As an athlete at Grandville High School, lifting in the weight room is almost an everyday activity. But with Corona Virus going around the normal has changed. Athletes now have to go outside to do their “lifts” to help slow the spread of COVID-19, while still trying to become better athletes. Coach Tully Chapman, who is the lifting coach here at GHS, comments, “We had to get really creative with how we were putting together the workouts, because when we are in the weightroom we have a lot more variety available to us than being outside.” With the inside racks out of use, the lifting coaches had to come up with new workouts that would still benefit their athletes. These workouts include lots of band work, bodyweight squats, pushups, stretching and sprints. Even though these workouts aren’t building up as much muscle as most athletes would hope, it is still important to put in some kind of strength and conditioning work. Lexi Wickstrom mentions, “We were doing mostly body weight things, which is beneficial but definitely not as much as the weightroom.”

There are many negatives of being away from the weight room, but most athletes are trying to do their best to stay positive and make the best out of the circumstances. Coach Tully adds, “I don’t think we were getting optimal results but I think we were making the best out of the situation,” which is really what is needed during this time with the virus. One of the student athletes here at GHS, Carly McCrumb states that, “Being outside we don’t have to workout while wearing a mask, and we get fresh air, so that’s definitely a huge positive.” It is now seen as the worst possible resort in some people’s eyes to be away from the racks, but what they don’t realize is they are fortunate enough to be able go out and work with the lifting coaches instead of sitting at home trying to workout by themselves. It is shown that a better workout comes from working with coaches and other people. It creates motivation and just the desire to work harder. 

Off-season lifters focus on their hard core lifts during the time when they are not currently playing their sport, so that they can perform to the best of their ability while they are in season. Right now these athletes aren’t just worried about not getting strong but are worried if they will even get their season. Senior Grace Connelly adds on to this by stating, “Even though softball is in the spring, I’m still nervous of the possibility of not playing my senior year of softball here at Grandville.” This isn’t just how Grace feels, many athletes feel this way. Especially the seniors who have been training with Coach Tully for over four years, so that they could thrive and be the best athlete they possibly can be for their sport. 

Getting involved with the weight room program is so easy, all you have to do is contact Coach Tully Chapman and any student can join the powerlifting team or just join the offseason lifters. Even though Corona Virus is going around, the lifting program at Grandville is still doing their best to get athletes working hard. Everyone across the globe is struggling to adapt to life during the pandemic, but measures are being put in place to keep things as normal as they can be, and to keep people optimistic.