Actually, let’s back up just a moment and look at last night’s dinner. Now remember, I absolutely LOVE to eat skillfully prepared, intricate and exquisite meals; thank goodness, then, for Meesus TTP’s kitchen skills, and for the talents of my favorite restaurant’s fine chefs. Making such meals myself, though? Meh, I’ve neither the time nor the inclination for that. I can pull off a pretty good Paleo kitchen improv, though; case in point: after returning from an evening fixie spin, I found I had the following on hand (and not much else, by the way):
1 lb ground sausage
1 lb ground buffalo
1 large sweet onion
2 medium sweet potatoes
Hmmmm, what to do. OK, so I sliced, seasoned, buttered and roasted roasted the sweet potatoes in the oven, chopped and sauteed the entire onion in a butter/coconut oil mix in a cast iron skillet. Then, once the onion was done, I added the sausage and buffalo to the skillet mix (along with a sundry of spices…whatever looked like it might work), and cooked that until done. The result? A pretty damn good, on the fly meal — even it it wouldn’t win too many creative points. So, waddaya think? Am I Iron Chef material? Heh…
OK, so flash forward to today, and today’s workout:
- 30 minute intermittent-intensity fixie ride
- barefooted sprints — 8 x 100 yds @ <13 secs/sprint, approx. 1 minute between runs.
- 20 minute intermittent-intensity fixie ride
Then it was in the gym for the following:
- clean grip low pull (out of the rack): 135 x 7; 225 x 5; 315 x 5; 365 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3,
- elevated feet ballistic push-ups x 7 — or —
- elevated feet medicine ball push-up x 6 each arm
So 7 total rounds here. I alternated between “normal” dual-arm ballistic push-ups, and the medicine ball, single-arm variety. The single-arm variety was done as explosively as possible while minimizing the contribution from the “off” arm. Minimized hand-to-ground contact time on both varieties, maximized “air” time. The bar was set just above the knee for the rack pulls. Full triple extension (and up to full tip-toe), full shrug, and explosive on each rep.
Pretty good demonstration of med. ball push-ups here. Now, I performed mine with feet elevated (about 18″), and I performed 6 reps with one arm, then shifted to the other for another 6. Just another variant of this fine exercise. One thing to keep in mind is to not let your hips sag while doing any manner of push-up — no saddle-back horse look-alikes aloud!
Another 15 minutes worth of fixie huckin’ to get home. By this time I’ve been fasted for 18 hours; I won’t eat for another 2. And when I do eat, it’s this:
Remember last night’s dinner? Well, here’s part of the left overs —
Me thinks a couple of free-range eggs will go well to top that off; here’s the end product:
Check out those yokes! By the way, the egg on the right is a duck egg. This concoction doesn’t look like much, but it sure tasted good!
Theory to Practice 
Hi Keith,
Just found the site a few weeks ago and have really enjoyed it; very informative, interesting and easy to read. You have a physique that, unlike most other Paleo gurus, ensures that one listen very carefully to your advice. Kudos.
Doesn’t an 18-hour pre-workout fast most likely induce a greater cortisol response vs., say for instance, a six hour fast? Do you really find no performance difference?
I’ve got 5 pounds left for a total 70 lbs fat loss and those last five are killing me man. IF-ing seems likely to be the key but I just have a hard time believing I can perform up to par after a long fast.
Anyhow, thanks much.
A greater cortisol response? Possibly. Does it figure in the grand, metabolic scheme of things? Nah. And truthfully, I see zilch in the way of performance drop-off after a prolonged (>16 hours, by my definition) fast — now; I had to build up to this, though, and early in my Paleo career, I did notice a drop-off.
Sometimes it takes a little n=1 experimentation to shed that last few pounds, and this is where you find what foods you’re really sensitive to. Milk? fruit? Too many nuts? Not enough sleep? too much stress (cortisol issues in general)? All of these variables can be toyed with and/or eliminated, if need be. For example, beer, for me (actually, alcohol in general), is the big bug-a-boo. If I’m looking to get “super shred”, all I have to do is curtail my nightly alcohol intake; alcohol is my lone, non-Paleo vice.
Thanks Keith,
I have been very strict since Christmas-time trying to drop these last few pounds of fat. Meat and veggies only, 8.5 hours of sleep, no alcohol, etc. I guess it’s becasue I’ve had that lower ab fat for so long (30 years) it just doesn’t want to come off. A “four-pack” just isn’t the same thing!
-Chris
IF (once or twice a week), and and a concentrated campaign of sprinting may be just what the doctor ordered.
Nice nutritional bricolage, Keith.
Taking whatever happens to be available and making a masterpiece.
Looks yummy!
Cheers,
Brent
Bricolage, indeed; I don’t know about a “masterpiece”, but it was nutritious! 🙂 Thanks for the kudos, though.
Looks good, Keith. Similar to one of my staple dinners, Thai style buffalo saute…
Start with coconut oil and an ungodly amount of chopped garlic, ginger and red onion in a pan over low heat. Toss in as much grass-fed buffalo as befits an honest paleo hunger. Add whatever veggies are at hand, typically sliced plum tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms. Stir in half a can of coconut milk, a tbs. Thai chili sauce, dash of turmeric and ground pepper. Cover and simmer. Pour in a large bowl and top with half a sliced avocado and plenty of fresh squeezed lime juice. Serve with a glass of red wine.
Thanks for the great work you do.
Hey, I think even I can handle that recipe! Sounds like a winner.