I'm happy to say things are winding down at Mason. Basketball finished yesterday and rowing only has two more lifts. Then I will be free to focus on SAPT and getting my life together before shedding this 20lb weight vest I've been wearing the last 8 months.

Here's what i did today:

A1 BB BO Row 4x5 @ 85, 85, 95, 95

A2 Scap Wall Goals 3x5

B1 Inverted Row 5x6

B2 Incline Pushups 5x6

C1 Cable Pushdowns 4x10

C2 SA DB Shoulder Press 3x5/side

10-min walk/jog warm-up, 20-min HR intervals 146-160bpm, 20-min cool-down on stationary bike

As soon as rowing finished their lift I hurried off to Falls Church for another check-in with the doc. Everything looks good, growth is right on track. Gladly, my BP was back down to an acceptable (normal) range  for me.

Google the movie "Food, Inc," purchase it, and watch it - Sarah

First time in a long time that I've cracked the 220's.  I was 241.8 about 2 weeks ago.  What's to blame for this weight loss, a plant based food diet.  To be continued...

Eating a ton of food...

Chris 

Foam rolling w/light mobility work

DE Deadlift 8x1 @ 125

A1 BB RDL 4x5 @ 95, 105, 115, 125

A2 Standing Band Adduction 3x15/leg

B1 Step-down Ecc's 3x3 @ :06

B2 Seated Band Abduction 3x15

C1 BB Goodmorning 3x10

C2 Plate Pinch Driver 3x5 ea way

5-min walk, 30-min jog HR 140-153bpm, 5-min walk

Went home to grab food and change, but found our dog had diarrhea - so clean-up got added to my little list. 

- Sarah

Chris and I are reading some pretty astounding things right now that are changing the way we eat. I would recommend these books to anyone who consumes food: The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, PhD; Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser; The Jungle by Upton Sinclair; and The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

20-min on stationary bike at whatever pace allowed me to read at the same time. Somewhere those exact parameters are the definition of NOT getting any productive work done. This was just an excuse to read and warm-up for my run. Note the McCafe perched in the handle bars. Unfortunately, it was decaf.

45-min jog at 140-160bpm. Felt good, kind of boring though.

Hurried down to soccer's training field after the run to see the Polar reps do a product demo for their Team Training System v2. It was pretty cool to see all the guys' HR's in real time, but I think the system might be too fussy for our applications. Not sure though. Has anyone used this system? Email me if you have.

- Sarah

Still trying to get this cold out of my system. I was coughing for, no joke, 15-min straight this morning. I think Ryan thought I was dying a very loud death in the bathroom. When the intensive coughing session subsided I was left sweating and with watering eyes. I have a real problem getting my coughs to be "productive" - it's a skill set I've never mastered. If I had, I think my cough would have disappeared several days ago. Well, I finally triumphed and got rid of some of the crap that's been building up in my lungs. We'll see if this helps.

Training this morning:

Half-assed my way through a pretty pathetic warm-up that no athlete of client of mine would ever get away with

A1 Incline DB Chest Press 3x8 @ 40

A2 Band No-Money 3x10

B1 Banded Pullups 4x5 - the struggle of my life v1.0

B2 Pushups on very low incline 3x8 - the struggle of my life v2.0

C1 DB Curls 3x8

C2 DB Lateral Raise 2x10

5-min Walk, 40-min continuous jog at low HR, 5-min walk. A guy on the soccer team was on the track at the same time and was lapping me like every 50m. This meant he was running 4x faster than I was "jogging."

Although it feels like it, I won't be pregnant forever - Sarah

1. WBB tested 3RM back squat this morning and it went really well. We put up some respectable numbers at a respectable depth.

2. Today was the first time in almost a week that I felt decent. Turns out, I was sick - not suffering from allergies. Here's what I did this morning:

Foam rolling, light warmup

A1 Low Box Jump 3x3

A2 Standing Band Adduction 3x12/leg

B1 GHR 4x8 @ bw

B2 Seated Band Abduction 3x12

C1 DB Front Squat to Stepback Lunge 3x3

C2 SL TKE 3x12/leg

Low Back Exts on GHR 2x10

5-min walk, 30-min HR intervals, 5-min walk

Bench press and pullups testing tomorrow! Sarah

Here is my training for today, it was generously capped by a most entertaining and unexpected thing:

MB Throws and tennis ball rolling on upper back and delts

A1 BO BB Row 4x8

A2 Low Back Exts 2x10

B1 SA Incline DB Chest Press 2x20/arm

B2 Lying Band Triceps Exts 2x15

C1 Standing Band Row 2x20

C2 Band Biceps Curls 2x15

10-min walking warm-up, 20-min HR intervals on track - then went to the bike for 45-min of the "rolling hills" workout. 

Okay, so Ryan sometimes uses the jump-rope to warm-up before he lifts at SAPT. Whenever he does this he inevitably does this silly thing where he takes large strides forward and "runs" with the jump-rope (it looks like he's prancing and is very funny). Needless to say, I never thought I would see this outside of Ryan messing around. Well, while I was on my last 15-min of the bike this guy walks onto the track with  a jump-rope and begins prancing around the track just like Ryan. The main difference? Dead serious face. I could NOT believe my eyes! He probably got in a good two miles before I left the fieldhouse for the day. It was unreal. The guy had no shame, which I guess you have to respect at least a little bit. From an actual exercise perspective, he's created a hybrid exercise in which neither the running nor the jumping rope is being done well or effectively. I'll say it is probably difficult - but what's the value?

I love Mason - Sarah

All sorts of mobility and activation drills followed by some pre-hab stuff.

Close stance squats 4x10 at 315.  Just a little test to see how my groin and hip flexors were feeling; not bad.

Paloff Press 3x10/side

Boring, I know,

Chris

Livestrong.com has a pretty good food log/activity tracker called MyPlate. Just register at www.livestrong.com and then go to the MyPlate tab. Virtually any food you can find out at restaurants, in grocery stores, etc. will be listed.

- Sarah

Tuesday, I attended the Arlington Public Schools Employer Appreciation Breakfast in support of our fall and winter intern Jeremy Seipp.  Not only were the hash-browns delicious, but Jeremy was awarded a scholarship for his hard-work while interning with us!  Next fall, Jeremy, will be attending Roanoke College where he will play baseball and pursue a degree in the Health Science field.  We are very proud of him.A couple handsome lads,Chris

I'm not sure if I'm sick or if the problem is allergies. Either way, I didn't feel fantastic this morning which sucks because Wednesdays are the only day of the week when I don't have a bunch of teams all morning and usually do my long "jog" (read: a fast paced walker could easily overtake me). So, instead I rode the stationary bike at a very light pace for 60 minutes at the fieldhouse and another 30 minutes on the bike trainer at home while I had some rice cooking.

I am looking forward to beginning to read The China Study today. I've avoided, on purpose, knowing about all the dirty practices and health hazards associated with meat and dairy consumption up until now. With this book I will finally be opening that can of worms and embracing the fact that I will probably not be able to stomach beef, chicken, pork, eggs, or dairy any longer. Dr. Campbell takes them all down with 20+ years of research. 

By the time this pregnancy is over I will be an endurance running vegan - I hope I don't start wearing hemp clothing and ignoring basic hygiene, too - Sarah

Warm-up; hip, ankle, and thoracic mobility.

Conventional Deads, no belt
1x5 at 345, 1x3 at 385, 1x10 at 405

Band Resisted Fatboys 3x15
Plank Position Birdog 3x5/side
Band Pullthroughs 3x15; rack started to slide during my sets. 

"Not bad for two crooked knees."---Conrad Mann

He's strong, and really does have two crooked knees! 

Chris

Good day overall:

Pullaparts, Banded Y's, and DB Press to warm-up

A1 Incline DB Chest Press 3x10 @ 30, 35, 35

A2 Seated Band Abduction 2x10 @ :01

B1 Pullup Eccentrics 3x3x:06 @ purple

B2 Low Incline Pushups 3x8

C1 Seated Cable Low Row 4x8 @ 70, 80, 90, 100

C2 Band Pushdowns 4x8 @ purple

D1 SA DB Curls 4x6/arm - wasteful, I know... who does sets of 6 for biceps curls?

D2 DB Lat Raise 4x6

Easy Jog: 5-min warm-up, 45-min jog, 5-min cool-down. I went outside and jogged the perimeter of all the athletic fields one-by-one to give me the 45-min I needed while still avoiding boredom at the same time.

The picture is from our back porch where, not one, but two different species of birds have built nests. This nest is on the middle shelf of a corner cabinet we have and is built in an empty clay planting pot. The other bird's nest is of top of the cabinet and is built in a funnel (normally used for oil changes). Unbelievably, these two birds built nests in the exact same locations last spring! In case you can't tell what you are looking at - the picture is showing the inside of the nest with about six baby birds. They've just started getting feathers and the yellow portions are their beaks.

Another Nat Geo moment - Sarah

I'm referring to the crazy looking man in the middle - not Ryan or Paige:

 

Take note of his fiance, no one's sure how he made that happen - Sarah

Saturday night Chris and I had the privilege of seeing our friend and SAPT trainee, Andrew Dykstra, get his first professional win as the starting keeper for the Chicago Fire! I worked with Andrew several years ago while at VCU and since he is from the northern VA area he came to train with us at SAPT over this past winter.

His hardwork, dedication, and professionalism earned him the starting spot this season.  It was great seeing so many of his friends and family come out to support him at the match. I'm looking forward to following the season this year and am excited to see what he makes happen for the Fire. 

RFK stadium is a real pit, they need to get the United out of that relic - Sarah

For our trainees who are in need of weight gain, we often recommend peanut butter sandwiches as a good post-training option. This is a close-up of Red's PB sandwich after his training on Saturday. Yikes! I love peanut butter, but this would choke a horse! He called it his "business sandwich" - apparently at home he gets creative with snacks and said one creation is a triple decker sandwich that alternates layers of sliced banana and peanut butter.

- Sarah

Today's training consisted of a long shoulder circuit, a bunch of pushups, and even more chinups and pullups.

Congrats to Andrew Dykstra, Chicago Fire goalkeeper, for getting his first professional win Saturday evening versus DC United!  Other than being choked by pollen, I had a great time cheering and hanging out with Ryan and Sarah, and my lovely fiance. 

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooal,

Chris

Extensive and thorough WU followed by my mobility work.  Nothing like watching a 230 pounder roll-out his adductors.

Split your pants Squat: Sets of 8 up to a fairly easy last set of 215.

Paloff Press 3x8/side
GHR 3x20

Up-Down MB Tabata; for a beached whale, I actually moved at a pretty good pace.

MB Throw circuit; I pretended the wall was Bowser, and I Luigi (I always liked Luigi better for some reason) shooting wicked hard fireballs at his grill.

Sorry, Luigi, but your princess is in another castle,

Romo

Squeezed in 30min of activity between basketball and rowing this morning:

5min warmup, 20min HR intervals, 5min cool-down

Left after rowing to get to an 11am doc's appt. Spent quite a bit of time in traffic on 495 and then even more time waiting to see the doctor - at least she apologized.

Going to see Dykstra play against the United tomorrow night - Sarah

Training from this morning:

MB Throws to warm up: OH Throw, Side Throw, SA Chest Pass

A1 Inverted Row 4x8

A2 Wall Goal Posts 3x5

B1 Pullup Iso Holds 4x3 @ :06, :03, :01 holds

B2 Thumb to Scap 3x8/arm

C1 DB Lateral Raise 3x:10x12 @ 10

C2 Pushdowns 3x12

C3 DB Hammer Curls 3x8

Since I didn't get to train yesterday, I did that workout outside on the track today in hopes of reintroducing pigment my skin. 5-min warm-up, 45-min jog, 5-min cool-down

Yesterday I took the glucose challenge test; which is given in a lab, not at my doctor's office. The appointment started 30min late, but then went exactly on time from there out. They took a fasted blood sample first and then I was immediately given an 8oz bottle of fruit punch flavored liquid containing 100g of dextrose. This was the sweetest, most unappealing substance I have ever consumed. It would be so much more fun if they gave you a small bag of gummy bears to eat in 5 minutes - I would happily do that! After I finished drinking the liquid, they marked the time and took my blood once every hour for 3 hours. The picture is what the inside of my left arm looks like today.

The saving grace of this whole experience was, without doubt, technology. Without it I would have been going crazy. For the 58 minutes between each blood drawing I was just sitting in the waiting room area surrounded by about 25 people all waiting to either pee in a cup or have blood drawn. There was no ambient music, only the occasional crying child and several surly patients making any noise. Fortunately, I was distracted by a combination of iPod music, reading, iPhone games, and work on my laptop.

While I felt pretty good during the test, once I got home my digestive system put processing the dextrose drink on the fast track. This was unexpected and quite unpleasant. My stomach was "off" the rest of the day. Luckily, this morning I got a call telling me that the results were good and I do not have The Sugar.

My body just needs to hold itself together for another 10 weeks, max! - Sarah

WU and mobility work.

Conventional Deads, no belt

1x3 at 345 1x3 at 365 1x8 at 385

Fatboys 2x20

zzzzzzzzz,

Romo

Back Squat 5x3 @ a weight so light my ego won't allow me to post the actual number

A1 GHR 3x12 @ bw

A2 Plate Pinch 2x:12/hand

B1 Face Pulls 4x12 

B2 Bird-dog 3x5x:05

5min Walking warm-up, 30min easy jogging (interrupted at 15min by an internal baby/bladder conflict), 5min Walking cool-down

My glucose challenge test starts tomorrow at 7am. The name makes it sound a little like something fun... a "glucose challenge!" I'm trying to brace myself for a hit of sugar somewhere in the neighborhood of 100g on an empty stomach. I should be fine with consuming all that dextrose, but the hard part will be sitting around for 3 hours afterward to keep getting blood taken. 

Hopefully I won't puke or pass-out - Sarah

Here's what I did this morning:

DE Incline Bench - I can't over emphasize how tired I am of doing everything on an incline - 9x3

A1 Pullups 4x5 @ purple

A2 SA DB Shoulder Press 4x5/arm @ 25

B1 Incline Pushups 4x10

B2 BO SA DB Row 4x12/arm @ 35x3, 40

C1 DB Curls 3x8

C2 Elbows-out Exts 3x10

HR Fartlek Training: 5min warm-up, 20min HR Fartlek, 10min cool-down

Saturday after work I dared to venture off the gravel path that circles Lake Accotink and went onto the mountain biking trails for about 30min. It was mostly walking with some very light jogging. I wasn't very focused because I was kind of afraid of getting lost. The first picture is from this walk.

Sunday Ryan and I took the dog to Fountainhead Park in Fairfax Station, hiked on one of the trails for 1hr 50min, and finished with lunch on one of the picnic tables. Great day outside. The second picture is from the hike - note how far away I am from Ryan, this wasn't for the sake of the picture, but for the sake of my heart not bursting. Hills and stairs really crush you when you're pregnant.

- Sarah

Bench with no spotter.  Don't try this at home, kids.

2x10 at 275, 1x15 at 225

Pullups/Chinups 10,8,5,3,1 for both grips; as my reps went dropped so did my rest time.

Up/Down tabata.

Done,

Chris

Here is the worst advice I've come upon yet with regards to exercise during pregnancy:

"You should try to use the resistance training machines like those in a gym instead of loose barbells. That's because you may drop the barbells and hurt yourself." 

This is the most ignorant thing I've heard recently. What women are they referring to that are so absent minded and clumsy that they are in danger of dropping barbells all over the place? When you gain 25-30lbs, mostly on the front of your body, it throws both balance and proprioception off greatly. Free weights are wonderful for improving both of these qualities. The pregnant women dropping barbells on themselves should also be advised not to drive a vehicle, use kitchen knives, or walk and chew gum at the same time. They might crash the car, cut themselves, or bite their tongue.

Where can you find this great advice? Livestrong.com - yeah, I know, pretty disappointing. - Sarah

Booked it through my training today because I didn't have much time:

Between basketball and rowing I did my cardio - 5-min walk/jog to warm-up, 20-min jog with HR 140-160bpm, 5-min walk to cool-down.

After rowing - 

DE Deadlift 10x1 @ 135

A1 Pin Pull Deadlift below knees 4x3 @ 135, 155, 175, 185

A2 SL TKE 4x10/leg

B1 Lateral Step-up 3x6/leg @ bw

B2 BB Heel Raise 3x10 @ 45, 65, 85

C1 DB RDL 2x15 @ 35

C2 Hex Hold 2x:20 @ 10's

Last Friday I had to take the 1-hour glucose test to check for gestational diabetes. Found out on Monday morning that I failed (they want a reading of under 130 mg/dL and I had 185 mg/dL). So, now I have to take the fasting 3-hour test on Wednesday morning. I will fast for 12 hours, go in at 7am, have a fasted blood sample taken, drink something in the neighborhood of 100g of dextrose solution, and try to sit patiently while they take my blood every hour for three hours. Not looking forward to the test, but am hoping that it will show everything is alright. Diabetes runs in the family, which is a risk factor, but they say gestational diabetes often shows up during pregnancy for no logical reason. It kind of just happens and no one is sure why. 

Someone stopped my during my cool-down today to ask what I was training for, I looked at him baffled and finally said "for this baby" while gesturing towards my baby gut - Sarah

I'm totally in agreement with the all our student-athletes when I say that BSS's are friggin' HARD and a royal pain in the backside.  Speaking of backside, I can't think of a better exercise to hammer the adductors and gluteal stabilizers; lord knows we all need some of that.

Dynamic Warm-Up with mobility drills (hips and ankles).

BSS 3x6 1x8 last set was at a whopping 175.  Sure go ahead and laugh; you try it!  Remember, hip crease past the top of the knee-cap 

Cossack squats 2x8/side

Paloff Press 3x8/side
Pullups (not sure why; but hey, why not)

I'm taking a brief hiatus from free squatting.  My hips, primarily the adductors, have gotten real beat-up recently.  By incorporating more single leg movements, and being more diligent with my mobility work, I'll be back in no time.

As if anybody cares,

Chris

Had 45 minutes between groups yesterday; was able to get my train on.

Conventional Deadlifts without the aid of my pain in the ass double pronged belt.  As a side note, if you pull correctly, you really don't need to use the cheating device I mentioned above.  But who really likes playing fair anyways.

WU consisted of my warm-up sets with various hip mobility drills.

1x5 at 315 1x5 at 340 1x9 360, stopped the set there because form started to slip a bit.

1x25 BB GM; don't remember how much

Fatboys 2x25
Plank 1x2:00

My fiancé and I have been trying real hard to get into tremendous debt (aka "buying" our first townhouse).  I think we've finally settled on a lender.  Here is what I've learned through thus far with regards to finding a lender:
-Ask as many "stupid" questions as you need.
-Get as many different opinions as you can.
-If things seem too good to be true, they usually are, but sometimes they aren't, but usually they are.
-If you ever make the mistake of calculating the interest you'll be paying on a 30yr mortgage; don't jump, it's not worth it.

 Oh I kid, I kid.  We are both very lucky; everyone we’ve worked with has been most helpful!!!
Or have they…
Chris  

Training:

A1 Bent Over BB Row 3x10

A2 Wall Goalposts 3x6

B1 SA Incline DB Chest Press 3x8/arm

B2 Lat Pulldown 3x12 w/scap retraction

C1 Pushdowns 2x10

C2 DB Curls 2x10

5-min Walk, 30-min Walk/Jog HR 115-140bpm, 5-min Walk

What do dogs, humans, and horses all have in common? If you google this, the answer I'm looking for has nothing to do with tapeworms, deer ticks, or knees. The three groups have the nuchal ligament in common.

Our heads would flop around like water balloons without the N.L. - Sarah

Anyone who comes into SAPT over the next couple weeks will notice Chris and I wearing an unusual and, some would argue, inappropriate selection of footwear. It will be a range of minimalist sandals, Sanuks, thin soled sneakers, and Converse Chuck Taylors. If you've read Born to Run you already know where I'm going with this. Our informal experiment revolves around the ideas of barefoot training and barefoot running as being the way humans are designed to function optimally. I've been running with minimalist footwear on for a few weeks now and want to see how I feel in minimalist footwear all day long. We'll post updates as we go.

Training this morning:

20 min walk/jog HR <140bpm

20 min constant jog HR 140-160bpm

15 min walking cool-down HR <140bpm

I'm sporting Sanuks today - Sarah

Back Squat 4x3

A1 GHR 3x10

A2 Iso Lunge Hold 3x:10/leg

B1 Face Pulls 3x10

B2 Bird-dog 2x8/side

Walk 5 min, Walk/Jog 20 min HR <140bpm, Walk 5 min

Mad dash to Costco, home for shower and to fix food, then to SAPT where I sit now surrounded by allergens.

- Sarah

MB Circuit to warmup

DE Incline Speed Bench 6x3

A1 Banded Pullup/Chinup 2x5 ea way

A2 Incline Pushups 4x10

B1 Incline DB Chest Press 3x8

B2 BO DB Row 3x12

C1 Lying Band Triceps Exts 2x12

C2 SA DB Shoulder Press 2x8/arm

20 min Walk/Jog HR intervals from 140-160bpm

- Sarah

The handsome man above is Chicago Fire's starting keeper, Andrew Dykstra.  Andrew trained at SAPT this offseason.  Let me tell you why Andrew was able to beat out a 14 year veteran and a highly touted rookie:
-He worked harder and smarter than his competition.
-He was extremely consistent.
-Because he believed he could.

I better get some shoes,

Chris

photo courtesy vcuathletics.com

Upperback warm-up

Bench: 1x5 at 250, 1x5 at 275, 1x12 at 295

Pullups and chinups: 10,8,5,10,8,5 for each grip

Facepulls: 2x15

MB Circuit:
3x10 burpee
3x10 OH throw
3x10/side side throw
3x10 slams
3x10 burpee
3x12 pushup
1:1

I hope everyone enjoys the greatest week of the year.  I mean come'on, a national championship, baseball opening day/week (my boys took it to the yanks last night, YOUUUUUUK!), and the Masters.  Life is good.

McNabb...in a Redskins jersey...huh...

Romo

Went for a light jog this morning on the trail before coming in to SAPT. This pict was from my turnaround point. That's about it. - Sarah

“Something you might not know: there are estrogen receptors on the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) that – along with several other factors – make females more susceptible to ACL ruptures. The cyclical nature of estrogen and progesterone markedly influences ACL strength via fibroblast activity – so at certain times of the month, the ACL is more likely to tear."
----Eric Cressey

He's the man,

Chris

We received a question the other day asking why ACL injuries occur, and what one can do to reduce the risk of enduring such an injury.  Well here you go. 

Why do knee/ACL injuries occur?
-one’s biomechanical alignment
-less than optimal muscle function and strength
-poor joint mobility in adjacent joints (primarily hips and ankles)
-poor strength in the surrounding musculature (primarily the posterior chain)
-poor tissue quality in the surrounding musculature
-overuse 

The following is what we address and incorporate in our programming to maintain or foster the development of a healthy knee joint:
-train the gluteal musculature
 -strengthen the posterior chain
 -strengthen the quads
-unilateral lower-body movements
-hip mobility
-ankle mobility
-maintain or improve tissue length and quality
-teach the athlete how to absorb force properly 

We prioritize and program accordingly as we assess the student-athlete during their first training session with us.  The student-athlete would then receive individualized programming to best address their needs. 

For those who'd like to learn more about the topic, check-out Mike Robertson's, "Bulletproff Knees."

You’ve been served, 

Chris

Women's basketball is in post-season right now. This means they train with me 4x/week and that's about it right now. Here's what they did this morning:

DE Deadlift 10x1 @ 135-175lbs

Back Squat 3x5 @ 75% of bodyweight on bar (or more)

Sandbag Walkover Variations

Sandbag (SB) Circuit with Partner

SB Zercher Squat x2 - pass -x3

SB Push Press x2 - pass - x3

200m Sprint with SB Carry :90 to complete, extra time was recovery between sets

We did this for 20 minutes straight. Good effort this morning.

For myself, I had to screw up my week a bit and do a lower body session this morning. Tomorrow I have the gestational diabetes test and don't want to train before getting my blood taken, so I moved tomorrow's session to today. Unfortunately, my legs weren't recovered enough to get in good work.

- Sarah