This group of Kern Valley High School athletes have been using weigh training to strengthen their core and improve their conditioning to take on the sports seasons that will start when the school year begins. Photo by Jamie Duran
It is by no mistake that there were plenty of opportunities for female Kern Valley High School athletes to get an edge on the upcoming season.
For the past five weeks, a group of young ladies set their sights on improving themselves through weightlifting. They were dedicated in arriving at the weight room each morning at 6:30 a.m. over the summer break. They put their summer on hold as they did work outs three times a week. It is their hope in cutting down injuries, and pushing their bodies to gain conditioning and improve their muscle development.
The program headed by Jamie Duran who coaches two sports at Kern Valley. She is the varsity volleyball and varsity softball coach for the Lady Broncs. She was a standout athlete at Kern Valley and played college softball for four years. She knows a thing or two about conditioning the body to handle the stress that it’s required to endure over the course of the athletic year. She made those that made a choice to improve, pushing them as a group to gain the ability to garner a training program that will help them as they play athletics at the high school level.
The three times a week training schedule included keeping track of their sets, reps, time, weight per exercise on a workout log. Duran said, “We put a huge emphasis on quality reps, proper form, and progressive overload.” With the program training ending, it will soon be time for these future Kern Valley athletes to put this into action.
Duran said, “The best part about this program is seeing all these ladies push each other and themselves. To support one another all while making huge progress in their muscle development. It takes discipline to get up and be at morning workouts by 6:30 a.m. over summer break. I could not be more proud of the work ethic this group showed, and am so impressed by the growth they made!”
The school and sports year for Kern Valley is right around the corner. With the chance to get a leg up on their competition, these young ladies will now convert their summer weight lifting training to their respective sports.
