Newly implemented in the 2024-2025 school year, Performance Health and Fitness provides training programs for athletes who are looking to engage in lifting and conditioning.
Nathan Seaberg (he/him), physical therapist and strength coach, regularly supervises lifting sessions at Liberty before and after school, instructing and motivating athletes as they work through exercise programs designed by Performance to accommodate for their specific sport.
“If you look at the demands of a sport, we want to make sure that we implement the right type of activities,” Seaberg said.
Weight training provides benefits for everyone, from increasing strength to building bone density and flexible joints (Penn Medicine). However, when athletes lift in the off-season, they construct a wider range of capabilities such as enhanced strength, flexibility and agility.
Hannah Cole (she/her), Liberty softball’s head varsity coach, also attends lifting sessions before school and supports athletes, specifically her softball players.
Cole emphasizes the advantages of following a set program as a team, which promotes community.
“When they [softball players] are in here building muscle and building those movements, their confidence on the field is much higher because they just feel stronger,” Cole said.
Hannah Bunning (she/her), 10, plays basketball and partakes in Liberty’s lifting program, where she has seen improvement all around.
“The lifting program is really good at Liberty,” Bunning said.
According to Seaberg, there has been a 10% average increase in strength measurements, an almost three-inch average vertical jump increase and a significant cut time on sprints.
“If you look at the top performers in your sport, they are probably doing some form of off-season strength and conditioning work,” Seaberg said.
Weight training doesn’t exclusively improve performance. As lifting strengthens muscle groups and joints, it also reduces the chances of injury (Performance Sports Medicine Institute).
“As a physical therapist, I see a lot of overuse injuries from people that play one sport all year round and don’t provide any other cross-training,” Seaburg said.
Injury prevention and muscle growth don’t happen overnight, though. Consistency is key to building a strong athletic foundation.
“If you’re just there, if you show up consistently, if you apply yourself, you’re going to see huge gains. That’s the advantage of starting in high school,” Seaberg said.
While attending Liberty’s lifting sessions for the first time can be intimidating, the benefits of weight training remain plentiful.
“Having a good background in the right way to take care of your body will follow you for a very long time,” Cole said.
Morning lifting times are 6-7 a.m. for boys and 6:45-7:45 a.m. for girls. After school lifting is 4:15-5:30 p.m.
