As the off-season emerges for football, volleyball and both soccer teams, it is important that the sports teams continue working to improve for the upcoming season. This entails working out, perfecting drills and injury recovery.
The off-season is a time when good teams become better. There is no way a team can succeed without motivation in the off-season.
Puget Sound is taking steps in the right direction. They are currently funding a building project to renew the gym area around Pamplin Sports Center.
They have also hired a great trainer in Josh Gray. Individual teams have been working with Gray to increase strength, mobility and flexibility.
Gray will bring a huge lift to the Puget Sound athletics. It is nice as a Division III school to have a person who is specifically trained to help athletes get stronger.
While it is great that there are going to be a lot of teams utilizing the weight-room, it is important to know the etiquette that is necessary for gym use.
The first rule is that there are no cut-off sleeves allowed. In order to lift in the gym, it is important that you have sleeves on your shirt.
This is to stop the spread of germs. Keeping a gym clean is crucial.
Getting sick from germs in the gym is never pleasant, and by wearing sleeves, it creates an extra layer between your arms and the equipment.
The second rule is to re-rack all your weights where you found them. Organization in the gym is important. It is frustrating for a person lifting if they cannot find the weight, bar or ball that they are looking for. Usually, weights are organized from lightest to heaviest. Also, most racks have the spots for specific weights labeled.
For instance, the dumbbell rack shows the number that corresponds with the size of the weight.
Make sure to place the weight in the designed slot.
The third rule is to not hog a machine or weight. If the gym is relatively empty, then it is okay to take your time on a lift. But if there are people that clearly need the weight or machine, make sure to make it possible for them to either share the weight or machine with you or finish quickly enough so that they do not have to pause their lift for too long.
The next rule is to ask whether someone is done with a weight, bar or machine.
A lot of times people superset their lifts. This means that in between workouts, they are doing another workout that pairs well with that specific lift.
It can be aggravating for a lifter to leave a rack on the bar and then come back a minute later to see that someone took their spot.
Thus, it is important to ask someone whether they are still using that weight or machine.
Going back to hygiene, the next rule is to spray and wipe down the mats after use. There is nothing more gross than to go to do an abdominal set and lay down on a wet, sweaty mat.
The gym provides sprays and towels you can use to wipe down the mats.
This will decrease the spread of germs and increase the quality of the set for the next person to use it.
If sports teams and students follow these guidelines, the gym can become a great tool to propel our sports teams further.
Let’s remember to use the gym respectfully, and think about others that are sharing the same gym as you.
