On the day before a match, Syracuse’s players take ice baths and on the weekends they don’t do any workouts.

But staying in good shape has become a staple of the way SU head coach Younes Limam has run his program in his first season. Monday through Friday, there’s a different workout routine for Limam’s seven-player roster.

“We can’t recall a match where fitness was an issue,” Limam said. “I think we came on top of (a) lot of matches because of our fitness.”

Despite losing seven of its past eight matches, Limam takes pride in the way Syracuse (6-8, 1-7 Atlantic Coast) has kept in good physical form through the first two and a half months of competitive play. It’s a strong attribute the players have maintained on both an individual and group level.

The Orange has developed a consistent workout routine that strengthens the various aspects of its game, and the workouts differ depending on the day.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the team focuses on lifting weights. The purpose is more about staying strong and injury-free than becoming big and muscular.

“The biggest thing for them is to stay injury-free,” Limam said, ”… because it’s a long season and it’s a lot of matches.”

SU’s exercises include work to keep shoulders, hamstrings and hips in good condition.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, on the other hand, are devoted to conditioning. The team works on long-distance sprinting on Thursdays, while spending more time with shorter distances and footwork exercises on Tuesdays.

While the bulk of the team’s conditioning work is done on these two days, the players also put in time of their own when they can, depending on their personal needs.

Sophomore Olivia Messineo runs for 40 minutes or spends time on the elliptical when she wants to work on her conditioning.

Recently, though, she has focused more on exercises that improve her agility and speed on the court, including jumping rope and cone drills.

“We’re individuals,” Messineo said. “We each have different needs.”

Off the court and away from the gym, the team tries to prepare itself to be in the best state possible for upcoming matches.

Senior Amanda Rodgers said that many players on the team are very careful about what they eat. As a nutrition minor, Breanna Bachini has been able to help Messineo, who said she has become more careful about the foods she eats in the past year or year and a half.

“We work so hard and we put in so many hours that it’s almost like you’re going to pollute your body if I put something bad in it,” Messineo said. “So I, myself, try to keep it as clean as possible.”

She listed vegetables and fruits as important parts of her diet, and said that with certain foods it’s necessary to focus on portion control.

Rodgers has a similar mindset about particular types of food that are better to limit. She said she feels a difference during matches if she eats a dessert the night before.

“So I just try to be a little strict,” said Rodgers, a contributing writer for The Daily Orange.

It’s another aspect of the team’s fitness game that proves to be important.

Limam and his team know how crucial fitness is for their physical game.

“Another thing that we try to explain to the girls and remind them of is the fitter you are,” Limam said, “the mentally stronger you’re going to be become.”

Published on March 25, 2015 at 12:02 am

Contact Kevin: kjpacell@syr.edu