Gym Class Strength

Wil Fleming is a weightlifting and sports performance coach based in Bloomington, Indiana. Wil is the founder of 1Kilo, a weightlifting club catering to novices and Olympic hopefuls alike. As an athlete himself, Wil owns 9 national records in masters lifting, and was the 2019 world champion in the 35-39 age group at 89kg. Before becoming a full-time coach, Wil was an All-American at Indiana University, and Olympic Trials qualifier in the hammer throw. Wil is the author of numerous books and articles pertraining to weightlifting and strength and conditioning, as well as a sought-after speaker on the topics. We talk about developing a love of movement, long term athletic development, the place weightlifting occupies in sport, and the reasons high school teachers and coaches would include it in their programming.

Dan Grimes has been teaching physical education for 14 years. He began his career as an undergrad at Arizona State University and completed his graduate work at Northern Arizona University. He discusses the ways his student teaching failed to prepare him for his first year in the classroom, how his teaching has evolved, his recommendations for new teachers, his move to adapted physical education, and more.

My good friend Nidya is on the podcast today and shares her experience as a student, teacher, and leader in Oakland public schools. This is the conversation we need to have before we can talk about nuts-and-bolts PE strategies. One of the goals of Gym Class Strength was to get outside the bell-to-bell PE talk to attack some underlying issues in education and we really kick off that effort here.

Jacob Pauli is a six-time All American pole vaulter and NCAA champ from the University of Northern Iowa. He is now the co-owner of the NinjaU gym in Cedar Falls, Iowa. We discuss his gym and the value of intrinsic motivation, the ways free play leads to skill development, the value of chasing goals instead of fatigue, and so much more. This episode is a must-listen for teachers who want insight into a program that demonstrates what PE can be at its very best, and it really gets to the core of what Gym Class Strength is all about. Enjoy!

James Nelson is an NCSF-certified personal trainer and a graduate of CSU Stanislaus, where he competed in track and field. He is also a former student who has gone on to excel both academically and professionally, with even more to come. James attended three high schools as a prep and shares the ways his experiences were unique in each school environment. He presents a valuable perspective for teachers here, regardless of their background or teaching experience. Enjoy!

Stephen Haas is a professional track coach based in Flagstaff, AZ, and the director of operations for athletics for Total Sports, a professional sports agency. Steven discusses his path into coaching, his top tips for young and developing athletes, and the ways he individualizes training in a group setting.

Scott Thompson is a PE teacher and swim coach in Oakland, California. He was a high school All-American and swam at the University of Florida before becoming a full-time coach. Scott shares a philosophy on PE that helped inspire the creation of Gym Class Strength, and we're excited to share his exceptional teaching and coaching strategies here.

Jeff Coover is a professional pole vaulter and an assistant track and field coach at the University of Northern Iowa. In this episode we cover Jeff's training philosophy, why most of his athletes will never sprint longer than their race distance, his tips for high school athletes and coaches, and how knowledge from elite track and field can be used by people of all ability levels. If your local PE class is still full of steady-state cardio exercises, or workouts where fatigue is the measure of success, this episode might give that program a much-needed jolt!

We lay out some overarching issues with physical education and introduce you to the world of Gym Class Strength - where we aim to bring cutting edge strength and conditioning into public high school P.E. classes.