Page 14 - Sports Illustrated for Kids Magazine (December 2019)

TIPS FROM THE PROS

ROUTINE

MAINTENANCE

When Chiefs quarterback

PATRICK MAHOMES isn’t trying to be
the best athlete on the field, he’s focused

on preparing his body to perform.
By Elizabeth McGarr McCue

HETHER MAHOMES IS 100% healthy or
battling injuries as he’s done throughout this
W season, the 2018 NFL MVP relies on head
athletic trainer Rick Burkholder and his staff to help
ensure that he’s as prepared as possible to step onto the
field. “Our very first job as an athletic trainer is athlete
health and safety,” says Burkholder. “And
then we talk performance after that.”

EARLY RISER
QUARTERBACK SCHOOL When rehabbing,
All the QBs on the roster attend specialized Mahomes arrives at
workouts with the athletic training staff as the practice facility
at 6 a.m. to work with
part of their weightlifting program three Burkholder (far left)
times a week. These “quarterback school” and his staff.
sessions, which last 20 to 30 minutes, are

designed to strengthen and lengthen
muscles. “We work legs, core, and shoulders
in unison,” says Burkholder, who is in his
27th year as an NFL athletic trainer and
seventh with the Chiefs. They work a lot on
joint mobility, focusing on the shoulder. “We
prepare ourselves to be in awkward positions
if we fall, and do [exercises] to help us be
preventative of causing further injury,” explains Mahomes. LEARNING GOOD SLEEP habits DON JUAN MOORE/GETTY IMAGES (MAHOMES WITH BALL); STEVE SANDERS/KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (MAHOMES WITH BURKHOLDER)
Mahomes used to stay up late and get up early, and it wasn’t
REFUELING THE RIGHT way until he got to the NFL and worked with the athletic
“We’re real sticklers about hydration,” says Burkholder. trainers that he began taking a different approach.
“We make sure they’re getting the right amount of fluid “They’ve helped me understand I need to get that right
and the right amount of electrolytes and carbohydrates.” amount of sleep in order to be my best at every moment of
Players step on a scale before and after practice, and the day I’m awake,” says Mahomes, who has discovered
Burkholder recommends they consume 20 ounces of that he needs eight hours per night. He also quits looking at
fluid—a combination of water and some kind of sports electronic devices—including his phone—30 minutes before
drink—for each pound lost before working out again. he needs to go to bed.
Explains Burkholder, “We really carbohydrate-load them For more information about athletic trainers and their roles for

after a heavy workout. We do starchy carbs like rice, teams at all levels of sports, go with a parent to www.nata.org.

14 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS