By Hayden Swope
Salina South’s Gabriel Autry is excited to test his progress and growth after dealing with injuries last year.
“The thing that I am most excited about this season is seeing how much I have improved since last year,” Autry said. “Last year, I had hamstring issues all season, which made it hard for me to compete in the short sprints like the 100 and 200m dash. So I couldn’t reach my full potential. Since my hamstring is healthy, I can get back to practicing my block starts, drive phase, and top speed again. With that, the improvement I have made from last year to this year should be substantial.”
During the offseason, Autry has focused on strengthening certain parts of his body to prepare for the long spring season ahead.
“I’ve been going to the gym to strengthen my overall body strength,” Autry said. “My focus has been on strengthening my hamstrings. I have been doing exercises that activate my hamstrings’ fast-twitch fibers, such as Nordic curls, RDLs, and plyometric movements. Also, I have been trying to stay active by going on runs.”
Autry also worked on refining his running form to maximize efficiency and prevent injury.
“Something I want to improve is my running form,” Autry said. “After watching videos of myself running, I realized I slightly lean back as I approach top speed. This is one of the possible reasons for my hamstring problems. I’ve done some research on why I lean back while running, and it is mostly because of my anterior pelvic tilt. I’ve gone back to basic exercises like A-skips, high knees, straight-leg runs, and bounds. As I get more comfortable with my current form, I speed up and see how close I can get to top speed without sabotaging my form.”
