Strength Circuit Workout | Body Recomposition Workout Plan Day 13

Protein Cookies, Dinner, Strength Workout | Live Lean Shred Ep. 13

On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m sharing strength circuit workout #8 from the Afterburn 1.0 body recomposition workout plan, as well as how to make brussels sprouts taste good.

Welcome back to day 13 of the Afterburn x Live Lean Shred 42 day body recomposition workout plan.

Table Of Contents – Jump To:

I’m back in the kitchen since we know you want more nutrition tips and implementable strategies on how you can make healthy eating more sustainable.

In other words, how to stick to eating healthy foods 365 days a year, the Live Lean Way.

So since you asked for it, that’s what you’re going to get.

The Easiest Way To Prep Brussels Sprouts

The first thing I want to show you is the easiest way to prep brussels sprouts.

When a lot people in the world hear the word “brussels sprouts”, they often think, “ewww, brussels sprouts.”

I honestly don’t know why that is.

Even though my parents didn’t make brussels sprouts a lot when I was a kid, once I became an adult, I started making them after learning about their health benefits.

You know what they say, brussels for the muscles.

To my surprise, I realized brussels sprouts are actually good, when you know how to make them properly.

One way I like to make brussels sprouts is to first put them in a food processor.

Here’s a link to the food processor we use on Amazon that only costs $50.

All you need to do is throw the brussels sprouts in the food processor, then turn the dial to shred them up.

Make Sure You Use The Correct Blade In The Food Processor

Note: Before adding the brussels sprouts to the food processor, make sure you have the correct blade installed.

While filming this, I didn’t make them the way I was supposed to, since I incorrectly used the s-blade rather than the slicing blade.

The s-blade is primarily used for chopping, mixing, and pureeing, therefore it essentially pulverized the brussels sprouts.

This is why we don’t normally use the s-blade for brussels sprouts.

I remember I made this same mistake when making sweet potatoes one time, however they still came out really good.

I guess we could call this brussels sprouts rice, brussels rice, or brussels sprouted rice.

You heard it hear first.

This is similar to a broccoli rice recipe.

You can make rice out of every vegetable known to man by first shredding it up in the food processor.

The reversible disc blade is used for shredding and slicing the brussels sprouts up.

Jessica prefers having brussels sprouts sliced, however fortunately there are many different ways to make your brussels sprouts taste good.

Even with this food processor mistake, I was on a mission to make these brussels sprouts taste freaking delicious.

How To Make Brussels Sprouts Taste Good

If you’re wondering what you can eat if you don’t eat rice, give this brussels sprouted rice recipe a try.

Here’s how to make these brussels sprouts taste good:

1. Add 1 tbsp of coconut oil to a pan over medium high heat.
2. Spread the coconut over around to cover the bottom surface of the pan.
3. Add 1 tsp of garlic powder (I use the Kirkland Granulated California Garlic from Costco) and 1 tsp Mrs. Dash Salt-Free Garlic & Herb seasoning blend to the coconut oil to create a flavored oil.
4. Stir it up and let it simmer for a few seconds before throwing in the brussels sprouts.
5. Add the brussels sprouts and stir to cover them with the seasoned oil.
6. Add a dash of black pepper and salt.
7. Since I saw we had some Nutritional Yeast in the fridge, I decided to add 1 tsp of it as well.
8. Stir it up as it continues to cook.
9. Enjoy.

For the protein source, we’re going to have some Coleman organic apple chicken sausages.

If you’re eating sausages, you want to make sure you’re eating the healthy kind with:

• No antibiotics
• No added hormones
• Certified organic

I typically would add these organic sauces to the grill, however we just ran out of propane.

Rookie mistake.

Rather than grilling them on the BBQ, I cooked the sausages up in the frying pan.

Although it’s not as good, you have to do, what you have to do.

Note: I didn’t take a photo of the meal, since it was an ugly mess, however it tasted better than it looked.

We also made enough leftovers to have it again tomorrow.

Jessica approved of the pulverization method, even though she requested sliced.

Even though it wasn’t done on purpose, it actually turned out good, and we would do it again.

You should try it.

That’s another healthy meal option for you.

Healthy Protein Cookie Recipe

While I was making dinner, Jessica put together this healthy protein cookie recipe.

If you haven’t tried our Healthy Chocolate Chip Sweet Potato Protein Cookies Recipe yet, they are amazing.

However this time, we’re making this protein cookie recipe with purple potatoes.

It will be interesting to see if they come out as good.

I think they’re going to be really cook looking once they are done.

Since we’re always asked about what we recommend for protein bars or on the go protein snacks, I would probably say we use this cookie recipe the most.

This protein cookie recipe is one of our staples ever since we made it a few years ago in LA.

Since then, it has become a staple that we make pretty regularly.

These cookies smell so good while they’re baking in the oven.

If you’re looking for a protein bar alternative option, I highly suggest these protein cookies.

Just make them at the same time as you’re prepping dinner one night, then you’ll have a batch of protein cookies that will last for several days, or maybe a whole week, if you’re good with your portion control.

We’re going to have them for dessert.

However, these cookies are so delicious they are hard not eat too many at a time.

If this is a concern, put a few in the freezer, then you can just grab them in future when you’re a short on healthy snacks.

If you are following a lower carb plan, you can also have your carbohydrates in a different way.

For example, rather than having potatoes with your meal, you could have this super delicious purple potato protein cookie for dessert.

This will help you keep your carbohydrate consumption lower, instead of having potatoes twice.

In other words, if you want to have a higher carbohydrate dessert after dinner, have a high protein and moderate to lower carbohydrate dinner.

Now you know.

Strength Circuit Workout #8 | Body Recomposition Workout Plan

Welcome back to workout #8 from our body recomposition workout plan.

Since it’s late, both Kyla and Jessica are in bed.

That means I’m down in the gym filming by myself tonight.

It’s time to put in the work.

This is strength circuit workout #2 from Live Lean Afterburn 1.0.

If you missed it check out strength circuit workout #1.

The key with these strength workouts is to make sure you’re keeping the weights up, while lifting with good form, to keep the tension on the muscles.

A lot of times if you’re lifting too heavy, the tensions does not go to your muscles, it goes to your joints.

Lift smart.

If you don’t have the PDF of the workout yet, you can get them e-mailed to you free by signing up here.

That way you can start the 42 day body recomposition workout plan from day one.

Warm Up

Before getting into the strength portion of the workout, make sure you complete the following warm up.

• WU1. Seal Jacks x 30 seconds
• WU2. Air Squats x 30 seconds
• WU3. Push Up x 30 seconds
• WU4. Alternating Pendulum Lunge x 30 seconds

Repeat this circuit twice without breaks, for a total of 4 minutes.

How Much Weight Should I Be Lifting?

The goal is to keep the amount of weight up while keeping the reps down.

Find a weight you can lift for 5-8 reps, then stick with it.

Once you’re on the 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th rep, that’s when you should be hitting failure.

If you can lift that weight more than 8 reps, the weight is not heavy enough.

If you’re in a condo gym like me, and don’t have access to a lot of heavy weight, slow the tempo down.

Your muscles don’t know the number of pounds listed on the dumbbells.

All your muscles know is the amount tension that you create within the muscle.

When using lighter weights, you can create more tension in the muscle, by slowing the tempo down, while really focusing on the mind to muscle connection, and squeezing really hard to create a lot of tension.

By doing this, it will feel like you’re lifting more weight than you really are.

This is how you can make it more difficult on your muscles when you’re lifting lighter weight.

Follow a slow lifting tempo on the way down, then press the weight back up again.

Remember this if you don’t have access to a lot of weight.

Exercise Substitutions

While it’s ideal to follow the program 100% as designed, remember that doing something is better than doing nothing.

Therefore, if you don’t have access to barbells, use dumbbells.

If you don’t have access to dumbbells, use barbells.

Strength Circuit A

The first strength circuit is comprised of the:

• Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
• Barbell Upright Row
• Barbell Push Press
• Dumbbell Walking Lunge

Since I’m working out in my condo gym, I’m have to make a couple exercise substitutions because I don’t have access to an olympic barbell.

Even though I have access to a smith machine, I can’t do a push press on it, so I’ll be swapping the barbell push press with the dumbbell push press.

Before starting circuit A, it’s important to set up all the equipment required for the circuit, in one spot.

Get your circuit station set up with all the required equipment, then own that little area until you finish all the sets of the circuit.

Let’s get to work.

A1. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

The first exercise in strength circuit A is the dumbbell romanian deadlift.

• Total reps from all sets combined: 25
• Reps per set: 5-8
• Sets: 4-5
• Rest: 20 seconds

Coaching cues:

• For this exercise I used 50 pound dumbbells, which were the heaviest set of dumbbells available in my condo gym.
• Since 50 pounds was not heavy enough for me, I focused on slowing down the eccentric lowering portion of the lift.
• The rep goal for the entire circuit is 25 reps, so since I hit 8 reps, take 25 minus 8, which gives me 17 reps left before I’m done.
• After completing the first 8 reps, take a 20 second break then move immediately into the barbell upright row.

A2. Barbell Upright Row

The second exercise in strength circuit B is the barbell upright row.

Exercise Substitution: Since I don’t have access to an olympic barbell, I’m swapping this out for the smith machine upright row.

• Total reps from all sets combined: 30
• Reps per set: 5-8
• Sets: 4-6
• Rest: 20 seconds

Coaching cues:

• Load up the smith machine with enough weight to reach muscle failure between 5-8 reps.
• The total rep goal is 30 reps, so since I completed 8 reps with my first set, I have 22 reps left to go.
• Take a 20 second rest, then move on to the barbell push press.

A3. Barbell Push Press

The third exercise in strength circuit A is the barbell push press.

Exercise Substitution: Since I don’t have access to an olympic barbell, and I can’t do the barbell push press on the smith machine, I’ll have to swap this out for the dumbbell push press.

• Total reps from all sets combined: 30
• Reps per set: 5-8
• Sets: 4-6
• Rest: 20 seconds

Coaching cues:

• For me, the 50 pound dumbbells should be a decent amount of weight for the dumbbell push press.
• The total rep count for this exercise is 30 reps, so I’ll try to get between 5-8 reps for this first set.
• For my first set, I failed at 7 reps, therefore take 30 minus 7, which leaves me with 23 reps to go.
• Take a 20 second rest, then move on to the last exercise in strength circuit A.

A4. Dumbbell Walking Lunge

The last exercise in strength circuit A is the dumbbell walking lunge.

• Total reps from all sets combined: 25 per leg
• Reps per set: 5-8
• Sets: 4-5
• Rest: 20 seconds

Coaching cues:

• For the dumbbell walking lunges, I used the 50 pound dumbbells.
• The total rep goal is 25 reps per leg, so since I completed 5 reps per leg during the first set, that leaves me with 20 reps per leg to go.

That’s one strength circuit down.

Now you know how many reps you have left, while sticking within the 5-8 rep range goal before hitting muscle failure.

Take a 60 second rest between circuits, then repeat the circuit until you complete all the reps.

Once you complete all the sets of strength circuit A, move into the Ignite It Up.

Ignite It Up: Push Up

The ignite it up exercise are push ups.

• Reps: 35-60 seconds
• Sets: 1
• Rest: 45 seconds

You have to love the ignite it ups!

Strength Circuit B

Once you complete the ignite it up, catch your breath, then move on to strength circuit B.

B1. Barbell Deadlift

The first exercise in strength circuit B is the barbell deadlift.

Exercise Substitution: Since the condo gym doesn’t have an olympic barbell, I’m completing the smith machine deadlift.

• Total reps from all sets combined: 25
• Reps per set: 5-8
• Sets: 4-5
• Rest: 20 seconds

Coaching cues:

• Last time I substituted the barbell deadlift for the trap bar deadlift, however I couldn’t find the trap bar in the gym this time.
• For my first set I completed 8 of the 25 reps, therefore I have 17 reps left to go on the barbell deadlift.
• Take a 20 second rest, then move on to the barbell upright row.
• This 20 second rest is basically just enough time to take the weights off and on.

B2. Barbell Upright Row

The second exercise in strength circuit B is the barbell upright row.

Exercise Substitution: With no access to an olympic barbell, I did smith machine upright row instead.

• Total reps from all sets combined: 35
• Reps per set: 5-8
• Sets: 4-6
• Rest: 20 seconds

Coaching cues:

• I completed 8 reps for my first set, which leaves 27 more reps to go.
• Take a 20 second rest, then move on to the neutral grip incline dumbbell bench press.

B3. Neutral Grip Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

The third exercise of strength circuit B is the neutral grip incline dumbbell bench press.

Exercise Substitution: If you don’t have access to an adjustable incline bench, you can just go with the neutral grip dumbbell flat bench press.

• Total reps from all sets combined: 30
• Reps per set: 5-8
• Sets: 4-6
• Rest: 20 seconds

Coaching cues:

• Since the dumbbells max out at 50 pounds, and I can lift more than that for the bench press, I’m going to slow the tempo down by using a 6 second count on the way down, to increase the challenge on my body.
• Use a neutral grip, with your palms facing each other.
• I completed 8 reps for my first set, therefore I have 22 reps left.
• Take a 20 second rest, then move on to the last exercise in strength circuit B, the arnold press.

B4. Standing Arnold Press

The final exercise in strength circuit B is the standing arnold press.

Exercise substitution: you can also complete the seated arnold press.

• Total reps from all sets combined: 20
• Reps per set: 5-8
• Sets: 3-4
• Rest: 20 seconds

Coaching cues:

• The arnold press hits the shoulders.
• On the first set, I used 50 pound dumbbells which actually made me fail out on 4 reps.
• Since I was starting to feel tired, for the next set I’ll lower the weight to ensure I can reach the 5-8 rep range.
• The total rep goal is 20, so I’ll subtract 4 reps from that, which leaves me with 16 reps left to go.

Take a 60 second break, then repeat the circuit until all reps are completed.

Once you are done all the circuits, catch your breath than move on to the 4 minute tabata workout finisher.

Tabata Workout Finisher

I know you will love this one.

The 4 minute tabata workout finisher is comprised of:

• 20 seconds of work
• 10 seconds of rest
• 8 intervals

C1. Side To Side Lateral Run

The first tabata exercise is the side to side lateral run, which is essentially a side to side high knees run.

• Reps: 20 seconds
• Rest: 10 seconds
• Sets: 2

C2. Plyometric Push Up Jack

The second tabata exercise is the plyometric push up jack, a.k.a. seal jack plyometric push up.

If this variation is too difficult, you can break it down by completing a seal jack on your feet, followed by a plyometric push up or a flying clapping push up.

• Reps: 20 seconds
• Rest: 10 seconds
• Sets: 2

C3. Mountain Climber

The third tabata exercise is the mountain climber.

• Reps: 20 seconds
• Rest: 10 seconds
• Sets: 2

C4. High Knee Sprint

The last tabata exercise is the high knee sprint, a.k.a. running on the spot.

• Reps: 20 seconds
• Rest: 10 seconds
• Sets: 2

Repeat this two times and you are done.

There you go.

That is another Live Lean Afterburn 1.0 workout from our 6 week body recomposition workout plan.

I’m feeling the afterburn, so hopefully you are too.

I also hope you are enjoying these workouts since we put a lot of work and effort into them.

If you are, we really hope you are tapping the social media buttons to share body recomposition workouts with your friends.

We really need to get more views to keep going.

You can help us with that by sharing these posts.

I love you, good night, and we’ll see you at the next workout.

Next Workout: Complex Training Workout #9 | Body Recomposition Workout Plan