Sister lifters
Savannah Iske, freshman, performs a deep squat while keeping her head up to try to maintain an appropriate back posture. Iske lifts a 40 pound weight bag.
Monday is for squats, Tuesday bench press, Wednesday deadlifts, Thursday leg day, Friday open gym, Saturday team workout, and Sunday … a day off. That’s what the week looks like for freshmen half-sisters Shiannah Hershberger and Savannah Iske.
Both sisters were encouraged to join BoxFit Elite Training when their mom decided it would be better for them to do something productive. They have now been going there for a year and have definitely seen a change.
Hershberger said, “When I first started I would lift 10s on both sides but now I can do 45s so I definitely feel stronger. I also found that I don’t really like junk food anymore.”
Although she enjoyed lifting, she wanted to leave it and try boxing, but her mom had signed a contract that wouldn’t allow her to.
“When the contract is done, I want to do boxing, but my mom said she has to think about it,” Hershberger said. Her sister plans to stay lifting and hopes to achieve her goals.
When Iske first started at BoxFit she would lift 40 pounds but now she lifts 135 pounds on bench, squats, and lunges. Iske said, “My goal is to lift 150 in everything, but I want my deadlifts to be the highest.”
Both sisters motivate each other with friendly competition. They tease each other when one lifts more than the other, but at the end of the day they both want to see each other succeed. Hershberger and Iske are training to compete in Olympic weightlifting against other gyms.
“There are two sides to the gym,” Hershberger said. “One side is for the people who just go to work out and the other side is for the people who are going to compete.”
In the competing side there are more rigorous and intense workouts. These workouts include walking on hands, lifting heavier, and box jumping higher.
Their trainer pushes them through the tough times. Iske said, “I look up to my trainer because he’s so committed to see us do better. He keeps us going when we feel like giving up.”
Hershberger and Iske are excited to start competing in a couple months. Until then they will be dedicated to putting their all into training.
