaky?

Thanks for reading, Matt for TrainRite

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Deconstructed Taco! (....salad)

Tacos are great! So in an attempt to recreate a healthier version... I came up with this deconstructed salad.It's also great. Honest. You may miss the taco shell and cheeses - but you have to make sacrafices sometimes, right? This was satisfyiing enough for me anyway :)

It may look like a ton of ingredients, but a lot of that is spices that can be left out/exchanged. The majority of your time will be chopping fresh vegetables. Enjoy!

See the recipe here!

Sunday morning Protein Waffles...mmmm

Just wanted to post a quick recipe we tried out early this morning. It turned out really well, I'll definitely be making these again! Protein Waffles with Berry and Peanut Drizzles

Find the recipe HERE or under my "Food!" section.

Enjoy!

Happy 4 of July, you 'Mericans!

Finishing the week strong, after a very slow start... Has anybody else come down with this dirty summer cold that’s been floating around the city?? I’ve missed so many training sessions this week. Today is my first day back, and I’m trying to condense the muscle groups that were missed in the past 4 days or so into today and tomorrow’s routine. It felt good to rest a few days, the cold really knocked me on my ass.

It actually feels nice to switch it up a bit from my typical training style of 2 muscle groups per day, superset with one another (mostly to save me time in the morning in an attempt to get to work on time! ;) ).

July 4 

Lats/Chest Wide grip pullups, 4 x exhaustion Bench press, 4x20 Lat Pulldown Machine, 3x12 Incline press, 3x12 Pushups, 3 x exhaustion

Bis/Tris Barbell curls, 4x20 Skullcrushers, 4x20 Alternating dumbell curls, 3 x exhaustion Dips, 3 x exhaustion Cable curls (bar), 3x12

July 5

Legs/Various Leg press, 4x20 Lower Back Extension, 4x20 Glute kickback, 3x12ea Decline bench dumbell pullovers, 3x12 Hamstring curl, 3x12ea

Core/Shoulders Cable crunch, 4x20 Smith shoulder press (heavy), 4x6 Hanging wipers, 3x15 Double cable lateral raise, 3x12ea Decline bench swiss ball swing, 3x25

Mens vs Womens Grocery Lists

I thought this was funny - much like the guy I prefer to keep my diet really simple when trying to cut down. I don't really need the variety that many people (errr... women) tend to need. I could be perfectly happy eating just a small handful of differing meals as long as they taste good. Just like with many other aspects of my life I like consistency when I know things work - call me lazy. Anyway, I came across these grocery lists a few weeks back and think they're helpful for people who need a hand with the basics for meal ideas. I always forget about certain foods so these are good to print out and have handy when you find yourself out of ideas.

Men: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/docs/2013/shoppinglist_craig33.pdf Women: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/docs/2013/shoppinglist_karina3.pdf

My 2 Month Shred Challenge

So recently I decided to start a 2 month shred challenge for myself, to try and cut down some of the extra weight I’ve put on this spring. I tend to… how you say…. “eat like an asshole” when I decide to have dirty cheat meals, and then these easily turn into “cheat weekends”. Recently I've had a lot going on so these have been pretty abundant. Last November I did a 6-week challenge, and my reward was our family Christmas trip to Mexico. That challenge was really effective, I cut down to 158lbs with some great definition - I was really pumped with the results. I didn’t really take any photos for that challenge, as it’s somewhat out of my comfort zone. Also, our travel agency unfortunately cancelled the trip via email on Boxing Day (Canadians - never book with Nolitours!!), so I didn’t feel any satisfaction for of it. This time I’ll be posting weekly “selfies” to showcase the results I’m seeing. If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’ve come out of my shell a bit with the photos.

The Rules:

-          Generally a low carb, low sugar diet. On run days I’ll have a higher carb intake (usually through oats and fruit) -          Nothing with added sugars (this includes dried crans and sweet rice cakes) -          No breads, pasta, rice -          Snacks: fruit on run days only, vegetables otherwise -          3 runs per week -          6 workouts per week -          Meals on side plates only -          No alcohol -          No snacking on almonds as I get out hand with these. I’ll use them as part of meals only. -          Any cheating will be fessed up to

Workout Plan:

I've just begun a new workout routine utilizing my TrainRite logbook. Love this thing; I never have to think about what I have to workout each day – I did all the pre-planning. I actually began this regimen a while back, but due to a neck injury and illness I never got into the full swing of it. Now that I’m 100%, I’ll use it for the entire 62 days. 6 days a week and one rest day. Here’s the breakdown:

Sunday: Rest Day Monday: Lats/Bis Tuesday: Legs/Core Wednesday: Chest/Tris Thursday: Various*/Core Friday: Legs/Shoulders Saturday: Back/Core * “Various” refers to exercises that use a multiple muscle groups, or muscles I couldn’t classify with the other days

Cardio: 3 runs per week – Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday (generally quick 5km runs)

Supplements: -          Protein shake immediately before and after workouts -          5grams Creatine on workout days (taken with the aforementioned protein) -          10grams BCAAs, daily -          Daily men’s multi vitamin -          Daily fish oil

Exceptions: -          1 Cheat item per week (NOT a whole meal) -          1 alcoholic drink per week *I’ll adjust any of these that I deem effective or not as I go.

Keeping Track: Call me lazy, but I’ve found that the best way for me to track my results are weight and photos. A lot of people do measurements, but I don’t really think it’s necessary for me. Does anyone else have a method they’ve used before?

So here we go! Today is Day 1 of my challenge. This time I have a trip booked Aug 11^th, which gives me 62 days. The last challenge I did was extremely strict, this time I’m going to give myself a few rewards along the way.

If you have any comments or suggestions I’d love to hear them! I’ll keep track of my progress here, but I’ll also post weekly updates.

Thanks for tuning in!

Day 1: Monday, June 10, 2013

Weight: 176.2lbs

Finally: FETA, BRUSSEL SPROUT, AND CARAWAY SEED CASSAROLE

Long overdue!

Admittedly, I did not read the entire recipe before grocery shopping… and decided to substitute brussel sprouts for the cabbage. So, I didn’t realize I was supposed to be wrapping the stuffing in cabbage leaves. I just steamed 4 brussel sprouts and halved them, and then layered the rest, placing the brussel sprouts on top as a kind of visual garnish. Lessons learned.

Delicious nonetheless. This was devoured! I made some other intentional substitutions to the original recipe too.

Find my version HERE

Thanks to Poppy’s Patisserie for the recipe!

Don't forget to check out my fitness logbooks!

FOOD! ( more specifically, recipes)

Alright, so I've created a "food!" section complete with recipes for various meals of the day. It's just the beginning, but I'll keep posting as I type them out. Have a good one of your own? Contact me or comment here!

Welcome!

Hi! Thanks for checking out the official TrainRite blog! I created this blog to organize and showcase some clean food recipes from various sources and some very effective training regimens I've used in the past.

I've also created and sell two logbook products on my website below, which have really been the key to the success I've seen in my own fitness.More often than not though, I'll just post some recipes, workout routines and basic health thoughts or information. Please comment on the posts (it'll keep me posting), and if you want to feature your own ideas/post here I'd love to have your input!

flex

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