Over the years, I’ve learned to think of my body as a science experiment. Our bodies are constantly changing along with our environments, so if we want a certain something, we have to experiment with everything else to get it right. I’ve talked about this before and I’m going through it once again. For me, I don’t want to get a whole lot stronger because when I get stronger, I get bigger. And when I say this, please don’t take it offensively. This has nothing to do with anyone else or anyone else’s size. I just honestly don’t want my legs or my shoulders to get bigger. But with CrossFit, and especially right now at my gym since we are in a strength cycle, putting on extra mass is pretty easy for me because I still get excited about getting stronger. I get excited about my lifts getting better and my engine increasing, but then I look in the mirror and I’m not content with what I see.
This isn’t me crying about my weight or complaining I’m not skinny enough. I’ve been there, I’ve done that. Nowadays, I just begin to assess what I’ve been doing lately to gain weight or mass:
- Am I lifting more?
- Am I not taking enough rest days?
- Am I going heavier in my metcons?
- Am I eating more than I usually do?
I go through all these thoughts and start figuring out what has changed and what factors need to be altered to still be happy both physically and mentally. Since we are in a strength cycle at our gym and constantly increasing weights, I had to pull aside the coach and let him know that that’s not something I want to do. I have also decided that for a while now I’m going to mix in some different workouts and try new things to see how my body reacts to it. That means I’ll probably do a CrossFit class, then a Fit class then a Barre class and I may start adding in some yoga. I like being more muscular because I prefer that look and since CrossFit has helped me gain more muscle than I would have ever gained doing anything else, now I am able to manipulate those muscles more and challenge them in different ways. Such as Barre class, which I’m absolutely loving even though it is completely different from CrossFit! I plan to change up my routine for a month or so and see what the difference is because at the end of the day, our bodies and environments are always changing, so we might at well treat them as an experiment and see what happens!
If it were years ago, I would never have been able to do this. I would have gotten frustrated and cried and just not cared enough to understand why things were changing. It’s easier to get pissed off instead of taking the time to evaluate what changes are happening and why. It’s also easier to say something doesn’t work and throw in the towel. Earlier last week, I got a little frustrated then I decided getting frustrated wouldn’t do anything. What would help is my perception on how to alter my situation. I think it’s pretty cool to be able to think of our bodies are experiments instead of things that we have no control over. Sure, we may go through things that we can’t control such as illness or stress or whatever else, but if we are able to mentally control how we see our situations and what will lead us in better directions, we are often able to feel more in control and happier with what we have now. I’m not sure if this is all making sense today, but what I’m trying to say is: remember that you can control your life, one step at a time. There are always hurdles and changes and ups and downs, but if you treat your life, body and mind as a little experiment, you will constantly open your eyes to new and exciting ways to live a healthier and happier life! Now go try new things and get excited about how you’re taking care of your body!
Sunday – Rest Day
Monday – Rest Day – 8 hour drive back home from Nebraska
Tuesday – Back at it after 4 days off!
EMOM x 12: 1 Clean & Jerk. Fist set at 65%. Add as you wish. Goal of 95%. – I got to 125#
Then 15 min AMRAP Ladder Of: (3-6-9-12-15…)
Deadlift (225/155)
Wall Ball
Pull Ups
I got 18 + 42 using 125#
Wednesday –
Back Squats: 4 x 5. All sets at 83% (15 mins) – I used 155# for 2 sets then went down to 145# for 2 sets
Then 3 Rounds For Time: (12 min time cap)
35 / 30 Cal Row
15 Thrusters (115/75)
I finished in 9:48 using 65#
Thursday – Rest day – too sore to function
Friday –
3 rounds for time (19 min time cap):
300m run
25 kettlebell swings (70/55)
60 double unders
25 burpees
Then 3 rounds of: 20 GHD sit ups and 20 jumping lunges
Then I did a Barre Forte Lohi Class!
Saturday – Fit Class
- 7 minute AMRAP warm up: 100m run, 7 goblet squats, 7 high pulls, 7 incline push ups,
- Core workout: 3×1 minute rounds: 1 minute to complete 10 floor press (with barbell or plate) and 10 wipers with weight raised over head then in the remaining minute v-ups, russian twists, and ab mat sit ups. So you’ll do 1 minute of the press, wipers then v-ups then 30 sec rest then do it with russian twists then 30 sec rest, then do it sit ups. And do that 3 times through.
- Then 5 rounds (25 minute time cap) of: (I finished 4 rounds with 3 minutes to go but had to coach so I left early)
- 400m run
- 3/3 kettlebell clean and squat – I used 35# KB
- 2 rounds of Cindy (5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 air squats)
- 1 minute plank hold (I did weighted with 25# plate on my back)
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At Home/Travel Workout:
10 minute AMRAP:
20 hand release push ups
20 tuck jumps
1 minute rest
10 minute AMRAP:
20 jumping lunges
20 pike push ups
1 minute rest
10 minute AMRAP:
20 side skaters
20 bench dips
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This Pretty Blue Racerback Sports Bra (40% off)
This Comfy Tank Top (15% off)
These High Rise Shorts (33% off)
These High Waisted Leggings (33% off)
These Nike Flyknit Running Shoes (33% off)
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What I Ate in a Day:
This is what I ate on Friday! I started my day off at about 5:45am. I had a glass of cold brew coffee with some water added to it along with a splash of heavy cream and stevia extract.
After finishing up my Fashion Friday post and newsletter, I made breakfast around 7am. Breakfast sausage (find the recipe in Juli Bauer’s Paleo Cookbook), sautéed arugula and spinach and Wildbrine kimchi. After breakfast, I took Jackson out for a little morning walk.
After going to the Social Security office to change my name, I headed to my gym to do a quick workout by myself then went to a chiropractor appointment. After that, I went to Barre Forte Lohi for a noon workout. After our workout, a friend and I grabbed bulletproof coffee at Carbon. Sooooo good. Seriously.
Usually a bulletproof coffee will hold me over for a while, but since I hadn’t eaten much, I was pretty hungry once I got home so I snacked on some Milton’s gluten free crackers (just a little bit left in the bag) and heated up one of my pancake breakfast sandwiches (they will be on the blog this week).
I worked on the blog for a while after a late lunch then took Jackson out for a long afternoon walk. Once we got back home, I made shake with frozen banana, almond milk, gelatin, unsweetened cocoa powder and maple syrup.
Since my husband tends to work pretty long hours in the summer, we don’t eat dinner until 8pm most of the time. Which means I want to eat by 6pm. I’m loving this Krave beef jerky for snacks. Yes, it has sugar in it, but I haven’t found another that I really love that doesn’t. All the others I’ve tried are SUPER chewy, like bubble gum, and I’m not a fan of beef bubble gum. So I had a couple pieces of this jerky before dinner!
For dinner, I made tacos with what I had in the fridge: Siete Foods cassava tortilla, Primal Kitchen Foods chipotle lime mayo, sautéed peppers and onions, grassfed ground beef with LOTS of spices and hot sauce, red jalapeños, lime juice, goat cheese, cilantro and homemade tomatillo salsa (which will be on the blog this week!). I was still hungry after one tacos so I ate more just without the taco shell!
If you have any questions about what I eat and why, feel free to leave them below and I’ll answer them ASAP!
Good for you! After 6 years of Crossfit, I hired a new coach, I am only lifting 45 mins 4x week, more traditional bodybuilding. And I am so happy with my physique. Crossfit made my legs huge and fluffy. I agree too, for me its very important how I look, and Crossfit doesn’t give me that lean look that I have now. You look great, so keep finding out what works for you!
mine get fluffy, too, even with a clean diet. good for you for changing it up!
YAY! We finally got Siete tortillas at our Whole Foods in Houston. Going to get some today. =)
you’re going to love them!!
Have you tried EPIC brand jerky/bars? They are awesome! They have sugar in them but low amounts & a lot of different kinds!
i have, i just ate them WAY too much while i was traveling for book tour so i don’t love them as much. they tend to be a bit too greasy for me
Actually, most of the Epic Bars are free of added sugar. I know the bison contains brown sugar.
Also, I have to recommend PaleoPro protein powder (grass fed beef and egg white protein). The vanilla flavor is really quite good, I was surprised bc I don’t like stevia.. Thought I’d mention it when I saw your smoothie. I like to add gelatin, but this powder is good if you want a complete amino profile. Not an official advertisement I just like to support the Paleo community and good healthy products!!!
Peace
oops, just read your avoiding eggs…..
Are you still avoiding eggs? If so, what are you noticing? Also, I’m thinking about adding collagen powder into my regimen. Do you ever add it to shakes or coffee? Thanks!
my skin only breaks out when i eat eggs. so as soon as i ate this breakfast sandwich, i got a break out. so i just steer clear of them most of the time. and yes, i put it in my shakes!
Hi Juli! Have you heard of the class pass for Denver? I’ve been doing crossfit for a long time as well and like to switch it up – this pass includes tons of place with all types of workouts.
Also, I wanted to make these tacos tonight and I forgot to screen the spices on snap. Do you mind sharing which ones you used?
yes!! i actually was going to look that up today, more so for different yoga studios!! and i don’t totally remember but it was along the lines of garlic powder, salt, smoked paprika, chili powder, red pepper flakes, and oregano!
I’ve read your “body experiment” blog posts before, but today I really needed to hear it. I’ve been through a couple years of experiments too. First I was a runner, but my love for running got old fast and made my body (especially my knees and hips) feel old too. Then it was all cross-fit for me. I loved how strong I felt, but I kept gaining weight. So I turned my attention fully to yoga for the past year. Honestly, that was the best I have ever felt. I was able to control my anxiety problems and became more in-tune with my body, and even refined my diet because I could more easily pinpoint what foods were making me feel bad. I felt good, but, although I was tone, I was not where I wanted to be. Now I am starting a new experiment and am very excited about it. I am changing to the Primal Blueprint Fitness(PBF) regimen by Mark Sisson. One day I will be running sprints, two days of lifting, and four days of “moving slowly/play/rest”. Yoga was important to me because I learned to listen to my body. I have hypothyroidism and really need to listen to when I need to take an extra rest day. PBF does this too. My play days will be filled with hiking, kayaking, walking my dog Tank, and slow flow restorative yoga classes instead of the intense power heated classes I was doing before. So far I’ve worked out way less than usual and have been SO SORE in all the right places.
So that was a long way of saying thank you, for reminding me that change and experimenting is good, healthy and normal! We are all different! I needed the reassurance. I love your blog and I am on pins and needles waiting for this breakfast sandwich recipe!!
it’s so fun changing it up so you never get bored anyways!! keep kicking ass!!
Love love LOVE the message of this post: you gotta do you, baby boo. While at first glance, it’s cool that we’ve shifted to a “strong is the new skinny” mindset, but maybe getting hella jacked isn’t every CrossFitter’s goal? Thank you for being a perfect example of listening to your body and being honest with your goals.
EXACTLY!!
I LOVED this post! I experienced the same thing with crossfit. I love it, and I think there are so many great things that come from it but all I did was get bigger….ESPECIALLY my already large legs. It was so discouraging when I was working out so much and eating the cleanest I have ever eaten.
I switched up my routine as well and still lifting but also added in yoga classes, occasional barre, and some other HIIT or cardio classes. I am not 100% back to feeling great again but I am well on the way. My clothes fit better, I still feel strong even though I am not lifting as heavy as I used to, and honestly I just don’t feel like a big shoulder, thunder thigh monster!
Keep up the great work and thanks for being a great encourager!
that’s awesome!! good for you for feeling out what makes you feel the best!
I love this! I was a long time runner, turned CrossFitter and now turned “Alchemist” I am one of the gym owners and we do yoga mixed with High Intensity Training, things you see in CrossFit but we don’t use barbells in our conditioning classes. We hope to open in Denver so stay tuned- think you’d love it! https://alchemy365.com
I love this post! Thanks for sharing. I’ve been going through some body “issues” lately. I do crossfit 4-5 times a week and one day of kickboxing. I feel like I need to switch things up a bit. I eat a very clean diet but probably high in carbs ( love me some carbs:)) I feel thick and bulky and that’s definitely not the look I’m going for. I love that I can lift heavy weights but my goal is not to be strong…I know that’s awful…but I would rather be long and lean. It’s hard to know how to switch things up. What I should add and take away? How many carbs to eat to still feel good when I workout? What are your thoughts on carbs and how many? Do you recommend more cardio to get a leaner look? You look amazing! Whatever you are doing it is definitely working! Keep up the good work!
I don’t think Juli counts her macros – unless that is something new.
I can only speak from my own experimentation. From what you have written, I think maybe cycle in more kickboxing than crossfit? I used to go from one IT exercise to another, but what’s worked best (and from the post, worked best for Juli) is to mix in cardio + strength training. I do HIIT, barre, running, heavy lifts, and yoga in the same week. I just sort of cycle it through the week. I find that mixing it all in gives me the best results because I’m constantly doing different things.
As for carbs, you have to experiment a little bit. I used to cut carbs and calorie count but noticed that the day after my cheat day, I am leaner than when I skip carbs. You mention you love carbs so maybe you just have to practice cutting that down a bit? Personally, I would add half a cup of rice to my lunches when I do longer cardio sessions. Or add in more sweet potatoes or other veggies with carbs. But always make sure fat + protein are larger.
Anyway, I wish you well!
Sincerely, Tania
There has been lots of research that shows nutrient timing doesn’t affect much other than how you feel intra- and post-workout. I think that’s something that just varies by the individual and you have to sort of experiment with (I don’t cluster my carbs around my workouts and it seems to be working fine for me). However, as far as how much of each thing to eat, I noticed when I followed a strict paleo diet I was eating a LOT of fat. Persoanlly, I noticed more changes when I dropped my fats and went to a more moderate-high carb approach. I did have to work some more simple carbs into my diet but try to avoid processed stuff as much as possible.