By Kazi Walker
Stonehill’s Strength and Conditioning Coach, Mark Zabicki, strives to provide at-home workout programs for all varsity student-athletes during this quarantine. The program allows athletes to continue to stay in shape without having access to a gym or specific equipment.
“The economic response to COVID-19 has allowed us to get back to the basics as it relates to strength and conditioning by placing an increased focus on how well we move with limited loading,” Zabicki said, referring to the need for athletes to use makeshift equipment for their strength workouts.
These programs are still principle-based as they would be if all teams were able to work-out on campus. There have been some adjustments in order to make the workouts accessible to any athlete who wants to use them.
“Since we do not have access to a gym, we are all grateful for the workouts Coach has given us. It helps keep us in shape during these strange times,” Thomas DiPasquale, a junior on the Football team said.
The strength and conditioning department wants to create some consistency for athletes, as seasons came to an abrupt end. The department is trying its best to allow easy access to trainers, workouts, and advice for athletes to continue to grow and get stronger on their own.
“With our primary objective with every program being to increase athletic development, we now have the opportunity to do so in a more simplistic manner due to limitations on equipment availability,” Zabicki said.
With limited or no access to gym equipment, Coach Zabicki has to get creative, and if athletes want to work out, there are always ways to better themselves. Coach Zabicki helps provide ideas, and said that at times, you have to think outside the box.
“To be specific with our universal program, we use loading alternatives for our major movement patterns. An example of this is filling a backpack with books to add weight for squats,” Zabicki said.
These programs have received great feedback from various teams and many student-athletes as many partake individually or as an entire team.
“Most of our team will do the workouts and we have an excel sheet where we are held accountable for completing them. If we do the workout we put ‘done’ and if we skip a day we leave it blank,” Kyla Henry, a junior on the Women’s Soccer team said.
Coaches typically send out the workout in a document to their teams. The document is a detailed program with workouts for particular days as well as weeks. Including a weekly progression so athletes can continue to develop for their future seasons.
“Everyone on our team religiously abides by the team workouts. A large group of us use zoom to stay connected while we workout,” Kayser Raei, a junior on the Men’s Hockey team said.
Staying connected with teammates and the strength department is a key aspect in making these at-home workouts successful.
“We have made the program available to our student-athletes directly through email, and all of our social media followers via daily posts on Instagram and Twitter,” Zabicki said.
The social media platform has been very beneficial in staying connected to all student-athletes. Athletes are encouraged to interact with the strength and conditioning department through its account. The account provides video instruction of exercises as well as tips for holistic wellbeing.
“Coach Z has done a great job at keeping students engaged. It’s clear he put a lot of work into creating a work out plan that athletes can continue at home with just things they have laying around. He also works hard at fielding people’s questions, updating Instagram, and answering emails. He clearly modifies extremely well and we are thankful for all of his effort,” Emma Mawn, a sophomore on the Field Hockey team said.
Eager to get back in the gym or on the field, the efforts of the strength and conditioning programs have not gone unnoticed. Many teams appreciate the work Coach Z has put into making sure athletes are properly taking care of themselves during these tough times.
“While I understand that an at-home training program is not the same as unobstructed competitions within your sport, our goal is to provide some consistency for all,” Zabicki said.
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