Staying Fit
Ella Werdell '23 Staff Writer
Bobby Smith '22 Staff Writer
For the past year, the coronavirus outbreak has created a roadblock for student athletes at Howard High School. Recently, Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) has determined that fall sports will continue later in the school year with a modified schedule. This decision means that sports will continue for the 2020-2021 school year. Both Jasmine Wilson, one of the girls cross country and track team captains, and Coach Hannon, the varsity football coach and strength and conditioning teacher, have provided advice on staying in shape during quarantine for student athletes who are preparing for their season.
Tip #1: Consistency
Consistency is vital to staying in shape and improving, especially when training individually or without a coach. Consistency involves training regularly, keeping a challenging pace and effort to your workouts and preparing (mentally and physically) for tough workouts or scrimmages. Without consistency, the body will have a harder time adapting and building good habits. Remaining consistent with the amount of effort being put into workouts can be challenging, but the results will be worth it. Wilson stated, “If your effort decreases, your results during the season will show it.” She also provided insight into how the cross country team is staying in shape: “We have all been running daily and putting in the work necessary to improve, no matter how weird the season will be. We have also been racing almost weekly to stay fresh.” Participating in scrimmages is another great way to remain consistent when staying in shape.
Tip #2: Focus on Cardiovascular Fitness
Cardiovascular endurance is an important aspect in any athlete’s training. Focusing on cardiovascular fitness is one way to improve as an athlete and remain organized. By focusing on just one aspect of the sport, training seems like less of a burden. According to Coach Hannon, “Our workouts are not just football specific, we’re trying to focus on our major components of cardiovascular fitness. That’s that one thing, that 60-90% [effort] for at least 20 minutes.” The football team is focusing on improving their cardiovascular endurance in their training. As stated by Coach Hannon, to improve cardiovascular endurance, one must exercise for a minimum of twenty minutes in their target heart rate zone and at a hard effort. Improving cardiovascular fitness is not only important, but it is also easy to do at home. Most exercises used to improve cardiovascular endurance have no need for equipment, like running, jumping jacks, biking and jumping rope.
Tip #3: Track/Log Workouts
Finding motivation to workout can be hard, but keeping track of the completed workouts is a way to hold yourself accountable. Both the football team and the cross country team do this using different applications. The cross country team uses an app called Final Surge to log the workouts they completed. Their coach has access to these workouts and is able to track the progress of their athletes. For football, Huddle is used because, “Our kids' mindsets of ‘Hey, I need to get out there and workout at least three times a week’ has not changed and the use of technology reinforces that whether we are in a pandemic or not.” Coach Hannon explained that Huddle allows for all the football coaches to see the workouts that the players are doing and motivates the players to work out because they are being held accountable. Even if your coach doesn’t use these apps to hold you accountable, there are other ways to keep yourself motivated. Finding a friend to work out with or creating an exercise schedule to hold yourself accountable can help as well. Keeping track of the workouts that you complete will help motivate you to get out the door and finish it.
Tip #1: Consistency
Consistency is vital to staying in shape and improving, especially when training individually or without a coach. Consistency involves training regularly, keeping a challenging pace and effort to your workouts and preparing (mentally and physically) for tough workouts or scrimmages. Without consistency, the body will have a harder time adapting and building good habits. Remaining consistent with the amount of effort being put into workouts can be challenging, but the results will be worth it. Wilson stated, “If your effort decreases, your results during the season will show it.” She also provided insight into how the cross country team is staying in shape: “We have all been running daily and putting in the work necessary to improve, no matter how weird the season will be. We have also been racing almost weekly to stay fresh.” Participating in scrimmages is another great way to remain consistent when staying in shape.
Tip #2: Focus on Cardiovascular Fitness
Cardiovascular endurance is an important aspect in any athlete’s training. Focusing on cardiovascular fitness is one way to improve as an athlete and remain organized. By focusing on just one aspect of the sport, training seems like less of a burden. According to Coach Hannon, “Our workouts are not just football specific, we’re trying to focus on our major components of cardiovascular fitness. That’s that one thing, that 60-90% [effort] for at least 20 minutes.” The football team is focusing on improving their cardiovascular endurance in their training. As stated by Coach Hannon, to improve cardiovascular endurance, one must exercise for a minimum of twenty minutes in their target heart rate zone and at a hard effort. Improving cardiovascular fitness is not only important, but it is also easy to do at home. Most exercises used to improve cardiovascular endurance have no need for equipment, like running, jumping jacks, biking and jumping rope.
Tip #3: Track/Log Workouts
Finding motivation to workout can be hard, but keeping track of the completed workouts is a way to hold yourself accountable. Both the football team and the cross country team do this using different applications. The cross country team uses an app called Final Surge to log the workouts they completed. Their coach has access to these workouts and is able to track the progress of their athletes. For football, Huddle is used because, “Our kids' mindsets of ‘Hey, I need to get out there and workout at least three times a week’ has not changed and the use of technology reinforces that whether we are in a pandemic or not.” Coach Hannon explained that Huddle allows for all the football coaches to see the workouts that the players are doing and motivates the players to work out because they are being held accountable. Even if your coach doesn’t use these apps to hold you accountable, there are other ways to keep yourself motivated. Finding a friend to work out with or creating an exercise schedule to hold yourself accountable can help as well. Keeping track of the workouts that you complete will help motivate you to get out the door and finish it.