From Inspired to Inspiring – VanSickle’s Road to Big Ten Football
On a spring Wednesday afternoon, Gabe VanSickle was in the gym at PowerStrength’s Alpine location honing his skills.
‘Big Gabe’ stands 6’5” tall and weighs over 300 pounds.
On that late April day, there were 3 younger athletes training alongside him, each with multiple years of high school in front of them.
Every session at PowerStrength is tailored for the individual athlete, so the youngsters were doing different exercises and using different weights.
Gabe was less than a month from graduation, and 6 weeks from reporting to The Ohio State University as a member of the 5th ranked football recruiting class in the nation.
But Gabe was not always so big, and not always such a sought after recruit. In fact just over 2 years prior he started on Coopersville’s offensive line as a sophomore weighing just 230 pounds.
It was after that season that he came to PowerStrength Training Systems.
“I was just like those kids back in the day, I was looking at (all-star upperclassmen) Kyle Kloska and Tim Allen, all those people here,” VanSickle said in reference to the other athletes in his small group training session at the time.
GETTING BIG
When Gabe first arrived at PowerStrength he was full of potential, but could benefit from some focused training and conditioning.
The expert trainers put together a comprehensive plan. Despite being busy 3-sport athlete in football, basketball, track, Gabe still showed up consistently, worked hard, listened to the coaches and the results soon followed.
“I went from like 230 (pounds), I’m like 305 (pounds) right now,” VanSickle said. “So I added 75 pounds. The workouts made me bigger and stronger, getting protein and then creatine after sessions, and stuff like that helped me get me bigger.”
“He obviously came in here already a pretty big dude, and pretty strong as well,” Austin Trotter, General Manager at PowerStrength’s Alpine facility, said. “So our goal was just to get him more athletic, get him stronger, which we accomplished. We got him a lot faster, got a lot stronger, honed in on some sprinting technique and jumping technique, which have helped him be more explosive, both in the gym here and on the field as well.”
Nutrition, hydration, and recovery have to be dialed in for a transformation like Gabe’s to take place.
“I kind of learned that here, yeah,” VanSickle said. “They offer protein powder and stuff like that. So you’re eating the right stuff after (your sessions) because if you work out and you don’t eat great stuff, it might not even do anything. So eating the right stuff after workouts is optimal.”
Gabe is a testament to the importance of training in-season. Despite playing a sport in each season, he made sure to get to PowerStrength to keep moving the chains in the right direction.
“He kept training consistent through all three of those sports, whether it’s 1 or 2 times per week, just making sure he’s never taking steps in the wrong direction,” Trotter said. “That’s been huge for his success and not going backwards. And coming in here once or twice a week gives us the opportunity to check it with him, asking him about nutrition, about his recovery because juggling 3 sports is not an easy thing to do, then school, training, and everything on top of that. But that just goes back to his work ethic and the kind of the athlete he is that made it a little bit easier for him.”
The results showed up on the field Instantly. He was able to stack weight on his frame and still improve his mobility. Technique in all aspects of training at PowerStrength is paramount.
“Definitely the footwork part of things because in sprint’s we work on touching the line and opening your hips and all that stuff that you need for offensive linemen, down blocks and pass protection, and being agile all the time.”
Gabe was a 1st Team All-Region and All-Conference selection his first football season after starting at PowerStrength.
CAMP SENSATION
It was not just weight that Gabe added in the gym.
“It’s gotten me a lot more mobile, stronger, and faster for camps in the summer that I used to go to so I could ball out there.”
Gabe set a goal to play Division 1 football after his sophomore season, it was one of the big reasons that he sought out PowerStrength to help him achieve it.
He hit the camp circuit that summer and started turning heads. He was not just a big guy, he was a big guy that could move.
Gabe picked up his first offer from Division 1 offer from Central Michigan University between his sophomore and junior years.
“Definitely getting faster,” VanSickle said about what PowerStrength helped him with. “I was one of the fastest ones at all the camps I went to and that’s what coaches saw. When it comes to linemen, everybody can down block and stuff but they’re really looking for mobility and the fast twitch that you have.”
The 40-yard dash is an area that football recruits are often judged, but for offensive lineman it is the 10-yard split that is often the most important. The PowerStrength trainers worked hard with Gabe in this area as part of his customized training plan, and it was paying off.
“I would say like all the sprint work we do and work in like the first 10 yards because with football plays it’s like 4 seconds, you don’t need to go through a whole marathon, a quick few seconds is all you need.”
With multiple Division 1 offers from MAC schools in tow, Gabe remained committed to training.
“I got the Central offer and Northern Illinois, all those MAC schools and then I went to a Michigan State camp,” VanSickle said. “I’m like this is next-level and then I realized I want to play power 5 football.“
He worked even harder, and reached a level where he knew he belonged at the top of the sport.
“It’s helped me a lot,” VanSickle said about PowerStrength’s role in his development. “I’m gonna go with the strength part because you need to be really strong to do all the things in football. You need to be able to dominate the person in front of you, you can’t just stay the same all the way up there. You need to get stronger and stronger, stronger.”
HEADING TO COLUMBUS
The offers came rolling in. Gabe committed to play for the Buckeyes in November of 2023 and signed his national letter of intent a month later.
“I would say the number one thing that drove me to go to Ohio State is the brotherhood there,” VanSickle said. “When I went on my visit and they brought me in and they were teaching me stuff that not all people get to know.”
Gabe is scheduled to report to Columbus at the beginning of June, he feels prepared to embark on a new journey at the highest level possible in college football.
“I feel pretty prepared,” VanSickle said about going to Ohio State. “They put me on a strength plan, they gave me a notebook and stuff, lifts to do. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, but it is stuff to do. I’m learning all the plays and all the techniques and all the reads and stuff like that already.”
While he played tackle in high school, Gabe expects to move inside and play guard at the next level. He is not putting expectations on his freshman season, going into his first year with the complacency kills mindset that is instilled at PowerStrength.
“My first year I’m just trying to get better,” VanSickle said. “There’s nothing in writing yet so I just need to get better every day.”
THE POWERSTRENGTH DIFFERENCE
Football players at the highest levels are kept very busy year round, so Gabe’s ability to get back to PSTS will be extremely limited.
He has spent more than 2 years moving the needle and building relationships at PowerStrength, when asked what has he will miss the most, Gabe replied:
“I would say the friendships I made with all of the trainers and stuff like that.”
When discussing his experience at PowerStrength, Gabe emphasized the importance of the atmosphere.
“The atmosphere that’s the number one thing for me here,” VanSickle said. “They’re pushing you to do your best 100% of the time. It’s a great place to go and if you’re looking to get better at your sport then it’s definitely something you should do.”
It was that atmosphere he experienced when starting out at PowerStrength looking up to guys like Kyle Kloska and Tim Allen that are now playing at high levels of college football that helped him get to where he is now.
“I’m definitely more confident because I used to come here and I used to be really small, I used to see these kids and think ‘dang,’ I want to be as strong as them one day and then obviously turned into that.”
Just as he was inspired, Gabe has now served as motivation for others at PowerStrength.
“Kids look up to him, obviously, just kind of being that big dude,” Trotter said. “His name is well known around West Michigan, obviously committing to Ohio State so people automatically know who he is, so he’s just a leader, especially in the football world in West Michigan. But he embraces it, he leads by example. Just by training consistently, coming in here, always working hard kind of bringing people along with him. So he’s just a natural born leader.”
GET STARTED AT POWERSTRENGTH
5th-12th grade athletes of all sports and abilities can sign-up at PowerStrength at any time throughout the year – while spots remain. PowerStrength has 4 facilities in West Michigan – Alpine, Kentwood, Jenison, and Plainfield.
Multiple training sessions are offered throughout the day and into the evening during the summer, specific training times vary by location.
Visit https://powerstrengthpro.com/athletes to learn more or click below to schedule your assessment and get started