Weight Room

 Some people may wonder why the athletes at Bloomsburg university are all in such good shape? The athletes have coach Andrew and the Bloomsburg university weight room to thank. Coach Andrew is the head strength and conditioning coach at the university and is responsible for designing and creating sport specific exercise programs for all athletes. Coach Andrew was also the first ever strength and conditioning coach here at Bloomsburg. The weight room at Bloomsburg university located at nelson field house on campus is very small and compacted. 

As I walked down the hall I start to hear the roaring music and the hall started filling up with a faint sweat aroma. Entering through the left two door I am met by coach Andrew himself and the Bloomsburg university baseball team. The backside wall is completely covered by mirrors which reflects the whole gym. Coach Andrew explained that, "Watching yourself in the mirror is a way to increase self confidence." After entering the gym, I saw that everybody was wearing the exact same shirt which gives the impression that team lift should be taken very seriously. On the front side of the room, there is a enormous dumbbell rack with weight ranging from 5 pounds all the way up to 120 pounds. Above the rack of dumbbells there is 2 large mirrors to add more design and purpose. In the middle of the weight room there are six double sided squat racks equipped with benches and pull up bars.

Coach Andrew has a very serious demeanor and does not like when players fool around. "If you aren't going to take this serious then you are better off staying home", coach Andrew Exclaimed. At the start of every lift coach Andrew demonstrates each and every exercise from that days workout. The coach dedicates a massive amount of time planning different workouts for different teams. After the demonstration, the team splits up into three groups and gets started. While the team is splitting up, the music turns on and the volume is turned up to the point where it is difficult to hear anything else. After the music turns on, I sensed the mood change and the room was full of energy and excitement. Every player was dedicated and pushing themselves to have a good workout and be in better shape then before. The room was quickly filled with loud grunting and heavy short breaths. While observing the players I can see each and every one start to sweat more and more as the workout goes on. Coach Andrew is walking around and watching like a hawk to correct anything and everything he sees. "proper form is the most important part of a lift." coach Andrew Expressed. Each lift is typically only an hour long and this is due to the fact that there are so many different teams that need to use the weight room. 

My first time in the weight room was scary. I was extremely nervous because I did not know what to expect. The lift started off with a dynamic stretch to get our bodies loose and prepared. It was a very small gym compared to what I am used to and it was very hard to concentrate because I was always bumping into people. During my first workout coach Andrew had to critique my form multiple times because I had never done any of the exercises in the past. After i was finished the workout I was told by and upperclassman that me and a couple other freshman had to clean the weight room. I wasn't familiar with how the weight room was set up and didn't want to put anything back incorrectly. "Where do the benches get put away!" yelled Andrew, one of the athletes. I had asked coach Andrew multiple questions about the arrangement of everything and it all worked out just fine. After the first lift I was a lot more comfortable around all of my teammates and coach Andrew and everything was a lot easier. 

After all of my experiences in the Bloomsburg weight room, I have learned that lifting is a very important part of every athletes day. The weight room has added incredible value to this campus's sports teams by enabling them to not only get stronger but condition them properly and prepare them for there sport performances.