Weight training is a key step in athlete success. Photo courtesy of senior Aidan Field.
In the past few years, the football coaches at San Luis Obispo High School have been crediting much of their success on the field to weightlifting. Do the players agree, or do they believe otherwise?
“We started weightlifting in the spring and spent a lot of time in the gym. It just makes us better athletes and overall gives us the ability to go on the field and play well,” said starting linebacker junior Grady Garrison.
Garrison and the rest of the SLOHS football team have spent every morning since last school year in the gym preparing for the upcoming season. Garrison specifically dedicated a lot of time to increasing his compound lifts (bench, squat, and powerclean) in order to play his best on the field.
“I only weightlift when my body is fully recovered from practice or when I have enough energy to, so I don’t overly fatigue my body,” said junior Chuck Jacobs.
Jacobs plays defensive line and has faced different injuries in the past, so he takes his recovery extremely seriously. He makes sure he can lift to his best ability by making sure he only does so when he feels that practice hasn’t strained him too much.
“Some of the lifts that Coach Johnston and I focus on in the weightroom are lifts that help us become more explosive on the field. So I think speed, explosiveness, and strength are a huge part of what we strive to lift for in the weight room,” said junior quarterback Zion Hegg.
Hegg specifically is one of the most explosive and quick players on the team. He attributes much of his success to the work he has put into the weightroom.
The football team has made it clear that weightlifting is key to their success as a team.