by Cody Clawson |

The past few seasons, Liberty has really embraced the idea of off-season conditioning. For some students, it has almost even become a requirement. While off-season may seem like a drag sometimes, it is very benificial to the players’ success on the field or court.

Baseball:

Luke Norton 12
“Right now we are going to stay outside for as long as possible so we can work on our actual baseball specific skills. We will do some conditioning drills outside and once it gets colder we will come inside and do some lifting and conditioning in the gym to get fully ready for the season. It helps us because we just get in shape and it helps us work on our skills and get instruction from a coach rather than just ourselves.”

Wrestling:

Sam Magnuson 11
“Off-season wrestling is for the wrestlers who want to get better and stronger. It gets us prepared for when the actual season comes. During the workouts we lift weights and go on long runs. The whole program is very beneficial to us and gets us motivated for the season to come.”

Basketball:

Kyle Rutliff 12
“Mondays and Wednesdays we do a lot of conditioning and plyometrics. Tuesdays and Wednesdays we are able to get the balls out and scrimmage. This year has been a lot easier for me just because I have better prepared myself. I can’t wait for this season and the atmosphere the Cokley Crazies are going to bring for my senior year.”

Football:

JOSH MESMER 11
“First we warm up. After that we sprint and do agility work and condition. Then we go down to the weight room to get stronger. I feel like it is very beneficial. I have gained 80 pounds of mostly muscle since freshman year through the off-season program. I can really tell it helps the team during the season because the stronger you are, the better you are.”

Cross Country:

Kyle Gabrielson 10
“Our off season is more strength building than like distance. We will do hill workouts, leg presses, and weight lifting and stuff like that. There really isn’t an “off-season” for us though. During winter running we run twice a day everyday, morning and afternoon. Our morning workouts start at 5:30 a.m. Usually we run around 70 miles a week but that varies sometimes. People who do off-season are typically a lot more successful than those who don’t.”

Soccer:
Hays Hall 11
“One of our coaches is a personal trainer so we meet at the gym and he puts us through workouts that are insane. Usually the next day we are really sore and it is hard to walk around. Doing this really gets us all in shape so we are more prepared than the other team to play an 80 minute game. I feel like it really pays off because I’ve gotten a lot stronger and it has made me play better.”