Commencement

Four weeks after I embarked on this strange trip, I walked out of the doors to the Athletes' Performance facility one final time. I will be in Baltimore less than 24 hours from now.

If this post is about the end of my trip, why did I name it "commencement"? Any stuffy college president can recite that the end of the college experience is really the beginning of something greater. Consider this post an extended simile. I've always looked at my trip to Athletes' Performance as an opportunity to change how I think and act about training and nutrition. In six weeks, I might be a varsity baseball player or Coach Mrowka may kick me to the curb. Regardless, I have the tools to live optimally. If I can maintain that lifestyle, the money spent here will be well worth it.

After my morning workout, I met with Steve (the nutritionist). He revealed that I have gained about 6 pounds of lean muscle and I've lost about 4 pounds of fat. My actual weight is trickier to measure; I weighed in at 208 and 211 at various times today, up from 205 and near our goal of 210-215. Steve also commented on my diet. He put me on a 4400 calorie diet when I arrived in late July. That diet is easy to execute during the week when the AP chefs are preparing meals, but much harder to follow on the weekends. My biggest problem has been eating far less than what he recommended. I'm sure my parents would be surprised by that result, if they even remember me. I usually eat plenty, but to maintain my weight with a rigorous workout regimen, I need tons of food. Steve gave me some tips on what to consume before, during and after workouts and competitions and easy meals to prepare at school.

Athletes' Performance allows clients to purchase EAS products at a deep discount. I walked away with a big jars each of creatine and Muscle Armour as well as some Myoplex packets. Steve gave me an order sheet so I can order more. He also gave me some Pure Encapsulations vitamins. These are supposed to be high quality vitamins that only doctors can purchase. I can also purchase these later through Athletes' Performance at a discount.

I am armed with the means to succeed. I have my vitamins and supplements from Steve. Paul, the guy who coordinates the VO2 testing and ESD program, gave me a cardio program for the next several weeks. Masa gave me a workout protocol with the assurance that he'll send me the rest of the regimen once I complete the current phase. If I fail, it will be because I lack talent, not because of my work ethic or because I didn't maximize my ability.

I've been touched by many people this month, many of whom I consider friends. Many thanks for Joe and John for coaching me gratis, Jeremy and Scott for treating my elbow, Masa, Jaclyn, Steve, Debbie and all of the AP chefs, Carl, Andria and Mary, Paul, Darryl and Graham at ASU baseball.

I've worked out with some amazing people, too. A certain camaraderie is built when many people share common goals and endure physical and mental fatigue together to achieve it. I've made friends in Caspar, Felix, Fred, Michael, Cameron, Will, Victor, Matt, Scott, Jeff, Charles, Chase, James and Koren.

I will in Baltimore until Friday and I look forward to seeing my old friends who haven't already departed for college.

Thanks for reading,
Ben

Crossing paths

One of my last days was the first day for two notable baseball players. Jay Gibbons, a Baltimore Orioles' outfielder, arrived today to get physical therapy on a torn labrum. He's a nice guy, but he looks a lot bigger on TV. In real life, he's only 6'0" and under 200 lbs. The other notable player who arrived is James, the starting third baseman of the South Carolina Gamecocks. This week, I've been blown away by the talent of the people that I train with. Of the three baseball players in my training group, two of them played in the Cape Cod League and both are major contributors at top 40 programs. Crazy.

I took some more post-experience tests, including a body fat evaluation. Although I gained several pounds, I lost about 1.5% body fat (down to about 11%). Both of those results meet my goals.

I also got to take a spin in one of the most expensive cardio machines on the planet. Athletes' Performance owns a G-Trainer. The curious should follow the link, because this treadmill is hard to describe. A bag inflates under the runner's legs that makes the runner somewhat buoyant. Although I weigh 208, I was running as if I only weighed 140. If you have $70,000 burning a hole in your pocket, consider buying it. Of course, Athletes' Performance didn't pay a dime for it.

My last workout is tomorrow. I'm looking forward to seeing my Baltimore friends soon.

Thanks for reading,
Ben

Farewell tour, continued

I finished up one of my favorite parts of the AP experience today: regeneration. My 8 am massage continues to identify tightness in my back and neck. I completed the other regeneration staples: flush (light 10-minute bike ride), foam roll and contrast (switching between the 60 degree pool and the jacuzzi) with enthusiasm.

I also started the exit process by retaking my Functional Movement Screening and Keiser tests. The FMS is a series of tests (toe touching, squat, lunge, etc) that evaluate one's flexibility. The results were merely OK; I didn't improve much on any of these drills. Jeremy, who managed the tests, suggested that I didn't do as well on these tests because we focused our time on improving my elbow. I don't make excuses, but if I can throw with limited discomfort, I'll tolerate a little inflexibility.

The Keiser tests seem simple, but are more complicated under the surface. I sat at a leg press machine sitting next to a digital display. When prompted, I completed one rep as fast as possible. The resistance gets progressively harder, making it difficult to complete the goal of 10 reps. The test is repeated on the chest press machine. The goal is to maximize force, which the hydraulic Keiser machine measures. I'll see the results (as compared to my test four weeks ago) on Friday.

That's all for now. I only have two more workouts before I return home.

Thanks for reading,
Ben

Maintaining focus

As I march towards the end of my experience (3 more days, but who's counting?), one of the hardest things for me is maintaining focus. Executing every rep, every set and every exercise requires the utmost focus. Today, that focus was hard to maintain. I don't have a good excuse, but today I didn't have it consistently. Performing optimally is more than maxing out on bench press, it requires mental focus and a proper emotional state. My goal is to always be on top of my game physically, mentally and emotionally.

Masa created a new PM lifting workout for me and a few of my new companions, Charles & Chase. The brothers went to a local high school and Charles was a top recruit of a Pac-10 school last year. Charles threw 90 in high school and his brother, a rising senior, "only" throws 87. Masa's new workout applied old strategies (e.g. core stability, hip rotation, etc) to new exercises. The new twist made it easier to stay concentrated.

Jeremy scraped me again for the first time in 2 weeks. The pain is unimaginable, but the result (throwing long-toss again in minimal pain) makes every scraping worth it.

Tomorrow is my last regeneration day (and my final massage). I'm also looking forward to seeing how much progress I've made in my exit evaluation and the personalized nutrition and fitness plans the staff will provide me.

Thanks for reading,
Ben

New faces, same place

I arrived today to begin my fourth and final week. I've been here as long as nearly every current client. As Dia Clark said famously, today was the same but a little different.

For the last three weeks, Joe has trained me under the supervision of Darryl. Now, Joe is off to grad school and Darryl is spending the week training the San Francisco 49ers. Masa, a full-time AP employee (like Darryl), will train me for my final week.

The morning session was a movement workout (no surprise there). Masa added his own variation, so I did some slightly different exercises. For example, he added rotator cuff strengthening on the Keiser machine and other prehab exercises. I trained with a different partner, an ASU golfer named Victor. The afternoon session wasn't different; unlike the AM session, the PM lifting sequence is scripted.

To correct a previous post, while AP trains executives, the groups I've seen here aren't executives. One group (that left on Friday) was a collection of California fire fighters. Another was a group of "mentors": physical therapists, personal trainers and nutritionists who come to Athletes' Performance to learn the gospel.

There's more to look forward to this week. Orioles outfielder Jay Gibbons, recovering from shoulder surgery, is expected on Wednesday.

Thanks for reading,
Ben

The First Goodbye

Although I train beside famous athletes, I am certainly not one of them. Famous athletes earn millions of dollars and must greet admirers wherever they go. But I do have one thing in common with them; like retiring athletes, I have a farewell tour. Only this one is virtual.

The tour started today, the final day of the interns. The interns do the majority of the menial task (towel duty, anyone?) and train most high school and collegiate athletes. Their unpaid internship ended yesterday. My trainers Joe and John are embarking on careers in athletic training. Joe will be a graduate assistant at Springfield (MA) College, assisting varsity athletes. John will have a similar role at Southern Illinois University. Next week I'll be trained by two members of the full-time staff.

I try to throw every day here and I've played catch with many different people (a rising freshman baseball player at La Salle, a high school pitcher in Nevada, a high school infielder in Texas and Joe, the former Gettysburg College captain). Koren offered to throw with me yesterday and I took him up on his offer today. His mechanics were erratic, but he became more consistent as we progressed. He told me that he was a high school outfielder/pitcher in North Carolina and was offered baseball scholarships at Kentucky and Elon, but rejected them for a football scholarship at NC State. His coach at NC State didn't allow him to walk-on the baseball team. He made the right choice in picking football.

The farewell tour continues tomorrow, my final Saturday at AP. Can't wait for regeneration.

Thanks for reading,
Ben

Making strides, starting over

Today was a day of achievement, but also one that made me rethink something fundamental.

In the morning, we performed another movement workout geared towards linear speed. For weeks, I've been spinning my wheels when it comes to acceleration. The staff wants me to use my legs like pistons to propel myself forward. Instead, I've been "cycling": kicking my foot backwards and then spinning forward in a circular motion similar to one's foot on a bicycle pedal. Today, I made a big improvement in that leg motion. I still haven't perfected the technique, but I felt the difference today for the first time.

In my physical therapy session, Scott changed my throwing mechanics. First, he suggested that when I am pitching, I land with my left foot pointing at the catcher instead of rotating that foot as my hips turn. Also, he recommended that I increase my arm angle by throwing with my hand farther away from my body and that I pronate my wrist as I release the ball. I tried these changes today and felt less pain that usual. I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner.

Koren beat me in another game of Madden but I took him in ping-pong so I have something bragging rights. Koren looked like a tennis player today; he wore a pair of white shorts, a white sleeveless t-shirt and a backwards Atlanta Braves hat, entirely in white. I'm no Stacey London, but that outfit looked ridiculous.

Tomorrow is the last day for the interns, including two who train me every day, Joe and John.

Thanks for reading,
Ben