Ashley Bevington  goes National!      Thursday, February 25, 2010 Today I was in the gym for a strength workout. I was a bit nervous when Jake told me I was doing squats, but as soon as I finished my first set I knew my knees would be fine. In the past 3 years I have undergone 2 knee surgeries; the first was in July 2007. I had very painful tendonitis in my left knee and had a portion of my patella tendon removed. The next year in April, 2008 I tore my ACL in my right knee, ending my lacrosse season early. Are 6 months of intense rehab I was good to go, and I've been doing great ever since. Since the surgeries I have been very weary of squatting and doing heavy lifting with my legs. It will take some time, but once I strengthen the muscles around my knees I should be able to increase the weight and continue progressing. So far so good!

Ashley Bevington  goes National!      Thursday, February 18, 2010 Today I'm back in the weight room for strength training. My muscles were pretty sore the last few days, but today I can barely touch my toes (meaning my hamstrings are REALLY tight). Getting hurt the first week on my training is NOT an option, so I need to pay close attention to pain versus simple soreness. Before I met with Jake I did a 20 minute warmup on the AMT so my legs were nice and warm. The workout was great, I did a lot of balance and stability on the BOSU ball, which really worked my quad strength. The strength in my legs hasn't been 100% since my knee surgeries, so if I'm going to have a chance to make the US Team I really need to build my leg muscles. The rest of the workout was spent on the track. I did a lot of work with the medicine ball to improve my upper body strength, which will improve my non-dominant arm strength and help me to shoot harder.

Ashley Bevington  goes National!      Wednesday, February 17, 2010 Today was my first pool workout, and in case it wasn't immediately obvious to the entire pool area, I am not the best swimmer. Luckily I did not drown and survived through to the end. The hardest part of the workout was treading water while passing a 6 pound medicine ball back and forth with Jake. Afterwards I had to tread water while holding the medicine ball above my head; I have a feeling my arms will hurt in the morning... Tomorrow's workout is strength!

Ashley Bevington  goes National!      Tuesday, February 16, 2010 I rolled out of bed today around 7:00am and to my surprise my legs did NOT want to work. Poor hamstrings! I tried to brush my teeth but I could barely lift my arms... Poor arms! My mom says the only solution to getting rid of sore muscles is to exercise more... hmm Today I did a 50 minute cardio workout with Jake on the seated bike. For each set (10 total) I had to bike at level 13, 14, or 15 and keep the RPMs above 70, 75, and 80 (30 seconds each) followed by a 3 minute rest. I was exhausted afterwards, but once again it felt great to be exercising again. Halfway through the workout I accused Jake of making me do an extra set, which he denied denied denied! I'm not convinced.             What is in store for tomorrow? POOL WORKOUT!

Ashley Bevington  goes National!      Monday, February 15, 2010 The first round of the US Lacrosse Team try-outs is on May 29th, 2010 in Bel Air, Maryland, which means I have exactly 100 days to get back in shape and sharpen my stick skills if I expect to make the team. Its going to be a challenge, but I know that hard work and determination have paid off for me in the past. Today I had my first official work-out with Jake, the Director of Personal Training at Body Zone. The focus was on strength and stability: I did a combination of standing weight lifting, machines, and bosu ball stability exercises. Although I wasn't doing cardio my heart rate was up and I was sweating like crazy. Don't worry guys, I wiped off the machines! After the workout my legs felt like jello and I was red in the face, but it felt good to make it through the first day. When you haven't been exercising for a few months you forget how awesome it feels to put your body through a tough workout! The level of adrenaline and endorphins your body produces puts you in a good mood and gives you energy to get through the rest of the day. When I got home that night I was exhausted, but I was proud of myself and excited for the next workout... until I woke up the next morning!