Making D1 Athletes in Malvern
Last month, I went to the training gym, D1, in Malvern when one of you all recommended I try a class (btw, I love when you guys make recommendations). Unbeknownst to me, the name of this gym- D1- actually comes from the title of a college Division 1 athlete (a D1 athlete is a student who participates in a college sports program that is a member of the NCAA Division 1). D1 Malvern is built on the motto of creating D1 athletes, at any age and any ability. And while that can be somewhat intimidating— I mean, I immediately thought, “Well, I am not a D1 athlete and have no business working out here” — don’t take the name too literally. We aren’t all D1 athletes and this gym recognizes that. D1 believes that anyone can train like a D1 athlete whether or not that is your goal. But in fact, some of the young members here do have that goal on their minds. So for them, this gym is extra special.
While there are adult classes at the start and end of each day (that I took and enjoyed), the heart of this place is in its student training program. The student workouts at D1 have been referred to as a “better version of a gym class.” And I kinda love that. Most kids do really enjoy gym class, and from what I observed, the D1 athletes were laughing and learning and working hard in the gym. So for me, any program that instills positive feelings about exercise, especially at such a young age, will always get my applause.
Weekday afternoons at D1 are busy with young athletes.
Most of the kids are coming to D1 during their sport’s off season in order to get stronger, improve in their sport and to prepare for the upcoming season. Because of that, summers at D1 are pretty busy. The kids I observed this fall were mostly baseball athletes. Another reason kids come to D1 is just to stay active. D1 is great for any kid looking to exercise, at any time of the year, no matter what their goal may be. And I want to continue to stress that: We are not all D1 athletes, but why can’t we all train like one? D1 certainly thinks we can.
The D1 youth program starts with the Rookies. The Rookies are the elementary school-aged athletes, ages 7-11 years old. The main goal with the Rookies is to have fun. With that, they will learn their way around the gym, learn how to do exercises properly, and learn basic athletic skills like running, cutting and jumping. Other skills that the Rookies develop include, core body strength, coordination, balance, agility, and technique development. D1 is looking to foster enjoyment and success in the gym for the Rookies.
The Rookies learn proper form from their coach.
The Developmental program is for middle school athletes, ages 12-14. The training is a bit more amplified at this stage. This program is for the developing athlete who wants to gain a competitive edge in their sport. The Developmental program introduces the students to progressive 8-week training cycles. They will work on agility and change of direction skills. They will develop advanced running techniques and linear speed development. And they will focus on injury prevention techniques.
The Prep athletes work on acceleration on the turf.
And Prep is for the high school athlete, ages 15-18. These members tend to be the ones who are chasing down that D1 goal. They are more serious about getting to the next level. The Prep program uses the progressive 8-week training cycle. The kids work on advanced linear speed and max velocity training. They develop advanced plyometrics, agility and change of direction skills. And these students focus on injury prevention techniques, as well.
D1 uses a “5 Star Training System” for every workout. The five training blocks include: a Dynamic Warm Up, Performance, Strength, Core & Conditioning, Cooldown Stretch. But not to worry — this place isn’t so serious that the kids don’t actually enjoy coming to the gym. I observed each level of athletes in a typical D1 class. The Rookies were unknowingly working on speed and change of direction in a fun and engaging way, using competitions like races and games like tag. The coach was very energetic and playful with the kids at this age. They were laughing and cheering for each other, but they were also sweating, working hard and learning.
The Rookies are racing against each other while working on running skills.
The Prep class I watched was much more focused, but the energy was still light and fun. The eight high school-aged boys in this class worked on acceleration skills with sprints and the sled for the first part of the class. Then the group moved onto strength training, working through various exercises with the barbell, the hex bar and box jumps. The baseball players in the group had some variations that were more specific to their sport. At this point of the class, their coach was more hands off after a brief introduction to the exercises. And I have to say that I was impressed with how the boys handled themselves more independently around the gym. They all knew what they were doing, more so than some adults I’ve observed in classes! And they worked together to load the barbells and get set up.
The Prep athletes are going over their workout with their coach.
There is some overlapping in the scheduling during the busy afternoons at D1. The Developmental session started on the turf once the Prep group moved onto the strength portion of their workout. These middle schoolers began with their warm up and acceleration work in a similar manner as the high schoolers did before them. The Developmental group will generally do the same workout as the Prep group each day but with some modifications based on their age and ability.
This is an example of a day's work for the Prep and Developmental groups.
In addition to the group classes, (you can check out the weekly fall schedule below), D1 offers private small group sessions, assembled by the athletes themselves. D1 also offers 1:1 training sessions for the kids who want a more personalized or sport specific training program. If you are interested, reach out to D1 Malvern to schedule a free evaluation with a coach. The gym offers unlimited monthly memberships and packages of 12, 24 and 36 sessions for the kids.
The kids’ schedule at D1 Malvern looks like this:
Prep, Monday through Friday, 4-5 pm
Developmental, Monday through Friday, 4:30-5:30 pm
Rookie, Monday through Friday, 5-6 pm; and Saturdays 9-10 am
I love everything about this place, and I highly recommend D1’s youth program. I like that it’s focused and structured without being so serious that they forget who the clients are… kids! The only issue I have is that D1 needs more female student athletes training there. I only saw one girl in all of the classes I observed. D1 recently brought in a female coach in hopes of getting more girls in the gym, too. And I would love to help, so stay tuned for some girl focused events at D1….