MACKENZIE NUANEZ, TRUMPET SPORTS WRITER
Lifting is something almost all athletes do for their sport. Whether it is football, track and field or swimming, lifting is one of the best ways for athletes to train and maintain athleticism throughout an athletic career. However, there are many different types of lifting styles that can be adapted for non-athletes.
“It is not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” Clay Cook, group health and personal training assistant at the Wartburg-Waverly Sports & Wellness Center, said. “Take it slow and figure out all the ins and outs to each movement or exercise. Make sure that you are figuring out the full range of motions and perfect form techniques for each movement before you start throwing on heavy weight.”
When starting workouts, having a lifting partner to help with spotting and to offer encouragement can be beneficial.
“Try and find a friend or workout partner who is a little more experienced in lifting if you are not seeking a trainer,” Cook said. “If you can’t commit to them, then they are not going to commit to you. My goal as a trainer is to teach them enough to where they are able to take it out on their own and leave me, but treat them well enough that they don’t want to leave.”
More experienced lifters and athletes can dive into different types of lifting styles, including eccentric, isometric and concentric.
“Eccentric [lifting] helps a lot with injury prevention,” Seth Roberson, Wartburg strength and conditioning coach, said. “Eccentric also helps athletes gain strength without gaining mass. With isometric lifting, that has a lot of benefits with stability and being able to resist movement. Concentric is used for explosive mobility, being able to generate force quickly. They all tie in together in some shape or form.”
Most lifts help with movement and strength, but do not help gain mass. Other types of lifting help athletes gain needed muscle mass.
“Hypertrophy is a part of strength training. It is a type of training to gain size [or] to gain mass,” Roberson said. “For this, you would set up your sets and reps typically between six to 12 reps and have a lot of sets because you are doing a large number of volume at a lower intensity level.”
When working out to stay in shape or to get in shape, diet changes can help people see results and live an overall healthy life. However, diets must be adapted to the individual.
“As personal trainers, we aren’t able to give recommendations about diets. We, however, are able to give advice and talk about what success we have had versus what science says,” Cook said. “I try recommending things that I know they can stay on top of.”
For more information about fitness options, go to wartburg.edu/ the-w.
Knight Wire 
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