INJURY UPDATE for March 30th

The Weeks of 16th through the 28th of March: Knee feeling great. Flexion at 120 degrees- Goal is at 132. Still no pain just tight at the very end of flexion. Able to do more glute work such as hip thrusters and RDL’S single and bi-lateral. Also started stationary bike and Ellipital. Just tight at the top of flexion on the Bike. Elliptical on problem however the right quad will not fire like the left—about a 50% difference!

**NOTE: PT ONLY ONCE A WEEK, Started the 23rd of March

INJURY UPDATE for March 17th

The Week of March 9th: Scary just how good the knee is feeling but must hold back, not too fast. Monday the 9th I had PT, Progress report was good and ahead of schedule. Just trying to get full ROM back. Still short of full ROM—about 3 degrees, (good leg at 110 degees knee flexion/injured leg 107) no pain just stiff and weak. Saturday morning workout and rehab:

·         BW Leg Extension with Glute Bridge X 10 each X 3 rounds

·         BW Squats X 15 X 5 Sets

·         KB Swings with Band Slides x 5 rounds

·         Foam Roll 5 minutes

Note: Knee not as stiff after work!

INJURY UPDATE for March 9th

The week of March 2nd: No Physical Therapy because of my PT Jeremy Phipps wife had her baby so I was on my own here at Work. I was able to do most everything except some Stem work. I was able to do seated knee flexion using the band to pull my knee. I almost was able to get it to where my good knee (left) was – I’m guessing it was close to 110 degrees.

·         Saturday the 7th of March I started off my workout by performing:

·         KB Swings x 15 with DB RDL’s x 10 with –was able to do the Glute /Ham Bench for the first time—felt good!! X 10  4 rounds

·          Leg Extensions (BW) X 15 WITH Single Leg- Leg Press (left leg only) with lying leg curl Machine x 10  4 rounds (knee felt really good)

(got to be careful—not to push it too much)

INJURY UPDATE for March 2nd

Feb 23rd and 26th: I thought I would get my brace off this past week but no go. I was sure it was coming off. I had gotten my ROM to 90 degrees and was walking around all over the house without the brace and was really feeling good. Dr. O’Neil said he wanted to leave me in for 2 more weeks upping the ROM each week. Last week we set the brace to 40 degrees, this week (The week of March the 2nd) Jeremy my PT will set it at 60 degrees and next week at 90. Came over to Europa to train Saturday morning as usual and did the following workout: (Hips and Glutes)

·         KB Swings x 15 super-setted with DB RDL’s x 10   4 rounds

·         Band Slides 12 steps down and 12 back super-setted with cable hip extensions x 12 each side   4 rounds

·         Short Arch leg extensions 3 x 15 then foam roll

·         Direct AB work (exercises that I could do while keeping my right leg straight)

On a personal note, I miss the intensity of training Legs and getting that metabolic rate up on Saturday mornings. I should have stopped doing the explosive lifts a while back and actually thought about it not long ago but of course did not. It’s that spirit of competiveness that the Lord puts in all of us that kept me still wanting to do them even at 59 years of age!! I certainly can’t beat myself up over something like this—that’s for sure.

INJURY UPDATE for February 24th

Feb 16th and 19th: Got my knee to 70 degrees on the 16th and the 19th, still knee is ver5y stiff afterwards. On Saturday mornings --still going to the gym for Rehab on my own. A lot of abduction 100 reps and Cable Hip Extension 50 reps. Still able to do some direct abdominal work as long as I keep my leg straight. Glutes are really getting weak because of not being able to squat. I did some KB Swings and some RDL’s: Able to bend the knees at 30 degrees so able to do both the swings and RDL’s for the Glutes and the Hamstrings. 4 rounds of 15 reps with the swings and 10 reps with the RDL’s. First time my HS and glutes had been worked like that in a month!!

INJURY UPDATE for February 17th

Feb 9th Monday: Finally some work between Therapy Sessions. Jeremy has me doing some standing knee flexions to 40 degrees X 50 3-4 times a day. Today went to 60 degrees flexion X 50….NO PAIN! Also performing side lying leg raises lying and standing. Lying 1 x 100 each side and standing 10 X 10 reps. Glutes on fire! Must admit: Took a fall out of my Truck last Thursday night! My brace got caught on something on the floor board and landed on my head, upper and lower back. Plus my left elbow all at the same time. Laid there for a while checking all body parts---everything was fine except for my head. It hurt on and off for a couple of days but after that it felt fine!!

Feb 12th Thursday: Same as Monday. This must be a slow process!!

INJURY UPDATE for February 9th

Feb. 2nd Monday: First rehab Day! A lot of hip and glute work in which I like. Jeremy my PT is a high volume guy which I like. He is one of the best in the business, that’s why I have him. 75 reps with side lying leg raises and 100 reps on lying prone hip extensions. What a burn in the glutes. Range of motion—went to 15 degrees with 100 reps

Feb 5th Thursday: Same as Monday however went to 30 degrees with 100 reps. Having no pain but leg very stiff, but that’s a good thing. This rehab should be nice and slow. Don’t want to have a set back!! No home exercise program right now of things and exercises on my own – however still icing twice a day—morning and night.

INJURY THAT OCCURRED WEDNESDAY. JAN. 21ST 2015

FROM INJURY THAT OCCURRED WEDNESDAY. JAN. 21ST 2015

            Each Wednesday morning my workout consists of variations of a Clean or a Snatch, plus Hamstring and direct abdominal work. I enjoy the Olympic lifts mainly because of how they get the metabolic rate going and for the simple enjoyment of the lifts. I am careful not to go heavy, keeping the intensity and volume low. At this point in my life I’m thinking I sure don’t need any injuries, being 59 I have to train smarter, not harder!

            This particular morning I am scheduled to do a variation of the snatch (just a power snatch, 2 sets from the hang position and 2 sets from the floor, all sets x 4 reps). And get this with a total on the last 2 sets of only 64 pounds, again just to get my heart rate going! I did my movement prep of stretching both dynamic and static for both the upper and lower extremities, and then moved to the PVC pipe in which I did 4-5 reps of the hang snatch. After that I went to the women’s Olympic bar which is 30 pounds, then finally went over to the men’s Olympic bar which is 44 pounds and did the hang snatch from just below the knees with that.

            As you can see I made sure my body was warm and ready to go before adding any weight. When I did put weight on the bar it was only one of the Olympic size 10 pound plate on each end of the bar. Everything felt good, then on the first rep of the last set, after clearing the knee on the way up (the second pull) I exploded up with the bar on my toes trying to get in the scare crow position—then it happened, my right knee exploded! I knew what I had done right when it happen, I had torn my right quadriceps tendon, almost a complete rupture, only a tread of tendon fiber holding it on to the patella or knee cap!

            I couldn’t believe what I had done! With so much warm-up and light weight, plus it happened in extension, not at the bottom of a squat, which is knee flexion, but again, extension! The surgery was scheduled for the next day. Dr. Scott O’Neil is my orthopedic surgeon and a good one. A sports doctor with lots of knowledge and someone who has worked on many an athlete (or former one that is)! He said after seeing my MRI there looked like that quadriceps tendon had some calcium deposits built up on the tendon and that my friend can cause the tendon to be weak. Calcium deposits on the tendon are a sure sign of weakness to the tendon, and that particular weakness finally caught up with me. At some point the injury would have happened, it just picked this time to give way and breakdown! Thank God I wasn’t under a heavy Back Squat when it happened!

            I will be keeping a Blog / Journal of my journey towards rehab and recovery in hopes maybe helping one or two individuals going down the same path. I’ll share with you my highs and lows, my rehab for that day, plus my supplementation and nutrition to add one more piece to the pie of full recovery.

            Jeremy Phipps of OrthoCarolina will be doing my PT, a good friend and great Physical Therapist. I worked with Jeremy when I worked for OC 4 years ago. I will be with him twice a week, each Monday and Thursday at 11:30.

NUTRITION AND SUPPLEMENTATION AT THE START OF REHAB.

·         Protein: around 170-180 grams each day in the form of food, shakes and protein bars that are low in sugar

·         BCAA’S during my workout ad after / mixed with Creatine Monohydrate 5 grams Daily.

·         Joint Formulas: CISSUS by Primaforce / Joint Support by NutaForce (I like because of the Type II Collagen it contains plus the Hyaluronic Acid

Jan. the 30th Friday: 1st appointment with Doctor. Fitted me with a Brace in full extension. Dr. O’Neil told me it was a very serious injury. The tendon when Ruptured pulled also pulled some of the bone of the patella along with it. Could be looking at a 8 month rehab until back to 100%.

Feb. 2nd Monday: First rehab Day!

Start!

I’m reading two books right now. The first is “SUN STAND STILL” by Steven Furtick and the second is “START” by Jon Acuff. “SUN STAND STILL” is a book that deals with asking God for the impossible. This is; I’m guessing the third, maybe fourth time I’ve read “SUN STAND STILL”. Chapter 18 deals with whatever you ask and whatever your vision is for your life you can be sure there’s going to be a process involved and with that process comes a price to be payed.

“START” however is about escaping average, punching fear in the face and working on your vision each and every day. In other words, getting to where you want to get to in life, then you can be assured there’s going to be a process involved. We’ve come to a point however that in today’s world where we want everything right NOW, with no work, pain or sacrifice involved. If that were the case, as Steven Furtick points out (and that common sense tells us) then we wouldn’t need Faith! I see this all the time with the general public and even some athletes when it comes to fitness or improving athletic performance. It’s not going to happen overnight and there definitely will be some discipline involved. But most people are not willing to put in the time or simply put, not willing to go through the process!

That is what separates the ordinary from the successful. The people that are willing to go through the process of sacrifice like: eating the right foods when others eat junk all day long. Getting up early in the mornings to study or work on your vision when others are sleeping in late. Going to the gym to work out when that’s the last thing you want to do that day. These are just a few examples of what the process is all about.

I love what Jon Acuff states in his book; “START”. The vision, dream, or goal that you’ve been thinking about starting, then the closer that you get to that dream, then you had better believe fear, doubt, and anxiety will be waiting around the corner the closer you get to the finish line. That is what’s called “a part of the process”! It’s like I always say, “it’s not the 60 or 90 day fitness challenge; it’s fitness for a Life Time. It’s the continuous working toward that goal every single day whether it’s starting a business, working towards an education and a degree in a chosen field, or starting that exercise program you’ve been talking about forever. Can and will you bust through the fear, doubt and anxiety that comes with it.

Will you be willing to stay the course, and go through the process?????

NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP??—JOIN THE CROWD

I can’t tell you the number of employees and athletes that I work with that tell me that they just aren’t getting enough sleep at night and because of not getting enough sleep it’s interfering with their work and their workouts. We all want to be as productive as possible on our jobs. We care about our workouts and our nutrition but we sometimes (myself included) think that we can get by without one of the most important elements of life - SLEEP! This state of life that we spend one third of our lives in often seems expendable to us.
One has to realize that the quality and quantity of poor sleeping habits can have negative effects on our entire body. Obesity, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular problems are just a few of these negative effects. Poor sleep patterns can also be related to a drop in IQ levels and lead to irritability. Plus, (here’s something to get your attention) not getting enough restful sleep deprives the body the ability to repair muscular damage from that day’s workout since sleep is the major time for protein synthesis to occur! Lack of sleep will sacrifice the release of growth hormone which is critical for individuals who are serious about their workouts. Growth hormones are released to aid recovery and to help build muscle. The time GH is released is when one is in a deep sleep. When deep sleep is interrupted or when one does not get the proper sleep each night, the growth hormone cannot do its job.
If we realize the importance of sleep then why in heavens name aren’t we getting enough? I’m sure a lack of sleep is caused by a number of issues such as stress, too much TV, family responsibilities or “just simply too much on my mind.” How do you know that you’re not getting enough sleep? If you can answer yes to the following, you probably fall into the poor sleeper category.

- You feel tried, sore and stiff in the mornings—not refreshed.
- You regularly feel sleepy during the day.
- You do not recover from your workouts like you should.
- You lose concentration and have memory lapses during the day.
- You toss and turn during the night.
- Your immune system is weakened.

If you fall into the above poor sleeper category, the tips below may be helpful in refreshing your sleeping patterns.

1. Sleepy or not, lay down at the same time every night so that when you do get up, you’ve been in bed seven-eight hours. The body likes to have a schedule, an internal clock you might say. I like to be laying down around 9:45 to 10:00 each night, so when the week-end comes around, even on a Saturday night I’m getting sleepy around the same time as on the week-days.
2. Keep your room cool, around 65 to 69 degrees. Your body is naturally cooling down right before bedtime, a warm or hot room can make it difficult for the body to shut down.
3. Melatonin (a hormone which your body produces naturally) is essential for sleep and is only produced in the dark. So make sure that when you do go to bed that your room is basically dark with no light creeping through the windows.
4. If your mattress is five - ten years old then it may be time to look for a new one. Remember that one third of your life will be spent on a mattress so it might as well be a good one!
5. Keep cell phones and computers out of the bedroom. These are distractions that can disrupt sleeping patterns. There is also some research that electrical currents can alter your sleep to some degree.
6. Have a light snack right before going to bed. Try a sliced turkey sandwich and cottage- cheese with a glass of milk. This combination will give you the needed protein and tryptophan to get you off to sleep in a hurry.
7. You may also want to think about taking some natural supplements that may aid in the sleep department. A few examples would be zinc, magnesium, arginine, melatonin, and valerian root.
8. Don’t train or workout within three hours of bed time. Training this close to bed time can jack-up your central nervous system and make for a long night of restlessness.
9. Stay away from caffeine (up to eight hours before bed time), cigarettes (a stimulant) and sleeping pills.
10. Try not to nap during the day but if you must, only nap for a short time. More than 25-30 minutes can disrupt sleep.
Hey if all the above fails to get you sleeping better, then simply fall back on this wise saying: “early to bed, early to rise makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise.” Here’s to a good night’s sleep!
Chip Sigmon CSCS*D
Fitness & Wellness Coordinator; Europa Sports Products
References:
1. GH Secretion During Sleep, by Y Takahashi, DM Kionis, and WH Daughaday; University of Washington
2. You Snooze, You Win, by Martin Rooney, Elitefts Sports Training, July 5th,2010

Chip's Thoughts for Monday July 22nd, 2013

This past Saturday morning, like all Saturday mornings I was scheduled to train legs. My training partner (Rick Parker) and I have been training on Saturday mornings for the last 17-18 years, as good as we can remember. However this past Saturday morning Rick was on vacation so I was all by my lonesome with 4 sets of Leg extensions super-setted with a Glute/Bridge in the Rack; 5 sets of Leg Press; 5 sets of Back Squats and then 3 sets of Bulgarian Single Leg Split Squats staring me in the face. 

So I got up at 5:10am like I always do each Saturday morning to sit in my recliner and sip my cup of coffee (the best pre-workout known to mankind) then off to the gym eating my protein bar. After my 10-15 minutes of movement prep I was starting my first set of leg extensions at 6:45. Now I could have stayed in bed, could have slept late and could have done a lot of things besides workout.

Fast forward to Sunday morning July 21st…I watched a good “You Tube” video where all the old “Golden Age” of  famous Bodybuilders were all training at the original “Gold’s Gym” in Venice Beach. Arnold, Franco, and others were going to the limit in their sets of squats or bench presses. Then all of a sudden a voice came on during the video stating that “life is hard and if you’re not mentally and physically hard on yourself life will eat you up and spit you out!” It reminded me of what Zig Zigler always said, “Life is hard, but if you’re hard on yourself life will be a little easier.”

That’s what physical training and conditioning can do, help make you physically and mentally tough. No matter what the activity, Bodybuilding like myself, Crossfit or just a good overall general conditioning session, doing things that you would rather not do at that time instead of taking the easy way out will help make you stronger to face the great challenges of this life instead of buckling under pressure! Facing the pain of physical conditioning and going more rep or more sets or even more weight than you thought you could do will and does carry over to being mentally tough in situations that life can definitely throw at you.

As strength and conditioning coach I push athletes to do more, expect more and rely on something greater than themselves to accomplish much more than they would ever imagine! Yes it’s hard, the day in and day out of being consistent with your workouts no matter what you are training for. But that is also what life is all about. The day to day responsibilities of your family, job and relationships that are always there but you find a way to persevere and continue on. Did you ever stop and think that your training or workouts may and can be a great way to help you be an over comer instead of being overcome?!! 

Truths

Most of you know Appalachian State University is near and dear to my heart for 3 reasons: 1) It’s where I graduated from College. 2) It’s where I coached from 1984 until 1990… 3rd and best of all… It’s where I met my wife of almost 23 years (God help her). Two years ago I went back to see a football game there and found myself in awe at just how much the University had grown. I had been back before to speak to classes but never before to a football game. WOW what a change!!

            One of the things that impressed me the most was a sign that I saw in the athletic weight room. I know I share a lot of motivational stuff when I speak to different groups, organizations, or even different departments here at Europa about ATTITUDE and that’s because I need it. You see, my attitude can be down right not good some days—so that’s why I need all the help that I can get. Someone told me once “a good attitude doesn’t guarantee success—but a bad attitude does guarantee FAILURE!” 

 I also received a great Email yesterday from a co-worker that I’d like to share with you – not at work, but when you go home go to the “YOU TUBE VIDEO listed blow” and take a look. Says a lot about what our words can do to each other. The first 2 minutes you’ll be thinking “I’m not watching this!” – but give it some time---very good!

Good afternoon Chip,

I have turned my car into a rolling university and this is one of the things I have ran across that I thought you may enjoy and may have even seen before. This video falls in line with the power of positive thinking and encouragement that you do so well and puts some science behind it.