Strength and Conditioning
Mission Statement
Saint John’s High School, being committed to fostering the formation of its students as a whole person, has always recognized the importance of a physical component to the well-being of its student body. In an attempt to enhance this area of development, the strength and conditioning program has been established to help students improve their overall health as well as their physical performance, be it in the athletic arena, or more generally in their daily life.
The program recognizes differences in goals and interests of students and tries to address the individual in each program design. To this end, several programs can be accessed from the menu on the left of the screen, from general fitness programs for those with less-defined goals, to sport-specific programs. Programs exist for every sport, addressing the needs of core conditioning in golfers, bone-modeling in cross-country and contact sports, and the need for enhanced neuromuscular control in all athletes. For the general population there are programs designed to increase one’s metabolism, and general strength and balance, to improve self-confidence as well as performance in daily activities. In addition, a unique workout of the day is posted daily in the weight room.
Facility
Saint John’s High School opened its present training facility in 1998. It contains multiple safety cages, racks and benches, for safe performance of powerlifting exercises, an extensive collection of free-weights, including olympic barbells, and dumbbells that range from 5 pounds to 100 pounds. There are several stations that emphasize an individual’s ability to control his own bodyweight, including pull-up bars, dip bars, rings, and a glute-ham developer. There is also a substantial assortment of selectorized equipment, cardio machines, medicine balls, and stability balls.
More recently added, prior to the 2010-2011 school year, funded by Saint Vincent's Hospital are 2 new Life Fitness treadmills, 1 elliptical cross trainer, 2 Concept II rowing ergometers, 2 Keiser spin bikes, and 2 Schwinn AirDynes.
Hours of Operation
Hours of operation vary little from season to season and are posted on the door to the facility. There is extensive availability during the academic year, before school, during many resource periods and after school as late as 5 P.M. Summer hours are also offered, typically from 7-9 A.M.
Hours for the 2012-2013 academic year, beginning September 1st:
Monday through Friday
A.M.: 6:30-7:30
P.M.: 2:30-5:00
Closed weekends
Programs
Workout of the Day
A comprehensive workout of the day is posted daily on the whiteboard in the training facility. It begins with a prescribed warmup, includes a power and/or strength lift depending on the day of the week, incorporates a metabolic conditioning workout, and finishes with a stretch/mobility component. Students are not permitted to perform the workout of the day without consultation and supervision.
Powerlifting Team
Saint John's Strength and Conditioning program has fielded a competitive pwerlifting team since the Winter of 2010. This team competes annually at the New England Powerlifting Championships held in Westwood MA. It is open to anyone who wishes to learn how to properly execute the squat, bench press and deadlift, and utilize that technique in competition.
Clinics
Periodically, from 3-4 P.M., a clinic is offered by Mr. Davis that teaches functional exercises as basic as the Kettlebell Swing or as complicated as the Power Clean, followed by a short workout that incorporates the lesson just taught. Topics for the Clinics are publicized periodically in morning announcements. In addition, coaching is available in the afternoons on a daily basis to fine-tune one's exercise technique.
Performance Assessment
Prior to each school vacation (in November, December, February, April and June) there is a test offered for anyone wishing to assess his performance and track his improvement over months and years. This is typically offered over several days and includes anthropometric measurements, as well as tests to assess power, speed, agility and strength.
Functional Movement Screen
Appointments can be made with Mr. Davis to assess your capacity for functional movement. This screen tests for weaknesses in stability and mobility, identifying the athlete's weakest link in his movement patterns. Once identified, corrective exercises and stretches can be prescribed based on the data obtained, to increase performance and hopefully decrease the likelihood of injury.
Coaches
Mr. Steven G. Davis (CSCS) serves as a teacher in the Science Department as well as serving as the strength and conditioning coach for Saint John’s. He has been certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association since 2001, and also holds Crossfit Level 1, CrossFit Kids, Football, Gymnastics and Mobility Certifications as well as a Functional Movement Screen certification.
