Drexel University Athletics
DU’s Performance Team Assists the Drexel Community During the Pandemic
3/31/2020 10:54:00 AM | Drexel Athletics
#DragonsUnite
PHILADELPHIA – While all of us are facing uncertainty and apprehension during the COVID-19 Pandemic, members of the Drexel Athletics Department are doing all they can to help Drexel's student-athletes stay engaged and prosper during these difficult times. With the help of the performance team, Drexel student-athletes are staying involved and active while engaging with one another on social media using the hashtag #DragonsUnite.
Drexel's performance team has been working diligently to help the student-athletes and staff stay safe and engaged during this time. The team is working to keep everyone in the best shape possible, both mentally and physically, and to have them in peak condition when they return to campus and to the playing fields and courts. Student-athletes are engaging with one another and staying involved and active.
The Drexel performance team is a group of highly-talented people who provide comprehensive health and wellness opportunities for the Drexel Student-Athlete. It strives to optimize each individual's emotional, physical, intellectual, and social well-being to maximize athletic performance. The performance team is using a multidisciplinary student-athlete centered healthcare approach. Members of the team include professionals in the fields of strength and conditioning, athletic training, sports medicine, nutrition, psychology, academics, physical therapy and equipment operations.
Over the next few weeks, we will take a look at what some of the areas are doing to ensure the safety and well being of Drexel's more than 400 student-athletes and the Drexel Athletics community. Today we will start with the strength and conditioning department.
Drexel's Director of Strength and Conditioning Michael Rankin was ready when it was announced that Drexel students would be taking classes on-line in the spring. Rankin and his staff, Anthony McCloskey and Brigita Roemer, have Drexel student-athletes' workouts set up through Teambuildr. Rankin has been using this application to deliver workouts since 2013. While the workouts are usually done in the Daskalakis Athletic Center, they are easily accessible anywhere using a laptop, tablet or a cell phone.
Rankin, who grew up on a farm, maintains that a great workout doesn't have to be performed in a weight room. "The body itself will act as your gym," Rankin said. "Workouts have and will be designed using limited to no equipment. Normal every day and home products can be used to add resistance. For athletes who have a gym at home, we will design workouts that are built to utilize what they have accessible to them."
Maintaining health and safety is a top priority right now for not only our athletes but the community that they are living in. All of the training is designed to be done at home, so social contact is limited.
"Weight is weight and hard work is hard work," Rankin said. "At the end of the day, we want every athlete to return to us in good health and hopefully minimally affected by this pandemic. If you want to be the best you will find a way no matter what."
Drexel's teams have already engaged one another on workout competitions as they try to get through this unique situation in a positive way. Plans are in the making to possibly have competitions with other schools as well, all while maintaining social distancing.
"We cannot let COVID-19 deter us from making progress in improving our overall strength and conditioning," Rankin said. "We just need to practice some new methods or in some cases old methods of training so we can return to practice and competition ready to breathe fire."
The strength and conditioning staff has also worked with Teambuildr to design workouts for the Drexel staff and community who want to try and stay in shape while not being able to do their regular workout. To check out and try a two-week plan click here.
Drexel's performance team has been working diligently to help the student-athletes and staff stay safe and engaged during this time. The team is working to keep everyone in the best shape possible, both mentally and physically, and to have them in peak condition when they return to campus and to the playing fields and courts. Student-athletes are engaging with one another and staying involved and active.
The Drexel performance team is a group of highly-talented people who provide comprehensive health and wellness opportunities for the Drexel Student-Athlete. It strives to optimize each individual's emotional, physical, intellectual, and social well-being to maximize athletic performance. The performance team is using a multidisciplinary student-athlete centered healthcare approach. Members of the team include professionals in the fields of strength and conditioning, athletic training, sports medicine, nutrition, psychology, academics, physical therapy and equipment operations.
Over the next few weeks, we will take a look at what some of the areas are doing to ensure the safety and well being of Drexel's more than 400 student-athletes and the Drexel Athletics community. Today we will start with the strength and conditioning department.
Drexel's Director of Strength and Conditioning Michael Rankin was ready when it was announced that Drexel students would be taking classes on-line in the spring. Rankin and his staff, Anthony McCloskey and Brigita Roemer, have Drexel student-athletes' workouts set up through Teambuildr. Rankin has been using this application to deliver workouts since 2013. While the workouts are usually done in the Daskalakis Athletic Center, they are easily accessible anywhere using a laptop, tablet or a cell phone.
Rankin, who grew up on a farm, maintains that a great workout doesn't have to be performed in a weight room. "The body itself will act as your gym," Rankin said. "Workouts have and will be designed using limited to no equipment. Normal every day and home products can be used to add resistance. For athletes who have a gym at home, we will design workouts that are built to utilize what they have accessible to them."
Maintaining health and safety is a top priority right now for not only our athletes but the community that they are living in. All of the training is designed to be done at home, so social contact is limited.
"Weight is weight and hard work is hard work," Rankin said. "At the end of the day, we want every athlete to return to us in good health and hopefully minimally affected by this pandemic. If you want to be the best you will find a way no matter what."
Drexel's teams have already engaged one another on workout competitions as they try to get through this unique situation in a positive way. Plans are in the making to possibly have competitions with other schools as well, all while maintaining social distancing.
"We cannot let COVID-19 deter us from making progress in improving our overall strength and conditioning," Rankin said. "We just need to practice some new methods or in some cases old methods of training so we can return to practice and competition ready to breathe fire."
The strength and conditioning staff has also worked with Teambuildr to design workouts for the Drexel staff and community who want to try and stay in shape while not being able to do their regular workout. To check out and try a two-week plan click here.
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