Brooklyn Rugby Fitness and Nutrition

Here is a body weight ladder that will have you descending in reps, and ascending in strength!
 
 Complete 10 reps of each exercise, in sequence, before starting at  the top and performing 9 reps of each, followed 8, then 7, until you get  down to 1 rep of each exercise. Go through as quickly as possible with  the best form possible. Rest as needed.
 
 Burpee (sub a Creepy Crawler if you can't Burpee)
 Push Up (sub modified push up if needed)
 Bodyweight Squat
 Alternating Toe Touch (each side)
 Mountain Climber (each side)
     

  Top to bottom...then bottom to top 

10 Regular Stance Squats

20 Alternating Rear Lunges

30 Wide Stance Squats 

30 Calf Raises

20 Alternating Front Lunges

10 Narrow Stance Squats

30 Count Wall Sit

Rest, shake off those legs and repeat a 2nd time if you dare. If your legs are shaking...it's working!

Upper, lower, and endurance are all hit to the max with this one. Great for strength and speed.

Cycle #1

• 400 Meter Sprint

Rest as needed then complete:

• 8 Spiderman Pushups 

• 10 Jump Lunges (Mary Catherines)

• 12 Squat Jumps

• 30 Mountain Climbers (total)

Rest as needed then move back to the 400 meter sprint. Repeat one more time for 2 total

rounds.

After 2 rounds in Cycle #1, rest 2 minutes and move to Cycle #2:

Cycle #2

• 200 Meter Sprint

Rest as needed then complete:

• 15 reps each side Plank Leg Raise (alternating)

• 15 Plank Spiderman Climbs (each side)

Rest as needed then move back to the 200 meter sprint. Repeat 2 more time for 3 total

rounds

NOTE: Instead of 400 meter sprint - 40 second sprint in place. 20 minute sprint - 20 second run in place, if this is performed inside.

This one will give your upper body --- chest, shoulders, arms, explosive power. Don't worry...legs and core get a little something too.

Perform as many Pushups as possible in 4-minutes. 

Once finished, rest 2-

minutes and complete the circuit that follows.

4-Minutes: As many Pushups as possible.

Rest 2 minutes then complete:

Burpees: 20 seconds

Prisoner Squats: 20 seconds

Outside Mountain Climbers: 20 seconds

Sprints in Place: 20 seconds

Rest 20 seconds and repeat 3-5 times

1. Eat less refined and simple carbohydrates, e.g. white pasta, rice,  potatoes, white bread, carrots, parsnips, simple sugars – glucose etc.
2. Eat more unrefined, complex carbohydrates and vegetables, e.g.  soybeans, sweet potatoes, lentils, apples, oranges, whole wheat pasta,  brown rice, whole wheat bread, oats, fresh vegetables
3. Eat complex carbohydrates approx. 3 hours before exercise/playing
4. An increased frequency of meals to 5 a day of moderate and low GI  foods leads to better insulin, blood glucose and fatty acid regulation.  This gives greater potential for muscle maintenance and growth as well  as generally higher energy levels.
5. Eat sugary refined carbohydrates post hydration after exercise. This  is when you want to use an ‘insulin spike’ to get as much carbohydrate  into the muscle as possible.

1. Think of ‘protein’ first for every meal.
2. Select low fat protein sources.
3. Consider savory at breakfast time  – however if you have got time,  consume a healthy cooked breakfast, e.g. grilled lean meats, poached,  boiled or scrambled eggs.
4. Protein snacks – cottage cheese, hard boiled eggs, low fat humnus.
5. All proteins are good, but not all of them are equal – some of them mix in bad company, e.g. hidden fats.

1. Use cold pressed extra-virgin olive oil as your main source of fat – very good source of monounsaturated fatty acids.
2. Eat at least 2 meals per week of cold water fish – e.g. salmon,  trout, mackerel, sardines – and take capsules of essential fish oils  such as EPA (omega 3) and GLA (omega 6).
3. These foods contain high quantities of Omega 3 fatty acids which  improve insulin action, reduce muscle cannibalism and enhance  testosterone production.
4. Try to keep fat intake down to 15-20% of your total calories – if  you are eating 4000 calories a day that is about 65 - 89g of fat per day.
5. Avoid deep fried foods, preferring stir-fried, dry roasted, baked, grilled or steamed.

Tips For Getting Started

1. If you want to diet properly, begin by tracking with MyFitnessPal to know exactly what you eat. Even if you don’t adjust what you’re  eating, you give yourself a starting point and a reference to possibly  why you have the body you have, be it good or bad.

2. Use MyFitnessPal for tracking food only, when using the app to track exercise, the accuracy of this is pretty off.

3. When tracking try and use scales to get to know the weight of the food, from there you can start to guestimate (an actual word I’ll have you know) portion sizes much better. It is incredibly hard to gauge portion sizes  until you do this. Use grams instead of portions wherever possible for  the most accurate recording, sometimes a chicken breast can weigh 60g  and others it can go up to 180g.

4. You need not to track every  single day, particularly if you’re heading in the right direction, use  it as a tool to help you make more accurate reasoning as to why you may  or may not progress.

Tips For Consistency

5. Understand before subjecting yourself to ANY new diet regimen that it is CONSISTENCY of diet that is going to get you on the road to progress. Think “will I  be able to stick with this way of eating for years to come?”

6.  Make small adjustments to your diet, overhauls will fail 99% of the team  because they are too different from your normal habits.

7. For  the most part stay consistent with breakfast and lunch, it’s easier to  stay on track with these meals for routine. It is also easier to just  give up with everything and have a whole pot of Pringles for lunch if  you haven’t got anything planned. Starting your day off right is a big  key to success.

8. Also stay consistent with snacks, it is easy to  eat snacks without thinking when you’re on the go, and because of the  nature of what most snacks are these days (mostly sugary or fried food)  you’ll still feel hungry soon after. If you have a number of healthy  snacks on hand you’ll be set.

9. Batch cook healthy recipes so that you can eat them for the following days and not make poor choices.

10. Batch cook meat so that you can have it for days, then adjust what accompanies the meals.

 These bars are perfect for after training or after a game to kick start  the recovery process. High in carbs, healthy fats, and protein, they  make a nice change from drinking your post-activity calories. Best of  all, they are so easy to make that you don’t need any kitchen skills at  all. 

 Ingredients:

• 4 ½ cups of oatmeal
• 1 cup natural peanut or almond butter
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 6 scoops vanilla or chocolate protein powder
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips
• ¼ cup chopped, dried cranberries

 Prep: 

Pour  the almond milk into a bowl and add the protein powder. Whisk until  smooth. 

Add the remaining ingredients and knead with your hands to make a thick batter. If your kitchen is cool, you may need to warm the nut  butter to make it more manageable. 

Simply stand the jar in a bowl of hot  water to make it more liquid.

Scoop the mixture out onto a greased baking tray, and then chill overnight in the fridge. Cut into 12  bars, and wrap each one in aluminum foil to make them portable. Store  in an airtight container for up to a week.

  An awesome pre - workout energy snack. Can also be eaten during working out, these bars can help keep your working muscles fueled with necessary carbohydrates. 

Ingredients:

1 cup nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts or pecans)
3/4 cup pitted dates
3/4 cup other dried fruit (such as cranberries, cherries, raisins, figs or more dates)
Pinch of sea salt 

Prep:

1. Add the nuts to a food processor and pulse until they form  large crumbs.Then, with the motor running, add the dates and other  dried fruit to the food processor.
2. Process until you have a mixture that sticks together when you press it between your fingers.
3. Pour the mixture onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Form the  mixture into an 8-inch square and wrap in plastic. Chill in the  refrigerator for at least one hour before cutting into bars.

Most popular breakfast foods are filled with grains and sugar. Think  about it, there’s cereal, donuts, pastries, pancakes, waffles, and the  list goes on. These breakfast foods are a fast-track to weight gain. 

Instead of a breakfast that’s high in sugar, I’d like to see you fill  up on protein and veggies in the morning. Yes, protein and veggies are  wonderful for breakfast! Eating like this will help you achieve your  fitness goals quicker and will give you loads of natural energy to carry  you through your day. 

This breakfast skillet has chorizo, eggs and arugula – but feel free  to also experiment with other combinations of protein and veggies in  your breakfast skillet. Enjoy!

What You Need
Serves 4

2 links chorizo, casing removed
½ yellow onion, chopped
15-oz can diced tomatoes
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 large eggs
1 cup arugula
sea salt
black pepper 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. 

2. Place the chorizo links in a medium, oven-proof, skillet over low  heat. Cook until all sides of the chorizo are browned. Periodically  deglaze the pan with water. Allow the chorizo to cool, remove it from  the skillet, and then slice each link into 10 pieces. 

3. Sauté the onion in the leftover chorizo fat until tender, about 5  minutes. Add the can of tomatoes to the skillet. Arrange the halved  cherry tomatoes and slices of chorizo around the edge of the skillet.  Use a spoon to create four 2-inch wells in the tomato and egg mixture.  Crack each egg into a ramekin and gently pour one egg into each well. 

4. Place the skillet in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the eggs  are set. Top with fresh arugula and season with sea salt and black  pepper. Enjoy!

Nutrition
One serving equals 289 calories, 20g fat, 8g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, and 17g protein.

I hope that you get a chance to give this recipe a try. Remember that I’m only a call or email away to assist you in all things fitness and nutrition.

 Goodbye, boring old tuna sandwich. 

Hello, awesome Spicy Tuna Wrap! 

Honestly, who needs bread when you can wrap spicy tuna goodness in  blanched collard greens? Not me. 

The technique of wrapping delicious sandwich fillings in collards is a  wonderful way to lighten up your lunch. Collard leaves are super  sturdy, last for a week in the fridge, are filled with fiber, and are  super low in carbs and calories. 

Make a big batch of these on the weekend to create wraps for lunch  all week long. Simply bring a big pot of salted water to boil, blanch  the leaves for 2 minutes, then plunge into some ice water before drying off. Easy! 

Servings: 2

Here’s what you need

• 2 collard green leaves 
• 1 (5oz) can albacore tuna, packed in water 
• 2 Tablespoons coconut cream 
• 1 teaspoon coconut aminos 
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha 
• ⅓ cup thinly sliced carrots 
• ½ an avocado, sliced 
• ½ a cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into matchsticks 

Instructions

1. Bring a medium sized pot of salted water to a boil. Get a bowl of  ice water ready. Add the collard green leaves to the pot of boiling salt  water for 2 minutes. Remove the leaves from the boiling water and  plunge into the ice water for 20 seconds. Place the leaves on a paper  towel to dry. 

         2. In a bowl flake the tuna and mix in the coconut cream, coconut aminos, and Sriracha. Mix until well combined. 

         3. Place the two collard green leaves overlapping on a cutting board,  in opposite directions so that the wide, flat ends overlap in the  middle. Line the tuna, carrots, avocado slices and cucumber matchsticks  down the middle, leaving open space around the edges of the leaves. 

          4. Wrap like a burrito, cut down the middle on a diagonal, and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Nutritional Analysis

317 calories, 13g fat, 17g carbohydrate, 7g sugar, 193mg sodium, 4g fiber, and 7g protein.2