Ascent Physical Therapy and Performance, 8545 152nd Ave NE, Redmond, WA (2025)

05/23/2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another client win to celebrate! Take a look at why clients love working with Ascent PT & Performance.

If you're ready to start your fitness-forward rehab journey and learn lasting tools for health, book an appointment using the link in bio!

01/08/2025

Optimize Fueling Strategies 🍏 and Physical Activity 🏃‍♀️ in Pregnancy

We all know how much our bodies change in pregnancy as we make room for and help baby to grow over 9 months. But how can we work to optimize our fueling and activity levels to help improve outcomes for both mom and baby?

A research study by Most et al (2019) looked at the specific energy intake requirements in pregnancy and how they differ from our pre-pregnancy needs.

Here's what it comes down to:

1️⃣ Physical activity is crucial in pregnancy. Activity can be a mix of movements and forms of exercise, including high-intensity and moderate-intensity activity based on your body and pre-pregnancy activity.

2️⃣ Understand that your capacity for activity may change (many times) during pregnancy. Whether nausea or the aches and pains of pregnancy, activity may not be your first priority. But it is important to find a form of activity that feels good for your body and have a couple back up activities when things change along the way.

3️⃣ Slowly growing a human is no small task! The amount of energy your body utilizes each day (including total daily energy expenditure and resting metabolic rate) gradually increases from pre-pregnancy to delivery as baby grows and your body changes.

4️⃣ Aim for optimal weight gain during pregnancy to improve outcomes for you and baby! The recommendations for pregnancy weight gain are based on your pre-pregnancy BMI (mix of height and weight).
Underweight: 12.5-18 kg (27-40 #)
Normal weight: 11.5-16 kg (25-35 #)
Overweight: 7-11.5 kg (15-25 #)
Obese: 5-9 kg (11-20 #)

5️⃣ How we fuel our bodies during pregnancy matters! "Eating for two" is NOT true. In fact, our diet in pregnancy should not change much from before. In 1st trimester, we should only add 50-150 calories per day. In 2nd + 3rd trimesters, your caloric intake may increase up to 360 calories per day, but know that number varies based on your recommended weight gain category, as our nutrition and activity are a great way to control weight in pregnancy. Ask your provider for guidance!

Fueling and activity are essential parts of the pregnancy journey!
If you want to know more about how to incorporate more physical activity into your routine, message us! 📲

11/13/2024

The WHY Behind Training Functional Movement Patterns 🏋️

The primary functional movement patterns include:
◻️ Hip Dominant
◻️ Knee Dominant
◻️ Vertical Push
◻️ Vertical Pull
◻️ Horizontal Push
◻️ Horizontal Pull
Swipe through to see examples of each movement pattern

But you may ask...
Why do these movements matter?
Why should we focus on incorporating them into our training?

🔑 These movements mimic tasks and activities we do in everyday life!
Training these movements will help to prepare us for the demands of everyday life whether that is...
◻️ Lifting your child up to sit on your shoulders
◻️ Moving furniture
◻️ Putting a suitcase in the overhead compartment on an airplane
◻️ Raking leaves
◻️ Kneeling down to play with your grandkids

No matter the task, you can be ready!

At Ascent PT & Performance, we are all about training functional movement patterns to meet the demands of your life. If you want help incorporating these functional movement patterns into your training, send us a message to get started!

10/11/2024

🛑 STOP resting when injured 🛑

There is a time and place for rest, as it can be beneficial and sometimes necessary to help tissues recover. But resting because you have been told that's the only way for your body to heal, is NOT the way to go. In fact, there are many ways to incorporate movement while working around an injury to get those feel-good benefits of exercise.

In fact, there is a phenomenon that explains the impact of exercise on pain: exercise-induced hypoanalgesia (EIH), which is pain relief from exercise. Research shows that EIH leads to:
1️⃣ Increased pain pressure threshold (it greats more pressure to elicit a pain response)
2️⃣ Decreased pain intensity ratings during and after exercise

How do you get the benefits of EIH❔❔
➡️ Research shows EIH occurs with aerobic and isometric exercise
➡️ Evidence of EIH with 20 minutes of aerobic exercise, 2-3 days per week

If you need more guidance on how to modify movements or incorporate exercise into your routine again, let's work together! Whether you are coming back from injury, postpartum, or just trying to get into the gym consistently, intentional exercise can help to manage your pain, and Ascent PT & Performance can help guide you.

📲 Use link in bio to schedule with Dr. Melissa at Ascent PT & Performance!

09/21/2024

🦵Muscle Activity in Single Leg Strength Exercises

Let's see what muscles are working and when.

Muyor et al (2020) completed a study on muscle activity of primary muscles in the hip and thigh during 3 common single leg strength exercises: monopodal (single leg squat), forward lunge, and lateral step up. They assessed the activity of 6 major muscle groups of the hip and leg: Gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, biceps femoris (hamstrings), and 3 parts of the quadriceps, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and re**us femoris.

Here are their primary findings:
1️⃣ The monopodal (single leg) squat had significantly greater muscle activity in majority of the muscles (excluding re**us femoris) compared to the lunge and step up.
2️⃣ With each exercise, muscle activity in the concentric phase was significantly greater than in the eccentric phase of movement.
3️⃣ Every exercise showed greatest muscle activity in the vastus medialis and lateralis, followed by glute max and med, then re**us femoris.

These findings help clinicians and athletes alike to determine which exercise might be most beneficial for their goals.

While the study only assessed muscle activity at 5 repetitions of 60% (5 rep max) in 20 healthy and physically active participants, the findings are still helpful to guide training and programming decisions.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230841

📲 Follow Ascent PT & Performance for more evidence based practice

08/29/2024

It's time for another Ascent PT & Performance Workshop. This time we are focused on all things running!

Join Dr. Melissa on Saturday, September 28 at 10am for a workshop on running mechanics, how to improve running efficiency, reducing risk of running-related injuries, and supplementing running volume with strength training!

If you love running and want to improve, or always dread those running workouts during the week, then you don't want to miss out!

The details:
🗓 Saturday, September 28
🕐 10:00am-11:00am
📍Acuo CrossFit (8545 152nd Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052)

08/15/2024

Some of the many reasons why exercise is so vital throughout pregnancy!

I dove into the research on the benefits of exercise during pregnancy, and here's what I found ⤵

◽ Effects delivery method ◽
Consistent physical activity showed increased rates of vaginal delivery and decreased rates of cesarean delivery

◽ Improved maternal health in pregnancy ◽
Exercise reduced risk of developing gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders, including preeclampsia

◽ Improved weight control ◽
Physical activity helped manage maternal weight gain and reduced rate of neonate macrosomia (large baby at birth)

◽ Decreased physical pain and dysfunction ◽
Exercise helped reduce the rate of low back and pelvic pain during pregnancy and reduce incidence of pelvic floor dysfunction, such as leaking or urgency

◽ Improved mental health ◽
Regular physical activity also helped manage maternal mental health and reduced rates of prenatal and postpartum depression (especially when returned to exercise postpartum)

◽ PLUS all the normal benefits of exercise (outside of pregnancy) ◽
Increased energy
Strengthen muscles and bones
Improved cognitive function
Lower risk of chronic diseases
and more!

Mamas:
It is hard to grow a human. Your body is constantly changing. You don't always feel like yourself. And there are times when exercise is not the answer.
But it is worth the time and energy to exercise consistently during pregnancy - for both you and your baby!

If you don't know how to get started with an exercise routine during your pregnancy, or haven't been able to exercise due to pain, leaking, etc., LET'S CHAT!

I can help you find an exercise routine that works for you and your body and will help you adapt your movement as your pregnancy progresses!

Don't wait! Schedule a consult call using link in bio! 📲

07/30/2024

Many providers and coaches advise pregnant women against heavy resistance training and use of the Valsalva Maneuver due to the concern of decreased blood flow to the placenta and fetus.

However, Gould et al 2021 found that "there is no significant reduction in placental blood flow in pregnancy during resistance training in recreational athletes."

In the study, they had 22 healthy pregnant women between 13-28 weeks perform a 1RM of dumbbell chest press in semi-supine position (reclined to 30 deg). The researchers limited the maximum load to 50lb, which may have prevent a few women from achieving a true 1RM.

Their findings demonstrated a slight mean increase in vascular flow index (VFI) of the placenta during the lift compared to VFI at rest, specifically in the women who reported regularly participating in structured exercise. In contrast, the women who reported no regular exercise routine did not have a significant change in VFI.

While there are limits to this study and almost more research needed on the subject, this study is a good indicator that there is no negative impact to placental and fetal blood flow during moderate-to-heavy resistance training in trained recreational athletes!

✨Don't be afraid to lift heavy and use the Valsalva Maneuver (if you feel confident in your technique) while pregnant. A pelvic floor physical therapist can help guide you in proper lifting and breathing techniques.

If you want to continue lifting through pregnancy, contact Ascent PT to help you! 📲

07/15/2024

Taking another look at the research to ensure evidence-based practice!

This study by Korak et al (2018) assessed muscle activation of primary movers of the leg in 3 common lower-body exercises. They looked at activation of the quads (re**us femoris, vastus medialis, vatus lateralis), hamstrings (biceps femoris), and glutes (gluteus maximus) during the front squat, back squat, and deadlift.

Here's what they found!
◽Glute max had statistically greater activation during the front squat than the deadlift
◽ There was no significant difference in glute max activation between front squat and back squat
◽ There was not significant difference in activation between the quad components or hamstrings

Things to consider:
❓This study looked at healthy, trained women
❓Need to be careful when applying the findings to injured, weak, and/or untrained populations

Here's the takeaway!
✨ The increase in glute max activation in the front squat is likely due to greater hip flexion angle and external lever arm compared to the glute max
✨ There is potential for greater muscle spindle activation in the glute max due to increased muscle fiber length and tension vs. the deadlift
✨ To strategically activate and strengthen the glute max, load up a front squat (at least 75% of 1RM)!

Want more information on evidence-based practice, follow !

Ascent Physical Therapy and Performance

05/23/2025

01/08/2025

11/13/2024

10/11/2024

09/21/2024

08/29/2024

08/15/2024

07/30/2024

07/15/2024

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category