May 3 2013

There She Is!

So much you’ve missed while I’ve been MIA! My fault…not yours. Let’s catch you up with the main events.

I’m a bad blogger

Ok, maybe you caught that.

Ireland!

I do have pictures…but again…let me reiterate in case you missed #1…since I’m a bad blogger I don’t have time to post them just yet.

Detox pause (obviously)
  • Goat cheese on salad
  • Goat cheese in tartlets
  • Cappuccinos
  • BEER!
  • Beer!
  • Some more beer! …I’m exaggerating….a little
Detox resumed?
  • Excluding dairy from diet. No milk, yogurt, or cottage cheese.
  • Added red meat back in but in very limited quantities.
  • At least one green juice/day
  • Feeling AWESOME!
  • Skin – still the occasional breakout. Could be stress.
Training for a Sprint Triathlon and hoping I don’t drown tri series
  • ¼ mile swim – swam at 5:30am. For all those wondering…THIS is how good I look that early in the AM. Me early AMAnyways, back to swimming. I’m not very good…if you couldn’t tell by my “drowning” comment.  I don’t sink but I’m not what you would call an efficient swimmer.
  • 8K trail ride – my new helmet finally came in! So cute!!! Isn’t that what’s important? I thought so.

berkeley_gloss_white_pastel_bomber

  • 5K run – I tried running this week. No good. My knee hurt So. Freakin. Bad. Maybe I need new sneakers!

new balance sneaksOk ok, it probably has to do with my excessively long running gait. But I still NEEDED the sneaks. Back to the knee – as soon as I got home my hip flexor started screaming. Yes, it was screaming at me. Cue roller AND stick to the IT band. Feels a bit better now but I’m going to take another week off from running and focus on the bike/swim portion. I figure as long as I get my cardio up I should be ok for the run. No? It’s just 3 miles. How hard can it be? Never mind that I tried jogging for 15 minutes and FAILED. It’ll be fine. :) At least I LOOK like a runner. running I knew I’d need my running gear again…from my half marathon days…when I thought I liked running.

Tough Mudder
  • Yea, I’m an idiot. Tough Mudder Boston on June 1st. tough mudderUm…WHAT?!?!? Any other dummies out there? I can’t be the only one. How did I get peer pressured into doing this? Especially since I hate to run. Anywho, it’s going to be great! Did I mention by bum knee/hip flexor? Tough Mudder map
Work, work, work
  • Chemist – busy, busy, busy. Lots of new projects. Just trying to get out of here on time for my evening clients. Not stressful at all.
  • Personal training – also busy but I love it soooo much! I become a completely different person when I get in there. I feel better mentally. I really enjoy it.
Sleep Lack of Sleep
  • Nope, you didn’t miss sleep. No sleeping going on here. Let’s take two night’s ago for example (the most extreme case): Chemist work until 4pm, 1st client @ 5:30pm, Small Group class @ 6:30pm, Small group demos @ 7:30pm – 9:30pm. Wake up at 5:15am for a swim. Zzzzz….. sorry fell asleep for a second.
Getting my learn on
  • Working on my Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES) certification through NASM CES
  • Reading Anatomy Trains – challenged by a friend of mine who’s already been through it. Must have Chapter 1 read and ready to be quizzed on by Sunday. Only 61 pages of “not so fun” reading. Zzzzz….there I go again. Anatomy Trains
  • “Peace is Every Step” – getting my meditation on. Ok, not really. I barely have time to read about it. The goal is to EVENTUALLY get into meditating. But I love this book. It’s an easy read and it really puts everything in perspective. Just a few pages and I already feel calmer. Highly recommend!

book

 For those of you following on Instagram…yes, even though this is an easy read I have been reading it for awhile. As you can imagine, reading only 1 -2 pages/night does not make for quick progress. 

Ok, that’s all I have time for! Glad to have been able to catch you up. HAPPY FRIDAY!!!
Apr 10 2013

WIAW: Detox Update

It’s been one week since I’ve started my little detox. So? Am I staying on track? I sure am!!! No, seriously. I’ve been so good. I’ve avoided so many things:

  • Cadbury mini eggs – these are my absolute favorite my coworker has a HUGE bag at her desk.
  • Blue cheese
  • Bread basket at Saturday night’s dinner date
  • Pizza, lasagna, ziti – free lunch at work – ok, this one wasn’t so hard because I find when there’s this many carbs in one place I’m seriously turned off. I socialized for a bit then snuck off to have my salmon.
  • All protein bars, including the Isalean bar that sits in my desk, staring at me, saying “eat me”. It really does. It’s so mean.
  • Rice cake – I don’t know if this one counts. It was after I tried to deadlift after only having  ¼ cup sweet potato and feeling as if I was hit by a truck. I decided it was imperative that I quickly bring my blood sugar back up.  So sue me!
  • No protein powder either

ANY CHEATS?  

Saturday night’s dinner. – 1 beverage & chorizo with figs

Oh, and pork. I decided I’m not going to avoid pork – just beef. Meaning I’ve been having a slice of bacon with my eggs and green juice every AM. I’ll allow it.

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

Sleep – sometimes I find myself watching crap television and not getting to bed until around 11pm. That needs to stop. I need more than 7 hours of sleep. I’m shooting for 8 here.

Green juice quantity – I have been religiously doing the one green juice/day – in the AM, after my 12 hour fast, and before my eggs. What I sometimes neglect is my afternoon juicing session. Again, it’s just lack of time.

Vitamins – not on the detox list but I’ve been trying to remember my vitamin packs. Fail.

SAMPLE MENU (aka today’s eats)

Meal 1green juice

green juice – orange, lime, kale, spinach, sprouts, mint, and flaxseed(fruit, vegetables, fat)

breakfast

2 eggs over easy (protein)

slice of bacon (amazingness)

Meal 2

turkey meatloaf

Spinach (vegetable)

Green beans (vegetable)

Turkey meatloaf (protein)

Sweet potato (carbohydrate)

Meal 3

softboiled egg

4 hardboiled eggs (protein)

Green juice (fruit, vegetable, & fat)

Meal 4

today's shake

Isalean shake – looks like I have to break the protein powder rule. (Protein & Carb)

Red pepper slices (vegetable)

Almonds (fat)

Meal 5

sliced veggies

Baby carrots to munch on while I wait for my chicken to warm up

salad chicken

Chicken (protein)

Spinach (vegetable)

Sprouts (vegetable)

Olives (fat)

Vinegar & Oil

zoe with chicken salad

Zoe was also a fan.

coconut apple pale treat

Dessert  – coconut apple paleo bite (fruit & fat)

Here’s the original link for the recipe from paleomg.

Overall, I’m pretty darn proud of myself and I feel great! There are only a couple times of the day where I find it can be difficult. The first, is the morning. I have a hard time waiting for that 12 hour fast to be complete before I have my 1st green juice. Secondly, I still have a slight crash in the afternoon. At about 2/3pm I really start to feel my willpower start to go….and I seriously consider consuming a faceful of Cadbury eggs. But I resist and persist. Instead I have a cup of coffee and some sliced veggies. My tummy is happy.

bosco

for your viewing pleasure

Apr 7 2013

I Bought A Bike!

Almost time to start the week again. But first, here’s what I had going on this weekend.

SATURDAY

Clients

Total Body – kettlebell/TR-X workout

kettlebell

REI for my new bike!

Novara mountain bike

Don’t you just love the color? Isn’t that how you’re supposed to pick out a bike? 

30 minute cardio session on the stairmill

Lunch at Whole Foods

Tapas date night. I even busted out the heels.

heels

…and had a detox cheat.

drink

My beverage – Hot Dahlia - jalapeño infused tequila, muddled orange, cilantro, and lime juice.

Even though I did treat myself to a beverage I made sure not to have any red meat, dairy (that was tough. I so wanted the gorgonzola that came with our beet salad), or bread (no thank you bread basket), and no sugars! We got a couple fish tapas, artichokes, beets, and chorizo and figs. Did I say I wouldn’t eat pork for the month? I might have to take that back. Anyways, I’d say the night was still a success. Plus, that drink was phenom!

SUNDAY

Sleep, More Sleep, Laying Around, Puppy Cuddling. I forgot just how comfy my bed was. Laying around until 10am was an AMAZING reminder.

puppy face

TV Watching – Dr. Who & Orphan Black. BBC is so freakin great.

Dr. Who

Orphan Black

Finally got up for breakfast and a bit of food prep (ie. hardboiled eggs).

bucket of eggs

Clients

Workout – Deadlift, Chin Ups, and Abs

Deadlift day

Woa, not sure why I thought deadlifts were a good idea during my detox (ie. very limited carbs). I was WEAK. Oops.

P.S. Old pic…very old.

Green juice

green juice

orange

spinach

wheat grass

mint

…like an orange mojito

Dinner

turkey meatloaf

turkey meatloaf (a la Whole Foods)

green beans

brocollini (oops…slightly overcooked)

You’ll see this meal for lunch the next 2 days and I’m certainly not complaining. That meatloaf is gooood.

Dessert

coconut apple pale treat

Paleo coconut apple bites from Paleomg.com. I somehow managed to eat just one but boy was it HARD. And even as I sit here and type this I want to raid the fridge for the rest of the batch. Must. Resist. 

Alright, it’s time to get ready for the week. Big things happening! Can’t wait to share!!!! Stay tuned. 

Apr 3 2013

WIAW: Must Stabilize – 30 day detox

Ok, it’s happening. I have to go on some sort of detox. No, not some psychotic and limiting juice cleanse – a detox….for the month of April!

Why? Well lately, I’ve been feeling sluggish, I’m getting more breakouts, and I find myself constantly craving carbs/sugars. I feel like I need a reset to stabilize my blood sugar.

In addition, I’ll be MAKING A SERIOUS EFFORT to get 8 hours of sleep, eating carbs (sweet potato and quinoa) only on lifting days, adding in 2 green juices/day instead of my usual one, and ensuring I get in a 12 hour “fast” after my last meal (meaning if my last meal is at 8pm my first meal won’t be until 8am).

So here is my version of a “detox” (a combination of other “detox” diets I’ve researched). Basically I’m eliminating dairy, red meat, processed carbs, and sugars for the month.

Foods to Enjoy

  • Vegetables – emphasis on leafy greens and BEETS
  • Non-gluten grains – I’ll be using quinoa since I still intend on lifting during my detox. Gotta have my carbs for energy…and of course some sweet potato.
  • Protein – fish, chicken, turkey, and eggs
  • Fruits – emphasis on berries
  • Nuts & Seeds
  • Good Fats – avocado, coconut oil, olives, etc
  • Whey protein – still ok but stick with grass fed and limit to 1x/day. Dr. Oz eliminates this in his version. Not this girl.  
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Honey and Agave – in very limited doses. I’ll be using a bit in my coffee.

Foods to Avoid

  • Dairy
  • Gluten, Wheat
  • Processed Sugars
  • Beef, Pork

Dare I say it? It’s basically PALEO – GASP!!!!

Considering how clean I already eat how does this actually apply to me?

  • MORE FAT, LESS CARBS
  • I’ll have to eliminate my 1 cottage cheese parfait/day – sad.
  • No protein bars – sometimes I’m so busy I have to grab an Isalean bar for the road
  • No beef or pork. – this will be hard for me as I do love my meat.
  • No reward meals – I’m a little more lax on the weekends, which is when the processed carbs/sugars come in. That will stop for the month of April.
  • No 1 pump sugar free vanilla with half & half in my weekend Starbucks coffee. Instead I’ll be using a bit of honey and coconut milk or oil if it’s around.
  • No boozin’ for the month of April.

In addition, I’ll be emphasizing some detoxifying foods.

  • BEETS – good thing I ADORE beets.
  • Leafy greens – kale
  • Cabbage
  • Broccoli sprouts
  • Avocado
  • Flaxseed
  • Blueberries
  • Lemons
  • Ginger
  • Apples – one of my green juices contains ½ a golden delicious apple

Side note: I still have a container of cottage cheese in the fridge that I refuse to go to waste. So let’s ignore the fact that I’m not completely cutting out dairy until that’s gone. We’ll call the first official start date on Saturday. I will still avoid other dairy products – like half & half in my coffee and any cheese. I’m not a complete cheater. 

Sample Menu (and what I ate yesterday):

Meal 1 (7:00am)

  • Water with 1T apple cider vinegar and a squeeze of lemon
  • Coffee with 1tsp coconut oil, ½ tsp of honey, and a splash of coconut milk
  • 1st green juice – ¼ cup pineapple, 2 mini cukes, handful of mint, 1T flax seed, and several handfuls of spinach.

Meal 2 (9:30am)

  • Almond flour pancakes – made with almond flour, banana, cacao nibs, egg whites, and vanilla extract. – leftover from Easter breakfast

photo 4

Meal 3 (12:00pm)

  • Salad with sprouts, zucchini, olives, basil, and quinoa
  • 3oz shrimp

salad

shrimp

Meal 4 (3:00pm)

  • 3 soft-ish boiled eggs (2 whites, 1 egg) photo 5
  • 2nd green juice – ½ golden delicious, 1 mini cuke, 1 lime, and loads of kale green juice
  • 1/2 an avocado avocado

Meal 5 (8:00pm)

  • Ground turkey
  • Golden Beets
  • Peppers
  • Cukes

turkey

Alrighty. I guess that covers it. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes, including weekly updates. Stay tuned.

What do you think? Have you ever done a detox? What did yours consist of?

Apr 2 2013

Easter Weekend

What am I doing? Why can’t I post more often? Oh yes, that’s because my life is a tornado. Sorry about that. I promise (mostly to myself) it will get better…and I’m more than a little excited. Shhh…I can’t tell you what’s happening yet but I promise that you’ll know before the month is up. Big moves.

Alrighty, so let’s get to the long weekend. Per usual, it was another long weekend that didn’t feel long at all. I need more time. Is that too much to ask for? Apparently it is.

FRIDAY (FAMILY NIGHT)

  • Errands
  • Breakfast with Pilot – wow, can’t believe how long it’s been since we’ve had breakfast together. It made it that much better! I had the scramble special with bacon, sun dried tomato cream cheese, and scallions. It also came with a side of toast. I chose the cranberry walnut 12 grain and managed to limit myself to one slice. As for the side of home fries, bleh. I can do without those, especially considering how underseasoned they were. breakfast
  • Lowe’s – exciting!!! I needed a little fence for my tulip garden. Bosco has a serious obsession with both tulip bulbs and digging. My tulips don’t really appreciate it.
  • Snack – cottage cheese, strawberries, chia seeds, with the last of the paleo banana bread. :( cottage cheese
  • Gardening
  • Clients
  • Home – Pilot had his family over for pizza since we would be traveling to MA (to see my family) on Easter Sunday.

SATURDAY (DATE NIGHT)

  • Clients
  • A blur
  • The Great Oz – the movie was very visually appealing. Even though I love Mila Kunis, I can’t say I loved her in this movie. I was also luke warm about James Franco as Oz. With that said, it was still entertaining. Oz Movie
  • Late Dinner and cocktail – cocktail was a jalapeno margarita. It was very spicy (just the way I like it)

SUNDAY (EASTER!)

  • Easter breakfast courtesy of ME! Banana, cacao nib pancakes and bacon. pancakes

photo 4

  • Church
  • MA for loads of food – lamb, ham, sausage, roasted veggies, salad, cheeses, fruit, and dessert.
  • Home
  • Season finale of Walking Dead – thank goodness Andrea is dead. Never thought I’d finally see the end of her annoying self. Although I was also hoping “something” might happen to Carl…yes, the kid. Don’t try and tell me he doesn’t annoy the bejeezus out of you. I thought it was a fine finale. They did a nice job wrapping everthing up. Of course I still can’t understand why someone didn’t shoot the Governor already. He’s not invincible. Just shoot him! Well clearly he’s the villain next season…and clearly he’ll be even more psychotic. Walking Dead

One last thing, I got new business cards!!!!!!!!

Here is the full set. I was trying out two options – a colored/darker background with white font and a white background, subdued colored dots, and a darker word.

photo 1

I’m liking these best. The next order will contain the darker business cards only.

photo 2

What do you think?

Mar 27 2013

WIAW: Paleo Banana Bread

How is it that 8 hours on a day off goes by WAY faster than 8 hours in the office? How?!?! I had yesterday off. And although it was nice to have the day to myself it was jam packed full of errands, including two clients at the end of the day. Before I knew it it was time to go to bed.

Let’s get down to business.

Meal 1 (7:30am)

Yup, I still woke up early even though I had the day off. Like I said, there was lots to do. Not a huge breakfast but I knew I’d be back in just a few hours.

photo 5

an egg (protein)

pineapple slices (fruit)

slice of paleo banana bread (fat)

photo 1

I started with the Paleo bread base from Goop.com and added 1 banana, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1tsp cinnamon. This stuff is like crack. I can’t get enough. I’m pretty sure I had a slice with every meal but am refusing to admit it. I’ve seen some other paleo bread recipes that are very similar to this one. However, this one contains coconut oil which I believe contributes to it’s incredible moistness (plus the banana).

Meal 2 (10:00am)

photo 3

1 egg (protein)

3 egg whites (protein)

2 fresh figs (fruit)

cinnamon

rice cake (carbohydrate) – not pictured

peanut butter (fat)

After Meal 2 I enjoyed a cup of pumpkin spice coffee. Not to be outdone by a cup of coffee, Zoe insisted on a complete head rub.

Zoe

Meal 3 (2:30pm)

Meal 3 was much later than I would have liked, but it happens.

photo 4

pulled chicken (protein)

in a tomato base soup – pilot made the soup with chicken in the crockpot

spinach (vegetable)

quinoa (carbohydrate)

Spinach and quinoa were thrown into the soup and warmed. It was warm and cozy after my crazy morning.

dessert: pineapple (fruit) – not pictured

Meal 4 (6:45pm)

green juice

green juice (fruit, vegetables, and protein)

Added Fage Greek yogurt to my smoothie for that protein kick.

Meal 5 (8:45pm)

steak tip dinner

This is NOT a picture from last night…but it’s close enough. Picture this with carrots and hummus instead of the spinach.

3oz leftover steak tips (protein)

carrots w/ hummus (vegetables)

cucumber slices

rice cake with olive tapenade – not sure why but I was really craving that olive tapenade.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY! An especially happy Wednesday since I have Friday (Good Friday) off. Anyone else lucky enough to have the day off?

Mar 21 2013

A Sick Girl

As if it wasn’t enough that I have been insanely whirlwind busy but “the powers that be” have decided to throw in a cold. Well ok then. I’ve been able to keep chugging along between both jobs at a reasonable pace. Unfortunately the blog took a seat on the back burner. Even today I have to make it a quick one.

I just want to pop on by and post some eats…since I missed this week’s WIAW.

My under the weather eats included:

LOADS OF BEVERAGES

beverages

tea

cappuccino

half & half

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

chicken noodle

chicken noodle

how cute are those curly noodles? Love.

PASTRAMI SANDWICH

pastrami

pastrami

horseradish

cheese

marble rye

Soup and a warm sandwich always hits the spot when you’re under the weather.

soup and sandwich

I ate half the sandwich for lunch and saved the other half for an afternoon snack…otherwise my belly would have been carb bloated.

GREEN JUICE

Is this one really surprising? It’s become quite the staple of mine. Especially good when you’re sick and you don’t feel like chewing on your greens.

green juice

green juice

no kitties were harmed during the making of this juice

pear (fruit)

celery (veggies)

spinach (veggies)

cucumbers (veggies)

yogurt (protein)

flax seed (fat)

ginger (cold killer)

mint (refreshing addition)

green juice

Alright, well I have to finish running around…the week’s not over yet. Hope yours is going better than mine!

Mar 15 2013

It Makes Me Happy

Happy Friday! It’s been a shitty hectic week for me. Lots of traffic, a busy schedule, and some inconvenient changes at my day job have left me in a cranky mood.

Side note – today’s traffic was brought to you by a ladder. Yes, a ladder. A ladder fell off of someone’s truck. Three to four cars hit said ladder and that’s all it took. Hello delays. On the bright side, I got to take a break from my 50 mile drive and stop for gas. Always fun on a 20 degree day when you’re already running late. LOVE IT! It’s a good thing I love it so much because I have the pleasure of stopping at least 3x/week. AND it’s less than $50 a pop. Today – only $49. BARGAIN! Let the jealousy ensue. Side note to the side note – do you know how many pairs of lululemon pants I could buy with the kind of money I spend on one month’s worth of gas? Winner gets to buy me a pair of pants.

sarcasm served

Soooo in an effort to lift my spirits on this frigid but sunny Friday let’s focus on the things that made me happy this week…instead of the things that made me want to scream.

POWER PLYO

sled push

(source)

My power plyo class started this week.
8 weeks of all out intensity and circuit training utilizing such things as TR-X bands, kettlebells, box jumps, sled pushes, etc.

Check out this post on sled pushing (by Mike Boyle).

RANDOM CUTENESS

pink bike

LOVE & WANT
coffee shop
cutest little coffee shop
coffee (iced and hot) – not so good – lesson learned
cappuccinos – delish – I’ll stick with these in the future

SARCASM

sarcasm

funny sarcasm

THESE FOOLS

bosco and zoe

bosco and zoe

FOOD IN MY BELLY

lunch bag

GIANT lunch bag…making all the eating possible
pancakes
lemon & blueberry pancakes for both breakfast AND dinner.

Need I say more?

DRINKIN’ IT UP

photo 4
green juice

green juice (2)

green juice on the go

PILOT

cesna

Last, but certainly NOT least is PILOT! After a week in Atlanta (for work) he finally came home last night. Woowoo!

Again, Happy Friday everyone. Hope you have a glorious weekend.

Mar 13 2013

WIAW: What Has the Peanut Been Eating?

With a busy weekend I have had minimal time to prep food or even think about my next meal. How did I get through a full day of clients on Saturday and an 8 hour kettlebell class on Sunday?

PILOT – my savior!

He made me DINNER every night this weekend, including a couple lunches. Thank you so much! I would have STARVED without you.

Friday – scallops scallops

Saturday – crab cakes crab cakes

Sunday – crockpot chicken chicken

I had enough food to comfortably push out my food prep to Monday.

But first, here are some really quick and easy things I ate this weekend (when Pilot wasn’t feeding me)….

chipotle salad

Chipotle – TWICE

isagenix

IsaLean bars

greek yogurt

yogurt

green juice

green juice

cuties

cuties

FOOD PREP MONDAY!!!

food prep

EGG WHITE MUFFINS

(protein and vegetables)

egg muffins

egg muffins 2

egg muffins 3

eggs

spinach

bacon

cheese

olives

GREEN JUICE

(fruit and vegetables)

photo 4

red apple (fruit)

grapes (fruit)

celery (veggie)

cucumber (veggie)

spinach (veggie)

ginger

mint

SWEET POTATO

(carbohydrates)

sweet potatoes

SOFT-ISH BOILED EGGS

(protein)

eggs

BREAKFAST(S)

fage yogurt

fage yogurt 3

greek yogurt (protein)

vanilla protein powder (protein)

raspberries (fruit)

cranberries (fruit)

coconut flakes (fruit)

chia seeds (fat)

cacao nibs (awesomeness)

cottage cheese

whipped cottage cheese (protein)

vanilla protein powder (protein)

blueberries (fruit)

coconut flakes (fruit)

chia seeds (fat)

cacao nibs (awesomeness)

PANCAKES

pancakes

egg whites (protein)

rolled oats (carbohydrate)

blueberries (fruit)

chia seeds (fat)

almond milk

lemon extract

LUNCHES

steak

stew meat (protein)

OR chicken (see Sunday night’s dinner)

spinach (vegetable)

sweet potato (carbohydrate)

Phew, I think that’s EVERY food picture I’ve taken since Friday. Hope you’ve enjoyed it! Happy WIAW!!!

Mar 11 2013

Open Your Mind

Good morning! Are you dragging as much as I am? I am not a fan of the whole “Daylight Savings” thing. Apparently neither are my eyelids. I had quite the fight with them on the way to work. They kept wanting to close but I needed them open for the drive to work. What’s so hard to understand about that, eyelids? Brutal.

Anyways, I have a specific topic I’d like to discuss today – close minded trainers.

This past Sunday I attended a kettlebell course – an all day event (8am-6pm) – covering the basics of kettlebell training. Here’s a brief outline of the course if anyone is interested.

kettlebell

  • Intro – breathing, various holds, and warmups
  • Swing
  • Military Press
  • Clean
  • Snatch
  • Windmill
  • Get up
  • Front squat
  • Jerk
  • Program Design

A pretty good range considering it was only a one day course.

Alright, so to start, we go through all the material. This takes about 2 hours.

Next, we’re finally able to pick up the kettlebell. And the problems start.

  • 1st critique –  “Jeez, why the deep squat? Don’t squat so deep.” Um, really? “Bring your legs only to 90 degrees. Your butt should not go past the knees.” – FALSE
  • “Can you also stand with feet shoulder width apart. You’re putting too much pressure on the knees when you go the slightly wider stance.” – FALSE
  • Why the arch in the back? I don’t know. It’s my natural arch.

No, I can’t because that’s uncomfortable. Whatever. I did it to appease her. Hey, I still need to pass the class.

So I squat with a shoulder width stance and stop right at the butt level…meanwhile thinking she’s an idiot and that I could feel the squat in my knees. Happily she says “doesn’t that feel better”. No, no it doesn’t.

Dwight

The biggest problem I had was that she couldn’t leave it at that. She had to keep trying to “fix” it. Even though there was nothing that needed to be fixed. If I tried to tell her otherwise she would tell me I was wrong. What do I know anyways? She’s the instructor and I am the student. Maybe I was wrong. That’s what 8 hours of nagging will do to you. Welcome self doubt.

Thinking about it was was still making me crazy this AM. I decided to do a little research of my own. I KNEW she was mistaken. It’s a common misbelief that a deep squat will cause knee pain. It varies person to person and is dependent on a person’s bone structure and mobility. I happen to have good hip mobility…hence the deep squat. Alright, enough ranting. Here are some interesting reads I found in my quest to prove her wrong.

annoying know it all

I think you’ll enjoy most of these articles which demonstrate that there’s nothing wrong with a deep or slightly wider squat, as shown by this cute little kid, and as demonstrated by some of the greatest minds in fitness.
squat child
If you select on the names you’ll be taken directly to their articles. Additional articles (links provided) are also included below.
Tony Gentilcore

This article covers both a deep squat and towards the end a slightly wider stance. You might also like some of the mobility moves he does. Side note: he’s a little crass and a whole lot of funny. For anyone that’s easily offended, skip over this article.

Charles Poliquin

Tips to use ROM to your advantage.

“Although this study focuses on “full-ROM” squats to parallel, healthy trainees should use full-ROM squats to a depth where the hamstring covers the knee. It is a misperception that deep squats are bad for the knee because they put too much shearing force on the knee. Research suggests that the greatest shear force on the knee is at the start of the squat when the lifter initiates the bend of the knee. In addition, an analysis performed on cadavers found that the pressure on the knee decreases as the knee flexion angle increases from parallel to a point where the hip is below the knee.”

Jim Wendler
“One common error is stance is too close”
Rippetoe
In Rippetoe’s “Starting Strength”, basically the bible of power lifting, he asserts that squatting below parallel is critical to knee health.  Creates and utilizes the stretch in the hamstrings at the bottom of the movement that arrests quad imbalance around the joint.

BOOM! KNOWLEDGE BOMB!!!

know it all

I don’t pretend to know everything and I certainly don’t pretend to know everything about a proper squat. I know that every day we get new information and every day what we know changes. I’m open to these changes and these learnings. I think that’s what makes a good trainer. Do not be stuck in your ways…because you’ll probably be wrong…and you’ll certainly be left behind.
That’s all I have for now. I’ll continue doing my squats the way I’m comfortable, keeping my core tight, shoulders down, stance slightly wider, and a little lower than most. SQUAT HAPPY!

QUESTIONS

  1. What’s your squat stance?
  2. Do you squat?
  3. Do you love squatting as much as I do?
  4. Do you hate know it all, close-minded (and often wrong) personal trainers as much as I do?