Caitlin Clark spent some of her time in the weight room during her Olympic vacation building some muscle so she could better prepare for the second half of the WNBA season.
With the second phase of the season underway, Clark and the Indiana Fever are locked in a playoff spot with thirteen games remaining.
Clark decided not only to rest, but also to build muscle mass, as she had built up some muscle after doing some strength and conditioning training during the Olympics.
Clark spoke to reporters after a 98-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury and talked about her process during the holidays and how she views her strength as part of her game.
‘Yeah, I’m small, but I try to hold my own as best I can. It’s actually funny that we played live the other day and I flinched [guard Erica Wheeler] And [Wheeler] was like, “Man, I thought I’d push you aside, but you’re stronger than I thought.”
Caitlin Clark has been packing on some muscle during the Olympic break in the WNBA season
She came out of the battle against Mercury at full strength with a 29-point performance for a win
‘I was like, “Yeah, you shouldn’t mess with me.” I don’t know, I think I’m discreetly strong. I’m never going to be the strongest person. I know that.
“I’m trying to gain some weight and I’ve been working hard in the weight room. Obviously there are some limitations to what I can do since I’m in season, but the last three weeks or so we’ve all been working pretty hard in the weight room.”
“I’m not very happy with our strength coach,” she added sarcastically. “I’m sore and it’s hard to shoot some days.
‘But I think it will definitely help me in the last phase of the season, that little bit of extra muscle mass… Whether I actually have that, we don’t really know.
“But it’s definitely something I’ll keep focusing on. But I don’t want to lose my speed. I like to be fast and sprint.”
In May, Clark spoke about how physical she found the game at the WNBA level, saying, “I think everybody is physical with me. They get away with things that probably other people can’t get away with. It’s tough.”
But on Friday night, Clark didn’t let the tough nature of the WNBA hold her back as she posted a double-double of 29 points and 10 assists on 8 of 16 shooting.
