I almost died during my bench training today.  It was an ME bench day, we were to work up to a heavy single off the chest in our shirts.  I was excited because my Mom, who apparently is a very talented seamstress, was able to shorten the sleeves on my bench shirt to accommodate my T-Rex like arms.  Anyways, since losing about 10lbs in preparation for my powerlifting meet in December, my shirt now fits me like a trash bag.  For me to get any kind of pop off the chest my training partners really have to jack the collar down to almost below my pecs.  Well, after some tugging we got my shirt where it needed to be, and I was ready to try for 475lbs (a 15lb pr).  Toan gave me a beautiful hand-off, I took my air, bellied up, and began my descent.  I got to about a 1 ½ board range when I really felt my shirt catch.  I wasn’t prepared for this because, like I said, my shirt is too big for me and I usually have a relatively easy time touching.  I finally got the bar down, and after a brief pause on the chest I fired it up.  At about 2 board height I lost control of the bar and ended up having to ditch 475lbs over my head.  During my Houdini act I was somehow able to throw the bar back into the lowest pin setting.  It happened so fast Toan, who was my back spot, wasn’t able to react.  Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get my Matrix like maneuvering on tape.  Oh well, I guess I’m lucky I didn’t lose my head…

 

Long story short, I regrouped, refocused and smoked 475 on my second attempt for a 15lbs pr!  Sometimes you gotta’ dust yourself and hop back in the saddle!

 

Who needs teeth anyways…

 

Coach Romo

"3 Things I Know

by Coach Mike Boyle for T-Nation

1. No one will ever build a machine that works better than a free weight. Free weights always have been and always will be better than machines. The only machines you need are cable pieces that allow you to perform exercises that you can't do with a bar or dumbbell.

2. Bad news: People on steroids can use any routine and still get strong. Take advice carefully from athletes or coaches you know or suspect are using steroids, unless you're also on steroids. One of the things that held both my athletes and myself back in the early years was believing what I read, and not considering the additional recovery needs and reduced volume needs of natural lifters.

3. You should be able to do one chin-up with a weight equal to what you bench press for one rep. The chin-up weight is calculated by adding external load on the dip belt to your bodyweight. Use a supinated grip to spare the shoulders and start from the bottom. It's my sincere belief that those who can do this rarely have shoulder issues. Most people are out of balance and have rotator cuff issues to prove it."

Steroid use changes all the rules,

S.

Name: Suzybaer
Team_Member: Sarah Walls
Question: I like to run but I have noticed that when I try to increase my running pace I always wind up with shin splints.  How can I increase my pace and avoid those shin splints?

Suzybaer,

This is a two-layer problem. The first problem is that it is likely your calves and plantar fascia are tight. Make sure you statically stretch those areas AFTER you run or at night. This is an easy fix that can (but may not) make a difference almost right away. You can also ice the shins after a run to help reduce inflammation.

The second part of the problem is where the long-term solution lies. Many people think that by increasing distance or time spent running that they are becoming “stronger” runners – they’re not. This is just a sign of improved aerobic fitness and endurance. To improve stride length and pace you have to strengthen the body. In your case, it’s the lower leg that is weak (specifically, the Achilles region, shin musculature, and calf musculature: soleus/gastroc). To prepare your body for the extra force that comes with a faster pace try: band resisted dorsi flexion and extension, calf raises, and some skipping/bounding This will get the lower leg up to par and should alleviate the shin splints.

Of course, if you try these things and the pain does not subside, gets worse, or becomes acute you will want to lay off running for a bit and get checked out by a doctor. These are signs of a bigger problem such as a stress fracture or compartment syndrome.

I've actually shed real tears from shin splint pain,

S.

What do all baseball players have in common?  They all have a HUGE butt?  I’ll take it a step further; what do all power sport athletes (football, volleyball, track etc.) have in common?  That’s right, a rotund backside.  Yes ladies and gentlemen, in the world of power sports developing a backside that possesses its own zip code is key when pursuing elite levels of sport performance.

The gluteal complex is the largest muscle group in the body, and is comprised of the gluteus maximus, medius , and minimus.  Maximus main function is to pull your leg backward, providing the power to sprint and jump.  I would say 100% of the young athletes that walk in our doors do not/cannot/do not know how to recruit the muscles in this area of the body.  Instead, the quads tend to pick up the slack.  Until the athlete learns to use and develop strength in the maximus, their jumping and sprinting abilities will be marginal at best. 

Medius is responsible for leg abduction, or moving the leg a way from the body, and your minimus basically keeps your femur stable inside the hip socket.  One of the biggest problems we see with our young jump sport athletes are exceptionally weak gluteal medius.  How can I identify medius weakness?  Go to any volleyball game in Fairfax.  Watch the athletes landing mechanics.  I’d say 99%, no wait, 100% of the athletes will land stiff legged, while knees buckle and extend far past the toes.  The buckling you notice is a sign of deficient medius strength. Weakness in the gluteal medius puts the athlete at a tremendous risk of knee and back injury.  Take a look at the rate of ACL injury, primarily amongst active adolescent girls, and you'll realize how serious a problem this is.

That’s my rant for the day; off to train some SAPT studs!

Coach Romo

For those that don’t know, yours truly is in charge of keeping SAPT spick and span.  I take great pride in my janitorial prowess; I’m borderline obsessive.  This is weird considering my Mom wasn’t ever able to get me to fold my clothes or clean my room...

 

Anyways, I spend about 45 minutes every morning vacuuming, cleaning equipment, and scrubbing the toilet (apparently our male athlete’s spin in circles while going #1).  Long story short, today every leaf in Fairfax has decided to blow into our training facility.  Seriously, there isn’t a leaf anywhere near our neighbors' bay doors; nope, they’re all situated nicely atop our kettlebells and sandbags.  I think punishment for any athlete who acts up today will be to pickup each leaf individually and sprint it back into the woods. 

 

Anybody who would like to donate a screen, leaf blower, or goat to SAPT it would be greatly appreciated.

Coach Romo



Name: Sarah

Team_Member: Chris Romanow

 

Question:

 

Hey Chris,

 

How can I get girls with very little athletic background to do pushups when they currently can’t even complete a modified (on the knees) pushup?

 

Answer:

 

Hello Sarah,

 

I’m not sure what your resources are, but here are few things you can try.  We incorporate these exercises into our programming, and find that they help tremendously.

 

Pushups to sandbags:  The sandbags, much like a board press, reduce the range of motion (ROM) to allow the athlete to become stronger at different depths of the pushup.  It is important to have the athlete remain tight to the sandbag, pause, than drive away fast.  You may add external resistance (bands, plate, etc) to increase difficulty.

 

Band Assisted Pushup:  At SAPT we also attach bands to our band pegs and have our female athletes perform full ROM push-ups using the bands assistance.  The band provides momentum to get them out of the bottom portion of the movement.  Thus, we are able increase volume, and the athlete becomes more consistent with their technique.

 

We also adjust the tempo of the exercise.  Our athletes perform eccentric fallouts, isometric holds, and/or combinations of both. 

 

Don’t forget to hammer the triceps.  We primarily use triceps extensions, pushdowns, and tire passing to hit the triceps. 

 

Most importantly, train their backs!  An SAPT workout typically uses at 1:2 push to pull ratio.  A big strong back=pushup pr’s!

Thanks for the question!
Coach Chris

Name: Bob

Team_Member: Chris Romanow

 

Question:

Hey Chris,

 

My son has been experiencing shoulder discomfort in his pitching shoulder.  We’ve been to the orthopedic, and he assured us that there wasn’t any structural damage.  What can he do to strengthen this area of his body?

 

Answer:

 

Hey Bob,

 

At SAPT, we spend a lot of time prehabing this area of the body.  The following are some exercises we incorporate in our training sessions.  Your son should complete these 2-3x/week to improve strength, mobility, and muscular endurance in the shoulder girdle and scapula.  He should also perform these during warm-ups prior to a game to increase blood flow to these areas (reduce the number of sets by one on game-days).

 

Rotator-Cuff Specific:

**These exercise should be performed with no more than 5 pounds in each hand.          If you don’t have weights at home, holding soup cans will do just fine.

 

Lateral Raise- 2x8

Front Raise- 2x8

Y-Raise- 2x8

Goalposts- 2x8

SA Cross-body Raise- 2x8

 

Scapula Specific:

**No weight necessary for these movements.

 

Scap Pushups-2x10

Scap Pullups-2x10

**Will need a bar/beam to hang from to perform this exercise.

 

Swimmers- 2x12

Seated Goals- 2x12

Active T- 2x10 each arm

 

Please, email or give me a call if you have questions about technique.

 

Thanks for the question!

 

Have you been practicing your baseball chatter?

Coach Chris