Business aims to get athletes fit

Optimal Exercise in Cranbury to begin Sports Conditioning program

By: Emily Holody
   Optimal Exercise may be a small building on Maplewood Avenue in Cranbury, but owner Bill DeSimone has big plans.
   This summer Mr. DeSimone will expand the programs currently available at his personal training facility to include a sports conditioning program for local athletes of all ages. Although the program is geared toward middle- and high-school students, it can also benefit older athletes. Mr. DeSimone said the age groups would be sorted out at the beginning of each group session.
   The program will run for one hour per session and will meet on a late afternoon weekday and an early evening weekday. Depending on the interest, Mr. DeSimone said he might run the program more often. Although Mr. DeSimone said an athlete would not want to do this type of training too frequently, he said literature suggests a month’s worth of this training before the season will best benefit the athlete.
   An open house scheduled for Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. will introduce local athletes to the sports conditioning program.
   The program focuses on teaching athletes basic skills that can be used in all sports to improve their abilities and prevent injuries.
   "You learn how to jump, and more importantly, how to land, so rather than landing awkwardly and risking an injury, if you practice, you already know how to do it," said Mr. DeSimone.
   The program also teaches athletes how to quickly change direction in addition to other basic skills.
   "Most sports are straight ahead sports like track, but in soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey there’s a lot of changing direction. The whole idea is to perform better and reduce the risk of injury," said Mr. DeSimone.
   The sports conditioning program is designed for athletes in grades seven to 11 and focuses on basic skills training such as jumping over small hurdles, jumping and landing on a platform, jumping sideways through hoops placed on the ground, Olympic bar-lifting and proper stretching. Mr. DeSimone said the program trains the muscles to properly land, jump, and change direction so that when the athlete is fatigued during a game or practice, he will not compensate and break form, possibly risking injury.
   "If you’re a young athlete and you’re competitive, you have to manage the risk of being hurt, not avoid it. That’s where these exercises come in," said Mr. DeSimone.
   The program will be in a non-competitive group setting, which allows for the athlete to perform an exercise, then rest for an appropriate time in order to keep proper form.
   The program will also include weight training and cardiovascular exercises to get or keep an athlete in shape. Much of the program will take place outdoors to allow athletes more space.
   Mr. DeSimone is an National Strength and Conditioning Association-certified personal trainer and American Council on Exercise-certified lifestyle and weight management consultant with more than 20 years experience as a personal trainer. He works part time as a conditioning coach at South Brunswick High School, has clients from Monroe High School, and has coached recreational basketball in Monroe for several years. During his work with area high schools, he saw a need for a sports-conditioning program.
   "A lot of the teams use these types of exercises, but in the context of practice. (Coaches) don’t have time to thoroughly teach the exercises," said Mr. DeSimone.
   He said a sports-conditioning program doesn’t exist within a half-hour radius of area high schools.
   More athletes than just football and basketball players would benefit from the program, said Mr. DeSimone. Athletes involved in lacrosse, field hockey, volleyball and soccer would benefit as well, said Mr. DeSimone.
   Athletes playing these less visible sports are not required to practice and keep in shape all year round. This type of program would "keep athletes’ heads and bodies fresh for their actual sport," said Mr. DeSimone.
   The program could also benefit athletes outside of high school.
   "I also think that older recreational athletes through their 60s, especially if they’re involved with some kind of competitive sports, will benefit," said Mr. DeSimone.
   At the open house on Saturday, Mr. DeSimone plans on running through examples of some drills the program will include. Visitors can watch demonstrations and participate in things such as agility drills, plyometrics, interval training and strength training exercises.
   "Just come to ask questions. Information is available," said Mr. DeSimone. "It will be socially OK for anyone to come in, observe and leave."
   Costs for this program are $40 for a personal training session and $25 for a group sport conditioning session. Optimal Exercise is located at 27B Maplewood Ave. For more information, call (609) 409-7710.