By Riley Pult
All athletes know that keeping up your physique in and out of their respective sport is crucial. Benicia High’s Athletes are well aware of this so I went in and asked players in all different sports about how they keep themselves in shape out of season.
Our first athlete is senior Dominic Caldo, the middle linebacker and offensive guard of our Benicia Panthers football team. To stay in shape Caldo says he “lift weights in the weight room with my teammates and work on my skills on the football field.” He lifts weights “6 times a week with a push/pull/leg workout split.” While he doesn’t play for other teams in the offseason, he did play in the 7on7 for Benicia Var team in the summer. Caldo states that “working out makes me stronger on the field and it helps me push guys around as it is a very physical sport. Staying consistent in my workouts and food intake helped me reach my physique.”
Our next two athletes are both sophomores on the school’s softball team: Sinead Maas and Vanessa Smith. Outside of school they both play on the Universal Fastpitch team out of Martinez, California. Sinead is a pitcher for the school’s team. To stay in shape Maas “lifts weights and runs almost every day.” Her workout routine consists of her lifting weights “three days and week, running three, and resting one day.” Along with that she has preseason conditioning every day with the high school team. Maas says, “keeping a consistent routine helps me stay in shape, which gives me stamina to be able to win games.” Smith is the 3rd baseman for the Benicia high team. Similar to Maas, Smith works out consistently over the offseason with runs and weights. She has a rigorous workout routine: “On Mondays and Wednesday I hit legs, on Tuesday and Thursday I hit upper body, and on Friday’s is my core/cardio day. And I rest on the weekends.” According to Smith the way that she finds best to keep up her physique is by “working out daily, running, and having a good diet during the offseason.” Staying in shape helps with her athletic abilities, “and making plays that need to be made”, allowing her to succeed at a higher level.
Our next player is senior Xander Estrada, the first baseman for the Benicia Panthers baseball team. He doesn’t currently play for a team outside of school but over summer he plays for a team called the Zoots out of Lafayette CA. Outside of baseball he tries to workout during the week, depending how busy he is. Estrada says: “But when I do have time, I usually have a leg day, chest and triceps day, back and biceps day and shoulders, and usually repeat. Or sometimes I just hit on the days I don’t work out.” Estrada also discusses the importance of staying in shape for a sport. “It will be hard to keep up with everyone else and you won’t be able to play as well as you want to if you don’t keep yourself in shape. There are many things that you can do to stay active, like bike rides, snowboarding, swimming, etc.”
The fifth athlete we have is Jess Patacsil, a current junior who plays as the libero (also known as a defensive specialist) for Benicia Panthers girls volleyball team. Aside from high school volleyball she plays club volleyball for Xceleration in Martinez. During the offseason she usually “runs, workout, or practices volleyball”. While she doesn’t have a set workout routine, She usually does some form of “cardio and strength training” in her legs, arms, and core. “For me, I think what works best is taking rest days in between to allow my body to recover and not overwork myself. By staying in shape it allows me to have stamina and the endurance to get through long games and sets and be a better athlete overall.”
Our final athlete is Jacob French. He is the point guard for the boy basketball team on campus. During summer he plays for a “travel basketball team called NCP (NorCal Power).” Along with working out in the gym 6 days a week lifting weights, French will also run on the track here at campus. French weighed in on the best way to keep up his physique. “What works for me is a mix of lifting weights and cardio but the most important thing is eating right. If you eat healthy most of the time you can get a good physique and stay in shape.” He added, “In basketball staying in shape is everything. If you get tired too fast you are not helping the team. So I make sure I am in the best condition possible so I can stay on the court for as long as possible.”
There’s no doubt our students on campus keep themselves in great shape to play at their maximum potential. Training like an athlete has great benefits, so even if you don’t play a sport, lifting some weights or taking a run around the neighborhood can improve your overall health.
beniciapaw.com 