I have started using quinoa as a salad base, and below is a recipe I put together for my lunch today, and thought it was worthwhile sharing.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa (most likely found in the ‘health food’ section of your local supermarket)
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 red capsicum, sliced
• 1/3 telegraph cucumber, sliced
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 chopped parsley, mint or coriander
• 1 400gm tin of mixed corm and peas, drained (optional)

Dressing:

• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Place the quinoa in a saucepan with 3 cups of water. Place on stove, and bring to the boil.
2. Once water is bubbling, turn heat down to low, and place lid over quinoa. Cook for a further 15 minutes.
3. Once cooked, all water should be evaporated. Place in a salad bowl and set aside to cool.
4. Once quinoa is cooled, mix in salad ingredients.
5. Blend dressing ingredients with a whisk or shake in a jar.
6. Mix in dressing.
7. Cover and store in fridge, or serve immediately.

Note: The quinoa can be cooked ahead of time and stored covered in the fridge.

For other healthy food ideas, check out my other recipes.

I was hoping to achieve an official Elite II status at this competition, which would allow me to qualify for both the Oceania and Commonwealth Championships. To achieve this status, I needed to lift a total of 255kg. This would have been 20kg more then I lifted at the competition in July. Unfortunately it didn’t happen. However I did increase my total by 10kg, with a total of 245kg – my best competition to date, so I was still pleased with my efforts.

What let me down in the competition, was my deadlift. Following my accident (which happened over a year ago), I have lost confidence in performing this lift. Before my accident, my best competition deadlift was 107.5kg, but since coming back from my injury, I have been stuck at lifting under 100kg. But i’m not going to let it get me down.

The next competition for me will be the Australian Titles on 31 March, 2012. Between now and then, I’m going to focus on not stressing so much about my deadlift, adjust my deadlifting technique slightly, and just keep on training. I’d like to think I will get the 255kg total at the Australian Titles, but I’m not going to put pressure on myself this time. If it doesn’t happen, it’s no big deal. My aim is just to do better then what I did this time. I know the 255kg will come at some stage.

Thanks to the North Sydney Powerlifting Club, below are three YouTube clips of the competition. In these videos you will see all three of my squat, bench press, and deadlift attempts.

Squat

• 3.10 minutes – Squat 1: 85kg
• 6.20 minutes – Squat 2: 95kg
• 9.25 minutes – Squat 3: 100kg (no lift)

Bench Press

• 2.42 minutes – Bench Press 1: 47.5kg
• 6.00 minutes – Bench Press 2: 52.5kg
• 9.02 minutes – Bench Press 3: 55kg (no lift)

Deadlift

• 1.24 minutes – Deadlift 1: 87.5kg
• 3.35 minutes – Deadlift 2: 97.5kg
• 5.50 minutes – Deadlift 3: 100kg (no lift)

Below is a bookshelf of all the books I read over the year, from those I enjoyed the most to those I enjoyed the least. Hover over each book to read my short review.

I’d love to know what you enjoyed reading this year, as it will help me gather a list of books to read next year, so let me know your favourites!

There’s no denying that music has an uncanny ability to motivate us. The right song can make you go the extra mile in your workout and push you to limits that you didn’t think possible. I’ve listened to some great music over the year and below is the top 10 songs I’ve enjoyed the most whilst training hard at the gym.

1. Song: Promises
   Artist: Nero
   Album: Welcome Reality

2. Song: Levels
   Artist: Avicii
   Album: N/A

3. Song: She Will
   Artist: Lil Wayne ft. Drake
   Album: The Carter IV

4. Song: Clap (one day)
   Artist: Pharoahe Monch
   Album: W.A.R

5. Song: Get Up
   Artist: Stanton Warriors ft. Ruby Goe and Hollywood Holt
   Album: Turn Me Up Some

6. Song: Look At Me Now
   Artist: Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes
   Album: F.A.M.E

7. Song: Shot Yourself In The Foot Again
   Artist: Skream and Example
   Album: N/A

8. Song: Rope
   Artist: Foo Fighters
   Album: Wasting Light

9. Song: Circles
   Artist: Digitalism
   Album: I Love You Dude

10. Song: Speak Of The Devil
    Artist: Hermitude
    Album: N/A

Let me know what your favourite workout songs were for 2011!

Set-up

A correct squat begins at the squat rack, and a good set-up is paramount to performing quality squats, especially when the weight starts to get heavy. A good set-up will mean that you easily and quickly get into the correct position to perform your squats, without wasting much needed energy.

Set the rack height so that the bar is roughly in line with the middle of your sternum. Now, many of you may think this bar position is too low, however it is better to have the weight low than having to get on your tip toes to take the weight off the rack.

Stand in front of the squat rack and take an even grip on the bar. Grip width will vary depending on your flexibility, but chose what is most comfortable. When I perform squats, I hook my thumb under the bar, but many lifters have their thumbs placed on top of the bar.

With your grip ready, duck under the bar and come up into a position where the bar is centred against your upper back, not on top of your shoulders. The bar should be positioned roughly in line with the top of your rear deltoids. This position gives you a better leverage when performing a squat, than if you had the weight higher on your back.

Now, keep your head up, squeeze your shoulder blades together and place your feet approximately hip width apart. Now stand up to take the bar off the rack.

You’re now standing up, but you will need to step back from the rack in order to perform your squat. To ensure you always have the same squat position, you should always step back from the rack the same way every time you squat. This will help you not to waste energy in moving your feet position once you have the weight loaded on your back.

Step one foot back, then the other, then step one foot out to the side, then the other, so that your feet are just past shoulder width apart and your toes pointing out approximately 30 degrees. Some people’s squat stance may vary, however a very wide stance makes it harder to get depth in your squat, and a narrow stance prevents your adductors (inner thighs) from stretching, which again can prevent proper depth.

Squat – The Descent

The timing of your downward movement is critical to a good squat. But before you descend, take a deep breath (and hold it until you come back up to standing at the end of the lift). With your eyes up and knees flared out to the side squat down by moving your hips back and down. Do not just bend from the knees – a good squat is executed with hip movement. Note, I lift looking up and find this to be the strategy that works for me in my max lifts, however there are many lifters out there that look downwards.

As you descend, you need to accelerate when approaching the bottom of the lift, I call this the “bounce”. This acceleration, when timed correctly, will not only allow you to get to depth easier (and by depth, I mean the top of your knee is higher than your hip) but also propel you on the way up. The bottom part of the squat is called the “hole” and this is the hardest part of the lift. If you are able to accelerate and “bounce” out of the “hole” you limit the amount of work you have to do coming back out of it.

A key point though, is not to drop into the hole, as dropping means that you are relaxing some of your muscles, which means when the weight is heavy it will be unlikely that you will be able to lift the weight back up. Be sure to keep everything tight.

Squat – The Ascent

If you have timed the bounce correctly, you should be making your way out of the squat before you know it! The key is to use the bounce to propel yourself out of the bottom of the lift. Once you start ascending be sure to keep your back tight, knees flared out, and focus on bring your hips forward and up. At the top of the lift release your breath.

The Finish

By now you have finished your squat. Congratulations! Step back towards the bar and re-rack the weight. If you are attempting heavy squats be sure to have experienced people spotting your lifts and helping you re-rack the weight. Spotters are an essential part of powerlifting, and are there for your safety.

Watch and Learn

For a visual demonstration of what I have outlined above, watch the video below:

To learn about the benefits of squats, read my blog post, Why Everyone Should Put Squats Into Their Workout.

Coming Up…

Im my next post, I will deconstruct the bench press. Until then, get squatting!

This recipe makes a large bowl, that lasts me approximately 3 lunches. It also works as a great side dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of instant cous cous (found in the pasta aisle in your supermarket)
• 1 1/2 cups of boiling water mixed with 2 teaspoons of powdered vegetable stock
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 cup of  currants
• 100gms of baby spinach or mixed salad leaves
• 1/3 cup of slivered almonds
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon

Instructions:

1. Place cous cous and currants into a large bowl and pour in water and stock mix, cover bowl and leave standing for 5 minutes.
2. Fluff up cous cous mixture with a fork.
3. Mix in chickpeas and almonds, followed by salad leaves.
4. Add olive oil and lemon juice and mix in to the salad.

Extras:

To have this as a lunch meal, I will tend to add a small tin of flavoured salmon or tuna (discarding the excess oil), or a tin of plain tuna (in springwater – so no oil) and add in a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. YUM!

For other healthy salad ideas try my:

1. cous cous salad 
2. tabouleh
3. chicken, roast potato and eggplant salad
4. Baby spinach, roast pumpkin and feta salad

Enjoy!

On my trip there were many days where I had to eat lunch on the run, or had to grab a quick bite to eat from a fast food outlet. Generally I would cringe at the thought of having to eat at a fast food outlet, however I discovered some great healthy options on my travels. I’d like to share with you my top four fast food outlets that I found myself at in the USA.

1. Maoz

By far, Maoz was my favourite fast food outlet. I loved this place! Maoz originated in Amsterdam and offers a delicious self serve vegetarian salad bar and pita bread sandwiches. The great thing about this place is that you can get a warm pita and fill it with whatever salad ingredients they have on offer that day. Offerings included chick peas, olives, tabouleh, roast beetroot and warm veggies. You can even top up your pita with seconds if you like. A pita sandwich cost me about $4 and was tasty, filling and most important, healthy!

2. Chipotle Mexican Grill

Other then my home made burritos and enchiladas, I haven’t experienced much Mexican food in the past. However, after coming across Chipotle I am keen to experience more! I had Chipotle a number of times throughout my holiday, and each time I had a ‘burrito bowl’ (a salad bowl of fillings which you would generally have in a burrito). I chose to have a grilled chicken bowl, which came with rice, black beans, lettuce and salsa. A burrito bowl cost me approximately $9 and each time I had it, it was filling and delicious.

A cautionary note however, is that if you order a burrito, they are HUGE! So as not to overeat, it’s best to stick with just a few ingredients and don’t go for the extras like avocado, cheese and sour cream. Also remember that if you are full, you don’t have to eat the whole thing! It can be easy to overeat in the USA, due to their meal sizes, so make a conscious effort to stop eating when you are full – not stuffed!

3. Potbelly Sandwich Shop

Potbelly is a sandwich chain that also offers salad and soups. There are healthy options at Potbelly such as the grilled chicken sandwich (which I had), turkey sandwich and vegetarian sandwich, as well as the salads. To make my lunch as healthy as it could be, I always decided to forgo the cheese and just stuck with the salad ingredients. A sandwich cost approximately $5.

4. Subway

Obviously we have Subway here in Australia, however I have to say it was a good place to go to grab a quick sandwich. Subway can definitely be healthy, if you choose the right ingredients (so no salami or meatballs!) I generally had a honey oat sub with tuna or grilled chicken with all salad ingredients. Subway was cheaper then Potbelly, with a foot long sub costing approximately $7 which I shared with my husband.

What healthy fast food have you come across on your travels? Comment below to share your fast food tips.

On July 17th, I competed in my first powerlifting competition, since I injured my back in October last year, at the Hercules of the West RAW Championships at Adonis Athletics in Parramatta, NSW.

After my injury, it was almost six months before I could get back in to lifting. I suffered from two bulging discs from a bad deadlift, and then in December last year,  I dropped a loaded bar on my face, from which I dislodged three teeth and had cartlidge damage to my nose. Let me just say, it was not my finest lifting moment.

But with my face all healed, and my back on the mend (but still not 100%) I decided to get back in to competition for the sole purpose of building back my confidence in competitive powerlifting.

With the help of my coach, Peter Sutton at ACT Barbell, I started back training in April, with nearly 12 weeks to prepare for the competition. I eased my way back in to heavy lifting, and by the time the competition came around, I felt ready.

It ended up being a very successful competition. I weighed in at 51.3kg and so easily made the 52kg weight cut-off. I managed a PB squat of 90kg, a bench of 50kg and a 95kg deadlift. My deadlift still has a way to go before it is back to where it was before my injury, but I was still happy with what I achieved. All these lifts gave me a total of 235kg, which is 30kg more than what I needed to qualify for nationals, and only 20kg off Elite II status, which would qualify me for competing at the Oceania and Commonwealth titles!

Thanks to the North Sydney Powerlifting Club, below are two YouTube clips of the competition. In these videos you will see all three of my squat and bench attempts.

Squat

• 0.38 minutes – Squat 1: 70kg
• 2.41 minutes – Squat 2: 80kg
• 5.34 minutes – Squat 3: 90kg

Bench

• 0.56 minutes – Bench 1: 45kg
• 3.24 minutes – Bench 2: 50kg
• 6.05 minutes – Bench 3: 55kg (no lift)

My goal now is to get the additional 20kg in time for a competition in early December. I am heading to the USA for a month this weekend, and so will continue my training while on holidays, and hopefully in my next competition post, I will let you know that I have made the 255kg total that I need!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 large butternut pumpkin, deseeded, peeled, and cut into bite size pieces
• 40gms pine nuts
• 160gms baby spinach leaves
• 100gms reduced fat feta, crumbled or cut into small pieces
• Handful of shredded or shaved parmesan cheese
• Dash of balsamic vinegar
• Dash of olive oil

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees (note: I have a fan forced oven).
2. Place pumpkin pieces on grease proof paper on a baking tray and lightly spray them with olive oil spray. Bake for approximately 25 minutes.
3. Lightly toast pine nuts in a dry frying pan.
4. Place pumpkin, feta and spinach in a bowl.
5. Add a dash of olive oil and balsamic to the salad, and toss ingredients together.
6. Garnish with parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts.

This recipe will serve  5-6 as a side dish or 3-4 as a light lunch.

For more salad ideas you can check out my chicken, roast potato and eggplant salad, cous cous salad and tabouleh recipes.

Perform the following for 3 rounds

• 5 left arm swings / 5 right arm swings
• 10 left clean and press / 10 right clean and press
• 5 left arm swings / 5 right arm swings
• 10 left side floor press / 10 right side floor press
• 5 left arm swings / 5 right arm swings
• 10 left side renegade row / 10 right side renegade row
• 5 left arm swings / 5 right arm swings
• 10 russian twists (where twisting to each side equals 1 rep)

Below is a short video of me demonstrating these exercises.

This is a great workout as it not only gets the heart pumping, but it also emphasises single sided movements. These movements can help improve muscle imbalances in opposing sides of the body, which in turn, will lead to better strength gains and improved athletic performance.

If you are comfortable using a kettlebell, I’d challenge you to get your stop watch out, and time yourself doing this workout.

Enjoy!