March 2025 Newsletter: Westbrook HS Strength Program
Thank you to our Strength Coach, Charlie Graffius, for contributing this month!
Strength & Conditioning at Westbrook High School
Our team at Dirigo Physical Therapy & Performance has had the pleasure of working with Westbrook High School student athletes this winter. We began with a comprehensive combine to collect baseline information on key performance metrics such as strength, agility, and power. This gave us the ability to track progress and tailor training to each athlete’s needs, regardless of sport or season.
The combine tests include:
Vertical jumps on force plates
Overcoming isometric on force plates (pull on an immovable object)
Isometric strength testing of upper and lower body
Knee flexion and extension
Shoulder internal and external rotation
5/10/5 agility test
Dynavision reaction time test
Now, we have structured a three-day-a-week lift program after school in Westbrook, designed to support both in-season and out-of-season athletes. The goal? To build strength, improve movement mechanics, and keep the athletes healthy – all while having fun. With three Dirigo coaches/physical therapists present at all sessions, the students have plenty of supervision to ensure safety and performance are maximized throughout the workouts.
Depending whether an athlete is in or out of season, they will receive a different lifting program for the day – designed by our strength and conditioning coaches. For example, an out of season athlete will perform a heavy barbell back squat for 4 rounds of 4 reps, while an in-season athlete will perform a lighter dumbbell goblet squat for 3 rounds of 8 reps.
The workouts include:
Dynamic warm ups
Sprinting
Plyometrics (jumping)
Strength training
Main lift of the day – bench press, squat, or deadlift
Accessory exercises – i.e. chin ups and farmers carries
Medicine ball throws
The athletes from Westbrook are members of various teams such as football, basketball, baseball, softball, track and field, tennis, and more. This is a truly unique opportunity for the entire student athlete community to train together with professional supervision. The captains and other leaders of sports teams have stepped up in a big way to recruit new athletes and encourage any less experienced lifters. This has allowed for team bonding experiences that will translate to success on the field next season.
Retesting of the combine occurs every 6-8 weeks where we can quantify the improvements in metrics such as jump height, speed, and maximum force production. The athletes can objectively see what their strengths are and how the training they are doing is improving their metrics. We have found this objectivity to improve the buy-in for the students – when they see their numbers go up, they want to keep working to better themselves.
We’re looking forward to seeing these athletes grow through the Spring season!
