Product Reviews and Peri-Workout Supplementation

Hi Guys!  As I finish up this dissertation and prepare to start writing my book on female fighters, I am going to try to maintain a steady stream of product reviews for the blog.  I am the kind of girl who has to read reviews on a product before I buy and I figure there are a lot of y'all out there who like to do the same. 

The following reviews will be coming down the pipeline over the next couple of weeks:
-Tussle Fight Gear Vale Tudo shorts and sports bra
-Fighter Girls Vale Tudo shorts
-Jaco long sleeve rashguard
-Shin guards round-up

-Please let me know if there is any other gear you would like reviewed or any gear you have tried recently.  

Peri-Workout Supplementation

Several weeks ago the schedule at our gym changed.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays I teach three one-hour classes in a row:  women's kickboxing, fighter conditioning and striking strategy.  Each of these classes are very physically demanding and even if I don't train all of them I still feel tuckered out by the time that last class rolls around. 

I am not really in to using workout supplementation; I eat a lot of food throughout the day and usually that is enough to get me through my workout and back home for dinner.  However, this three hour session has been kicking my ass so I decided to follow the advice I give my own clients and concoct a drink I can take down before the striking strategy class.

Peri-Workout supplementation is taken during a workout.  For this type of high intensity, glucose-depleting training I recommend clients take a 2:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein in the form of a shake.  However, right now I am trying to lean out a little more and increase my muscle mass so I am doing a little less carbs and more protein.  I feel like a nerd for jumping on the coconut water bandwagon but damn if it isn't delicious.  Plus juice gives me heartburn.

L.A.'s Peri-Workout shake

http://www.onedrinks.com/

This shake contains equal parts carbohydrate and protein.  Again, I think it is important to eat adequate amounts of protein and carbohydrate at least two hours pre-workout when doing a very intensive training session.  I use this shake during my Tuesday/Thursday sessions and on Saturday between lifting and running sprints. 

8oz O.N.E. coconut water
1/2 scoop plain protein powder
3-4 ice cubes

Carbs:  11g
Protein:  10g
Fat:  0g
100 Calories total


What type of supplementation do you use during your training sessions? 

Hype or Hope? Meisha Tate vs. Ronda Rousey

Strikeforce.com

 The upcoming Strikeforce battle between incumbent 135lb WMMA-champ Meisha Tate and relative newcomer Ronda Rousey takes place March 3rd in Columbus, Ohio.  The Rousey and Tate fight is an exhausted subject for many who claim the hype surrounding these two women has reached its saturation.  The fight has indeed been promoted and hyped with daily interviews, projections, twitter updates and general shit-talking from both women.  Many WMMA supporters are exhausted by the excessive publicity, claiming that there are other female fighters out there who deserve attention, which is absolutely true.  There are plenty of women fighting in smaller venues and training diligently to reach the critical mass currently occupied by Tate and Rousey.  But while I agree that Rousey's continual self-promotion and Tate's numerous attempts to exempt herself from the drama have become tenuous and somewhat annoying, the buildup of this fight is an integral part of bringing women out of the margins and into the forefront of the sport of MMA.  

            The problem is not the hype surrounding this fight; it is the constant insistence from multiple media outlets that Rousey or Tate must be ‘the face’ of WMMA.  Yet the search for a singular representative of the sport has been in place since Debi Purcell first came on the scene nearly a decade ago.  Although the popularity of the UFC and other MMA venues does not ride on the shoulders of one man, the sport of WMMA must, for some reason, apparently be embodied by one woman.  Gina Carano, now a B-movie star, failed to uphold this monumental position after her loss to Cris “Cyborg” Santos.  And Santos was never considered ‘the face’ of WMMA, primarily because her face does not conform to the standards of beauty necessary to become promoted by American sports media outlets.  The hype surrounding the Tate/Rousey fight reveals how female fighters will be promoted in the media as pageant contestants whose talents are punching and kicking rather than singing or dancing. 

Wednesday Recipe: Sweet Jalapeno Sauce

I recently started making this sauce for chicken and Mike loves it.  It is perfect for chicken thighs and breasts, but would also be great on pork or fish.

Spaghetti Squash Boat

This ridiculously yummy and filling side dish was easy to make and perfect next to a large piece of Barramundi (my new favorite* fish).

The Paleo Diet: Two years in review

Also known as 

"There and Back Again:  A Paleo Tale by L.A. Jennings"

Paleo in April 2011, then back to grains in early June 2011

This is the story of my experience with the Paleo diet from September 2009 to April 2011.  This is my personal experience and is not meant to critique the diet as a whole.  Rather, I wanted to share with the other souls out there who, like me, believed heartily in the diet yet found it did not fulfill the expectation of improving health and physique.  I know many people who have had success with the lifestyle but perhaps it is not the best for people who, like me, train a highly demanding sport.