As promised, this week I’m bringing you the third version of the workout I did a few weeks ago with the girls. This is the medium difficulty edition and it looks like this:
Tag Archives: dead lift
Getting healthy AND sexy- the action plan part 2
Part two of ‘How to get sexy – the action plan’, and as promised here is the ‘lighter’ version of last weeks monster workout:
Sexy, fit and strong- how girls should be
Lately I’ve been sharing some stories of how I train, how it works for me and how it can work for you too. I am by no means directing this at any one group in particular; although I’m aware it will most likely resonate with guys in terms of getting lean and putting on muscular size. However, what I’m saying is: this is for everyone.
A fowl Easter
For most of us this week involved a long weekend. I used this to take my time a bit more with the shopping and preparing of my weekly meat, as well as getting some training in. Having more time on my hands meant putting this training into a film for you all to see what a good grunt session can look like.
The style of training I did is commonly called Advanced German Body Composition training. I will touch on this briefly today. Next week I’ll touch on the next workout and wrap up some info on German Body Composition (GBC) and the advanced version.
This type of training incorporates a lot of work with short rest intervals. The idea here is that the longer and harder work paired with short rest periods stimulates an increase in the production of lactate which in turn promotes an increase in growth hormone. This leads to body fat loss, lean muscle gains and muscular endurance.
The advanced version of GBC that I did this week (see the attached videos) is not for the faint hearted or people with a young training age (relatively new to resistance training). I’ve been training since I got the Hulkamania Workout Set for Xmas when I was 8 years old, so I’m ok to go. This is a good example of how getting and staying lean, strong and fit doesn’t come easy, it requires application and hard work.
For those of you who are new to resistance training a standard GBC would perhaps suit better, and that I’ll get into more next week. This involves heavy weights, hard work and short rest times, and the resulting high level of lactate will have you sucking in the oxygen and wishing the workout was over! If you want to give it a go, contact me for more information and recommendations, but go lighter to start with and ALWAYS make sure your form is perfect!
In my workout I did a bend followed by a pull. This means I did 3 exercises involving a bend, 6 of the first, 12 of the second and 25 of the third. I had 2 minutes rest and went again for a total of 4 rounds. I then moved onto a pull and followed the same rep/rest/set protocols, which advanced GBC calls for. Check out the two videos to see an example of a round of each and more details on the exercises themselves.
Earlier this week with the Easter long weekend approaching I had decided to catch up with mates on the night I normally try and cook my meat of the week, knowing that I’d have plenty of time later to cook and write. However with Easter Friday meaning a lot of shops are closed, I got prepared and headed down to the butcher on Thursday afternoon to purchase my meat.
I was greeted by Tom with an enthusiastic “Mikey!” I waited while he served some other customers and pondered what I’d be having. The word was they had some fresh Guinea Fowl for me. Not much pondering went on in the end as I had literally had a base of nothing to go on. Just as I reached for my pocket and the use of another Google search it was confirmed that Tom indeed had a Guinea Fowl for me to crack into this week.
I began asking him about what to do with it, he offered up that he’s never cooked one, but because it’s seasonal and slightly gamey, go for similar options to accompany it. He then spoke to someone behind me and said “you’ll know about this?” I was instantly confused and instantly thought Tom might have a long dormant lazy eye, but turned to see another customer, whom I learned to be Glenda, patiently waiting her turn to purchase.
Glenda then rapidly gave a bunch of recommendations for cooking guinea fowl and what to have with it. This conversation promptly evolved to a swift description of my meat mission for 2012 and my blog. Initiated by Tom I might add, not me forcing it on every person I talk to… A series of questions from me followed, like are you a chef, then subsequent chatter about the guinea fowl and Glenda’s recommendations.
Some of the terms and dishes thrown out were another language to me and some sounded like hard work, while the main option of forming a pastry around the bird by repeatedly rolling in flour then egg until a thick crust formed just didn’t sit with me. White flour isn’t going to enter this blog if at all possible. Why? Ask in the comments box below if you’re interested.
I did like the idea of using seasonal vegetables to match the guinea fowl. So once I’d bought the bird (and used my best poker face talking to Glenda, pretending I picked up everything she mentioned) I wandered the supermarket whilst simultaneously searching on my phone how to make some of these ideas. I was excited and nervous about cooking a new meat and the random fervent conversation that had just taken place involving my blog and meat in general.
I had to rule out cavolo nero, due to it being unavailable. However I did have to search for what this was first, so Glenda if you’re reading: that was me faking that I had any idea what you’d just said… Nevertheless I did buy some Beetroots to make a puree and some Swiss Brown and Chestnut mushrooms. I figured this would substitute for the actual Chestnuts Glenda had suggested, for the obvious reason…
I took my purchases home and let them chill for the day. The next day I settled on a recipe for the bird and accompaniments from a combination of an online search and Glenda’s suggestions with my own twist on things. I was set to make a Middle Eastern Roast Guinea Fowl with Saffron Quinoa, Beetroot and Sweet Potato Puree with Sautéed Mushrooms and a Small Garden Salad.
There was a fair bit to get through, but since it was a holiday and I had not much else to do that day apart from run around a park in Vaucluse with 3 others (a random mix of weights and babysitting), a feast was to be made! It was quite a success in the end, the babysitting/workout that is. The dinner was a mixed bag…
Dealing with the bird was a first as not only had I never done guinea fowl before but I had never come face to face with, ah, the face of an animal I am about to eat. Well apart from fish I suppose.
This little guy had its head attached, and it was a strange site, but to the words of “off with his head!” I used the knife in a guillotine like action, crunched through the spine and just like that- off came its head. Glenda suggested using it to make a jus, however once I’d had to remove what appeared to be its last meal before it was killed, I decided maybe it’s best to just remove this whole area and get on with cooking the bird, before I vomit.
My assistant (not an actual paid job, more for the love I believe) went to making the mix that would baste the bird while I got the bird chopped, washed, dried and ready to be basted.
Once this was done, the quinoa was prepared with vegetable stock and a few chopped dates and a handful of smashed pistachios were added with salt and pepper before some of this was used to stuff the bird (those last 3 words usually place together in that order down the pub on a Friday night I believe…) and the rest sat waiting to be added to the roasting dish in the last 20 minutes of the cooking.
The bird went in the oven and the other things were put into action. The beetroot and kumara were boiled and when ready added to the kitchen wiz with some butter, a dollop of natural organic yoghurt and salt and pepper.
As this was happening slight disaster struck. The recipe for the bird called for an hour of cooking then adding the rest of the quinoa and cooking for a further 20 minutes. However at the 45 minute mark I checked the bird and discovered an alarming amount of black colour when there should ideally not be! I removed the bird and hurriedly tried to figure out what had gone wrong. Then it hit me: it’s a 1.5kg bird in the recipe. Not knowing the exact weight I was still sure mine was less than 1kg.
School boy error from me! Still, it was only 45 minutes and there was at least juice still running out when I put a knife into the flesh. I covered it in foil and we went about trying not to panic that I’d f*cked this up completely.
At this point the quinoa needed to be finished off as it was now not going into the oven with the bird. The mushrooms were added to the pan with some fresh garlic and butter and sautéed lightly. Instantly the smell in the kitchen was overrun by the mushrooms, my brain recognised this and calmed me immediately, mmmm… garlicky, buttery mushrooms…
Once all the extras were ready, I carved the bird and we sat to eat. The plate looked busy and was chocker with food. Luckily I was starving and ready to crack into my first guinea fowl! The flavours of the baste were beautiful on the meat. However much like an over made-up, high maintenance bird of the human variety, the meat itself was a touch overdone.
This was a massive disappointment, especially as it was just a stupid oversight on my part. Still, I liked it, but judging on that, knew it could be so much better. The beetroot puree topped with the mushrooms was divine and the slightly sweet quinoa was easily the champion of the whole dish. In fact there was enough of this left over that it made for a delicious breakfast the following day with some yoghurt, walnuts, a chopped feijoa and some cinnamon.
So overall I was happy with the meal, but the meat is what this is about right, so on that front- I liked it but a bit on the dry side which was my fault alone and added immense frustration to this as a first time meat. Just like my brother in law getting inappropriately drunk, at my sisters 21st birthday in front of the family, (enough to have to leave) I know that this first impression will last.
Hopefully I can redeem if given the chance to cook guinea fowl again. I say that (somewhat safely) as these birds don’t seem incredibly common or easy to come by. They are seasonal and having read up on them, it sounds like they make for an amazingly helpful farm animal, some claims even stating that they keep out and will kill snakes! That’s a pretty nasty bird. I certainly didn’t see any evidence of that with my bird, just some grass and other half digested vegetation-like stuff, definitely no snake!
This is nevertheless, another week done! 14 weeks of different meats over with. I already look forward to next week. I have no idea what that will be, but I’ll get thinking and see what I come up with.
As always, please keep the feedback coming as well as suggestions for meats or recipes, and requests for subjects to be covered. Next week I’ll also continue on with this short exercise series and there’ll be the next workout to go with it.
Please continue to help me grow this community. For a small business like mine social media is the best way to grow, and even though I do this for the love of it, it obviously links into my training business. So if you haven’t done so, please get to my Facebook page and ‘Like’.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Meat-Mike-Campbell/236677696419727
And share this post with your friends, family and colleagues. Every little bit helps me build and keeps me going with this week in and week out. I want to improve and make each post better than the previous, and your help, yes you, makes that so much easier!
Much love and gratitude,
Mike
What do you feed a gay horse?
Haaaaaayyyyyy……
Get it?
This week I did it, I managed to get hold of some meat that I’d been trying to get for a few weeks. Lucky I have some patience as it turns out it can be tricky to get your hands on some horse meat here in good old Australia.
Unless of course you live in Perth and have access to the one butcher registered in this country to deal with it, Vince Garreffa, whom Western Australian Agriculture Minister Terry Redman granted final approval to on 30 June 2010 to sell horse meat for human consumption. I’ll note here that horse meat is readily available in many countries.
Why would you eat horse meat? How do you get it? Is it ethical? What does it taste like?
Many questions have been asked, at this stage by myself and my much better looking dining partner for this dish. I’m sure many more will come, in their droves, as well as statements such as: You can’t eat horse, it’s a pet! Which I’ve heard already, but for now I’ll do my best to spell this experience out from my side, of course.
Also, start thinking of all the horse puns you can think of, I had many come to mind, and I naturally think they’re all funny… Must be something about eating Mr Ed that brings it out in me…
I’ll get into that in detail shortly, but first off this week, I’ll wrap up the primal pattern resistance movement series and cover the bend.
This is essentially a bend at the hips, whilst keeping strong and neutral throughout the torso. It can incorporate an element of flexion and extension at the knees. Just as the squat is primarily moved through the knee joints with critical movement through the ankles and secondary movement through the hips, this is primarily through the hip joint.
The dead lift, which I have mentioned earlier this year involving my own goals leading up to Xmas, is generally the benchmark movement of the bend. However as with the chin up last week, this can be a difficult movement for beginners for reasons other than raw strength, with two of the most common being flexibility at the hip joint and strength through the spinal electors (the muscles that engage to hold neutral spine). Also a reasonable amount of co-ordination is needed for this, especially if doing a dead lift with a barbell. I think one of my friends in particular may know I’m directing this at him…
The dead lift has to be one of my favourite lifts, but for the purposes of keeping this simple, for now, I’ll pull back on that and run through what is essentially half of that movement. Perhaps I’ll attack the big lift at a later point this year, as it can be assured that I’ll be doing plenty myself (check out my training videos to have a look at my progress).
Today we’ll go through a partial dead lift, the top part that challenges the bend pattern.
The reasons we train through this pattern are numerous and endless really. Most people these days spend a lot of their days sitting and/or doing things in front of their bodies. This can cause the posterior chain- essentially the musculature of the posterior aspect of the body; back, gluts, hamstrings- to become weak and just plain pathetic. This results in a general lack of muscular size, activation and massive strength imbalances throughout the body. Too much flexion and not enough extension, resulting in ‘bad backs’, ‘constant back pain’ and other commonly heard ailments.
Have a look at Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man for an example, and you’ll note how upright and in neutral he is. Not flexed forward like most of us spend our days doing, remember the hunched over, round shouldered muppet I mentioned last week… The Vitruvian Man however has a strong posterior chain and a balanced body. Compare these two pictures:
Training and strengthening the posterior chain is vital to the health of our spines and pelvis at the very least, and they are two skeletal assets we could all do with being as strong and stable as possible hey… As well as getting a strong and well defined shape through your back, gluts and hamstrings. There goes those buns n thighs again ladies…
So, let’s get bending! The photos attached have all specific points.
And an incorrect bend:
Ok, now back to horse meat. This week I ate some. I got it from the butcher, I cooked it and I ate it, with my mouth. Guess what? It was yum!
What do you think about that? I’m pretty sure some people have a problem with it. In fact I know that. One of my friends, when I mentioned I thought I might have some lined up said: “I don’t agree with that and I won’t be reading that blog post”. Fair enough, horses for courses and that…
However if I may interject, just in case you have made it this far and are not sure if you should carry on, let me say that this meat was first-rate. I wouldn’t eat it every day, but nor would I anything. However it was a tasty deep red meat not too dissimilar to that of our much eaten beef, and to those that have tried venison and kangaroo. It was delectable.
So why should it be a problem to eat it? It’s not as though it tastes repulsive. Horses aren’t an endangered species. Nor are they full of malicious bacteria or some strange equine disease that will make us sick and turn us into human flesh eating zombies. The kind that will eat any old meat because we have an insatiable blood lust and must kill and eat anything that moves. No, I’m pretty sure that won’t happen. It hasn’t to me thus far anyway.
Of course I can answer this myself. It’s because horses are lovely animals, that can be pets, and work the fields and stations, help us farm and muster livestock for food (note: horse are livestock, are they not..?), and race around a track for our, mostly idiot, pleasure, amongst other things.
Hmmm, that makes me think though; let’s take another animal, one more commonly farmed for meat for human consumption, say beef, a cow. Why is this ok to eat, on a gigantic scale? (Aside from a vast number of vegetarians worldwide and the religion of Hinduism of course).
Now from my limited understanding of Hinduism and my hasty research, I am going generalise that these people, wherever in the world they may be, do not eat beef. The cow is a scared animal. This means that somewhere in the vicinity of 6 billion people around the globe (that’s a fair few), do not eat beef. Yet most of ‘us’ seem to find it very tasty indeed and have not one third of a problem with it, in fact get me some now! Isn’t it good…??
Yet we like to get on our, ahem, high horse about exactly that; horse, and say it should not be done. Do not eat horse, it’s wrong, but be a good man and slaughter me up some beef would you and don’t spare the horses? Now that’s a good chap.
I disagree with that thought process entirely! A horse is an animal, just like sheep, just like cattle. Yes it is a pet and all those other things, but it’s also a source of sustenance, full of protein and rich in iron. Look at horse numbers worldwide, there’s a lot. Look at the amount of starving or near starving people world wide… I’m seeing a handy little connection here… And in all seriousness, why not?
It certainly does not mean that we should all go out and eat our beloved pet Phar Lap. Of course not, that would be somewhat bizarre and twisted. However I do believe that if an animal is to die, be it for meat or other and natural causes, then as long as it’s safe to eat, it should be respected and eaten. This goes for your more ‘standard’ animal as well, there’s a lot of meat on one cattle beast, get into it!
For me this also goes across species from horse to things like cattle and pig. There is plenty of the world’s population starving and there are plenty that don’t eat these animals, if there is a cross over then solve the problem, have a feed and move on. Understandably religious and other beliefs come into play here, but my take home question is this: If it’s ok to kill and eat one animal for food, then why not another?
Remember, we need animal protein for survival and optimal health and nutrition. Why? I’ll get into this into more depth in the coming weeks.
Wow, that was a rant… As you can see I do feel strongly about it. If it is good enough to kill and eat one species of animal then why are others so taboo? As long as something isn’t endangered, why is it off limits? I joked about pandas a couple of weeks ago, but if those little guys were in absolute abundance, you bet I’d try some of their meat, so long as the whole animal was being used. They are cute but so was my pet lamb Rufus. I didn’t eat him, but, like a large number of us, I do eat lamb. If I stick to most people’s views on Horse and animals like lamb for these taboo reasons, then I shouldn’t eat lamb, as I once had one as a pet. Preposterous.
What’s the difference? Clearly there is none to the many people around the globe that eat horse meat, covering many countries and continents. A large number of which is exported from right here in Australia, so someone’s ok with it…
In fact, as of June 2011 the Australian Government Department Of Agriculture, Fisheries And Forestry state:The export of horsemeat began in the 1970s. According to the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS), the largest export volume was 6,137 tonnes in 1998/99, which was valued at $26.4 million, with more than half exported to Japan. In 2006/07 2,320 tonnes of horsemeat was exported to 14 countries with the majority going to Russia (48%), Switzerland (15%), Belgium (14%) and France (11%). The total value of exports in 2006/07 was $10.3 million. In fact according to British Agriculture website in 2009, worldwide the rates of horse meat production levels in Tons/year were around 500,000 from the following countries alone: Mexico, Argentina, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Poland, Italy, Romania, Chile, France, Uruguay, Senegal, Columbia and Spain.
Ok, so how about I tell you about this specific meal, the one in which I cooked and ate some horse sirloin. I have to tell you, I had a ridiculous afternoon when I picked it up. I had a text from Kristy at The Butcher And The Chef the day before saying the horse I ordered was being flown in from Perth the next day. I became excited and nervous at the same time.
On the day I had texts from my flatmate while I was at work to inform me my (9th story) bedroom was flooding from Sydney’s intense rain storm. Go figure, you’d think being 9 levels above the ground would prevent this. Apparently not. So I went home later that day to survey the damage, and sort it out somehow so I could run down to the butcher and see if the horse meat was there. Kristy was short on time and wasn’t too sure on specific recipes, but the one piece of advice was not to have it raw, as a Horse Tartare like the French sometimes do, or sashimi like the Japanese do, as this meat has been frozen, just try frying like beef.
Done. Once I’d managed the immense water damage and then proceeded to leave every, now wet, towel from our flat in the back of a Sydney Taxi, some recipes were searched. However I didn’t want to add sauce or put in some sort of casserole or dish that was going to take away from the real taste of the meat. So some kumara (sweet potato) and baby carrots were seasoned and roasted, some baby zucchini and beans were sautéed and while ‘Wild Horses’by The Rolling Stones played, I got the pan hot and very quickly fried these two thin cuts of sirloin.
Some photos taken and whatever small nerves floating around taken care of with a glass of (research recommended) French vino, the dish was enjoyed and then mulled over with the ironically themed My Lovely Horsefrom a Father Tedepisode (definitely check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzYzVMcgWhg ) to stimulate the thought process.
The general consensus was that the ends of each cut were slightly tough, but the rest was tender, juicy and quite delicious. It has the flavours and familiarity of beef, while also having some rich, more gamey parallel to venison and kangaroo, with an added element of sweetness to it. The overwhelming description that came from the wine merchant pre-cooking fell somewhat short, but I think perhaps a fillet, as with beef in my opinion, would result in an even more flavoursome and enjoyable steak. I liked it and can see no reason why I wouldn’t eat this regularly if it were readily available.
Yes it’s taboo, but that’s exactly the point, it’s only taboo. Not unhealthy, not illegal (which is just institutionalised taboo with things like this really isn’t it?). It makes some people uncomfortable, some of the same people that gladly chomp down on any number of other animal meats regularly and therefore in my opinion, display blatant hypocrisy in their views towards horse meat. We’ve spoken about this before; it’s called the food chain. We made it to the top a while ago now, its natures natural course, enjoy it.
Well, I currently sit on my couch pondering this and what I’ll eat for dinner tonight. It looks like meat will play a part. However the more pressing thought is have I opened up a can here? Will I cop some abuse or judgement for this? Have I just ranted and forced my meat opinions on people? Or have I enlightened and opened people’s eyes to another option for that no good horse that kicked you off it’s back as a child…. Or am I just flogging a dead horse…
Either way I know I’ve covered a broad range of issues. Just don’t get me started on Kony 2012…
Please, let me know either way. I’m dead keen to hear your take on this issue, horse and otherwise because remember- it’s only March, I’ve got many more to get through and some will very likely follow this trend…
Send me your comments, or go to my facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Meat-Mike-Campbell/236677696419727) where I’m going to open discussion on the subject. Let’s chat about it and see what opinions are out there.
Giddy up…
Mike
A lamb to the colonial slaughter
So, I’ve posted the first 3 weeks.
I’ve demolished duck, croc, quail and counting….
We’ve delved into food, exercise, and lifestyle. You haven’t heard the half of it yet….
As soon as the first week ‘went live’ (sounds ridiculous really), I was nervous and anxious. Did I spell anything wrong? How much shit will my close mates give me? Sure enough, a private joke comes straight through as a comment. I rejected that one…
But before I knew it week one turned into week 2 and each week I would wander off up the road to do my weeks shopping and somehow gravitate straight to the butcher, where a chat has become a habit. Typically, I share news of my ‘blog’ and, of course, I buy some meat. Turns out having a little project or aim can be exciting and fun, something I’ve always known and try to promote as a trainer when I am encouraging my clients to prioritise a healthy lifestyle with purpose.
Over the years, as a Personal Trainer, I have seen a range of people come…… and go, from athletes to bankers to housewives. They’ve all come for different reasons, but I can almost guarantee that the majority of people that stick around and succeed have set goals. You may have come across the simple concept before (he writes sarcastically), and the reason you’re seeing it again now – is because it works. If you make your goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed then you have something that you can actually work towards. And when you punch that goal, you won’t know yourself.
If you want to achieve anything, for example, getting leaner or gaining muscle mass in order to get fitter & stronger and subsequently increase your athletic performance or if you want to simply improve your overall health, then setting goals that you can and are motivated to achieve is key.
For example: By the end of the calendar year 2011 I had a goal to dead lift 200kg for one rep.
I didn’t quite manage this. I made 175kg for 3 and 190kg for 1 (see Mike’s Training Vids for those of you who don’t know what a dead lift is, or just simply interested, but then broke a couple of key bones (as opposed to the very unimportant ones, of course) in my left hand which stopped me in my tracks, and soon saw me dead lifting with one arm. Looks pretty funky, sure, but exactly like the majority of female comedians, it’s just not right is it… ?
However, before I busted up said bones, I was working towards something, making massive gains all the time and achieving personal best lifts. My training had purpose. And with that came purpose in my lifestyle.
I eat well and I time the quantity and kind of nutrients I imbibe around my training sessions. I train hard and I train specifically for what I am wanting to achieve. I get enough quality sleep (refreshing and recharging) which is no doubt complimented by my diet, training and supplementation. All of these things, as well as my general mood and approach to life; e.g. optimistic, positive, motivated and calm, allow for a balanced lifestyle and it is the balance that makes achieving my goals that much easier and realistic.
It’s all about creating an equilibrium in your life – one your body and mind will thank you for now and in the years to come.
Speaking of personal bests, I also had the aim, by Xmas in 2011, to be able to hold a human flag for 5 seconds (unsure what that is? See the attached picture. NOTE: updated picture September 2012). Funnily enough this involves something that looks pretty hard, in practice is very hard, and well – it just plain does not happen with only one arm. But, this is a new year, so, if all of my time isn’t taken up with meat, who knows… ?
Just as I was progressing with the lifting, so too do people who set realistic goals, maintain some degree of focus and really apply themselves to work towards them. With the right advice and guidance, some actual application and some respect for your body and overall health, most day to day goals don’t have to be so far off and unachievable. The amount of people I see day in, day out slogging away in the gym, sometimes for years, without making any progress is staggering. Why do this to yourself? Exactly what is your aim with your day in, day out slogging on the treadmill? Why settle for stagnating? Why settle for no result?
Make a goal, take it seriously and make a change.
If you don’t know what you’re doing, ask someone who knows more than you. Admittedly that theory hasn’t exactly paid dividends for me at the horse track. But then perhaps perceiving someone with a folded race form and grey hair as one who ‘knows what they’re doing’ is a leaky theory… Who knows?
Clearly, I have at least one goal for this year. It’s going to be interesting and it is already great fun. (And there are quite a few people who know about this one already, so there is some real accountability there).
I also have a couple that I am slowly working towards. I aim to be able to dead lift 200kg for one repetition before Xmas this year, and squat 180kg on my back. Check my training vids above for some recent videos of my progress, 175kg dead lift and 155kg squat. In the scheme of things I’m just getting back into some proper strength training, but with these goals and current numbers I’m excited about making constant progress and hitting those year end marks.
Goal setting. You’d have to be hiding under a rock for a good part of your life to not have heard it mentioned, especially when the likes of Anthony Robbins all make constant reference to it. However, the fact remains that chasing a goal, (an exercise goal or otherwise) will have an empowering effect on your life. And you’ll be admired for the discipline and achievement. Besides, it’s all relative, e.g. improving your non alcohol days to 5/week or running a half marathon in less than 1hour 30minutes, the effect will be profound if you can commit to it. Sacrifices are necessary but they needn’t be intrusive.
Perhaps what matters the most is having honest conversations with yourself about what you want for yourself and weighing it up with the prospect of your reality if you do not pursue your goal.
You need to stop bullsh**ting yourself, set your benchmark and then raise it twice as high – now that’s a goal.
It’s that simple.
Don’t cringe, if you’re concerned I’m trying to ‘evangelise’ you by spraying you with some indulgent pyscho motivational vomit, I can assure you that’s not my gig. I’ll leave that to Kanye West who did just that when I saw him on Friday at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. It was a pretty wicked gig up until the final 30 minutes, when he lost himself in a self-absorbed, crazy style rant along the lines of “Set your goals as high as you can, aim for the sky, shoot for the stars”, over and over, ad nauseum… I don’t want to sound like such a ‘douchebag’.
So, that’s goals for you – in a nutshell.
In the words of Mike Campbell, (not Kanye West) just set some realistic, achievable goals and commit to them. Then work at it and enjoy reaching them, because if you do, you deserve it.
For the curious, let’s get to the meat I savoured this last week.
I don’t know where you were living if you missed the significance of last week in my corner of the world. It was, of course, Straya Day (Australia Day to those of us who speak English), and what with the BBQ dude (Sam Kekovich. Check it out) pushing lamb so hard, as seems to be the case each year, I thought why not get in the spirit and do some Lamb. Has to be covered at some stage. Plus I might be able to inform any Australians out there how well Kiwis do lamb. Change that: COOK lamb.
So I decided on a recipe of my dad’s, Tony Campbell. Someone who has been indelibly involved in the lamb industry in New Zealand for every year that I’ve been alive (and on Straya Day that made 30 full years).
This recipe uses a piece of the lamb that isn’t very commonly bought or butchered so it’s often only available upon request. But asking is easy enough aye. We’re talking about the Chump. The Butcher had got me two pieces of boneless chump roast. I have run into a slight bit of confusion as to what the technical term is for this cut, but if you have a chat to the butcher you should be able to figure it out (the uncooked photo below should help too).
The recipe is pretty easy really but makes for a beautiful piece of eating.
First slice the meat through the middle, making a pocket horizontally.
Then stuff the meat with fresh basil leaves and gruyere cheese.
Roll the meat in a mixture of rock salt, cracked black pepper, paprika, ground chilli powder, and turmeric.
Heat the oven to 180°C, then put a pan on the stove. Brown the meat on each side for about 1 minute, then remove and put the meat into the hot oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on how you like it.
Remove the meat and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Trust me now- this is seriously tasty!
With this meat dish I added cubed and roasted Kumara (sweet potato) doused in herbs and spices. This was coupled with some sautéed green beans and asparagus.
This is just a simple, healthy accompaniment with this meat.
Hands down, this was quite an exquisite dish. Admittedly, the chilli oil used for the greens packed an Atom Ant sized punch, but it never threatened to overshadow the lamb.
If you have any questions about the cut of meat feel free to ask me.
I recommend getting your hands on some and trying this recipe. You can have it good to go in 30 minutes! Why wouldn’t you??
Next week I’m going to be in New Zealand, so I will be making the most of what The Land Of The Long White Cloud has to offer on the meat front as well as reluctantly attending a close friends wedding I suppose….
Tune in around this time next week…
Bring your goal.
Mike
30 year old
PS I know these last few have been quite, ah, wordy… So I’ll try to shorten the length on the next few. Try.
Fifty Two 