Photos courtesy of the CCHS yearbook staff
With the fall sports season coming to an end, many student-athletes look forward to a well-earned rest. The end of the season doesn’t mean the athlete will be slacking off, though. Offseason training is important to stay in shape for the next sports season.
In the offseason, athletes need to strike a delicate balance between not slowing down too much while avoiding overexertion. This balance highlights how important it is for each athlete to find a training schedule that works for them.
At Central Crossing High School, student-athletes take a number of different approaches to maintain their fitness when not actively competing.
Many students work out with the school team during off-season months, participating in open gyms and team camps. This is the case for senior volleyball player Madison Myers, who says she attends open gyms during the summer. A gym membership gives Myers additional opportunities to exercise regularly.
One of the key reasons for off-season conditioning, according to Ohio University’s Master of Athletic Administration website, is to avoid injury when regular season activity resumes. Athletes should engage in active rest exercises like walking, yoga or cycling, which are low impact, less intense and less frequent workouts than typical regular season activities. This technique can lead an athlete back to the basics of their sport.
Scaling back a usual routine is a tactic used by senior cheerleader and gymnast Madison VonIns. VonIns says that during the offseason she works out a few times a week and focuses on eating healthy to stay in shape for the coming season.
Active rest workouts can be as simple as jogging, especially for those who take part in cross country or track and field, as is the case for senior Joey Taylor, who participates in both sports.
“What I do throughout the offseason is I’ll run either by myself or, since my team is all super close with each other, we will meet up somewhere and run together,” Taylor says.
For some students, there is no offseason, so staying in shape is as simple as attending practice. Taylor, for example, plays basketball between the cross country and track and field seasons. However, even when playing other sports, an athlete should keep offseason training in mind for their primary activity.
Aside from decreasing the intensity of a workout, Ohio University’s Masters of Athletic Administration website recommends that athletes try exercises and activities that are different from their typical exercises or sport. Switching up exercises, and therefore muscle groups, gives muscles a chance to rest and avoid strain while building up areas of the body that are used less often.
Exercise variation can be just as important to those participating in different sports as it is for those who are taking time off, especially if the secondary sport puts focus on different muscles than the primary sport. If someone usually plays a sport like soccer, which requires leg strength, it’s a good idea to do exercises that focus on the upper body, especially if the athlete might be playing a sport like baseball in the upcoming season.
Alternatively, some students choose to continue participating in their sport through travel or Amateur Athletics Union teams. The group training gives the students an opportunity to spend time together on a team and build up a support system they can use both in and out of the game.
“What I do in the offseason is I work out with my trainers and, also, I do (Amateur Athletics Union) and try to stay in shape by running around my neighborhood, and I will also be in football at this time so I’m getting ready for the season to start,” says senior Isaiah Bridges, who plays both football and basketball.
Remember, your brain is a muscle, too, and it’s just as important to train your mind alongside your body. Keeping yourself in shape means little if you burn yourself out mentally or lose passion for your sport. Offseason training is more than recovering from the previous season, it is preparing yourself for the upcoming season. The offseason helps students be the best athletes they can be beyond the field, the court or the mat.
Lindsey Capritta is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
