Ascend Physical Therapy

03/16/2026

Come join us on Saturday at 11 am at Burn Boot Camp Woodlake for a free workshop on keeping your back strong! Not a member yet, message us to sign up for a free camp and get registered for the workshop!

03/11/2026

Climber: stop letting your thumb stick out.

That habit creates a radial deviation force at the wrist.

Your flexor carpi ulnaris then has to: 1️⃣ stabilize the wrist
2️⃣ help generate grip strength

When one muscle is doing both jobs, you get:

• weaker grip
• more medial elbow stress

Wrap the thumb around the hold and train palmar grip positions to reduce strain on your medial elbow.

03/04/2026

The less you access movement, the less movement you have to access.
Use it or lose it.
Stop complaining that someone is "taking something away from you". Nope, we don't want you more dependent on us, trust me.
We want you moving more, on your own, without fear and without pain.
You've got this.

03/02/2026

01/28/2026

01/28/2026

01/11/2026

Come join us at Burn Boot Camp Woodake for a free workshop to learn how to build shoulder strength that lasts! Not a Burn member yet, just message us to get signed up!

12/16/2025

Here's a not-too- hard one... even though the case itself is actually quite tricky.
Why would I give you these exercises?

11/07/2025

Name: Alexa Arents 

Favorite Lift: Bench Press

Lifting Experience: 3.5 years

Max Squat: 195

Max Bench: 130

Max Deadlift: 245

Bio: Alexa came to X-Factor Athletic Performance looking to gain strength and put on some muscle and when she started, she worked hard at mastering her body mechanics and doing some light dumbbell work before she was ready for the barbell.  She literally started at zero and now she is benching over her bodyweight and deadlifting nearly twice her bodyweight!  3.5 years may seem like a long time but in the realm of resistance training that is an incredibly short time to go from zero to rather elite levels of strength! She achieves such greatness by being an excellent student of the iron and staying hungry for personal records. The big records she is looking for in November are a 200 point Squat and 135 pound Bench Press and she is on track for both!

 

Alright, next up is one of our youth athletes whose mom and step-mom have been worked on at Ascend!

11/07/2025

Name: Ari Ikeda

Favorite Lift: Deadlift

Lifting Experience: 1.5 years

Max Squat: 135

Max Bench: 90

Max Deadlift: 205

Bio: Ari had been to the gym with his mom many times over the years and somewhere along the way he was inspired to start lifting too. He started with mastering his bodyweight before we loaded any movements but being so young and adaptable, he took off and started doing some great work with the barbell in almost no time! Such great work in fact that Ari is a former National Record holder! He has aged out of his old division but as he enters the Juniors 13-15 year old division, he is looking to set new records in a whole new class! He will also be joined by his grandfather Ken Ikeda who takes the platform for the first time at 64 years old!

11/07/2025

Name: Gabrielle Belisle

Favorite Lift: Bench Press

Lifting Experience: 4 years

Max Squat: 200

Max Bench: 130

Max Deadlift: 225

Bio: Gabrielle started lifting at 14 to get stronger for volleyball and as it often occurs with athletes, she found she enjoyed the training even more than the sport itself! For the last two years she has left the court to four solely on her performance on the platform. In her four years of lifting she's already a powerlifting veteran and has gone on to set multiple national records in two different weight classes and two different age classes!  It is no surprise to see her name all over the record board because she's one of the most consistent people in the gym. We'll see if that consistency can bring her to yet more national records in the Squat and Bench before she ages out of her current age division.  She's working hard to give it one last shot!

11/07/2025

Name: Michelle Altic

Favorite Lift: Bench Press

Lifting Experience: 2.5 years

Max Squat: 319

Max Bench: 192

Max Deadlift: 375

Bio: Michelle Altic is a dual sport athlete who competes in strongman and powerlifting and has had success in both!  Michelle is the current national record holder in the Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift in the Women's Masters (45-49 years old) division in her weight class.  She always lights up a room with her winning personality, but she's going to electrify the platform this November as she attempts a massive 200 pound Bench Press!  If she's able to reach that milestone she will be only the 2nd lady in X-Factor history to bench 200+!