Football Players Staying in Shape

With everyone having to stay inside during this quarantine, working out can sometimes be the last thing on people’s minds. For MV football players, they must stay in shape so they will be ready for next season. 

“The biggest challenge with working out from home is staying motivated,” said Joel Ratliff, 11. “Some days I just have to suck it up and do it, even when it’s the last thing I want to do.”

A challenge some people are facing is the lack of equipment they have available to them. But equipment is not required for staying in shape. 

“For people looking to stay in shape with no equipment at their disposal, I would suggest doing lots of body weight workouts,” said Ronnie Foster, 11. “Push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, burpees, are all very effective workouts that you can do with just some space.”

Although body weight workouts are very effective, it is surprising how much stuff you can use around your home to accomplish workouts. There is also lots of stuff outside you can use, which can also get you out of the house. 

“I have been doing bench presses with a steel bar and cylinder blocks,” said Ratliff. “You can also squat with a big rock or wood logs. Anything with a good amount of weight to it and a good grip can be used to do effective workouts.”

Although it’s easy to use this quarantine as an excuse for getting out of shape, the football team doesn’t get to use that excuse. So they must find other methods.

“I created two workout plans, one for players with weights and one for players without weights,” said Coach Kirschner. “All of our other coaches created videos for them to show them how to perform the workouts. We are working very hard to maintain our training on a daily basis. We are very proud of what we have created.”

Although it’s not easy, it must be accomplished. Kirschner and the rest of the staff have been working with what they are given.