Armuchee High School athletes are seeing real benefits from the school’s weights program. In all sports areas, student athletes are noticing improvements in their strength, speed, and overall athletic performance. Reese Pasley, a junior baseball player, says that lifting weights has helped him become stronger and faster. He said, “Not only can I hit harder, but I have increased my bench by 40 pounds and my squat by 55 pounds in only a year.”

Jase Stockton, a sophomore who plays baseball, football, and wrestles, even expressed that weights has helped him bounce back from an injury. He said, “Weights helped me recover from a broken tibia, and I also feel so much stronger and faster on the field.” Similar to Reese, Jase has also seen an improvement in his maxes. He has seen 35 pounds on his bench and 25 on his squat throughout the year. He also feels that weights helps him with his mental health, which can better his athletic performance.

Two freshmen baseball players in the program, Austin Hibberts and Caleb Carson, echo similar testimonies. “I am able to be faster and more consistent while throwing, and I also feel much faster around the bases,” Said Austin. Caleb feels he can hit and throw harder after being in the program, adding 40 pounds to his squat and 20 pounds to his bench.

The best part about weights to Reese and Jase is max days, the days that everyone finds out the most they can do. Reese said, “There is no better feeling than after you hit a max, it is just joy.” Austin said that the results on the field are his favorite, while Caleb joked that it was a free period, and he did not have much to do.

Overall, the weights program at Armuchee is benefiting athletes to be stronger physically, mentally, and perform better athletically. Whether it is recovery, pitching, or power cleaning, the work these athletes put in shows through the results on the field.