Similar to the rest of the school population, sophomore Calvin Hulleman has encountered new experiences during his time staying at home due to the school closing for coronavirus. Hulleman, a three sport athlete, knows how important working out is. Although he is not allowed out of the house as much as normal, Hulleman has continued to get in exercise. 

“To workout, I have done core exercises and lifted weights by myself to continue improving my fitness. I haven’t done any running, however, because I sprained my toe last season and am supposed to rest,” Hulleman said. 

While many people may not have access to a variety of equipment at home, Hulleman has not had to adjust what workouts he has been able to do as much as others. 

“My workout routine hasn’t changed from staying at home. The only thing that has really been affected is my access to some equipment but that has only affected a few exercises, so nothing major,” Hulleman said. 

The coronavirus is quickly evolving and the effects are unpredictable, so Hulleman and others do not know exactly how long they will be working out from home. To combat this unknown, Hulleman has created a plan to stick to every week. 

“My plan to stay in shape is pretty simple. I’m doing relatively hard lifting and [a] core workout three times a week and do some light stuff on the other days,” Hulleman said. “For my workouts, my dad and I have done a lot of research and come up with our own workout for the best results.”

Hulleman has designated an area in his home to complete all of his workouts. 

“As far as where I do my workouts, I have a small space in my house where I do them so I never have to go anywhere,” Hulleman said.

After being scheduled to attend nationals for the 4×800 relay during his indoor track season, Hulleman knows the importance of sticking to his plan over the next two weeks before resuming his outdoor track season. 

“Not being able to have regular practices and run with the team will have a large, but still manageable, effect on our outdoor season. I’ll most likely be starting from scratch again. As bad as that sounds, though, it’s nothing I haven’t done before. I’m definitely still excited to take on the challenge,” Hulleman said. 

Not only will the hiatus in the season have an effect on Hulleman and his goals for the season, but also an effect on the team overall and their chemistry. 

“The other big effect [the virus] will have in the season is that I won’t be able to practice with my teammates very much. This usually isn’t the biggest problem in track, but since my main event is a relay it can make it a little more tough,” Hulleman said. “During indoors we made it to nationals because we had great chemistry and always pushed each other. We obtain this through constant team workouts. We may lose some of that chemistry the longer we are apart.”

Similar to his teammates, despite the virus outbreak, Hulleman still has high hopes for the upcoming season. 

“I have three goals/hopes for this upcoming outdoor season. First, I really hope the coronavirus doesn’t cancel the whole thing. Second, I really want to make it back to nationals because it was very disappointing in indoor track when it got canceled. And lastly, just have a lot of fun while putting my all into the thing I love,” Hulleman said. 

To achieve his goals, Hulleman places emphasis on the importance of having a plan for his at home workouts and sticking to it. 

“My best advice to stay in shape over time is to simply create a routine that you do everyday or every week and stick to it. I emphasize sticking to it because the more you do the easier and more enjoyable it becomes,” Hulleman said. “Also make sure you’re doing everything for a purpose. Set goals and try to achieve them.”