Houghton's strength and conditioning program has athletes seeing great strides in their physical development and performance. Led by Head Athletic Trainer Austin Walden, the program is working closely with the athletes and teams for both in-season and voluntary out-of-season training. They are dedicating themselves to the program's rigorous routine, says Walden, who indicated that the program's purpose is multi-faceted in order to maximize its benefit to everyone involved.
Not only is the program designed to target strengthening an athlete's whole body, it also is designed to decrease risk of injury. "The goal is for us to provide structured training programs for our athletes, to help them perform on the field while also trying to minimize the risk of injuries," says Walden. "Once our athletes are physically stronger and faster, there's a decreased chance of suffering injuries."
Walden designs the workout to target different muscle groups and skills. During a typical session, athletes go through a dynamic warmup, followed by agility drills, sprints in order for athletes to hit top speed, and core exercise. Walden's goal is to address the full body in each session. Walden also works closely with each coach to ensure the programs align with team goals and have sport-specific application.
When the program was started three years ago, the idea was to elevate Houghton's athletes to the next level. Walden emphasizes the importance of strengthening for athletes, especially in their off season.
"It was always something that I was interested in and I was getting my master's in sports performance training. And I was talking about how we can kind of help elevate our teams to the next level and compete in a very competitive Empire," adds Walden. "I always thought strength conditioning was a very important role, especially in the off season of student-athletes in college."
His implementation of the new strength and conditioning program is being well received by athletes. Hannah Farley, a member of Houghton women's basketball team, has been seeing the results of this new program in her own athletic career.
"Austin does a great job at implementing exercises that are game-like," Farley says. "He has also educated us on the importance of strength and conditioning and stresses that weight-bearing exercises are crucial for injury prevention. Personally, I have seen a growth in my explosiveness and agility skills and have also been blessed enough to not have any major injuries."
Even though the program is still new, Walden is already seeing the benefits for Houghton's athletes.
"I think there has been [some benefit]. It doesn't prevent all injuries, but I've seen a lot less acute muscular injuries than we have in the past," Walden says. "There are some teams that have taken it very seriously and the coaches have helped create a culture in season where this is beneficial to them. I think they're seeing the results on the field."
In the future, Walden hopes to expand the program so teams can attend up to three sessions per week. The way he sees it, the program not only helps to boost team's performance through more focused strength work, it helps to build team morale and culture.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kyra Binney is a senior writing major from Lewisburg, Pa., and a member of the Houghton cross country and track & field teams. She is serving as an intern in Sports Information during the fall semester.
