Training from a Distance
Routine is part of any football player’s foundation. And repetition is what makes them sharp. So what happens when that established routine that has become such an important part of your life is entirely disrupted? You try to adapt. And that’s what life has been like for members of the Gryphon Football program since the coronavirus changed virtually every aspect of our existence.
Tavius Robinson has put in a lot of work the past few months, in school and in the gym. And the Guelph native doesn’t want to waste it.
“It’s been a little weird not having a schedule but at the end of the day, I’m just controlling what I can,” says Robinson, a second-year defensive lineman and Landscape Architecture student.
That means working on some final school projects and squeezing in movies when there’s extra down time.
Robinson’s teammate Jake Bennett has transitioned to this new normal pretty well. One of his main concerns is staying in touch with his mom to make sure the family is well but the young receiver from North Vancouver, BC is also focusing on staying in shape.
“I go for runs and in-home workouts a few hours a day,” says Bennett. “Otherwise, I sleep, eat, and relax.”
Adam Kania hasn’t seen the players in person since about March 3. The program’s Strength and Conditioning Coach has been busy himself with a brand new baby in the family. But he has noticed the Gryphons are staying together in new ways like doing exercise challenges on social media.
“The great part is to see they’re taking social distancing seriously,” says Coach Kania.
He and Head Coach Ryan Sheahan had a call in mid March to discuss how they could approach training for the team, with directives from Gryphon Athletics, the University, the government, and the nation’s health officials. Any guidance for the players had to ensure their health and safety, first and foremost.
“Because our athletes are isolated, and because we do not know what type of equipment, they have available to them, all we can do is put together a program that is bodyweight focused,” says Coach Kania. “Through different set, rep, and rest period schemes, we’re still able to introduce new stimuli that the players had currently not gone through leading up to the isolation, which allows us to elicit a new and different response from the body.
“However, we are still able to practice some plyometric type of exercises to continue developing our power despite not having resistance implements to work with.”
Robinson says that without gyms and scheduled workouts, the players are trying to keep each other accountable.
“Our coaches have provided us with plenty of body weight workout and stretches to allow us to stay in the best shape as possible and not lose this past three months of work,” he says.
“The routine during this strange time has been wake up, get a body-weight workout in then head over to a field or hill and run. After the field work, we normally rest for a bit then get in one more body weight workout in the night.”
“We’re trying to continue our offseason program as much as we can by running Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and split training those days as well (upper/lower body),” says Bennett. “On top of that, you get multiple ‘see a set do a sets’ a day, to keep our chest right.”
Bennett says the motivation comes easy with the guys all pushing themselves and knowing that a lot of players in the league are taking this time off. The receiving corps is a pretty tight-knit group and keeping in touch with each other has been beneficial for everyone.
He also considers this unique period as a time to get ahead, while maintaining focus on the long-term goals.
“Coach Sheahan, as always, has kept our eyes on the final prize – a Vanier Cup,” Bennett says. “He hasn't let this bump take our eyes off the road ahead.”
Written By: David DiCenzo