Revere High School has partnered with local fitness program Sculpt hoping to improve the health and the athletic abilities of students.

Athletic director Tom McKinnon discussed the main idea of Sculpt.

“Sculpt is a strength and conditioning program/business that has been made available to all of our sports teams. The program began on June 1,” McKinnon said.

Sculpt consists of two companies: a personal training gym and the other a group training gym. Founder and CEO of Sculpt Josh Dickey talked about his motive for starting Sculpt.

“I started Sculpt in my efforts to have my own personal training business. I had a couple jobs in the fitness industry and it was always my goal to have my own business and be my own boss. I have always had an entrepreneurial mindset so fitness was the vehicle I chose to get my business started,” Dickey said.

Dickey also commented on the upbringings of Sculpt.

“Sculpt started out as an in-home training business. I would travel to clients’ houses and work with people at their home gyms. After a while I got too busy to travel and it made more sense to open my own gym space,” Dickey said.

Dickey mentioned why Sculpt partnered with the school.

“We are so excited to partner with Revere. I think our amazing team of trainers and our great facility being so close to the school were a large help in getting the partnership,” Dickey said.

McKinnon also discussed the thought process of choosing Sculpt as a partner.

“There are many different reasons we went with Sculpt Fitness. During the three-four month process, Sculpt was the one business that would address all the needs of our student athletes. Sculpt has eight certified strength and conditioning trainers that will be working with our different sports team. They offered flexible scheduling to accommodate coaches and all of our sports teams,” McKinnon said.

Choosing the right program was the first step, then came the partnership. McKinnon talked about the process of partnering with Sculpt.

“The process began with multiple meetings between Josh Dickey and myself. We began looking at scheduling and different sites. There was a meeting with different stakeholders in the district, and a presentation to our board of education. Our coaches also met with the head of Sculpt, and the trainer that would be covering their sport. That way the coach could individualize the training for their athlete,” McKinnon said.

Dickey commented on one of the steps of partnering with the school.

“We had to make sure that all our trainers were certified to be able to work with the school as well,” Dickey said.

Dickey mentioned how the program will help the sports teams.   

“Making sure that each team has a trainer and a specific program designed for them will make it so the athletes will really achieve their goals. Being able to have fitness professionals working with teams on a daily basis gives them a huge advantage,” Dickey said.

Dickey also talked about what he hopes to accomplish with the partnership.

“Our goal is to create a great relationship with the school, coaches and teams so that in the future they can trust and rely on us to make sure that all their athletes are improving and prepared for each and every day on the field,” Dickey said.

The relationship between the school and the program depends on the trainers to ensure students get the best out of their Sculpt training. Personal Sculpt trainer and trainer for the high school’s golf and swimming teams, James Legins, talked about the types of exercises students do at Sculpt.

“The exercise selection I make for the students depends on what sport they are in. Each sport will place different amounts of stress on different muscle groups compared to another. Some of the exercises that I have had students do are medicine ball toss, pushing sleds, medicine ball slams, rope slams. . . . Body weight exercises like push ups and squats and different dumbbell exercise like bench press, row and shoulder press,” Legins said.

The classes include a number of exercises that are meant to strengthen and motivate those who take part. Dickey discussed what Sculpt classes are like for athletes.

“Our classes are fantastic. With seven different types of classes offered at our facility we really are a one-stop shop for group fitness. Classes are designed to accommodate all ages and fitness levels. The programming and class types are set up [so] that people can come take classes every day and be able to do something different,” Dickey said.

McKinnon commented that every sport at the high school has Sculpt and their own personal trainer. Due to numerous amount of teams that take part in Sculpt, students have different experiences and thoughts on the program. Junior cheerleader Avery Harlukowicz mentioned her opinion on Sculpt.

“I think that sculpt is very beneficial because it promotes team bonding and it improves the athletic abilities of our sports teams,” Harlukowicz said.

Junior cross country runner Jessica Raimondo discussed the importance of Sculpt.

“I think it is important to students to teach them how to be stronger and stay in shape. It is very important for us to remain healthy and strong for our sports and throughout life,” Raimondo said.

Sculpt has positive views from students and trainers alike.  Legins also commented on the importance of Sculpt for students.

“Sculpt provides knowledgeable trainers who know how to train the students in a way to improve athleticism, giving them an advantage in their sport that comes from strength training. Sculpt will add strength that they will not get from their regular daily practices,” Legins said.

The training in Sculpt differs from regular workouts regarding intensity and frequency, however certain students find the exercises difficult. Junior cheerleader Natalia Heijnen talked about her opinion of Sculpt.

“Sometimes you feel like your body is falling apart, but the trainers are really nice, and you’re with your friends, so it’s kinda like a “we’re all in this together” High School Musical type of thing and it’s fun,” Heijnen said.