Sports have always had many underlying factors that allow an athlete to compete to the best of their abilities. One of those factors is weightlifting.  At Forest Hills Central High School, this is a significant factor in an athlete’s ability to compete. Coaches at FHC have started to incorporate weight training into their practice schedules for the benefit of their athletes, and they are seeing real gains in athletic performance.

“I feel like it [weightlifting] has helped me quite a bit with swim,” Nora Magers, a sophomore on the girls swim and dive team, said. “It made me gain muscle in ways just swimming cannot do.” Weight training for athletes has improved strength and increased abilities that otherwise would not have been possible without weightlifting.  Athletes are not only seeing progression in their performance, but are also experiencing fewer injuries due to the increased strength and flexibility in their muscles that provide the athletes the opportunities to continue training. Emmy Willemin is a junior on the cross-country team and this year she experienced an injury during the fall season. “[my injury] made exercises extremely painful,” she said. “However, I was able to continue exercising with my injury with the help of my coaches and the athletic trainers.” 

It is extremely important for an athlete to also have people that they can turn to that will help them gain the most from weight training. They also need someone that understands what is in the best interest of that athlete.  Sports tend to require a lot of physical work, and as one gets older, one can’t just depend on practice to gain those muscles. Rather, they have to turn to an outlet that will give them that advantage to perform at their best.

Although there are far more advantages that stem from weight training, it can also have some disadvantages because of how much work is being put in. “You can get pretty sore and tired which can make practice pretty hard,” Dylan Pomeroy, junior on the boy’s swim and dive team, said. When putting this much stress on one’s body, there are times when your body will start to push back. There can also can be issues if one does not use proper lifting form and technique. “At the beginning, nobody said if my form was correct, and I just kept doing what I thought was good,” Nora said. “I was actually doing it wrong, and if I didn’t fix it, I was going to hurt myself.” If you are not being adequately cared for or watched by a professional who has the knowledge and training, an athlete can seriously injure himself or herself to the point that he or she may not ever recover. 

Even though there are risks involved and injuries may occur, there is a plethora of good outcomes that can be had with weightlifting. Although the sculpted body looks good on the outside, inside is where athletes starts to feel positive about themselves and the lessons that they have learned. “Lifting has taught me how to push myself to get better,” Nora said, “but also when to stop if something doesn’t feel right.” 

Weight training is teaching athletes how to understand their bodies more and more.  It is key for an athlete to know the what and when. Ultimately, weightlifting is beneficial and can help athletes in performing at their best. So go enjoy this beneficial hobby, and feel confident in yourself while giving it your all.