Berkeley High School’s new open weight room, located in M-2, is a new way for student athletes to access cardio and strength training for their sports. The room is used by various sports teams including football, basketball, volleyball, and flag football. Student athletes are highly encouraged to go in order to maintain health and longevity in their sports. The weight room is open Tuesday through Thursday, but each sports team is assigned two specific days to attend within that period.
Major Corpuz, the conditioning coach for the new open weight room, discussed the benefits of the room for athletes. “Strength training is really good for cardiovascular health and lean muscle mass,” he said. “It’s not only for the sport, but also in general, just health and fitness.”
The room is accessible to most sports at BHS, with an open-door policy that welcomes everyone. “Every athlete, every human being, you don’t even have to be an athlete — I’ll always accommodate anybody that just wants to be healthy and put in the work,” Corpuz said.
Students such as Akasha Manandhar, a sophomore, and Zariyah King, a senior, are already seeing the benefits. “I feel stronger. I’ve learned the different workouts we can do to focus on different body parts, to help strengthen them, and you can do them on your own if you go to the gym,” Manandhar said. King highlights improvements in her physical strength, particularly her endurance while playing basketball, though she mentioned that additional equipment could help improve the weight room further. “I think the weight room is great, but honestly, maybe (add) some treadmills,” King said.
While the weight room has been well-received, there are limitations. “We have a limited amount of time in there because there are so many kids coming in now, and there’s only one trainer,” Manandhar said. Corpuz also pointed out the challenges with space the number of teams utilizing the room.
Despite this, Corpuz observed a boost in students’ overall enjoyment during training. “People are not feeling like it’s an obligation, but more of an enjoyment, a place that they can spend their time with their friends and the team to develop, for the sport and as well as themselves,” Corpuz said.
In addition to improving student athletes’ strength and stamina, he hopes the weight room will help foster a tight-knit sports culture. “For students, I want them to know that they’re always welcome in the weight room,” Corpuz said.