My Vacation Post

I’ll warn you right now that this post doesn’t have an underlying message – sorry about that, but I’m on vacation and just feel proud I remembered to get my post up on time today! In fact, at this moment I’m sitting at the dining room table in our apartment overlooking the golf course at our resort in Phoenix and looking forward to a run and lift after I finish this post. Here are my scattered thoughts related to both training and vacation: I’ll admit Phoenix is hot this time of year, but humidity is the great equalizer. I swear 110 degrees in Phoenix at 30% humidity feels better than 96 degrees and 78% humidity in DC. Check out the photo, I had to document the car reading (the highest we’ve seen it is 124).

I caught the Wimbledon men’s final on Sunday and was struck by the single leg strength and hip mobility Djokovic displayed as he cruised to his first Wimbledon title. It’s really staggering if you think about it. The picture is, clearly, not from Wimbledon, but you get my point.

Yesterday, Ryan and I spent the day driving on the Apache Trail, which wraps around the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix. The most noteworthy part was the 22-miles of off-roading (the Arizona Dept. of Transportation called it “unpaved”) we did in our rented Taurus. It was a lot of fun but that portion alone took us like 90-minutes to get through at 10-20mph. However, the big payoff are two lakes that can only be accessed via this unpaved portion and they are amazing! Well worth any damage the car we don’t own may have sustained.

ApacheLake

As you can imagine the resort’s “fitness center” leaves a lot to be desired. BUT, it does have enough that I’ve already accomplished a couple of great circuits. Afterall, vacations lend themselves to a trifecta of eating, drinking, and sitting – I’m willing to do two of the three and this vacation I’ve chosen eating and drinking. For the rest of the week, I have no intention of letting my training drop off and will simply modify what I have already written for myself. Today will be:

A1 Broad Jump

4x3

A2 Spiderman Stretch

x3

DB Front Squat

5x5

B1 Lateral Stepdown

4x5

B2 3-Point Row

4x5

C1 45 deg Back Ext

3x8

C2 Something for Grip

3x:20

SAPT's Top 5 Exercises for New Moms

Happy Birthday Arabella!

I’ve always heard a lot about how hard it is for a new mom to find time to exercise. But, I’m now living it and I’m here to tell you it’s a bunch of hooey. Regardless of time, here are my top 5 best exercises that ALL new moms are already doing in some form or fashion. So why not make them an actual workout?… you’re doing them anyway!

My Top 5 Exercises for New Moms

1. Baby Goblet Squat (Ass to Grass) - I can’t even begin to guess the number of deep squats I’ve done over the last 12 months. This is a legit exercise that allows mom to work on ankle, hip, and thoracic mobility along with quad, hamstring, glute, CORE musculature, and upper back strengthening. Start with just a couple sets of 3-5 reps and work up 10, 15, or even more reps.
2. Stairs – This one’s easy and obvious. That sweet little baby wants to be held all the time and mom wants to finish losing those last few LB’s, so why not take advantage of the situation and do a little low impact cardio on your household’s stair case?
3. Baby Clean and Press – This one is fun for mom and baby and, as is common for all these exercises, occurs naturally. Hold the baby about mid-torso level and hoist her up overhead. This will work on a touch of posterior chain power development and get mom some much needed upper body strength and stability! Stick with just a handful of reps (3-6) for multiple sets.
4. Baby Gate Hip Mobility – If the Ass to Grass Baby Goblet Squats aren’t getting it done for the hip mobility, then inevitably mom will have the benefit of crossing over a baby gate about 3 zillion times a day. I started enjoying improved hip mobility around 7 months when Arabella began crawling and suffered two cracked toenails to prove my hip mobility could, in fact, use improvement. You can’t do to many of these, just try to keep good form (chest up, lift you knee, no hip drop) and enjoy the benefits!
5. Baby Carrier Household Chores – Talk about great for improving general physical preparedness (GPP)! Last summer Arabella and I spent many hours together with her strapped on my chest in the baby carrier while I did everything from dishes to laundry to vacuuming. You quickly learn if your core is strong or not. This one crushes the lower and upper back, in particular, but is excellent for rebuilding stabilization strength in mom’s midsection.

Here are a few more advanced exercises you can give a try if you’re feeling “froggy.” I should note that my baby is not old enough to reliably stay on my back for the plank or push-ups, maybe in a few more months!

1. 1-Arm Baby Cradle Carry + Full Laundry Basket Carry – An advanced technique for the busy mom. Grab baby in one arm and full laundry basket in the opposite arm. This exercise is very similar to some of the Mis-loaded bracing/farmer’s walk variations we do at SAPT. Great for improving core strength and stability!
2. Baby Plank – Use baby’s body weight to increase the difficulty of a standard prone plank.
3. Baby Pushups – Again, using baby’s body weight to increase the difficulty of a push-up. Although we haven’t tried these yet, I’m pretty sure she’ll be having a pretty good time sitting on my back while “the ride” takes her up and down!

I’ll admit when I got the idea for this post it was designed to be “tongue in cheek,” but as I got to thinking about all the ways having a baby challenges new moms physically, I realized that these are some pretty darn good exercises. Not only are they fun, but they are also very productive if you just focus on doing a few things correctly and accumulating a bit of volume.

So to sum up, today is Arabella’s first birthday and I find myself exceptionally happy. I’m completely in love with my daughter and have found that my husband and I truly work well together. I’ve managed to lose all my “baby weight” and even a few more pounds to boot. And the icing on the cake? I’m working less and earning more.

If you know any new moms who might find this post motivational or inspirational, please forward it to them and don’t forget we offer comprehensive distance coaching to help moms all over the country lose those last few baby LB’s!

An Attempt at Poetry: Achieving the Bodyweight Pullup

One of the best parts of our job is helping our clientele reach a new milestone (be it a particular weight lifted, weight loss/gain goal, etc.). An achievement that definitely ranks toward the top of the list is doing a full-range, bodyweight pullup for the first time. I was perusing the archives of the old SAPT website and I stumbled across a poem Chris had written a couple years ago. He became inspired by one of the SAPT girls hitting her first pullup that he busted out a poem that day. It was too good not to share. Little did you all know you trained under the watchful eye of a modern-day Robert Frost...

"My performance coach said to me as I entered SAPT;

“Miss, can you do a pull-up;”

“HAHA, ya rite, NO,” says me.

He asks me “why;”

I tell him that;

“Pull-ups are impossible; why even try.”

That’s gonna’ change he says with a smirk;

You will do pull-up;

Are you afraid of hard-work?

When “hell freezes over I say in my head;”

It’s been 7 years of gym class and still no luck;

Each test I fail; I should just put this one to bed.

“HAHA,” he laughs “The funny thing about pull-ups,

You’ve got to work at’um for weeks;

Pull for every inch until your head erupts.

He says, “I’ll help you map the way;

Are you onboard?”

Aye Captain; I’ll have my day!

Weeks went by, and work we did;

We ran the gambit;

Partials; ISO’s, Ecc’s; Assisted.

Most of time I just wanted to cry;

“Press he on,” he said; “A quitting attitude won’t cut it;

It simply won’t fly.”

So I fought tooth and nail, through the arm numbing burn;

Pull-ups I will own you;

This I will earn.

Finally, the day came, it was time to test;

“I’m nervous,” I said;

“Don’t be,” he said, “just try your best.”

So I chalked-up my hands, and pulled with all my might;

My chin….CLEARED THE BAR;

OH, WHAT A FIGHT!”

I triumphantly dropped from the bar;

Pull-ups, I defeated;

Coach said, “You should be proud, you’ve come so far.”

It wasn’t the pull-up that meant so much;

It was what I had learned;

All the planning, fighting, and such.

This I will remember for the rest of my time;

Nothing is owed to me; plan, fight, execute, then fight some more;

Extract from for this rhyme.

Failing to do the above only will mar;

Anything worth doing in life;

Lift your chin above the bar.

-Coach Romo"

It's all about appreciating the little things....

Have a great weekend!