Quarantine life: How PH athletes stay in shape

 

 

 

MANILA, Philippines – The enhanced community quarantine may seem like a much needed break for Filipino athletes, but it isn’t exactly that for most of them

Volleyball star Mika Reyes, who recently jumped from Petron to Sta Lucia in the Philippine Superliga (PSL), knows that it’s important to stay in top form despite the coronavirus pandemic. 

“As an athlete, it’s so hard to get back to the right conditioning once you stop working out,” said Reyes. 

Reyes’ home workout routine is based on a program sent by Sta Lucia’s strength and conditioning coach. Unable to use the usual equipment found at training facilities, she’s taken advantage of resistance bands and water bottles instead. 

The exercises focus more on bodyweight sets, which includes a cardiovascular finisher, such as jump ropes. 

Like Reyes, other athletes have gone back to basics to stay in shape.

“Yes, I have been doing home workouts,” shared Isaac Go, the top overall pick in the  special Gilas PIlipinas draft during the 2019 PBA Rookie Draft. 

A product of Xavier high school, Go battled weight issues early in his collegiate career before sculpting a body suitable to play the 4 and 5 positions for coach Tab Baldwin’s Ateneo Blue Eagles, who won 3 consecutive UAAP titles in Isaac’s last 3 years as a student-athlete. 

“I’m limited by the stuff I can do, so it’s a lot of bodyweight exercises and trying to be creative with weights, and a lot of going back to basics: push-ups, squats, and core,” he said. 

Go will spend the next two years focusing on his responsibilities with the Philippine national team before suiting up in the PBA as a centerpiece for the struggling Columbian Dyip franchise. 

 

WATCH:

3-time UAAP champion, top overall PBA draft pick, and Gilas standout @IsaacGo1 tells you why we shouldn’t lose hope in the time of #COVID2019 @RapplerSports @GetBlued @TeamAMDG @gilasarmy @columbianpba pic.twitter.com/y825tLM0br

— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) March 26, 2020

 

When that time comes, expectations will be heightened for Go.

“Right now, I’m focused on Gilas, and I feel that it’s going to help me prepare to live up to those expectations. And if I am able to perform and be productive in Gilas, then I think it will hopefully translate to the PBA.”

While Go patiently waits for his pro tenure, the opposite can be said for Ateneo football phenom Jarvey Gayoso. 

Back in February, the grandson of three-time Olympian Ed Ocampo announced he will skip his final year of UAAP eligibility and leave Katipunan with a pair of championships and MVP awards. 

Gayoso, whose resume also includes international experience at 23-years-old, received an offer to play professional football abroad. In preparation for this, he decided to suit up in the Philippines Football League (PFL). 

Typically based in Metro Manila, Gayoso returned to his family in Laguna before the quarantine, where he has been staying in shape. 

“I’ve been working on my touches and control with the ball as well as some core workouts,” said Gayoso.

“I’d be juggling with the ball or dribbling through markers in a zigzag pattern… either on the street in front of the house or at our garden beside our home.”

Does Gayoso feel added pressure now that he’s taken the next leap in his career? 

“No, I don’t feel that it has put me at such pressure wherein I’d aim to prove anyone wrong,” he said with confidence. 

“I’m just working towards my personal goal and that’s what has been motivating me to do better.”

 

WATCH: UAAP football champion and MVP @JarveyGayoso reminds what you should be doing during this enhanced quarantine period #nCoV2019 @GetBlued @TeamAMDG @RapplerSports pic.twitter.com/fuU38HWcLf

— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) March 29, 2020

 

Reyes also doesn’t feel any added pressure just because she joined a new team.

“In the first place, I should be taking care of myself,” said Reyes, the former towering star of the La Salle Lady Spikers in the UAAP.

Reyes, who said her decision to switch club teams was a “gamble”  after winning 3 PSL crowns with Petron, said the move stemmed from a desire for challenge in a new environment. 

More important things

But one advantage of quarantine life for some athletes is that it gives them the opportunity to spend more time with loved ones and do other activities. 

That doesn’t come as easily with the demands of training, school, and work in ordinary circumstances. 

Gayoso, whose father Jayvee was a former PBA player, has been watching football matches for what he refers to as “tactical and mental learning” to be “more devoted to the game.” 

He also has more time to play with his Nintendo Switch, alternating between games like Pokemon Sword and Legend of Zelda. 

Gayoso likewise indulges in Mobile Legends with his younger brother, and takes part in movie marathons with his baby sister.

Go, meanwhile, has attended to tasks he put aside before the quarantine, and when he isn’t too occupied with workouts, he’s made it a point to catch up with friends and family, play video games, or turn on Netflix. 

It’s also the same for Reyes, who’s cherishing the chance to spend every day with loved ones.

“I’m happy that everyone in the family follows the rules and are very conscious not to get the virus,” she said. “We stay at home, go out only if needed, make sure to practice social distancing, and try to be productive during this crucial time. 

“I know it won’t be easy because nakakatamad talaga (it can make you feel lazy), but we remind ourselves that we can accomplish something!”

“I guess this is a way for us to bond together at home,” said Go. 

“However, I know this is a privilege that I can think this way. I know there are a lot of families going through very tough times during this pandemic. They need our support and prayers so that each person can go back to their families safe.”

Safe. That is the key word. When “safe” will be the norm once again remains a mystery, although until then, everyone has a part to play in this time of crisis.

Reyes put it best: “We may not have similar experiences during this time, but everyone’s being cooperative and it’s our being makabayan (patriotic)  to help our country fight this virus.” – Rappler.com