Goal: Muscle Gain

Achievements: +5 lbs of muscle, -2 lbs fat, +60 lbs deadlift (estimated), +60 lbs back squat (estimated), -1:30 Helen time

How he chose to spend his winnings: one month of Brian’s Bowls, a shopping spree at Lululemon and the rest towards his Intrepid membership

In his own words:
This past February I walked in to a CrossFit gym for the first time, not having attempted 95% of the most common lifts and movements, let alone a structured nutrition challenge. I did have a rough outline of what I wanted to accomplish at Intrepid. My leg strength was nowhere near what I wanted it to be and my cardiovascular endurance was lacking from the monotonous [globogym] workouts. Additionally, I had an end goal in site to make considerable improvements in my fitness – the date of June 21st – the day I would be leaving for Mediterranean Europe to let some bad out. Speeding ahead to the Nutrition Challenge announcement the very next month (March), I saw this as a great opportunity to improve my diet and maintain it over a long period of time. Before Intrepid, I generally ate well –- no dessert, soda (except with alcohol), or trips down the cookie aisle at the grocery store.

The diet I chose for the challenge was Gluten Free, due to a number of reasons. First, Anna “Don’t touch my end rack” Napoli gave it a strong recommendation after her trial period leading up to her wedding. She felt less lethargic, had more energy at work, and noticed a lot less inflammation. Secondly, I wanted to continue with the diet beyond the Nutrition Challenge end date and hold steady through the end of summer. I figured going Gluten Free would be more manageable than Paleo or Whole 30 in this respect. Lastly, knowing that I only had to give up one source of alcohol (beer) and not ALL alcohol made my decision easier. But not that easy, because I knew I’d miss the sweet, sweet nectar.

As for the bad news, I had 3 cheat days: St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago, Los Angeles Beer Fest, and Mama D’s for my birthday lunch from which I felt pretty crappy afterwards. My theory? The reintroduction of gluten after a long layoff.

In the end the nutrition challenge worked for me. I trained just two times a week, but ate well 7 days a week. I have improved my performance and carry with me less body fat. I’m more energized and productive throughout the day but most importantly, my girlfriend likes my abs.

WOD 07.17.13

Deadlift 1×5 or Wendler

4 Rounds NFT (Not For Time)
5 Good Mornings
170m Farmer’s Carry (or 30 yd heavy double barbell carry)
30 seconds Side Plank (each side)