Davis O’Neill ’27: Optimal Fitness
During the winter, I faced the difficult challenge of balancing working out and getting stronger with practicing my golf swing. I enjoyed working out, but I had no idea how to optimize my lifts so that I was getting stronger in the right places for my golf swing. When I saw the opportunity to apply for this internship, I did not hesitate to do so and I was excited at the opportunity to be able to learn more about sports science and how to lift more effectively.
Interning at Optimal Fitness’s Lexington and Sudbury locations this summer, I got to shadow training sessions with clients of all different ages and athletic backgrounds. My usual responsibilities included wiping down and organizing equipment, writing down lifts, observing sessions to learn more about exercises. My main project was to create, explain, and demonstrate a golf workout that built flexibility and strength without being harmful.
One of the most important things I learned was the importance of the client’s mental state. People may respond differently to a workout. The trainer must balance the right level of energy—not too high and not too low, or the client might lose motivation—and the right level of challenge to maximize the gain.
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