Vanderbilt's Walker Grisanti Offers Guidance To Help Us Through This Time
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – With the city of Nashville and much of the country under ‘safer at home’ orders during the COVID-19 pandemic, Vanderbilt baseball strength and conditioning intern Walker Grisanti saw a growing need.
“A lot of times, people want to work out and exercise, but they don’t have a plan,” Grisanti said. “Having a plan is the biggest thing to staying in routine and keep going day in and out.”
On March 23, the former four-year letter winner (2016-19) who currently assists with Commodore strength and conditioning, began offering to program workouts for those needing plans and hoping to stay in shape. From there, the requests came pouring in.
“I’ve had a lot of people reach out,” Grisanti said. “I ask them what they have equipment-wise and what their goals are. I send them weekly plans off of that. I catch up with them every week – twice a week – to make sure they know what they’re doing.”
The Collierville native, who began weightlifting in middle school and played both football and baseball at Christian Brothers High School, graduated from Vanderbilt last May with a degree in human and organizational development.
“Vanderbilt means the world to me,” Grisanti said. “It gave me a degree and chance to come to school. It gave me a chance to play for the best team in the country and now a chance to start in my profession. I grew a lot as a player and person.”
While Grisanti works with student-athletes, including spending time with the Tennessee State and Vanderbilt football programs since hoisting a national championship trophy at the College World Series last June, he offers a simple piece of guidance for those outside of sports looking to stay fit.
“For the average person, just get out and move,” Grisanti said. “A lot of people are at home working on their laptop and not moving around as much as they would normally be. Something is better than nothing. Get out and do something you enjoy.
“It can really help your immune system. Exercising a little bit each day is important. It builds confidence and improves mental health. It’s important to get outside. It’s a great time to focus on physical and mental health.”
Grisanti, who credits veteran Commodore strength and conditioning coach Chris Ham for helping teach him the ins-and-outs of the industry, has received an outpouring of support from current colleagues and former teammates, among others, on social media, who have vouched for his expertise in assembling workout plans.
According to the former outfielder, that is just the nature of being a Commodore.
“It shows you the culture of Vanderbilt,” Grisanti said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a player or not. People support you no matter what.
