I received an email yesterday from a neighbor of ours asking advice about picking a gymnastics academy for her 5-year old daughter. I think this response can be applied to what one should look for in any coach at any level:

"Emily,

Sure, we'll happily help to relieve the squash overload problem!

I haven't heard anything about Cardinal, but I've heard good things about Fairfax. I believe Fairfax Gymnastics has been around for quite some time and has great success on the competitive level. Unfortunately, that's about all the info I have!

My advice to you would be to go observe a class at each location (maybe without Lillie so that you can give total focus to what you see). At SAPT we have very little turnover and I believe it is because of our ability to walk the fine line between friend and authority figure and the fact that we are extremely detail oriented/"we know what we're doing"... these are things I think you should look for and be able to find in a good gymnastics academy.

Overall, you want two things, 1. an instructor who communicates exceptionally well with the class and the individual child and, 2. an instructor who is extremely technically proficient

If I were in your shoes here's what I would be looking for:
How does the instructor interact with the children and how the children respond/interact back?
What happens if the coach gets pulled away from the group for a moment to help one child?
Is there a lot of waiting around?
How detailed does the instructor seem to be with the class?
Take a look at how the kids execute the movements - even if you don't fully understand the technical aspect - how does it look as a whole? Does the instructor immediately correct incorrect movement patterns? How is the correction communicated?

My assumption is that any part of the curriculum is appropriate for her age group, but the difference maker is QUALITY of instruction and movement execution. You will see kids who have a very tough time replicating movement patterns, but the important thing here is how the instructor deals with these challenges. If the instructor seems to ignore poor quality movement patterns then that is a red flag. This, to me, means that either the instructor has poor communication skills or (perhaps worse) has given up on that individual child.

At the level Lillie will be working at initially you should be able to relax and not worry about injuries! Things only become dangerous if the coaching instruction is of low-quality. WIth a highly attentive, quality focused instructor Lillie will be in good hands.

I hope this helps. We regularly deal with the after-effects of poor coaching. These after-effects show up in the form of both traumatic injury and overuse injury. So, at this point I feel pretty certain about what I will be looking for in coaches when the time comes for us! "

We'll happily relieve the squash overload problem?!? What? - Sarah

A1 Box Jumps 3x5

A2 Ankle Jumps 2x12

Speed Box Squats 10x2 (:35)

B1 Pullup Ecc's 3x3x:06

B2 :03 Iso Lunge Holds 3x4/leg

C1 BB RDL 3x10

C2 Tow/Heel Walk 2x20 steps each

C3 KB Pinch 2x20 rocks of Arabella's car seat

19lbs lost so far - Sarah

Ryan and I trained together on Sunday - it was his first training session in about three weeks. He's probably sore today.

DE Bench Press 9x3 (:30) @ 65-75lbs

A1 BB Floor Press 3x5 @ 75

A2 Plank 3x:30

B1 SA Band Chest Press 3x:15xAMAP/arm

B2 Inverted Row 3x8, 10, 12

C1 Band Biceps Curls 2x20

C2 SA Band Pushdowns 2x12/arm

C3 SA Bottoms-up KB Shoulder Press 2x8/arm

- Sarah

WEAK... as a kitten.

A1 BB Jump Shrug 3x4 @ 65, 75, 85

A2 Broad Jump 3x2

Box Squat 3x5 @ 75, 85, 85 - pathetic, but it was the best I had today

B1 Pullup/Chinup 4x5 (2 sets ea way)

B2 Lateral Stepup 2x10/leg

C1 Face Pulls 2x12

C2 SL DL Hip Bridge 2x12

C3 Plate Pinch 2x:20/hand

I couldn't get my hips to the proper height to do the single leg hip bridge. That about sums it up.

There's still a baby on my lap - Sarah

Did 25% of a proper warm-up: Pullaparts, Behind Neck Pullaparts, Cuban Rotation 2x10 all

A1 Bench Press 3x5 @ you don't want to know

A2 Lying Plate Situps 2x10 @ 25

B1 Bottoms-up KB Bench Press 2x10 

B2 BB Row 3x10 @ 65

C1 KB Pinch Biceps Curls 2x10

C2 Band Pushdowns 2x10

C3 KB Pinch Lat Raise 2x10

This was the first time since late October that I have been able to do a flat bench press movement. It's been all incline pressing for the last 9 months. On my first press for the BB warm-up I almost threw the bar clear behind my head. My muscles really wanted to perform an incline press. But, by the second and third work sets I was successfully setting up tight and getting the correct bar path.

There's a baby on my lap right now - Sarah

First legit strength session in a long time. Although I felt anything but strong.

A1 Box Jump 4x4 - felt so slow, I'm surprised I didn't miss the box and fall

A2 Ankle Jump 2x10 - focus was on quick transition from toe to heel upon landing

DE Box Squat 10x2 (:45) @ 65 - I've previously done speed squats with 165lbs... oh, only a 100lb difference

B1 Pullup Iso Holds 3x3

B2 3-sec Iso Lunge Holds 2x5x:03/leg

C1  Wide Stance BB RDL 3x8 @ 75, 85, 95

C2 KB Pinch Wrist Curls 2x15/hand @ 10

C3 Heel Walk/Toe Walk 2x20 steps each

Power production? What power production? Sarah

Stayed at home and worked out on the bike trainer:

5-min bike w/Iso Lunge Hold x:15/leg; Pushup Iso's x3; Side Plank x:15/side - Repeated 3x

Then switched exercises last two sets: SL RDL x5/leg; Staggered Pushups x5/way; Plank x:15

Total of 25 min biking.

- Sarah

I went to a high school track to train this morning and see how the "wheels" felt. I was intending on doing 400m repeats, but found that by abs were having way too tough of a time bracing. So, I had to cut down the distance of the actual run. I ended up doing 16x100m run (not a sprint, more than a jog) with a :45-60 sec rest between reps. Well, the whole workout was tough. Aside from yet another bracing issue, my upper back was also extremely fatigued by the time the workout was over.

My weight is down 16lbs already. Only 10lbs to go to be back to pre-pregnancy weight.

- Sarah

Wednesday I took the baby out in the jogging stroller, not for a jog, but for a walk on Accotink trail. Well, I made what I'll call a "new mommy mistake." The trail was a bit too bumpy for Arabella. We walked a mile and then she made it known she'd had enough, so I had to carry that little meatloaf for the mile back to the house. Hence why I'm putting this in my training log.

Thursday - upper body focused circuitry:

6min - AMRAP: MB Facing Side Throw x10, MB Slam x10, Band No-Money x10

20-min to do 5 rounds:

Banded Pullups x10 (haven't done these in 2 or 3 months and managed to pull with my delts on the first rep thus making my shoulder feel like it was going to sublux - fall out of socket - every time I bent over for the rest of the day)

Walking Lunge x10

Inverted Row x10

Incline Pushups x10***

8 minutes for 5 rounds:

KB Curls x10 (b/c my arms look like pool noodles)

Band Pushdowns x10 (see above)

Banded SA Lat Raise x10/arm (b/c any kind of direct delt work is my favorite kind of vanity training)

***I've been kind of disturbed by how difficult pressing movements have become. But, it is reasonable to expect the largest decline in this area for several reasons: 1. the abdominal bracing needed for pushups was difficult and sometimes painful during pregnancy, 2. exercises requiring one to lay on their back were strictly forbidden, so no flat bench press variations or floor press, 3. weight gain + abdominal bracing issues made regular pushups quickly a "thing of the past" in my training for around 5 or 6 months.

Chris finally admitted he thinks I'm smart - Sarah

Mind nor body wanted to train today, but I got it in anyway.

Cluster Conventional Deads 4x2x3 :8 between clusters, 2:00 between sets, weight was at 78%

Weighted (25lbs) Pullups and Chinups, 20 total each grip

Barbell Roll-Outs 3x6x:3 hold; last set, small intestine was left on the floor.

I work with some pretty smart people.  Check out Steve and Sarah's previous posts, good stuff.

I still train for the ladies...

Chris

So the big news is that I'm not pregnant anymore! Whoooooooooo! June 22nd at 3:15pm Arabella Violet Walls was born at Sibley Hospital weighing in at 6lbs 10.8oz. Briefly, the whole experience was awesome: nurses, doctor, hospital were all fantastic. My water broke first and I ended up having to be induced about 6 hours later because the contractions had not started yet. The pitocin got things moving withing 15 min... I'm convinced that I was in "transition" as I received the epidural. This was the most unreal pain I've ever felt, it was the kind of pain that makes your entire body shake. But once I got the meds going the whole event was great and I actually got to enjoy the birth process.

For anyone who trains heavy and seriously and is curious what giving birth is like, here is my analogy: Imagine you are taking a max effort attempt in the squat - not a gym max effort, but a second or third attempt on the platform in a meet. Okay, so these attempts are usually real grinders... let's pretend for the sake of my example a max attempt takes approx 10 seconds. Okay... got the imagery? Remember how that feels? Now imagine being told to relax, take one breath, and do it again... and then a third time. How'd that feel? You just made it through your first contraction. Now relax for about 30-45 seconds, try to catch your breath and reload your strength and get ready to do it again. Remember, we're thinking second or third attempt meet weight here. You must hold your breath through each attempt/push and are only allowed one deep breath between. I honestly thought I was going to make myself pass out several times. 

All the strength training paid off though, the baby was born after about 50 minutes of pushing - they tell me this is good for my first child. I won't dive into all the details of how quickly my body began recovering (in measurable ways), but please contact me if you're curious. It was fascinating and all credit is given to my training and high quality of diet.

Okay, enough of that. I gave birth last Tuesday and today was my first post-baby training session. I wish I could say I underestimated myself with today's session, but in reality I hit the sweet spot of what my body can handle right now.

MB Circuit - 6 minutes as many rounds as possible (AMRP): MB OH Throw x10, MB Chest Pass x10, MB Side Throw x5/side 

KB Circuit - 15 minutes AMRP: SA KB Swings x10, SL KB Knee Drive x10/leg, KB Windmill x5/side, Plate Drivers x10

Conditioning - 10 minutes AMRP: Sled Push x1 trip, Plank to Pushup Plank x4

I gained exactly 26lbs (the goal weight gain for most women is 25-35lbs). I have lost 11lbs as of this afternoon -15lbs to go. I'm going to keep my weight loss posted to prove to anyone who has tried blaming their kids for weight gain that it's not the pregnancy's fault...

It's unbelievable seeing a little person that is a perfect blend of you and the person you with whom you choose to spend your life - Sarah

Myth: If one gains a lot of muscle when young, it will all “turn to fat” when he or she is older.

The other day, I heard my housemate make the comment “I don't want to lift weights like Stevo, because when I'm older, all my muscle will turn to fat and I'll be more overweight than if I had never lifted.” My initial reaction was laughter, but then I had to humble myself and remember that I too once believed this. I do not know at what point this “fact” hit mainstream culture, but I hear it all the time. When I first began lifting in high school, I heard the same thing (and believed it for a while), but lifted anyway because I wanted what every hormonal teenage boy wants: big muscles to impress the ladies (oh how silly we all are at some point), and to be stronger than the guy next to him so he could win the next spontaneous wrestling match that will inevitably ignite during a gathering of guys (although this happens during every stage of a male's lifespan). As I'm now beyond high school, and train for the pure rush of accomplishing something physical that was not possible to me at an earlier point in time, I better make sure that I'm not setting up myself for future obesity eh? Anyways, let's take a closer look:

What does basic science say? Well, muscle and fat cells are completely mutually exclusive of each other. At the physiological level, they are completely different. Muscle cells are elongated and contain multiple nuclei, whereas fat cells are globular-shaped and contain a single nucleus (you can look this up in any anatomy or exercise physiology textbook). Both types of cells may grow and shrink, but it is impossible for one to “morph” into the other. It is not physiologically possible for a muscle cell to turn into a fat cell, or for fat to convert to muscle. There are many other differences in the composition/function of these cells, but that is beyond the scope of this post and most of you would probably fall asleep reading about it.

So where does this myth stem from? Are there people that are oh-so-muscular in their youth, and then develop a much higher level of body fat when they're older? Certainly. Do many of you personally know (or at least know of) someone who used to possess a lot of muscle but now they look fat? I bet you do. Is this because his or her muscle actually morphed into fat? Not a chance.



What we commonly observe is a result of lifestyle change. Typically, (using a male in this example) a guy who lifts weights in high school and college does so because of a requirement by a sports team, or perhaps because he decides to do it as a hobby while he still has a lot of free time. As he enters his mid-twenties and pursues a career, he still exercises regularly, and receives enough guidance that he's able to put on a fair amount of muscle. This includes remaining in a caloric surplus (intaking more calories than he is expending, in order to gain size). However, as he gets older, an increasing amount of commitments find their way into his life. This may be an insatiable drive to climb the corporate ladder, thus requiring frequent late nights and early mornings at the office. Or perhaps he marries and has children, and needs to spend extra time providing for his wife and/or driving his kids to school/sports practice. As more and more obligations (positive or negative) consume him, he eventually foregoes exercise in order to make room for other things. He still eats a lot, because he has developed this habit when he was younger and was lifting consistently (and could just “work-off” any junk food he consumed). However, these food choices will probably become quite poor, as a fast-paced life will “demand” that he utilize fast food restaurants, and purchase highly processed foods in the supermarket. Over time, he skips more exercise sessions so that he can prioritize other activities, and continues to eat not-so-gut-friendly-food as he finds himself frequently rushed and stressed.

See the trend? Over time, he exercises less, and doesn't reduce his calories to match his new activity level (which is next to none). Since he is no longer lifting weights (with the exception of maybe once every couple weeks), his body stops building muscle because he's no longer imposing that demand on himself (to be able to lift heavy stuff). His muscles become smaller because there is no stimulus for growth. However, he's still eating a lot of calorie-dense foods, and those calories aren't going to be used for muscle building. Since he's now intaking way more calories than he's expending throughout the day, those excess calories are stored as fat. Over time, our muscular college boy has gradually morphed into an overweight business man.

And the conclusion people draw? “Ohh, yeah, I remember he used to be quite fit-looking. He must be fat now because he put on all that muscle when he was younger, and now that he has aged, his body is converting it to fat.”

Riiigghht. His muscle did not “melt into fat.” He lost muscle mass because he wasn't exercising, and he gained fat because he didn't adjust his dietary intake to match his lower caloric expenditure throughout each day.

So what can we take from all this? You need not avoid lifting weights as a youth in fear of that muscle turning to fat. Just be conscious of your lifestyle as you age. Are you frequently stressed? This will increase cortisol (a hormone leading to fat storage as well as a number of other maladies) levels, so you either need to remove that stressor from your life, or find some way to combat the stress (try taking a walk outside, spending time with a loved one, reading, exercising, etc). Are you as active as you were in middle school, high school, college, or whatever your most recent stage of life was? If not, then you need to adjust (down) your daily caloric intake accordingly. Build the habit of exercising for the right reasons while young, and you'll be more likely to make it a regular part of your schedule no matter how old you are or what time commitments may be pressing. Even if it's a workout out twice a week for 45 minutes per session, you'd be surprised at how much it will help your quality of life.

Best, Steve

A) Hill Sprints.  Performed 15 hill sprints (hill was about 50yds long) with 5 burpees at the top immediately following each sprint.  Rest period = walking back down the hill.  

B) Prowler pushes for 45yds.  Alternated between high handles and the low handle.  Wanted to do 10 passes but a bunch of parents showed up in my cul-de-sac to pick up their kids (I live right next to a school).  Thus I only completed 6 before becoming overpowered by moms and dads.  I did get a lot of odd looks in the process though as adults couldn't understand why I was spending my morning battling with this odd-looking steel beast. 

The entire workout, including relocating to my street after the hill sprints to set up the sled, took less than 40 minutes, jacked up my EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) for the next 2 days, and earned me 10,000 Awesome Points. 

“Pushing the prowler on the low handle is like flirting with Satan”.  - Coach Chris

Well said Chris.  (You have no idea how difficult it is until you actually try it)

Until next time,

Steve

Sarah and Ryan Walls welcomed a beautiful 6lbs 10oz baby girl, Arabella Violet Walls, Tuesday at 3pm.  If you haven't seen the pictures I'm sure Sarah will be posting them once she gets out of the hospital.  Sarah already has Arabella on a strict regimen of pushups, pullups, and planks.

I trained today.

Conventional Deads 4x5 at 405, in a cluster set rep scheme; rest :8 and then pull again, and then rest 2:30 between sets.  Then die.

Pullups, paloff walkouts, and something else to complete my 40 minute session.

I work harder than you,

Chris

I can't explain why, but Wimbledon is my hands-down, all time favorite sporting event to watch every year. I started watching it when I was about 12 years old out of sheer boredom. Since that summer I've tried to watch as many matches as possible. I'm on quasi-maternity leave right now, so I should get to enjoy watching some of the earlier rounds for the first time in about 8 years.

Right now I'm watching Federer fight for his life against this unranked guy from Columbia - Falla. I'm not a Federer fan and love seeing a good upset.

- Sarah