STRENGTH & CONDITIONING
Incorporate a Fun Day Into Your Strength Program With what seems like a constant stream of bad news coming at players from every direction, it’s important to give them time to have fun with teammates. Program a fun day into your strength and conditioning program to foster team chemistry. BY DAN GUTTENPLAN, FNF COACHES EDITOR
Rockland Summit High (Mo.) coach Derryan Derrough is the first to admit he doesn’t monitor one aspect of his strength and conditioning program as closely as others. “The coaches don’t run the dance part,” Derrough said. “We don’t hold a candle to (Z Total Body Fitness instructor Lisa Hale).” Derrough and his staff gave Hale control of one workout per week this summer, and the fitness instructor mixed in some non-traditional football workouts designed at getting the players out of their comfort zones while making it fun. “It’s challenging, plus I’m old and they’re young,” Hale said. “I make it look good, so they want to do it too.” During the first week of workouts in July, Hale led the players in masks through dance classes. During the second phase of the return to play in Missouri, she hosted workouts for groups of up to 10 players. She spread them out in the gym or outside and led core workouts. “It was hard, but they had fun,” Hale said. “They go home and tell their parents how much fun they have. You’ve got to give them something different with some music. They love it. I gives them a chance to do something different.” Hale leads workouts for every sports team at Rockland Summit in addition to her private training business. She also teaches a physical education class at the high school once a month. “I do the fitness that other coaches don’t know about,” Hale said. “I give them core workouts; that’s my speciality.”
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■■Z Total Body Fitness (Reston, Mo.) owner Lisa Hale poses with Rockland Summit players.
When the groups were limited to 10 players at once, Hale led three workout sessions per day. The players would then rotate between track workouts and lifting in the weight room. She occasionally took the athletes out to the stadium to do a bleacher workout. “It’s not your typical idea of stadium sprints,” Hale said. “We don’t do much running up and down the steps. We’re getting into poses that work the core.” In the midst of a pandemic, Hale believes it is imperative to build some fun into the strength and conditioning program. Athletes often lose motivation when their minds drift to the uncertainty of whether there will be a fall football season. By taking them out of their comfort zones and allowing them to laugh together, they’re more likely to stay in the moment. “It’s been different, but we’re doing the best we can,” Hale said. “We break them into sessions, and my session is the fun one. The kids go home and tell their parents. Their parents say, ‘They never talk to me, but they keep telling me how much fun they’re having.’”
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Alternate Football Workouts HALE’S GOAL IS TO
take athletes out of their respective comfort zones and make it fun during an otherwise uncertain time. Here are some of the workouts she leads for the Rockland Summit football team. ■■ Cardio + Pump: Total body high intensity workout consists of cardio drills using kick bags, gloves, hit pads and kick pads. Performing jabs, punches, hooks, uppercuts and kicks to burn fat and tone muscles.. ■■ ZUMBA: This class fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a high energy, total body, dance based workout. Zumba is a great mix of Latin flavor and international beats designed to tone your body from head to toe. ■■ HIIT Express: Short intense workout using full body to improve athletic capacity and conditioning. Great calorie and fat burner. ■■ Circuit Challenge: Only class that has body challenging exercises to push yourself to the limit with battle ropes, bosu, sled push, agility ladder, big ball throws, climb the rope and hang from gymnastic rings and so much more.
