Sports are a big part of many high-schooler’s daily lives. Many get so used to having no time that when the season ends they waste the newly gained freetime. So what can you do instead? Well luckily there are lots of things one can do to prepare for the next season.
A good option for almost any athlete is to lift weights. Anyone can start at anytime. Yes, girls can do it too. Lifting will greatly improve your performance in any sport, whether it be football to bowling.
Bailey Gragg, a sophomore at HHS, is a tri-sport athlete.
“I like to lift after school at Champions with my friends. I also play soccer there to get fit for baseball,” said Gragg.
Maybe weight training isn’t possible or of interest for some. Fret not, cardio can do wonders as well. This would be a better choice for say, a long distance runner. Running won’t build giant muscles, but 2-3 months of sprint workouts could drop a 100m time by a whole second easily. Rae Markle, a junior at HHS, took part in an after school program that Coach Itzen started primarily for girls looking to get a headstart on the upcoming track season. They would meet after school Monday, Tuesday, and Thursdays. Itzen put the girls through a course of abs, sprint exercises, and explosive weight training.
“Now that we’ve finished I’m glad I stayed dedicated and I’m excited to see how much this is going to help me,” said Markle.
Sadly a majority of HHS athletes don’t put their time to such good use. Coaches really push their kids to get involved during the off season whether it be another sport or an after school activity. Obviously they want them to improve in the sport, but it’s mainly just about keeping them out of trouble. Coaches wish more players would opt for the weightlifting program or do some sort of exercise. Anything is better than them sitting at home wasting away all the muscle that was worked so hard for during the season.
“I do nothing” – Zurriel Espinoza, Soccer Prodigy
