PEDs, James Harrison and the Workout

James Harrison is a beast, a terror on the football field and thirty-eight years old. Thirty-eight might as well be 100 years old in terms of playing in the NFL. To explain his longevity, at one point Harrison commented that he spends around $500,000 a year on training, massage, and other body work to keep himself game ready. However, Al-Jazeera came out recently with a list of players that have allegedly used Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) and that list included James Harrison. The NFL has said that Harrison could be suspended indefinitely if he does not testify about these allegations. At thirty-eight, any suspension could essentially equal a retirement for Harrison. Part of me says, of course he is using PEDs. I think most players in the NFL are using these drugs just to stay on the field. It will be interesting to see how this turns out.

Warm-Up:
Row, 250m
Prisoner Lunge, 20 repetitions
Banded Overhead Squat with Barbell, 3 sets of 10 repetitions
GHD Back Extensions with PVC Overhead Press, 3 sets of 10 repetitions
Weight Training:
No Feet Clean from Jerk Block, 5 sets of 5 repetitions
Clean from Jerk Block, 5 sets of 2 repetitions
Clean from Jerk Block, One repetitions every minute on the minute for ten minutes
Front Squat, 5 sets of 3 repetitions
Seated Strict Overhead Press, 5 sets of 10, 8, 6, 4 & 4 repetitions

Have a Great Day!!

First NFL Sunday and a Rest Day!

Well, the Redskins' lousy special teams may have cost them the game but at least Terrell Suggs was lost for the season in the Ravens' lost?! Not the best first Sunday.

Today was a rest day to recharge and we will get back at the workout tomorrow!

Have a Great Day!!

NFL Hall of Fame, Junior Seau, CTE and a Cardio Workout

Last night I watched linebacker Junior Seau's family reveal his bust as he was inducted into NFL's Hall of Fame. Seau was an amazing football player that played with a style that was ferocious and physical and he played that way professionally for 20 years. Many of those years were played long before anyone was concerned openly about repeated head injuries. After his retirement, Seau killed himself by shooting himself in the chest in 2012 after suffering from debilitating cognitive symptoms. Junior shot himself in the chest so that people could study the impact of the game he loved on his brain. Later, after studying his brain it was determined that Seau suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE, a type of chronic brain damage that used to be called "Punch Drunk". It has now been determined that many NFL players have suffered from CTE and the NFL has since taken steps to help limit the head injuries to players. But, these blows are impossible to remove from the game all together based on the way it is now played.

For me, the big story last night was that the NFL was not going to let any of Seau's family speak at the induction ceremony. Seau had told his now 21 year old daughter Sydney that she should speak for him if he ever made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But, the Hall of Fame had a policy of not letting others give speeches for deceased inductees and would not allow Sydney to give a speech. On top of that policy, I am sure the NFL was worried because the Seau family has filed a wrongful death suit against the league for failing to warn players about the dangers of repeated blows to the head. In the end, the NFL made a compromise and Sydney was interviewed after the induction ceremony with a poise and confidence beyond her years. She bravely worked her way through the interview wrapping up by saying “I hope this induction can exemplify the fact that you are more than Junior Seau, number fifty-five and a buddy. You are a light, and I want nothing more than to see you come on stage, give the speech you were meant to give, give me a hug and tell me you love me one last time. But that isn’t our reality.”

Cardiorespiratory Training:
HIIT Spin Bike, 20 minutes
Foam Roller Work

Have a Great Day!!

Baseball, Basketball and Leg Day

Even if you are like me and are a huge fan of the NFL, this is a good sports time

of year: The Masters just wrapped up, he MLB has started, and the NBA playoffs are about to kick off. My only issue with the MLB and NBA is the length of the season. The NBA plays 82 regular season games and the MLB goes for almost double that at 162 games. At 16 games the NFL is able to keep my apparently very limited attention span. I mean, it is hard to get worked up about the Nationals dropping two out of three games in Boston when there are still 153 games left?!

Today's quote is from Bill Veeck:

"There are only two seasons - winter and Baseball."

Workout: Legs

Warm-Up:

Jump Rope, 1 minute

36" Box Jumps, 15 repetitions

Weight Training:

Front Squat, 5 sets of 6-10 repetitions

(Primary muscles worked: Rectus femoris, gluteus maximus, vastus medialis, intermedius and lateralis)

Romanian Deadlift, 5 sets of 10 repetitions

(Primary muscles worked: Biceps femoris, gluteus maximus)

Weighted Calf Raise, 5 sets of 15-20 repetitions

(Primary muscles worked: Gastrocnemius, soleus)

25m Weighted Sled Push, 5

(Primary muscles worked: Rectus femoris)

25m Side Step with Resistance Band, 5

(Primary muscles worked: Gluteus maximus, sartorius, tensor fascia latae)

Have a Great Day!!

Trouble in the NFL and Leg Circuit Day

I am currently watching the Colts go ahead of the Eagles on Monday Night Football. I love football, but there has been a lot of ugliness associated with the sport I love.

It has been a terrible week for the NFL and I think that there is a wave of change that may be coming. Between the Ray Rice and Greg Hardy domestic violence cases and the Adrian Peterson case where he gave his son a "whuppin'" with a switch to the point that doctors called it child abuse... something has to change. Men cannot be going around doing these horrific acts. The NFL has an opportunity to make a statement about physical abuse. I hope they will.

Today's quote is from Isaac Asimov:

"Violence is the last refuge incompetent."

Workout: Legs
Circuit Training: Perform each exercise for one minute in order to complete a set. Three sets total.
Jump Rope
Prisoner Step-Ups
Barbell Back Squats
Box Jumps
GHD
Dumbbell Reverse Lunges
Abdominal Crunches

Have a Great Day!