Deadlift 5's day and some other sore glute inducing things..

In the 5/3/1 scheme of things today was my Deadlift 5's day.


145x5
165x5
**182.5x max. I got 7

*We are currently staying at my parents until we move to Austin, TX. We brought with us the bare minimum of training equipment(squat rack, plates, kettlebells, buckets for loaded carries and one bar.) However, we unknowingly grabbed a 35lb bar we use for training clients. And something is seriously wrong with this bar. It's weird and off balance. In addition to that goof up we didn't bring the mates to the 5 and 2.5 lb plates. Sooo...I've been having to occasionally train with an uneven weight. i.e. not the same weight on each side.

• Whew! Anyway, after that I did straight leg deads 

85x5
105x5
124x5
I really feel those in my lats

Then with a 20lb kettlebell I did lunges 10,9,8,....1
Then(with no weight) jumping squats 10,9,8,....1

Oh boy, that was some combo!

Crazy good super moist chicken thighs

If you don't try this you don't deserve to exist. Okay, that may a bit harsh but really...these are amazing. I was inspired by this recipe:http://eatlivepaleo.com/2012/01/18/spicy-lemon-paprika-chicken-thighs/#comment-166

As usual I put my own spin on it. ..



2-3 lbs chicken thighs. Bone-in and skin on(duh)
2 tbl turmeric
1 tbl garlic powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp paprika
2-3 tbl lemon juice (zest would be good here but I didn't have any)
2-3tbl (who am I kidding, it was probably 1/2 cup) olive oil

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl making a paste. Then add chicken, turning to coat on all sides. Let sit for several hours.
Roast at 420 for 30 minutes. Flip halfway through. After 30 mins flip again(skin side should be up) and cook under the broiler for a few minutes until the skin is nice and crispy.

Make sure to pour some juice/fat/bits of yummy from the pan onto the chicken. Or eat it from the spatula as I did. Make sure you have plenty of napkins, these are sooo juicy!

DEEEElicious roast chicken and veggies

I'm just gonna skip the part where I say sorry it's been so long...

People are always asking me for Paleo recipe ideas. I usually hesitate because I rarely follow a recipe and can never remember exactly what I put into something. But, I'm going to give it a try, anyway.

So, I've been wanting to try brining a chicken for a while now and at the urging of my niece I decided it was time to do it. I loosely followed Thomas Kellar's brine recipe.

Fill a large pot with water. Add 1 cup salt, a few cloves of garlic, some oregano, rosemary and about 1/4 cup lemon juice. Bring to a boil and let boil for 1 minute. Take off the heat and let it cool. When it's cool put the (3-4lb)chicken in the water. Cover and put in the fridge for 12 hours. In the morning take out the chicken and rinse with water. Put back in the empty pot and put in the fridge until you're ready to roast.

Roasting time...
Pour olive oil all over and under the skin. Bacon fat would work great here, too. Stick a lemon(halved)into the cavity. LIBERALLY coat with kosher salt and pepper. Roughly chop up veggies of your choice. I used sweet potatoes, carrots, celery and radishes. Put in roasting pan with chicken on top. Roast at 350 for about 45mins, then crank up the heat to 500 and roast for 15 mins or so. When it's done take out the chicken, add some butter to the veggies and put back in the oven for a few mins.

AMAZING. If it's not the best or close to the best chicken you've ever had, you screwed up.