Jr. Sydney Wilcox can feel the strain and red pain surging through her legs. Lunges, deadlifts, squats: each exercise breaking down her silently screaming muscles. Yet, there’s more than visual muscle gain as a result of the strenuous exercises Wilcox routinely performs in the weight room.
Walking into the room packed with iron and various bizarre contraptions, many athlete’s eyes are set on the obvious: muscle building. This is a main component of lifting and a major role of the weight room; however, West Ottawa coaches and athletes are reaping numerous other benefits, including fewer injuries.
“Yes, we have seen a significant decline in many of the common acute and chronic injuries that often stem from overuse, overload, muscle imbalance, or instability. The component of injury mitigation was very intentional as it is the bedrock of our program. Ultimately, keeping athletes healthy allows us to truly tap into the performance enhancement aspects of our program, which require discipline and high effort given consistently over a long period of time,” Trainer Frank Lerchen said.
Lerchen has been an invaluable resource to West Ottawa athletes after being appointed head strength and conditioning coach in 2022.
“If an athlete is injured, they aren’t able to perform the dynamic and complex movements at the same intensities required to see high-level performance adaptations,” Lerchen said.
Athletes strive to become the best versions of themselves, and injury disrupts these aspirations. Lerchen knows that an athlete needs to be healthy to compete at their fullest potential. The strength training program aims to diminish injury through meticulously planned routines. This is a breath of fresh air for the the teams participating in this program.
West Ottawa coaches can attest to Lerchen’s training resulting in healthier athletes.
“The boy’s distance group has consistently been lifting the past few years with Frank. It has definitely helped reduce injury. Last year, I had one runner who was out–that was mainly due to inconsistency in his training and trying to do too much too soon when he started running with us in the winter. This year, there was only one injury and that stemmed from a carryover from the cross-country season,” Coach Dan Blake said.
Blake is the head coach for the boy’s track team and an assistant coach for the men’s cross-country team. Running is a grueling sport and injuries can hinder an athlete’s season. After working with Lerchen, the athletes running track who had previously run cross-country, have seen a significant decline in injuries.
“The guys have been able to train more consistently, they have higher resilience and self-confidence from strength gains and they enjoy it. Frank also adjusts things based on the time of the season, and the training load, and is definitely open to suggestions from coaches about the structure and emphasis. I think what he does is invaluable for the guys’ distance program and their consistent improvement the past few years,” Blake said.
The men’s distance program at West Ottawa can agree that the hours they have spent in the weight room have had more impacts than just muscle gain. Lerchen has done a fantastic job at curating each team’s lifting plan to optimize their performance and improve injury prevention. This unique focus has allowed the men’s distance program to be able to train more routinely and enhance their ability to execute their training.
“Since starting lifting with Frank, I have not suffered any injuries. I am so much stronger than I have ever been and believe it has helped greatly with racing. Jay Johnson says in his book, Consistency is Key, that a stronger chassis helps protect against injuries, and I definitely feel that. I feel more resilient and powerful, and that Frank’s lifting helps with so much more than just getting stronger,” Isaish LaDuke said.
LaDuke is an avid runner and provides concrete evidence to the positive impacts strength training has had on his ability to perform at his greatest potential. More often than not, athletes will overemphasize the visual physical changes that can be associated with the weight room. However, as someone who has seen strength training work in more ways than muscle gain, LaDuke is confident that Lerchen’s training has helped him prevent injury and pursue his goals.
Lerchen has created an open environment for athletes to feel comfortable to consult him about their injuries and ask for assistance.
“Every time I feel pain from running, whether it’s something major or minor, I’ve gone to Frank and he’s helped me fix it. For example at the start of this winter, I had bad knee and joint pain in my legs, and he gave me daily exercises to do at home. I did them consistently for a month or two and the pain has been gone since then,” Soph. runner Jakob Follet said.
Follet represents an athlete who views the weight room in a different light. As a committed runner, he has seen many injuries and has gained the ability to see the weight room as a place of healing and proactivity. Experiencing a small amount of pain that could have developed into a more serious injury, Follet utilized the weight room and Lerchen’s expertise to guide him in the right direction.
“I know that this past season of cross country we only had one injured athlete on the entire team as opposed to about seven or eight in 2022 and 14 in 2021. The fact that Frank was also an athletic trainer truly helps him understand injury prevention. Frank’s strength training has really helped out athletes,” Coach Chris Knoll said.
Knoll is the head boys cross-country coach and has seen the benefits of Lerchen’s training. Numbers don’t lie. Going from 14 athletes injured in 2021 to only one in the fall of 2023 provides evidence of a decline in injuries as a result of strength training. Appointed to head strength and conditioning coach in 2022, Lerchen’s knowledge and emphasis on the importance of healthy athletes is vast due to his time spent previously as an athletic trainer. Carefully created plans for the teams of West Ottawa, each rep of cold iron is having a greater impact than meets the eye.
“I know our best player, Gabby Reynolds, has benefited tremendously from strength training. I believe her increased strength throughout her career put her on the path to being Miss Basketball and getting a Division 1 scholarship. She never missed a game due to injury and definitely used her strength advantage to perform at a tremendously high level this season. She was always the strongest athlete on the court each game,” Girls Basketball Coach Paul Chapman said.
Chapman can confirm that Reynold’s undivided attention to detail in the weight room helped her prosper without injury on the court. Strength training improves athlete’s fitness; yet more commonly, this time spent in the weight room has helped athletes achieve their goals.
The room overflowing with weights provides athletes with more than just muscles. Ranging from the track to the courts, Lerchen’s dedication to detail and concern for the betterment of his athletes has become increasingly visible across all sports. Focusing on injury prevention with the creation of strength routines has given West Ottawa athletes innumerable benefits over other competitors. The weight room isn’t a place just for grueling pain and burning muscles; West Ottawa’s strength training program is a place of healing and prevention, too.
