CONGRATS TO THE FOREST HILLS GYMNASTICS TEAM! 

Throughout the winter the FH Gymnastics Team made it a point to train properly during their season. Fortunately they were led to us by their driven and dedicated coach who has trained at PowerStrength herself! These girls are tough, athletic, eager to learn, and have desire to get better. Last weekend they finished 3rd at regionals then finished 6th in the state! A big improvement from last year’s 12th place finish. On the individual level they had 9-girls go to state (the most they ever had!) and 3 of them earned All-State honors!

Even with a great year completed, and many improvements made, this team is still hungry to get better going into the offseason! We’re very proud of the effort and commitment they showed throughout the year!

Here are 5-Reasons why female athletes NEED to train!

1. They all can use more strength! I’ve never met a high school female athlete who was TOO strong. I said strong, not “big and bulky”. (I’ve written about this before and not getting into it again). Look at the above picture, these girls aren’t big and bulky at all but they ARE strong and/or well on their way to getting stronger!

2. Female athletes are always playing a sport- practice and games are year-round. They never devote the time to actually learn basic movement patterns that would enhance ALL of their sports! (This is why having a coach who emphasizes this is hUGE)  No matter how good they are at their sport, we always have to coach simple movements that you think all athletes should know. The ones that train progress very quickly in the gym and in their sport.

3. They need to know that proper training doesn’t mean lifting massive amounts of weight, grunting, snorting protein powder between sets, or 3-hour long lifting sessions. It starts with building a proper foundation so they can handle their bodyweight exercises, then adding external loads as they progress and get more experienced. The goal is to get stronger but improving balance, coordination, mobility, flexibility, stability, are all being trained simultaneously as well.

4. Training will keep them healthy and feeling good. We all know how female athletes are more susceptible to injuries and training the right way will prevent this- again, getting stronger and learning proper movement patterns. Training reduces the likelihood of injuries and losing valuable playing time because of them. A proper program also hits on soft-tissue heath and recovery  which keeps the athlete feeling good and ready for whatever is on their busy schedule

5. Training is a skill that must be practiced. There’s a good chance they’ll be done playing their sport between the ages of 18-22. Learning how to train properly gives them guidance into a life of exercise and healthy activity. They also won’t be dealing with nagging injuries from when they were 15-years old because they weren’t taught properly in the weight room.

There you have it! Get the ladies training and set them up for success!