In order to create better workouts, improvements have been made to the weight room for athletics and physical education classes.
Souderton High School added an additional rig to squat, bench, and do pull ups on. The school has also purchased lighter dumbbells, bikes, and new bumper plates due to the old ones ripping and getting stuck to the barbells.
“[The bumper plates] got stuck onto the bar so when we put [the new] ones on they are built not to rip like the old ones did. These are better quality,” senior DeAndre Wakefield said.
Wakefield, who plays running back for the football team, uses the weight room for football lifting.
Another reason for the new bumper plates is because many kids who play a sport and who participate in physical education classes are completing a lot of power cleans, hang cleans, and squats.
According to athletic director Dennis Stanton, it is not uncommon for students to use poor form as they lift, which can lead to injury. The newly purchased 15, 20, and 25 pound bumper plates allows students to lift without jeopardizing their form.
“We also purchased lighter dumbbells because a lot of times not just for our physical education but our athletics people are doing cleans and squats for the first time and their form is being compromised,” Stanton said.
Adding another rig and moving the bench press opened the weight room because it used to be crowded by the squat rack now it’s easier for teams and classes to do small group workouts and rotate through different stations.
“People are doing more things at a time,” Wakefield said. People are squatting and doing curls, there can be people doing the bench instead of all doing one thing.”
The school also bought four new stationary bikes in addition to the ones they already had. All of the new plates are “Rogue Fitness,” [equipment] according to Stanton.
Stanton took that advice to use Rogue fitness from physical education teacher Josh Wagner. Who owns his own CrossFit gym Apex, located in Souderton.