Dolphins Pump Iron
The second week of the 6-Week Strength and Conditioning Camp for the boys’ varsity basketball team began on August 9th. Like the first week, week 2 was all about conditioning the players for heavy weight lifting scheduled for the last three weeks of the program. The players did a lot of exercises with high repetitions using their own body weight like air squats, plyometric box jumps, hurdles, and lunges to activate the lower body. To condition the upper body, the players did callisthenic exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, lateral raises, front planks, oblique twists, crunches and some light dumbbell work.
Week 3 was a real grind for the entire team. Beginning August 16th the boys incorporated weighted medicine balls throughout the workout. Most of the shoulder and leg work was done with 16 – 20lbs heavy medicine balls. Exercises like heave and retrieve relays, 5lbs chest passes, high rep dead lifts, and hanging cleans were among the teams’ favorites. These workouts produced a lot of sore muscles, so the next days were followed by extensive cardio-vascular movements like shuffle cone sprints, jump rope, hurdles, and isometric exercises like wall holds and side planks in order to work out some of the soreness.
After three weeks of conditioning, the team began their first day of strength training in the weight room on August 23rd during week 4 of the program. The team was divided into two groups. One group began at 2 o’clock and the other at 3 o’clock (the 20’ x 40’ weight room can only hold 3 - 4 players and a coach at a time.) Monday, Wednesday and Friday were all about hams, gluts and quads. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday were dedicated to shoulders, arms, chest, and back. Head Coach David Allewalt started this camp saying he wanted the team to work on having a strong core, so they do abs every day. The players have all remarked at how much they can already feel a significant difference in their abdominal strength.
Week 5 began on August 29th and the team started to make significant gains in strength and endurance. Most of the players maxed out around 235 – 255lbs on dead lifts, 165 – 185lbs on chest press, 200 – 225lbs on high rows, and 185 – 205lbs on squats. The team has really dedicated themselves to the program and the results of their hard work are starting to show. Coach Allewalt reported noticeable power and strength from the players during weekly scrimmages and decided to extend the program until October 1st. On October 1st the team will begin speed and agility training and develop a maintenance program in the weight room to in order to keep the gains they have developed this summer while working on their basketball skills.
In addition to developing mass and strength, the boys have developed a real sense of comradery. Teams excel when the players support each other and these guys are working well together to achieve their goals. They want to win and they know that they will if everyone on the team is putting forth their best efforts. So they praise each other for doing their best and they are hard on each other if somebody isn’t. They players agreed that, “none of us have to be here, we just want to…”
Fear the Pod!
