Caitlin Clark built her six-pack abs for her TIME Magazine’s shoot last year, and if you look at how she did that, you’d agree with Cameron Brink’s “speechless” remark. In short, besides eating and sleeping, she was basically on a court of sorts or preparing for one. And you would know that she has been working especially hard to transform that “little twig” physique, as she called it. Since her freshman year of college, she has only kept improving as her body wasn’t “in her own”. Then, on days, she is on the golf court or stretching her body into yoga poses, and even there, she wants to be perfect. “I couldn’t get a handstand,” Clark said once. “My teacher could tell I was mad.” And the weight room? You just cannot expect her to joke about it. Thanks to all this, she put on 8 pounds of muscle in 8 months. You see, a perfect score here as well!
But, here’s the thing: Is she overexerting herself? If yes, then for Coach Stephanie White, who had said that “her mental and emotional well-being is the priority,” things can be a bit tricky. And as Caitlin herself recently implied that she might have a problem with doing too much, White seems to have some work cut out for her. To be honest, though, Clark didn’t have to say it. GM Amber Cox had already given everyone a glimpse into the gym rat she is. “She’s a gym rat. She’s constantly working on getting better…and obviously had an incredible rookie season, but is not satisfied,” Cox said on a podcast.
Yeah, so Clark just can’t seem to take a day off.
Recently, the Indiana Fever star was ruled out for the very first preseason game against the Washington Mystics. According to reports, she had sustained an injury to her left leg. In an interview with the press, the question of how her injury happened came up, and her response raised some eyebrows. “I don’t know, probably too much basketball.” She said. ” I love being in the gym, but understanding when to be in the gym and when to recover, things like that, I think it’s just finding a balance.”
She adds that she doesn’t know what specifically caused the injury.
“I don’t know, probably too much basketball. I love being in the gym, but understanding when to be in the gym and when to recover, things like that, I think it’s just finding a balance.” pic.twitter.com/4RlEezKTZl
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) May 9, 2025
But you cannot really blame her, right? It is, after all, tough to carry the weight of the entire league on your shoulders. And to her, as she herself had said, success is just about two words: A Championship. How could it not be, when everyone is clamoring for her to bring back the crown they haven’t seen since 2012? The stakes are high for her, and that is exactly why she is rooted in the present so firmly, treating each day as a new opportunity to keep growing.
Also, who knows? Her IQ is top-notch, so she might have found a way to fool the fatigue, because you just cannot rule out her pure love for the game.
“It was an adjustment sure, because I was so used to playing minutes for, well, basically a year of my life. That’s all I did,” Clark said on Day 2 of training camp. “So the rest was good. I thought it was going to feel long and it really didn’t. We were in here all the time. But that rest aspect, just getting my body where it needed to be and really on things I needed to work on was super important. But I’m ready to compete again.”
In a way, she did prioritize rest this offseason by not signing with the new league, Unrivaled. So, for all we know, her idea of rest could be a lot different. She is also feeling great and much stronger in her body. “I certainly feel a lot stronger,” Clark told ESPN. “I’m a pretty self-aware person”.So, as of now, there is nothing to worry about. Clark made her 2025 pre-season debut at CHA and looked to be in great shape.
Even so, White might want to listen to CC’s old head coach’s few words of advice.
Lisa Bluder explains how to best utilize Caitlin Clark in the game
When dealing with athletes like Caitlin Clark, sometimes coaches find themselves stumped beyond belief. Making them conform to strict, specific molds doesn’t necessarily pan out, and coaches become confused as to how they’re supposed to best use the player while maximizing their well-being.
However, Lisa Bluder knows more than she lets on. The former Iowa head coach was with Caitlin Clark for her collegiate career and witnessed her greatness firsthand. And when it came to giving advice to the new Fever head coach about dealing with Clark? “Well, sometimes let her go. Sometimes, she knows when she feels it, let it happen,” was her best response.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) is announced ahead of a WNBA preseason game against the Brazil National Team May 4, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
Which, to some extent, Stephanie White has already gotten the hang of. There isn’t any criticism about the shots that Caitlin Clark takes sometimes, or the plays that she wishes to run. “That’s just who she is,” White said about CC recently, comparing her with a major NBA legend. “Nobody tells Steph Curry not to take good shots, right?”
And we talked enough about physical health, however, White is making sure that her players’ mental health remains protected as well.
“But at the end of the day, we ultimately have to protect what’s in our locker room and being able to layer ourselves, being able to not get caught up in all of that stuff outside our building. … Being able to make sure that every day we’re focusing on the week, of our team”.
So, while Coach might not be able to coach out of Caitlin her hunger to keep improving, keep taking risks, we do know that she is working her magic from behind. Clearly, there is a lot of potential in this star-coach duo.
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