From cheerleaders to basketball players, all athletes have one thing in common: they work out. Dedication to their sport leads them to enhance their performance through personal training.
Marissa Warren, senior liberal studies major and member of the cheer team; Leo Mendez, member of the men’s soccer team; Garret Ostrander, sophomore business major and member of the men’s baseball team; and Trinity San Antonio, sophomore photography major and member of the women’s basketball team, shared their workout routines with us.
Q: How do you typically structure workouts?
Warren: “I’ll start with stretching and I’ll go in with an idea of what I’m going to hit that day. (I’ll) do core, do my workout, then I’ll go to my room and try to do a YouTube stretch video at the end of the day because (working out) makes you real sore.”
Mendez: “I’ve had the same workout routine since I was 16. I usually start my day off with a good breakfast which is usually eggs and oatmeal before school. After school, I have soccer practice and once I’m done I have another meal. I come home and rest for a few hours and do a bit of homework before I have my last workout of the day, which is weightlifting.”
Ostrander: “I normally structure my workouts based on specific parts of my body as well as taking into account what time of the year I’m working out. During the winter, I’m preparing my body for the season coming up in the spring, so it would be four days a week of intense lifting versus in-season lifting, which could be light full-body lifts every day to maintain strength.”
San Antonio: “Typically, I structure workouts depending on what I want to do specifically geared torwards my sport or for strength training. On the court stuff is more cardio, conditioning and game reps while in the weight room is heavy weight to build strength or mobility to take care of my body through all the stress it endures.”
Q: What kind of workouts do you do?
Warren: “I like to do weight training the most, but one thing that’s important for cheer is agility and endurance — not for running the mile but more for sprints, because in a cheer routine I go from high energy fast movements to moments where I’m not doing anything and I can just breathe. So you kind of have to learn how to take those little moments and make the most out of them. Sprinting is really important, but I hate running so I like to do spin classes.”
Mendez: “The kind of workouts I do on a daily basis is cardio, which consist of sprints, agility movements and endurance workouts. When it comes to my weight training, I train two different muscle groups each day to target each area and tire the muscle. I do biceps curls, barbell curls, shoulder press, bench press, leg press, squats and core exercises.”
Ostrander: “I stick to baseball-specific workouts, which focus on core, rotational power, full-body stability and explosive movements that are incorporated into all of the common lifts such as bench, squat, deadlift, etc.”
San Antonio: “The types of workouts I do are either ball handling or shooting, and then in the weight room, it’s isolation movements, whether that’s for back, arms, legs or full body.”
Q: What areas do you target to enhance performance in your sport?
Warren: “Your target is very dependent on what position you are. As a back spotter, I target back and shoulder. Core is basically for everything you do, but for the most part it’s whole body and endurance.”
Mendez: “I target my legs and core for the most part because they’re the most relevant muscle groups in soccer.”
Ostrander: “Legs are a major focus for baseball and having a strong, explosive lower half is key to maximizing your performance. Along with that, focusing on rotational power is important, and that involves many parts of the body such as the core and legs.”
San Antonio: “Specific areas I target for basketball would have to be core and shoulders. All our movements when it comes to shooting and running come from having a stable and strong core.”
Q:What other healthy habits do you practice that contribute to performance and overall health?
Warren: “I get enough sleep and I try to make sure I do not over-caffeinate. I try to stay as hydrated as I can, which is hard because I don’t like to pull a water bottle out in class. I make sure that I eat breakfast every day because that is the easiest thing to skip.”
Mendez: “I try to eat as healthy as possible in order to maintain a good physique and just give my body the fuel it needs for the workload that we have as athletes. Quality sleep is a big factor, as well.”
Ostrander: “You can lift all the weights in the world, but if you’re not fueling your body by eating the right foods, staying hydrated, and getting proper sleep every night, then all that hard work is just a waste of time.”
San Antonio: “Healthy habits I try practicing steer away from body performance and engage the mental aspect as well, regarding meditation, breath work and yoga, which allows our bodies to calm down before we endure the physical stress that we put our bodies through on a daily basis.”
Q: What would you recommend to an average student who may aspire to train like an athlete?
Warren: “I would say the big thing is just remember that it is not all about working out and exercise. You cannot forget about the nutritional aspect because if you are working out and there is nothing in your system, you are only going to hurt yourself.”
Mendez: “To a regular student that would like to train like an athlete I would recommend to find a good workout routine that works for your body and just be as consistent as possible and maintain healthy habits to help you maximize results.”
Ostrander: “Consistency is key. When you can create strong habits day in and day out, you will start to see results and feel like your best self.”
San Antonio: “I would recommend to the average student to not be afraid to find time to get active every day. Being active doesn’t mean killing our bodies every time we work out but allowing our bodies to move and flow in the ways we’re naturally supposed to.”
