Photo by: Matt Woolverton
Terriers Adapt to New Way of Training
October 19, 2020 | Sports Performance and Wellness
by Jenna Laborde, BU Athletic Communications
As everyone is adjusting to COVID-19 rules and regulations, Boston University's strength & conditioning department is working hard to train the University's nearly 600 student-athletes. Head strength & conditioning coach Glenn Harris and his staff made many adjustments to their game plan after the students were sent home in March.
Previously, whole teams trained together three-to-four times a week in the offseason and twice a week while in season, but in order to maintain social distancing protocols, teams must break up into groups of 10 or less for training, and each group only gets to train twice a week because of the large number of student-athletes and limited facilities. On top of that, they must factor in five minutes for cleaning the equipment before they begin and five minutes after they end.
Masks are also a new norm in the workout process. To address the challenge of wearing a mask while working out, Harris and his staff have adjusted work-to-rest ratios at certain times during training sessions to allow student-athletes to become more comfortable with their breathing while wearing their masks.
"Getting used to that part of training has been something that I have been very impressed with in their ability to handle it," said Harris. "It's definitely the biggest glaring difference."
Unlike other years, student-athletes were not able to be on campus for voluntary workouts during the summer to train. Usually this serves as an adjustment period for the freshmen to learn the ropes of training and for them to get to know their teammates. Instead, every class is faced with the same new challenges.
"No one was able to do that this year, so the learning curve on that end became a little bit steeper in the fall for kids that weren't aware of what we normally do," said Harris. "The changes were the same for the seniors as they were for the freshmen so that was kind of a common X-factor for all the classes, but the ability for them to get their feet wet a little bit during the summer wasn't there."
"It has been tough and an adjustment, but this entire process is an adjustment," said Katie Nelson of the women's basketball team. "We're just continuing to stay positive, continuing to focus on the small victories, and we always look forward to something."
Beyond keeping the athletes both safe and in shape, the strength & conditioning staff has made an effort to keep the athletes in good spirits.
"We always have a great time when we go and lift with Glenn," said Nelson. "We have him as our first thing on Monday and our last thing on Friday so we always say it's a great way to begin the week and a great way to end the week."
While most aspects of the department have changed, two things remain constant: the commitment and drive of everyone involved.
"One thing that has stayed the same for me and my staff is our commitment just to really focus on getting the athletes better," said Harris. "The other constant is the inner drive of the athletes. The athletes that are here have that commitment. They want to succeed. They want to do the things that make them better."
As everyone is adjusting to COVID-19 rules and regulations, Boston University's strength & conditioning department is working hard to train the University's nearly 600 student-athletes. Head strength & conditioning coach Glenn Harris and his staff made many adjustments to their game plan after the students were sent home in March.
Previously, whole teams trained together three-to-four times a week in the offseason and twice a week while in season, but in order to maintain social distancing protocols, teams must break up into groups of 10 or less for training, and each group only gets to train twice a week because of the large number of student-athletes and limited facilities. On top of that, they must factor in five minutes for cleaning the equipment before they begin and five minutes after they end.
Masks are also a new norm in the workout process. To address the challenge of wearing a mask while working out, Harris and his staff have adjusted work-to-rest ratios at certain times during training sessions to allow student-athletes to become more comfortable with their breathing while wearing their masks.
"Getting used to that part of training has been something that I have been very impressed with in their ability to handle it," said Harris. "It's definitely the biggest glaring difference."
Unlike other years, student-athletes were not able to be on campus for voluntary workouts during the summer to train. Usually this serves as an adjustment period for the freshmen to learn the ropes of training and for them to get to know their teammates. Instead, every class is faced with the same new challenges.
"No one was able to do that this year, so the learning curve on that end became a little bit steeper in the fall for kids that weren't aware of what we normally do," said Harris. "The changes were the same for the seniors as they were for the freshmen so that was kind of a common X-factor for all the classes, but the ability for them to get their feet wet a little bit during the summer wasn't there."
"It has been tough and an adjustment, but this entire process is an adjustment," said Katie Nelson of the women's basketball team. "We're just continuing to stay positive, continuing to focus on the small victories, and we always look forward to something."
Beyond keeping the athletes both safe and in shape, the strength & conditioning staff has made an effort to keep the athletes in good spirits.
"We always have a great time when we go and lift with Glenn," said Nelson. "We have him as our first thing on Monday and our last thing on Friday so we always say it's a great way to begin the week and a great way to end the week."
While most aspects of the department have changed, two things remain constant: the commitment and drive of everyone involved.
"One thing that has stayed the same for me and my staff is our commitment just to really focus on getting the athletes better," said Harris. "The other constant is the inner drive of the athletes. The athletes that are here have that commitment. They want to succeed. They want to do the things that make them better."
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