Coach Dylan Wright, the lifting coach here at Bolles, leads student-athletes in workouts to help with muscle development and progress to the next level in their sports. Wright creates the workouts, implementing new exercises throughout the weeks to target different muscle groups.
Wright leads Bolles athletes in intense workouts preparing all student-athletes for their sports so they can continue to improve and excel in their game. He incorporates specific workouts based on positions and sports so he can pinpoint certain muscle areas that will improve their performance. For example, when helping the baseball players he breaks the workouts up between pitchers and position players, targeting things like rotational power when hitting the ball, which will help with an increase in exit velocity. And for the pitchers and position players there are things in common such as the leg workouts that allow the players to have power working from the ground up, increasing the player’s potential whether it be on the mound, in the box, or out in the field.
“I’m a gym rat and have been since I was in high school,” said Wright.” “When I joined the Marine Corps, that passion intensified, and being an infantry Marine made it a necessity. Since then, I’ve been blessed to have an education and working experience that has all lent itself to me being a strength coach here at Bolles.”
Wright has incorporated new technology into the workouts that includes using iPads with a new app called Team Builder, where the student athletes can log their workouts and include the sets and weight they have completed. This app also has the set workouts planned out so the athletes will always know what they are doing and when, so nobody is ever standing around waiting for instruction.
Wright uses a similar approach with athletes in every sport.“Because so many Bolles athletes are multisport athletes, it’s important that the training we do in the weightroom is well rounded and not too specialized. So with regards to core movements, the movements we really want to focus on, all sports are basically going to do the same things.”
The weight room consists of many features to ensure a great workout and lots of improvement for those looking to get better. Wright is always there after school if a workout is to be done or if there are any questions concerning what a workout is or how you do it. He lets athletes know if there are critiques in your form and he is especially there to ensure safety throughout your workouts, making sure there are no injuries that could be caused by lifting too heavy or issues with one’s form.
Wright is trying to make each athlete that enters the weight room the best and strongest version of themselves. When teams show up late to the weight room he has the athletes do burpees to teach young students the lesson of being punctual in whatever you do. He also makes sure there is no messing around while working out, to ensure safety in the gym. Wright arrived at Bolles through asking if the football coaches needed any guidance in leading the athletes through workouts to help them progress in their sport since he was getting his masters at UNF down the road. The coaches liked the sound of that and said yes, so Wright worked as a volunteer. Now he has completed his masters and is a paid seasonal coach.
When leading athletes through these workouts Wright has three main goals. “The first one and most immediate is to help them excel at their sport,” he said, “I want them to get stronger with precise movement patterns. My second goal is to prepare athletes for collegiate strength and conditioning. Lastly, and maybe most important to me, is that I want every Bolles student to have enough knowledge to be able to walk into any gym in the world and be capable of getting a good workout.”
Wright’s lessons are meant to serve athletes long after high school. “One of the things that I love about Bolles is that this school doesn’t just want to produce good athletes, but leaders in their professions and in the community long after their athletic careers are over.”
