Written on February 17, 2014
We’ve built a special relationship with a number of the vendors that we’ve had the pleasure of meeting at all the wonderful CrossFit events in the city. Perhaps one of our closest relationships is with John Rufino who ,like our founders, has spent time in the service. Here’s a little more about the man who is the Northeast Representative for PR Wraps, a U.S. Marine, and avid crossfiter from Guerrilla Fitness CrossFit Morristown.
1. What kind of diet are you currently on and how do you maintain it?
For the last 3 months I have been doing Zone. The amount of blocks a day has been fluctuating based on the needs of my training and trying to figure out how many I need to perform my best not only in the gym but in life. Kettlebell Kitchen has played an essential role in maintaining my diet while I am at work. The pre-made zone meals help me maintain a proper eating schedule. The non-zone meals are also very easy to divide up in to macros and add in other foods to keep a proper blocks per meal schedule.
2. In terms of zone dieting, what has been the most challenging aspect for you? Why do you like it more than Paleo?
The most challenging part of starting Zone was figuring out the proper amount of blocks to eat each day. Once I picked an amount based on my needs it became easier to increase or decrease based on my needs. I am fortunate enough to have many coaches and fellow athletes at GFCM that were able to advise me when I started. I prefer Zone over paleo because you aren’t so much restricted on what you can eat you just have to moderate the amount you eat. Zone is very simple to follow and it really is the most limitless nutrition plan to follow for limitless training!
3. How was KBK improved your nutrition and training?
Kettlebell Kitchen has made a remarkable impact on my nutrition and training. While I love to cook my own food as often as I can, ordering from KBK helps cut down the amount of meal prepping I have to do
4. What spurred you to join the PR Wraps team?
I first got a pair of PR Wraps in late summer 2012 & really became a fan of how well they worked. I followed them closely on social media and saw how successful they were in South Florida and I really wanted to be a part of a small company’s growth in to something great. Once both myself and my future partners found out that we were both Marines it was a perfect fit to make PR Wraps grow. Since then I have met a lot of great people, seen many great boxes and seen some of the very best competition the Northeast has to offer. I’ve also helped with development and improvement of our product as you see it today.
5. Give us your take on CrossFit competitions, as someone who has been a vendor at a number of events. How does that experience differ from being a spectator?
As a vendor you not only get to catch as much of the action as you can, but you also get the opportunity to meet competitors and spectators on a more intimate level and build a good customer relationship at the same time. When you frequent the local events you tend to see a lot of the same vendors, spectators and athletes at all of them and there isn’t a better way to network and grow your business than by doing it within our great community.
6. Can we expect anything new from PR Wraps in the future?
A couple of months ago we just launched our new “MY PR” where you can fully customize your wraps with colors and threading to be one of a kind. For the parents who have their children in the kids program, we just launched our “PR kids” line with shorter length wraps designed specifically for children. Follow us on instagram (@prwraps) for more updates on products and promotions!
7. Are you participating the 2014 open? What are your goals?
This will be my 3rd open I am participating in, my goal is to do better than last year (3914 in the Northeast). In the 2013 open I was nursing a shoulder injury that impacted me greatly. Since then I am fully functional again and I’m excited to see if I can do better. It’s the one time of the year where all of us as crossfitters regardless of skill level can make our coaches proud and really apply all the fundamentals we’ve been taught in our training and see where we stand.
8. Any special deals for our readers?
Use the discount code “CFOPEN2014″ at checkout on our website for 25% off your order, good through the end of the 2014 open.
Written on February 10, 2014
Last week I had a chance to speak with Chris Piumelli, founder of the NYC Affiliate League and competitor out of Crossfit Dynamix. We asked him about his plans for the open and what changes in his diet did he make for the upcoming season.
Q: With the open less than 30 days away, what are something of the last minute things you’re doing to prepare for it?
- In some ways one month out is crunch time; this is an athlete’s last chance to get everything in check. I use this time in the countdown to work out any kinks and resolve inefficiencies in skill work. This is also the time to hammer down on your diet. The open calls for high speed, low drag. While your results in the open are solidified during the months before, now is the time to cut and lean out after months of strength training. Fine tune everything to keep the machine operating seamlessly is the priority.
Q: What are some of the big changes you’ve made in your diet and training regmine this year to be more competitive?
- This year I have made some big changes in my regimen and experienced direct results in my performance. A key point here was refining the quality of food that I consume and restructuring everything; meals, training partners and schedules. Additionally, events in my personal life necessarily effect my training as well. Kettlebell Kitchen has taken the guess-work and stress out of menu and meal prep. Effortless clean eating has been key to staying productive. Saving time, planning and energy in this department clears the way for the major bullet-points. Everyone could use one less thing. Plus its effin delicious.
Q: How do you plan to attack the open WODs this year? Are you going to do them on Thursday, do a test run, or do them as a team?
- The plan is and always has been one and done. The goal is to come into the gym mentally tough and physically prepared, execute the WOD and back to your regularly scheduled programming. Any of these WODs is grueling enough. My team provides great energy and support. Thanks to Kettlebell Kitchen, I can count on being properly fueled to do my best and continue preparation for the big picture; regionals and the Games.
Q: What workout do you hope is repeated this year?
- I would love to see 13.5 or 13.3. Those workouts suit me well, especially now as a much better developed athlete. The opportunity to see them again would be redeeming. I don’t, however, foresee any repeats this year and predict that we will see five originals.
Q: Talk to us about The Affiliate League, what kind of events do you anticipate you’ll run later in the year?
- NYC Affiliate League will be bringing out bigger and better events upon completion of the open. The CrossFit community in NYC is growing rapidly, as is the demand for competition. NYC Affiliate League and International Fitness Organization has gained the reputation of running the highest quality and most professional events in the Tri State Area. Expect at least few events in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Updates will be posted thru Facebook and at www.nycaffiliateleague.com.
Written on January 3, 2014
This year, millions of people will make the same New Years Resolution to lose weight. Less drinking. Less fast food. Less sleepless nights going out with friends til wee hours of the morning.
But scheduling Paleo feedings around a busy life is difficult. This is New York City; we thrive on convenience! Most of us don’t cook. Most of us go out all the time. Most of us just…we just can’t.
So what’s the alternative? We tend to cook bland chicken every week or frequent the Chipotles and Just Salads of the world. But more than often we forget to cook for the week, get lazy, or walk past Just Salad to go to the Wendy’s that’s two blocks further away.
Diet fail.
This is why I love the Re-occuring order system that Kitchen Kettlebell Kitchen just introduced. Instead of preparing my food for the week, I schedule them. Plus with a few side items added here and there, it becomes less expensive than if I were constantly going to Chipotle or Just Salad for lunch and dinner. Thought I’d share my plan of attack with everyone and get their thoughts. Below is what’s on my reoccuring order list and how I use it:
—>Monday’s Order (eat Mon & Tues):
* 5 Power Block Breakfast, Joe’s Special Eggs, 3 x Kettlebell Kitchen Weekly Specials (medium), Keka’s Krunch, Mega Muffin, 1x Tea Rex cookies, PaleoTreats Brownie Bomb
* Extras: 3 coffees, two progenex protein shakes, going out dinner
* Explanation: On Monday and Tuesday I work out at night, so I take a Progenex drink right afterward and then a KBK meal an hour after that. This is why I get the medium meals, as I’m eating a few smaller meals. To make sure I have energy for the night’s workout (1.5hrs beforehand), I eat one of the muffins + half of the apples. This helps me peak at the right time. And then I snack on Keka’s Krunch thoughout the day seeing that I need a few extra calories due to the increase in my recent training volume. And, finally, I love flexibility, so I leave one day open for going out lunch or dinner.
Note: If you order 3 Kettlebell Kitchen Weekly Specials and have them delivered to Monday’s order, they will give you Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday specials. I love variety, so this is why I choose the weekly specials rather than the same meals.
—>Wednesday’s Order (eat Wednesday, Thursday, Friday):
* 2X 5 Power Block Breakfast, Salmon Hash & Kale, 3 X Kettlebell Kitchen Weekly Specials (medium), Spicy Beef Jerky, 2 X Tea Rex cookies, Pulled Pork meal (medium), Turkey & Brussel Sprouts, 2X Chicken Breast with lime
* Extras: 4 coffees, two bananas, two Progenex shakes, one or two going out dinners/lunches
* Explanation: Thursday and Fridays I tend to workout in the AM. Before working out I like to eat a banana 30-40 minutes before, which is about how long it takes me to get to the gym + 10 minute warmup. Hits me quicker than the muffin, which is important because I don’t have as much time in the mornings. Then I take shake afterward the workout and have a late breakfast (usually at my desk) around 10:00am. The days I wake up early to work out I generally have lower energy levels, so I feel like I need a more hearty snack than just a muffin. That’s why I get the beef jerky and chicken breast. Wednesday is my rest day.
And at this point in the week, I’ll start craving more salad, so I usually have lunch at Just Salad. Sometimes even twice. And when this happens I just freeze the meals, because they are still very good after thawing them out for 48 hours.
Total Cost per work week: KBK Reoccurring order ($130-140) ; additions including avg of $25 per dinner outing ($80-110)
Avg Calories per day: ~ 2200-2500
This is how I budget out and schedule my Paleo meals for the work week. It’s sustainable, and has worked for me the last month or so. Next thing to tackle is the drinking, because that’s when I grab a whole pizza late at night FOR NO REASON AT ALL. I’m not even hungry! How does everyone else make Paleo work in their busy lives? Do you mostly cook for the week? If so, have you tried ordering/scheduling for the entire week like myself? Give us your thoughts below.
HaPpY NeW YeAr everyone!
- Cleo Kirkland
Written on December 16, 2013
How long have you been eating paleo? Was it a rough or easy transition? How strict are you with staying paleo?
Tricky question. I’ve tried Paleo in the past but it’s just something that’s not convenient living in the city. For one, I don’t like to cook. So there’s that. Secondly, the premade “Paleo” compliant meals that I found in stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joes tasted awful to me. So I wasn’t on the diet at all, LOL. But now that I have Kettlebell Kitchen meals, I am able to maintain some level of the Paleo diet. It’s about 70% of my meals.
You do lots of local CrossFit competitions. Have you figured out how best to fuel yourself on those multiple-WOD days and what’s that look like?
No I haven’t quite figured out the right mix. Just when I think I have, I get a side cramp in a workout or somehow mess up the timing. But what seems to work the best for me in general is a half a banana 30 minutes before the workout and then a protein shake right afterward. The banana just before the WOD helps my energy level peak at the right momement. But this does depend on the day – sometimes I peak quickly then feel like I crash right before the WOD.
And the multiple WODs in a day thing is always tricky. But usually all comps alternate between sprint workouts and metcon workouts. So I try to make sure I fuel way far in advance for the metcon workouts and focus on getting the right amount of sugar for the sprint workouts. The multiple day thing is just a matter of repeating this process and then mobilizing after the WODs.
How does diet play a factor into your CrossFit short term and long term goals? What are you doing to your diet to achieve these goals?
My short-term goals in CrossFit revolve around increasing my mobility and my engine. So for this my coach and friends have suggested I fuel like a endurance athlete rather than cutting back on calories. Just need to make sure the volume of food matches the volume of training. Now, I can drop about 20-30 pounds on my frame – and that would help as well. So if I can keep it mostly clean, I should be able to do this without sacrificing on performance.
In the past I’ve experimented with Tim Ferris’s stack and Slow Carb diet. In the short term it helped me lose weight which helped my metcons. But long term my weight fluctuated and my metcons never got better. I’m a bit heavier than I’d like, but at least my numbers are improving!
What are your go-to items on the Kettlebell Kitchen menu?
I LOVE the new 5 day special deal. Some of them have been stunning meals. Others are ok, but I love the variety. It’s hard to get bored with that. But in terms of the core items, I love the Salmon Hash breakfast, 5 Power Block Breakfast, Roasted Turkey, and Pulled Pork Meals. And I’m SUPER excited to have Tea-Rex Paleo cookies on the site! I love her stuff.
What’s the one thing not on the KBK menu that you wish was?
I would love to see pizza covered or at least attempted. That’s the biggest cheat meal I have every week (sometimes 3 times a week!). And when I cheat with pizza I go pretty hard – like a full pie. So I’d love to see that on the menu.
How has CrossFit or the Paleo diet helped you in other areas of your life?
The CrossFit community is so supportive. Of recent I’ve been hit with a lot of instability in my life, but I’ve always been able to lean on the tight group of friends I’ve made here. It means a lot when people get worried about you when you only miss a week’s worth of practice. God forbid I ever miss more than that, I’m sure some of them would file a police report! I really appreciate all the love that we give each other. And I think Paleo is an extension of that love. Paleo potlucks, paleo weight loss competitions, etc – it’s how we all keep tabs on each other. Really love this.
Written on November 25, 2013
Thanksgiving is almost here and we here at Kettlebell Kitchen are so grateful to all of our customers who entrust us to bring you your daily food.
Have a great Thanksgiving and here’s your latest links:
The New York Times “Essential Thanksgiving” interactive cooking guide
Eating “junk food” won’t kill you
Understanding A2 milk
How to date while also staying strict paleo
We’re covered in germs. Let’s design for that.
Our skin’s sense of time helps protect against UV damage
In case you missed it last week, our awesome Q&A with Paleo Manifesto author John Durant
Photo courtesy New York Times:
