<p>D2 graduates this week and has started her summer workouts for fall sport. Are you or your kids motivated? She is and loves the running/sprints but is a weakling in the weight room. Thinking of hiring a trainer for weight stuff. What to look for????</p>
<p>For a trackster, you want to look for a weight trainer who has experience in lifting for sprinters/runners. Did they run in college? Are they experienced coaching track women? You might want to call a local track club or high school track coach for recommendations. </p>
<p>Be sure the trainer starts her off slowly, with light weights to start, and emphasizes form to avoid injuries. Her college coach has probably written a plan for her, so be sure the trainer is happy to follow that, rather than designing their own program.</p>
<p>Sorry fauve…she is a soccer player! She does has a program to follow from the coach. Just that she tends to focus on the running (which she is very good at) and not so much the weight training (which she needs to get stronger as she is an itty bitty little thing!). :)</p>
<p>So she has a weight training plan from her college coach, but doesn’t like to work out in the weight room, and you’re looking for someone to help get her started and keep her motivated?</p>
<p>Can a 16 year old get a membership at one of the fitness gyms? D is desperate to stay in shape. She needs a treadmill and weight room (and is very motivated). We will be in California, traveling all summer. I’m hoping we can get her a membership (me, too) in one of the chains that is in several locations.</p>
<p>Hi Northern Minn and Karen,
Here are a couple of thoughts, from a mom of a college athlete who just finished her freshman year. </p>
<p>First, anyone new to weight training, or who is thinking about adding machines or movements they’ve not done before, would do well to work with someone who’s an expert on this stuff. It’s really easy for an over-eager 16-18 year old to injure themselves. Good gyms have trainers who can help them use the equipment safely, and not take on too much too soon. It would not be a good idea to show up for fall practice with something hurting!</p>
<p>Second, for NM, it is likely acceptable for your daughter to ask for contact information for her next-year captain, or someone else on the team who can answer questions for her. She can get advice about the weight training from this person, and also lots of questions she might have about a million other things to do with the team: who does the laundry? what clothing should I bring to train in and what is supplied? What cross training stuff might I need: swim suit, running shoes, etc? Having a team mentor this summer would be helpful with a lot of this, if she hasn’t been given one already. Keeping in touch with her future captain last summer really kept my daughter motivated and on track with summer training.</p>
<p>Third, choosing a gym. The college athletes in our town who are back for the summer tend to work out at the same gym. For both girls, it would be worth it to shop gyms before joining, and find out where high school and college athletes tend to congregate. This makes training lots more fun. Many gyms offer all kinds of classes targeted at this age group, including yoga and aquatics workouts, for example. We love the Y because it’s affordable, and at least in our town, offers summer memberships, and lots of extra classes geared toward kids through college age. </p>
<p>Best wishes. It’s an exciting time!</p>
<p>My D1-bound S is taking a well-deserved break from his sport for the first four weeks of summer. He is competing at Nationals this weekend and then heads to a job as a counselor at his old and much beloved camp. He needs a break and his body does too. I don’t think his coaches have even been in contact with him about a summer training regimen!</p>
<p>D2 got her summer workout from the college coach last week. She is absolutely psyched to do it and is very eager to stay on schedule. I’m am impressed by her committment. She looks better already and I’m sure it will make a difference both at the upcoming tournament and next year in college. Hooray for college coaches!</p>
<p>Our D who will be a freshman next year received a fairly rigorous suggested summer training program, along with the coaches expectation on the arrival fitness level they should have ( this is for D1 Field hockey ). She is very motivated and also new to the weight training aspect. She found a local trainer here that runs a special summer program for college bound athletes that goes well beyond what the coach had send her. There were a few other trainers locally here in San Diego doing similar summer programs. The cost was pretty close to using a fitness club and paying for personal trainers at an hourly rate. I would look around your local area for something similar and geared towards college bound athletes</p>
<p>D2 is motivated to follow the workout schedule and LOVES the sprint/runnng portion. She is not sure of the weight training as she hasn’t had to do as much for club and HS. We do belong to a great fitness club but I was leaning towards a more sports specific trainer. Will see what the club has to offer. </p>
<p>She will be playing D1 at an OOS school so really no upperclass team members around here to work out with.</p>
<p>if the weightroom isn’t her thing, she might consider getting some strap-on weights and either running or walking with them all day. You can get, like, 2.5-5 lb weights that you can strap to your legs. that may be of use if she’s working on strength as opposed to endurance.</p>
<p>My daughter dislikes all of the weight training required of her for college. She does her running/sprinting, but the weights part is on her terms. She is not pleased with her body when she lifts a lot as she tends to bulk up easily and she hates the “thunder thighs” she gets.</p>
<p>A word of caution:</p>
<p>From my son’s experience in baseball, along with the experience of his athlete friends in other sports, one of the biggest shocks to any freshman is how fit you have to be to be competitive at the college level. </p>
<p>I have yet to hear of a single student who showed up for the freshman year and did not wish they had worked harder over the summer. </p>
<p>Son has a trainer he works with over the summer - in my mind critical to ensure that he is doing the lifts properly. His program for this summer is probably 2X what the school suggests.</p>
<p>for my daughter’s sport, all the weight training is not really necessary. I always tell my son (soccer player), that he should start working harder on his own or college is going to be a huge shock.</p>
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<p>It’s also a great way to develop injury. Even that little bit of weight can mess up biomechanics as well as cause stress fractures from overuse.</p>
<p>I don’t know what her coach gave her as far as a workout goes, but strengthening the hamstrings is vital to a female athlete. The weakness of the hamstrings and the lack of hamstring activation is believed to be a major reason female athletes suffer more ACL injuries than their male counterparts.</p>
<p>As a D1 college athlete myself i’ll tell you that although it is important to work hard on what your coach gives you, it is equally important to understand what works for you. Every kid I know after his freshman year ends up changing the programs around themselves to better suit their needs and to work into their schedule. I personally disregard a lot of the sprint work that my coach gives me and substitute in stuff that I know works better for me. I also work with a trainer 4 times a week specifically on agility/speed work.</p>
<p>I’m not saying disregard what your coach says just because you don’t want to do it… believe me you’ll regret that… but if you are already naturally in great long distance running shape then it would maybe be wise for you to focus more on the short quick sprints or vice versa.</p>
<p>D2 is continuing her personal workouts and is also now working out with a trainer who has his own business working with college athletes. She is now in the weight room several times a week! ;)</p>
<p>I’m speaking here as a potential women’s soccer recruit (class of 2010, so I will be doing the college workout next summer…), but I’ve played up for my age, so I’ve seen a lot of my teammates do summer workouts. The general idea I got was that they are good and may get you through tryouts, but don’t be solely dependent on them; if you feel one of the days is too easy, add in something else; if you’re in pain don’t push it before the season starts. I know this is basic but I figured I should mention it to start.</p>
<p>In addition I have worked part-time at a women’s gym for the past year and occasionally actually do personal training. For a female soccer player, at least, it’s essential to target hamstrings and quads (thighs)…generally if you do it you can actually tone up the “thunder thighs” that one women mentioned (which I can totally sympathize with). General strength training exercises are also extremely helpful (pushups, crunches, etc.) as they force you to handle your own body weight and nothing else. But I would advise against walking or running with weights because that can caise repetitive strain injuries.</p>
<p>NorthMinnesota, where is your daughter going? I only ask out of curiousity because two of my top schools are in MN. Glad to hear she likes her trainer :)</p>
<p>She will be playing OOS DI, saying where would easily identify her so I won’t mention the school. The U of M is the only DI school here. We are very familiar with the MN schools and the soccer programs. If you have any questions let me know!</p>
<p>Thanks! I have looked at U of M and also a D3 school in MN for mainly academics (although I would play there).</p>