Podcasts about conditioning coach

Mark Christiani is the Federal Programs Human Performance Integration (HPI) and client success Manager for O2X Human Performance, where he supports, develops, and mentors On-Site Specialist across multiple contracts and locations. Prior to stepping into his current leadership role, Christiani worked an on-site human performance specialist supporting the United States Army Reserve 81st Readiness Division, where he delivered strength and conditioning support designed to improve Soldier readiness, physical performance, and resilience while reducing injury risk. Before joining O2X, Mark served as the Brigade Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach for the U.S. Army's Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) Program with the 44th Medical Brigade at Fort Bragg, where he led the development and implementation of large-scale performance initiatives across multiple battalions and installations. Earlier in his career, Christiani worked in collegiate strength and conditioning at Savannah State University from 2018-2020 in addition to working as an intern coach at the University of South Carolina, primarily supporting football and track and field athletes in 2019. He also spent a year as an adjunct professor at Georgia Southern University, while completing his Master's degree in Sports Medicine. His introduction to tactical strength and conditioning began during his time serving in the U.S. Army with 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment while preparing for Ranger School. Christiani also garnered coaching experience in the private sector as a health fitness specialist from 2011-2013 before enlisting in the Army. Christiani brings more than a decade of experience in tactical and collegiate human performance and remains passionate about continuous growth as both a coach and leader. He is part of the NSCA Tactical Professional Development Group as well as a member of the NSCA Florida State Advisory Board. Additionally, Christiani is the author of “Influence Without Rank: Leadership, Culture, and Readiness in Tactical Human Performance,” as well as a contributing writer for True Performance Realization Applied Journal.Outside of work, he enjoys competing in and coaching powerlifting, spending time at the beach, and continuing to refine his cooking skills.Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Chris Martin is the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Louisiana State University Baseball, where he helped guide the Tigers to the 2025 National Championship in his first season in Baton Rouge.Before joining LSU, Martin spent six seasons with the Houston Astros, serving in multiple roles including Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator and Rehab Strength & Conditioning Coordinator. He oversaw performance training throughout the Astros' minor league system, played a key role in redesigning return-to-play protocols for injured athletes, and helped support the development of numerous future Major League players.A former pitcher at Kent State University, Martin earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees in Exercise Physiology. His background combines high-performance training, player development, and rehabilitation, making him one of the rising strength and conditioning coaches in professional and collegiate baseball.Learn about CEUs to the NSCA and CSCCa:https://www.strengthcoachnetwork.com/pricingCONNECT WITH US:

Chris Martin is the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Louisiana State University Baseball, where he helped guide the Tigers to the 2025 National Championship in his first season in Baton Rouge.Before joining LSU, Martin spent six seasons with the Houston Astros, serving in multiple roles including Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator and Rehab Strength & Conditioning Coordinator. He oversaw performance training throughout the Astros' minor league system, played a key role in redesigning return-to-play protocols for injured athletes, and helped support the development of numerous future Major League players.A former pitcher at Kent State University, Martin earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees in Exercise Physiology. His background combines high-performance training, player development, and rehabilitation, making him one of the rising strength and conditioning coaches in professional and collegiate baseball.___Learn about CEUs to the NSCA and CSCCa:https://www.strengthcoachnetwork.com/pricing___CONNECT WITH US:

What could the STRONG Act actually mean for strength and conditioning coaches?Rachel Newman, Marketing Manager for Customers and Community at TeamBuildr, joins Justin to break down why strength and conditioning needs its own SOC designation, what that could mean for salary and employment data, funding for personnel and professional development, and why coaches need to continue supporting the STRONG Act.They also discuss why the profession needs to unite around the title Strength and Conditioning Coach, how better federal data could help coaches understand career opportunities and compensation, and why this is a long-term investment in the profession.Most importantly, they don't just talk about supporting the STRONG Act — Justin calls his representative live during the episode. It takes about 70 seconds. If strength coaches want better recognition, better data and a stronger profession, we have to be willing to speak up.___CONNECT WITH US:

You can't avoid the weight room if you truly want to start to tap into your full potential. One of the ways some players like to avoid the weight room is when they get hurt or injured, but that mindset hurts your game more than it helps it. I brought in Darius Johnson who is the University of Alabama in Birmingham Women's Basketball Strength and Conditioning Coach, to break 3 big myths around this then he walks down how players can train around injury then that path to recovery.Chapters00:00 The Role of a Strength and Conditioning Coach02:57 Assessing and Addressing Injuries05:55 Managing Player Workload08:51 Collaboration with Athletic Trainers and Coaches11:56 Stress Load Management and Recovery Process36:45 Injury Recovery and Stability40:14 Training for Athletic Performance48:39 Mental Readiness and Identity01:04:58 Navigating Social Media Influence01:06:59 The Role of a Strength Coach

Send us Fan MailWhat does it really take to build a career in professional sport?This week on Leave Your Mark, I sit down with strength and conditioning coach Jason Martin as he prepares to begin a new chapter as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs.Jason's path began early, earning his first training certification at just 16 before completing his Physical Education degree at McGill University. His career would eventually take him through CrossFit, professional tennis, Major League Baseball, more than a decade of working with hockey players, and three seasons in player development with the Pittsburgh Penguins.But this conversation is about much more than Jason's résumé.We talk about the influence of mentorship, particularly his relationship with Andy O'Brien, and why experience can't simply be replaced by collecting certifications. Jason shares his thoughts on asking for feedback, recognizing your limitations, building genuine relationships, and allowing a career to develop without trying to engineer every next step.We also dig into one of the most important challenges of working in professional sport: earning the trust of athletes who didn't necessarily choose you to work with them.Jason's philosophy is refreshingly simple. Ask questions. Listen. Understand what the athlete needs. Be good to people. Do quality work. And give trust the time it needs to develop.A great conversation about coaching, mentorship, relationships, experience, and the long game of building a meaningful career in high performance.If you liked this EP, please take the time to rate and comment, share with a friend, and connect with us on social channels IG @Kingopain, TW @BuiltbyScott, LI+FB Scott Livingston. You can find all things LYM at www.LYMLab.com, download your free Life Lab Starter Kit today and get busy living https://lymlab.com/free-lym-lab-starter/Please take the time to visit and connect with our sponsors, they are an essential part of our success:www.ReconditioningHQ.comwww.FreePainGuide.com 

Tommie Dorsey III, CSCS, M.A. is a Tactical Strength and Conditioning Coach with Serco in Hawaii and the Head Strength Coach for football at Kahuku High School. His coaching experience spans tactical, collegiate, private-sector, and high school performance settings, with a focus on long-term athlete development, movement quality, and evidence-based training.Prior to his current roles, Dorsey worked in strength and conditioning at Northern Arizona University and St. John's University, coaching athletes across a variety of sports. He earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Northern Arizona University and has a strong interest in sport science, athlete monitoring, and performance data to support sustainable athletic development.$1 Trial Membership to SCN

Rigid periodization plans die the moment a season starts. This coach provides us his tips and tricks for building this into his athlete's program. John Allan Furgeson, DPT sits down with Coach Matt Schuler, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at McDaniel College, to break down what a provider-led, athlete-first training model actually looks like in practice. Not a philosophy. An operational framework: a long conjugate sequential model that develops multiple qualities at once, shifting focus week to week based on what the team needs, not what a template says.What's cover:Why rigid long-term plans fail athletes in-seasonThe long conjugate sequential model behind his offseason programmingHow Reps in Reserve lets a freshman and a senior train the same program at different intensitiesWhy he trains entire teams together instead of individualizing everythingOlympic lifts vs. loaded jumps, and how training age decides the answerHis advice for young coaches who want to actually last in this fieldGreat programming isn't a plan you protect. It's a system flexible enough to survive the season when things start to stray from the norm.Social Media:Rehab2PerformR2P AcademyCoach Matt Schuler

Eric Ciano  is the Director of Strength and Conditioning for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Now entering his 17th NFL season, he previously spent 15 years with the Buffalo Bills, where he was named the NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year in 2020. He was also while strength and conditioning leadership roles at Georgia Tech, Tennessee, and Louisiana Tech.  0:58 The Hinge Moment That Led to an NFL Strength & Conditioning Career 2:43 Winning a National Championship and Building Championship Culture 3:27 Leadership Lessons from Legendary Strength Coach Johnny Long 4:19 Building Mental Toughness Through Accountability and Standards 5:37 Daily Habits That Create High-Performance Athletes 6:38 How Mental Toughness Is Built Every Single Day 8:03 Building Confidence During an 0–8 NFL Season 9:10 Creating a Winning Team Culture with the Buffalo Bills 10:49 The "13 Seconds" Game and Recovering from Heartbreak 13:47 Leadership, Recognition, and Bringing Out the Best in People 15:33 Using Competition to Build Mental Toughness and Accountability 19:24 Why Talent Without Discipline Never Creates Champions 21:37 Getting Fired After 15 Years in the NFL and Moving Forward 24:21 Mental Toughness When Life Doesn't Go According to Plan 25:54 Leadership Lessons from Nearly Two Decades in the NFL 27:41 Why Passion Still Separates Great Athletes from Good Ones 28:43 What's Wrong with Youth Sports and Athlete Development Today 30:14 Calvin Johnson and the Habits of Elite Performers 33:02 Daily Training, Longevity, and Performing at a High Level 35:08 Purpose, and Life Beyond Football Don't forget you can also follow Dr. Rob Bell on Twitter or Instagram! Follow At: X @drrobbell Instagram @drrobbell 5 Mental Toughness Advantages for Financial Advisors: https://pages.drrobbell.com/ If you enjoyed this episode on Mental Toughness, please subscribe and leave a review! Dr. Rob Bell Exclusive Podcast Sponsor: Morton Brown Family Wealth https://mortonbrownfw.com/  Morton Brown Family Wealth is the Presenting Partner of The Mental Toughness Podcast with Dr. Rob Bell. Sponsorship of this podcast does not imply endorsement of the views, opinions, products, or services expressed by individual guests.

Kevin Maxen, Director of Sports Performance and Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at Tufts University, joins Justin Lima on the Cheeky Mid Weeky.Before arriving at Tufts, Maxen spent four years with the Jacksonville Jaguars and made stops at Vanderbilt, Baylor, Iowa, Army West Point, the private sector, and high school strength and conditioning.Kevin and Justin discuss what it actually means to be a strength coach, lessons learned from Coach Chris Doyle, moving away from the stereotypical “old-school” strength coach, work-life integration, developing young coaches, and why the profession needs to take itself more seriously.They also dive into the practical challenges of overseeing nearly 950 athletes at Tufts, building trust within a staff, creating systems that can scale, giving coaches autonomy, and adapting training to the individual rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.___CONNECT WITH US:

In this episode of the PHPO Podcast, we sit down with Bill Burniston, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes, for a wide-ranging conversation about the journey, relationships, culture, and science behind a career in professional hockey. Bill shares the unconventional path that took him from working as an athletic trainer and strength coach at the high school level to USA Baseball and eventually the Carolina Hurricanes. He discusses the importance of earning opportunities, making yourself valuable, and continuing to put in the work even when the next step in your career isn't obvious. We also go inside the culture that has been built in Carolina, including the importance of trust and relationships with players, alignment with Rod Brind'Amour and the coaching staff, and why meaningful culture takes years of consistent work to develop. Bill shares some of the traditions behind that culture—including the story of the cinder block players had been pressing for years before learning its connection to lifting the Stanley Cup. The conversation also explores Bill's doctoral research into athlete monitoring and self-reported measures. We discuss athlete compliance, the challenge of turning collected information into meaningful action, and how data and sports science fit alongside communication, trust, and the human side of coaching. Finally, Bill reflects on reaching the top of the profession and winning the Stanley Cup—and the full-circle experience of bringing the Cup back to New Jersey and into the high school weight room where his strength and conditioning career began. It's a conversation about much more than sets and reps: earning your opportunities, building something that lasts, developing genuine relationships, using science with purpose, and showing up to do the work every day.  

What do professional baseball and tactical strength and conditioning have in common? NSCA award-winning coach Matthew C. Krause knows the demands of both worlds, with 22 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) and his current public safety work with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. Krause explains how lessons from baseball transfer when preparing law enforcement officers, who face long shifts, changing schedules, and fatigue that affects decision-making. In a new setting, his first step is to learn the job before making adjustments. He explains the Pasco Sheriff’s Office health and human performance model for deputy care and long-term development, then talks through how to show value with data and earn leadership buy-in over time. Krause also looks back on his United States Marine Corps service, mentors, and career opportunities as he advises young coaches to “always take the conversation.” Tune in to hear how you can step into a new setting, prove value, and build programs that last. Reach Matthew by email at mkrause@pascosheriff.org | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs Join the NSCA Tactical Strength and Conditioning Professional Development Group (PDG) on LinkedIn to connect with peers and stay involved in the profession.Show Notes "You do a good job, you work your butt off, you're not sure what you want to do. You take these opportunities. [...] I tell all, all young strength coaches always take the conversation and you might not want it, but it's good to work on your skills as far as your interview skills and kind of understanding. You know, that process, learning how to sell yourself a little bit in those scenarios..." 10:25 "If you're going to be working for another organization or going to be in a team environment, you're never going to get everything you want. So, you have to pick and choose, figure out what you think on your list of things is the most important thing that day, right? And ask for those things, at the right time" 23:20 "I think people out there need to know that you need to give your time back and a lot of it's going to be in the form of education and time and talks like this." 25:30Transcript 00;00;00;00 - 00;00;21;24 Welcome to the NSCA Coaching Podcast season ten, episode six. And then somebody else, you know, you do a good job or somebody, you know, tell people, hey, listen, you work your butt off. You're not sure what you want to do. You take these opportunities and Bruce Hammel, who was the major league strength coach with the Cubs, came and said, hey, listen, you know, there could be some opportunities in baseball for you. 00;00;21;27 - 00;00;48;13 What wasn't where I wanted to be. I thought I was in college football, like I said, and wound up, you know, getting into, with the Pittsburgh Pirates, you know, went down, interviewed. So now, another thing I tell all, all young strength coaches always take the conversation and you might not want it, but it's good to work on your skills as far as your interview skills and kind of understanding, you know, that process, learning how to sell yourself a little bit in those scenarios. 00;00;48;13 - 00;01;09;27 Learn. You know how that dynamic is. This is the NSCA Coaching Podcast where we talked to strength and conditioning coaches about what you really need to know, but probably didn't learn in school. There’s strength and conditioning. And then there's everything else. This is the NSCA Coaching Podcast. I'm Eric McMahon NSCA’s Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager. 00;01;09;28 - 00;01;33;15 Today we have a guest who has extensive experience with the NSCA as a presenter. He was a 2018 Professional Strength and Conditioning Coach of the year, tons of experience working in MLB, but now he's working in tactical, the public safety space with the Pasco County Sheriff's Department in Florida. Matt Krauss, welcome to the show. Thanks, Eric. I appreciate you being here. 00;01;33;22 - 00;01;53;17 It's going to be fun. Yeah, yeah it's great man. I'm really excited to hear about your path from MLB and all the work you've done in the past and now working in the tactical space. What's that been like? I'll tell you a lot of a lot of similarities, being in a major League baseball with certain things from, from an everyday perspective, and you got a chance to experience that too. 00;01;53;17 - 00;02;11;17 In baseball. And then coming into the law enforcement space where it's, it's every day. Right? There's, there's, it's 24 hours a day, every day. It doesn't it doesn't stop. So it's one of the things that, that I, that I really like about it because I always like the grind of baseball. Right? You know, 20 something years and then coming into this space. 00;02;11;17 - 00;02;31;18 And I do enjoy that part of it. I enjoy the every day. There's something every day you're preparing for something every day. The ongoing of of it never stopping to where people talking about, you know, loading unloading this when it's every single day, you got to have that knack, to keep people going on on their best day and on on the worst day. 00;02;31;18 - 00;02;53;21 Right. So, and just the mental aspect of of a grind. So I really enjoy the space. That's cool. It's something I hear come through is when you're every single day, there's really no peaking, you know, you go, you always gotta be ready to go. You might be at your best, you might be at 80%. But that's your best that day. 00;02;53;24 - 00;03;30;13 How do you prepare law enforcement officers? And just like you did in baseball, to go out there every single day? Well, you know, the number one thing and for, for for any industry is learning the job and kind of getting understand the mentality and the physical part of it, you know, knowing the job, being around. So I think the ticket out for a six months of you coming into this space, kind of not asking as many questions, being more observational, but, you know, asking here and there, certain things, but just really getting to learn, understanding terminology. 00;03;30;15 - 00;03;48;29 You know, certain things are the same. Certain things are not, but really, you know, diving into it. And I've had an opportunity to, really get a chance to, to, to understand kind of what they're doing. I was not part of shift work. Right. Because baseball is is all day to. But understanding how you apply that to. 00;03;49;04 - 00;04;05;18 But but baseball has that you know that set schedule. You know every single day of the ramp up to a game and then and then there's a travel piece to it. But here it's ramping up every single day. And then and then going from a mid shift to a day shift to a night shift and understanding all those different pieces to it. 00;04;05;20 - 00;04;29;15 As people transition from from those aspects and how to how to apply the process or a program or their routine. All of the things that you would say to to a baseball player, right. But you know, it, it applies here to and how to make those adjustments. So seeing all of it and then getting a chance to dissect it a little bit, you know, obviously when you're a college training coach, when I was, when I was working in college, I worked ten different sports. 00;04;29;15 - 00;04;47;29 There's ten different things going on. And then, and then just being in one area, like, we just just in baseball, you get to dissect a little bit and to really kind of hone down on it. And once you kind of understand and get the chance to, to start implementing and, and so I'm making adjustments to try to make it better. 00;04;48;02 - 00;04;59;05 Tactical wasn't completely new to you. I know you have a military background. What was your path into S&C? Being enlisted in the military? 00;04;59;08 - 00;05;16;25 Well, joining the Marine Corps. So I was in the Marine Corps back when I was 18 years old. That was it was one of my paths, an opportunity to to make money and to go to school wasn't I didn't come from a very, a family with a ton of money. And but I definitely wanted to go to school, you know, I was, say, A33 sport athlete in high school. 00;05;16;28 - 00;05;32;17 And obviously I wasn't good enough in any one of those, you know, I was I got I was a plus player, but not enough to get a scholarship right or to continue on a at a lower level. And so that was part of my path. My dad was a marine. My uncle was a marine. I knew some of the people in my neighborhood that Marines. 00;05;32;17 - 00;05;49;13 And so I, I didn't even think, of another, branch. Right. I was just I was going to be, you know, if I was going to do this, I was going to go into the Marine Corps, and but I knew I wasn't going to do it long term. I mean, my path was, you know, my uncle was a college football coach. 00;05;49;16 - 00;06;07;06 He was at Richmond, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, you know, he played football at Mississippi State. So as you're, you know, building where you want to kind of go in life, you know, I had all these friends I wanted to be on Wall Street coming out of New York. I was a Queens, Long Island guy. Right. And I wanted to be I wanted to get off the island, get out of there and be more like my uncle. 00;06;07;08 - 00;06;27;06 And so I just thought I would, you know, moving, move in that direction. So the Marine Corps was, was a great place for me to one grow up. So I give a lot of a lot of credit to Marine Corps. I was, you know, some punk kid that, you know, thought he knew everything. And then I learned that I didn't know anything and that I needed a little structure in my life. 00;06;27;09 - 00;06;39;21 I like to say it taught me a little bit more of the killer instinct. I wish, I wish I played high school sports after I went to the Marine Corps, I would I would have been a better practitioner. I would have been a better planner. I would have been a lot of things instead of, just doing them. 00;06;39;23 - 00;06;59;05 And, so it definitely prepared me to learn how to focus in on some things, and it helped me be better into my career. And, so I'm very, very appreciative for, for taking an 18 year old kid and teaching him how to grow up. So you got out of the Marine Corps and that pushed you into college. 00;06;59;05 - 00;07;18;21 And were you looking at exercise science? What was your original goal when you were looking at a career? I always laugh, I said, so I had a buddy that I was at East Carolina University. I know Campbell's is, 71 miles from, from East Carolina. So I go over and visit with them, and that's where I saw they had a good sports medicine program. 00;07;18;21 - 00;07;36;29 It was my introduction into the athletic training where it kind of started. I was looking at the different ways how I can kind of get into sports. Talk to us a little bit. And they had a great program. So I knew when I was transitioning out into the reserve piece, they had a unit over in Raleigh that come. 00;07;36;29 - 00;07;56;00 So, you know, registering getting into East Carolina was my entrance. They had that exercise science, you know, different disciplines. You're going to go the exercise physiology or out of the sports medicine route. I started in the exercise science. I mean, in the sports medicine side of it, becoming an athletic trainer and, you know, Coach Connors was there. 00;07;56;00 - 00;08;10;01 A lot of people say at the NSCA, I know who Coach Connors was. He was, you know, I wanted to be him. You know, you know, the way he came in, he would do some pre-game speeches for football, for the men's basketball team that I was working on, like, wow, this guy was like, not only training guys in the bedroom, but he was doing pre-game speeches. 00;08;10;01 - 00;08;30;18 And I was like, that's a job that I want. You know, he got everybody going and I know he's he's done some talks for, for, for the NSCA. And so I was I looked at him as, you know, I wouldn't have known that the strength conditioning was even a job. Right. And when I saw him do it and the way he did it, was exciting to me and say, hey, this is something that I could possibly do. 00;08;30;20 - 00;08;48;20 And, so he actually, you know, crossed the bridge from the athletic training side to the strength conditioning side for me. He was very generous with his time. You know, people, he kind of finished school in December, but I don't graduate to make enough to do an internship. So I did my my my time at his Carolina in the sports medicine program as an athletic trainer. 00;08;48;20 - 00;09;03;24 And then in that window, he allowed me to come in and help out with the men's basketball team. I had to go do my cardiac rehab back in the day, say, internship in the morning, and then in the afternoon, he let me come into the weight room and then help out. And we got to the end of that semester. 00;09;03;24 - 00;09;21;29 I was looking at some some graduate assistantship opportunities from the athletic training side. And coach was like said, I can get you one right now if you won't go down to UCS, but it'll be on the training conditioning side. And I still didn't have enough money, as a driver, but I still wanted to get my masters and, he made a few phone calls for me. 00;09;22;02 - 00;09;43;25 I had a quick interview, and four weeks later I was down in Orlando, Florida, at UCS in that transition. And that's when I started my my career in, say, strength conditioning. Got in, there was work in, you know, football. UCF was working on every sport, obviously as a GA. And then so that was that was it. 00;09;43;25 - 00;10;00;27 He made a few phone calls. You stuck his neck out for me. So I appreciate that. You know, you want to give you a thank you along the way and then, took that opportunity and ran with it. And then the following semester, I took my CSCS and got, you know, became, got my certification and never looked back. 00;10;00;28 - 00;10;19;23 You know, it took my. So from that point, while I was a GA, I worked like 15 sports. There were college football, but took my time did my it did a few other internship. I'll. I worked for the Buccaneers. There are many camps one summer and then the following summer I did it with the Daytona Cubs and that was my entrance into into baseball. 00;10;19;24 - 00;10;40;20 Not to date ourselves here on here in 1999, I went over there and did an internship with the Daytona Cubs and then somebody else, you know, you do a good job as my, you know, tell people, you listen, you work your butt off, you're not sure what you want to do. You take these opportunities. And Bruce Hammel, who was the major league strength coach with the Cubs, came and said, hey, listen, you know, there could be some opportunities in baseball for you. 00;10;40;22 - 00;11;03;05 What wasn't where I wanted to be. I thought I was me in college football, like I said, and wound up, you know, getting into, with the Pittsburgh Pirates, you know, went down, interviewed. So now, another thing I tell all, all young strength coaches always take the conversation and you might not want it, but it's good to work on your skills as far as your interview skills and kind of understanding. 00;11;03;08 - 00;11;22;14 You know, that process, learning how to sell yourself a little bit in those scenarios, learn, you know how that dynamic is, but wound up getting an opportunity and get to take the job with the Pittsburgh Pirates and got into baseball. Never look back. 22 years later. It's been three years for the Pirates. 13 ish with the Reds. 00;11;22;17 - 00;11;52;05 You know, it's a major league level. And in my time with the New York Yankees and I finished in 2020, I like how all those early experiences, you got a ton of experience working with different teams, obviously on the medicine side, and that led you into strength and conditioning. But you had tons of experience building programs. I think, your time with the Reds, your time with the Yankees, now you're working in building a tactical strength and conditioning department at Pasco County. 00;11;52;08 - 00;12;12;01 What are some of the unique challenges when you come in? Maybe the program isn't where it needs to be. How do you build a department from the ground up? So every opportunity along the way is even coming to it, even at UCS at that time. So I don't want to take a step back. It just was that transition from one to Division one. 00;12;12;03 - 00;12;28;21 And we're building a program. So it's just me and somebody else, as the interns, you know, I'm saying then Augus and then I got hired on there as a full time strength coach, and then want of building on that program and being there to kind of see that. But Coach Bridgeman, I think he's done some things with the Navy at the time. 00;12;28;23 - 00;12;41;21 Showed me some administrative things that I didn't know that needed to happen. Right. So you can't put these things away for when it's your turn to kind of be in charge. So I wasn't in charge anything, but I kind of learned the process well because we were limited staff. So he had to put me in some challenging situations that I need to do. 00;12;41;21 - 00;13;00;11 Right. You got to grow up real quick. So then I want to went to the Pirates. Baseball was transitioning into developing minor league programs, right? Because at the time was just a major league strength. I had athletic trainer, assistant trainer, major league strength coach, and a minor league coordinator pretty much only outside of that. It was a lot of internships in and around it. 00;13;00;14 - 00;13;21;09 And then while I was my my time there with the Pirates, we built out that program. We created, a full time position. At different levels. Right. So super short season, you know. Oh, well, Gulf coast, short season, high, low and triple AA were they weren't in crazy salaries, but they were full time positions. Those are probably some of the first in the game at that time. 00;13;21;11 - 00;13;37;09 Correct. And so we were able to from a job creation standpoint that that was that was pretty cool to be a part of that. And then, had the opportunity to, you know, left the Pirates, came to the Reds. We're building the same kind of minor league program at this time. Now, I had a plan. Right. 00;13;37;11 - 00;13;54;22 You need this amount of people. Here's how we're going to roll this off. Carl Alvarez was a major league strength coach at times. I got hired on as a minor league guy, and then. And, had the opportunity to take it, take a major league job, two years later and then spent, you know, 15 years at the Major league level. 00;13;54;22 - 00;14;08;20 So I had, you know, five minor league years and then and then 16 at the major league level. It was it was pretty cool. So being able to watch that program grow put everything in place from a programing standpoint, learning how to deal with the coaches in the front office and all the other people in the scouting department. 00;14;08;22 - 00;14;28;20 What was great, and then getting a chance to to even do with the New York Yankees and building out even more programs, and then adding in the sport science piece and adding in a dietitian and adding all that. So from a job creation standpoint, I feel like we, you know, over say, 20 something years, we're able to, you know, builds almost 30, 35 jobs, you know, in the game, which I'm excited about. 00;14;28;23 - 00;14;47;21 And, and then watching some people that came in behind me that all work for the pirates and different things and moves along and, really excited about having those opportunities to where it gave me this opportunity when I, when I, when I got out of baseball and someone came up here and said, hey, you know, Pasco Sheriff's Office wants to build a human performance program. 00;14;47;21 - 00;15;04;21 At the time, this was an EXOS contract. We had a lot of people here from from special operations that seen some different things. While they were time there in the military, they knew it was something that needed to happen. And then I was lucky enough to, to land this position and I said, hey, you know what? 00;15;04;23 - 00;15;22;27 It's not just going to be a human performance program. We did a health and human performance program, right? We have to add in the the care aspect from we have a lot of people that have issues. So we're able to bring in. So now we're here I guess we're, we're we wanted to go with this was we're the first I call it a long term development program, right. 00;15;22;27 - 00;15;48;05 Where the first health and human performance program or a sports medicine program in law enforcement. So we're playing both both sides of that. When we're able to build out a staff from a job creation standpoint, now we have another strength coach, acts as the trainer and strength coach. We have a chiropractor and a registered dietitian, and we're able to provide care for the people who need, you know, some soft tissue work and some different things that that need to happen. 00;15;48;07 - 00;16;08;11 And taking that team, team approach that we learned through sports over time. On how to provide player care. We need to provide, you know, deputy care and, from from a tactical athlete standpoint and what I mean, long term development, we're able to impact the agency by we we have an explorer program at the high school level that we do, you know, exposure to all these different things. 00;16;08;13 - 00;16;43;24 And we work out of the academy as people come, you know, they want to become deputies. We we have some, opportunity to help and build foundational movements and corrective exercise at that level. And then like this morning, we have people that when we hire them officially into the sheriff's office, where we have a program to where we have a strength conditioning program for for six weeks, as we're training our deputies and teaching them and taking that exposure from those lower levels, right to, to here to where we can build out and show them all the mobility and the FRC stuff and control the programs and weight room programs and, you know, start, you 00;16;43;24 - 00;17;15;14 know, running programs and conditioning programs and agility and everything kind of gets built out. Show them how to expose them to it. And then we we have meetings through our FTO program. And then we do what to control. But we have programs for canines, you know, slot and you know, the tip of the spear. So when you think of a long term development program, Eric, we have stuff from the Dominican Republic to the big leagues, and now we have some things from the high school program and people who want to be in law enforcement or ROTC, whatever, and how we get them all the way to Swat or canine, you know, to to be our 00;17;15;14 - 00;17;43;01 best. And, I feel like we're impacting the agency and getting a lot of support. And so I'm excited to help be a part of that. So you've seen the culture obviously change and MLB to adopt strength and conditioning. Now you're experiencing that on the tactical side. Do you see a big difference in the culture of how strength and conditioning, sport science, all the different areas you mentioned nutrition, sports medicine, all how all these different areas are being adopted? 00;17;43;03 - 00;18;02;11 Yeah, it just takes a little bit of time and, you know, a lot of lot of sweat equity to, you know, in the beginning, you know, in the beginning times with, with baseball. Right? You didn't you didn't have as many people or there are some people on the coaching staff for the nonbelievers. Right. As long as you have some support at the top, it gives you opportunity to kind of, show the value. 00;18;02;13 - 00;18;23;16 Right. And, and how we're going to help impact the agency from, from injury prevention to also to performance and then how how that bleeds into the hitting and ground balls and pitching, you know, everything. And I've watched a huge swing say on the baseball side from from pitching coaches that maybe weren't they don't want to say what not to say. 00;18;23;16 - 00;18;50;20 Not I say as nonbelievers in the beginning, but weren't as adaptive to where that swing over that, say, 20 year period to where they're they're almost your biggest advocate. They they apply the most science right to, to to things to where we gain traction and show them, hey, the value of it to where as the front office started adding people in and, and over time, now you see a huge shift in culture, say, and baseball all the way from the D.R., all the way through the big leagues. 00;18;50;20 - 00;19;15;14 Right. And so I'm, I see the same thing here. You have people here who, who teach the skills. Right? You have shooting skills and jujitsu or defensive tactics and all those different things. And we want to impact the coaching staff to say, hey, here's ways that we can help your skill acquisition, right? To getting people more mobile, right, to get people in a better condition and doesn't, you know, have to be, say, marathon runners or bodybuilders and all those type of things we do. 00;19;15;15 - 00;19;32;18 You have to be in just enough shape to to do the job. And this is a tough job. When they go to trainings, they're out there for six, eight, ten, sometimes the 12 hour shifts, right. So when you're preparing people to do things for 12 hours, you know, you have to be able to dissect that a little bit. 00;19;32;20 - 00;19;52;28 And they got a hard they got a hard job, they got a hard job with a lot of liability. And so we want to make sure that, you know, you know, the number one thing that affects any kind of skill or division decision making is fatigue. And we have to make sure people are ready to do their job so that they're always making good decisions from hour one to hour 12. 00;19;53;00 - 00;20;10;09 You know, that that that's that's the approach. And so I'm just fortunate enough to, to get a chance to see people do something really well. Like I see it on the baseball side, when you get to watch baseball played at a high level for a long time, you get to appreciate a lot of little things. And then I've got a chance to watch people who are really good at their job here. 00;20;10;12 - 00;20;29;16 Show me the right, I guess, the right way to go about, you know, say, policing and law enforcement and how to from a from a skill side of it. And now we're able to to add the all the things that we've done on the sports side of it into this side. So from from a sports medicine side to, to the, you know, conditioning and strength conditioning side. 00;20;29;16 - 00;20;51;03 So now adding some tech. Right. So we're adding in. So we have a full assessments here. We you know we you know we do all smoke screens and movement screens and different things that people you know didn't really think about in 2005 and six and seven, you know, back in the day. And now to where we have, you know, the on base you and this and that and TBI and you have every single kind of, assessment possible. 00;20;51;03 - 00;21;05;16 Well, we're bringing some of those things here, right? We have to get people assessed. We have to get, we're using the body, we're using some tech, we're using some pressure mats. We're going to be adding in some some stuff involved and or some force playing some different things. And, you know, there's a lot of hitting drills that apply to shooting skills, right? 00;21;05;16 - 00;21;23;06 You teach things from the ground up and, and we're showing the value of that because people get better. So, you know, and people need to see the numbers. Right? You want to make change, right? They need to see the body numbers. They need to see some of the, some of FMS numbers. They need to see those things because you just talk about it. 00;21;23;06 - 00;21;43;05 Right. It's you know, they can't really understand it. But when they see it it's like, hey, holy cow. We're actually, you know, I'm actually getting better at some of these things. So it's been fun to watch. Yeah. Sounds sounds exciting. And you talk about the tech before we were talking about job creation and how that's really allowed you to build programs everywhere you've been. 00;21;43;05 - 00;22;05;08 But when I hear that, I'm like, hey, you're going to your leadership and you're asking them for money. Essentially, you're saying, hey, we need money to hire a strength coach or hire an athletic trainer or to purchase this technology. What's your approach going back on what you said you have, you're believers, you're nonbelievers. When you're going to somebody in a leadership position saying, hey, we need budget for this. 00;22;05;11 - 00;22;27;14 They may not be on board. How do you how do you navigate that process? I think over my years of learning how to get to. Yes, and to be patient and and to pick and choose your spots. I think I think when you're a young, trained coach, you don't know when to ask and not ask. So I've learned, like when you lose ten games in a row, you don't go ask for anything. 00;22;27;17 - 00;22;40;26 You mean you went on days in a row and everybody's happy, right? You got you learn how to pick your spots. And I think, you know, those are some of the things that the that I've learned around here. So like when you know, hey, we know we're down X amount of deputies. Right. So don't be asking for things. 00;22;40;26 - 00;22;58;10 Right. And then all of a sudden, you know, when things are moving at full speed around here and things are going well, like know you learn how to pick your, pick your spots. So you learn how to get to. Yes. And then and part of that is, You know, I've learned, you know, in baseball, you have a union. 00;22;58;12 - 00;23;13;13 So I guess you learn that you're only even at your best. You're about to do about 75% of the stuff you really want to do, right? Because there's unions and rules and guidelines and legal stuff and all these other things. So no one ever gets so hope. So. If anyone out there watching, you never have to get 100% of what you want. 00;23;13;14 - 00;23;24;09 If you do that, go in your own business, right? If you want to do everything you want to do, when you want to do it, and how you want to do it right then and there. But if you're going to be working for another organization or going to be in a team environment, you're never going to get everything you want. 00;23;24;09 - 00;23;43;12 So you got to pick and choose, figure out what you think on your list of things is the most important thing that day, right? And ask for those things, at the right time. And we've been lucky enough here to now get some federal dollars. And we are building a performance center, and we are, you know, building and getting a dedicated space. 00;23;43;12 - 00;24;03;18 Right? Because right now I'm in the Joint Operations building, right? I'm going to have a housing human performance, a building. We're in that process. We got some federal dollars, we got some state dollars, we have some county dollars that, we're we're now building a building, right. You know, here. And we have five satellite locations in and around the county or the county, 700mi². 00;24;03;20 - 00;24;27;17 And how we're able to, to do some of those things. And so we found the right time. We built some success. We got some people from an adoption standpoint that want to do these things, from a sweat equity standpoint. And now we're on the other end of this to where, you know, we put the time and and we're being rewarded with, you know, our, our sheriff and our leadership and, and, that, that want to make sure we have a dedicated space to train up to train our deputies. 00;24;27;19 - 00;24;53;27 Right. Not to, and to help impact the agency. So I'm really excited about that, that we're moving in that direction. And they want to build an add on. That's huge man. It's cool to see departments grow. And I think back when you were the president of the PBSCCS, Professional Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society, and you've really had to be an advocate for strength and conditioning through your whole career. 00;24;53;27 - 00;25;15;27 It goes back to what you said on job creation, and it's it's exciting for me to hear that and just see your involvement. Over the years you've been a presenter, you've been an award winner. What's the NSCA meant to you at different career stages? Well, I want to still say that I moved from the president of the PBSCCS to the administrative director. 00;25;15;27 - 00;25;32;27 I've not left that aspect of the game from the education standpoint. Listen, we all have to give back in certain ways, right? And, you know, and I'm fortunate enough to that the board with the PBSCCS allows me to be a part of, say, the trade show and to be part of what we're going to be doing another webinar here soon. 00;25;33;00 - 00;25;48;07 I think people out there need to know that you need to give your time back and a lot of it's going to be in the form of education and time and talks like this. And so along with that, yes. You know, I still like coming to the, to the, I don't wanna keep screwing up like that. 00;25;48;07 - 00;26;09;26 Kind of. Right. So the NSCA and then just you being let me be a part of this is this is huge. Right? But, I want to just make sure that, you know, that I'm taking the time to, you know, help out people just like Connors and Bridgman and different people. And then, you know, like, obviously one day, like this, this program, the sheriff is, you know, given their time and opportunity to to me, to where I like to give back to some of these things. 00;26;09;26 - 00;26;34;18 Right. And, and go and just, hey, I'm gonna tell you right now that I was going to agree with the way I do things, that it's okay to go out there and be judged by your peers a little bit. I think some people get nervous about that. We all are in the beginning part of our career, and now you get to a certain point to where, you know, I'm okay because some of the things I'm talking about, I'm doing good at and some I'm not doing as good, but hopefully someone in the room can be constructive enough to say, hey, hey, man, here's a better way to do it instead of just kind of beating 00;26;34;18 - 00;26;51;22 you down. And I've been on both ends of that, but I'm not as worried about that anymore. And and I'm okay to. Hey, here's what I got. Here's what we're doing. Help me make it better. Be constructive on that, and then I'll come to you and to other people. Well, through the NSCA. And you got a lot of good people in this tactical space. 00;26;51;22 - 00;27;11;25 And they've been very welcoming. This is the more welcoming they are. So you want to say the sports out of it. And what a great community. And everyone everyone wants to help it get better. And so I, I'm very, very, very appreciative of that. And, so that that's the community with from the NSCA. They've been they've been great. 00;27;11;27 - 00;27;34;20 Yeah. Your willingness to be open to share what you do, even if it's the the best thing out there, or maybe it's something you're still working on. I love that that comes through. If someone wants to reach out and get some of that advice from you, what's the best way for them to do that? Yeah, just as just, you know, I guess if you I don't know if you can put the email up on the screen, but email's the best, way to get Ahold of me. 00;27;34;20 - 00;27;52;24 I do try to reply to all of them. And hopefully, you can just take a little tidbit from here because everyone should put their own flavor on some things. You know, we all take some tidbits from each other, and hopefully you can kind of process some of the things that we're doing here and about, I'm always willing to help because I know other agencies. 00;27;52;24 - 00;28;15;27 Now we're starting to in the state of Florida, right? We have 68 counties, and I hope all 68 counties at some point, they are hiring a strength conditioning coach, and to help all their programs, to help all these deputies. What a much needed, job. Like a lot of job satisfaction and helping these people. Yeah, it's it's really exciting to hear job creation is the name of the game we care about. 00;28;15;27 - 00;28;38;28 Creating opportunities for coaches to move through the field like we have. And that's that's something that comes through on your baseball background through the PBSCCS. This is cool that this was a, baseball episode, but it was also a tactical episode. We don't always cross those two areas in this. In the same, episode here on the podcast. 00;28;38;28 - 00;28;59;02 So I think it speaks to the fact that you can move through different areas of the field, and our skill set is valuable, our knowledge is valuable, and we can take that with us when we have a new career opportunity or something that interests, so I think that's a really positive, encouraging messages for our listeners. Matt, thanks so much for being on today. 00;28;59;04 - 00;29;16;00 Yeah. Thank you. Hey, Eric. Appreciate it. Appreciate your friendship. I think I got a chance to meet two more people today. You know, that that are that are in the background there. So, any time and then I'm also going to be at the speaking at the tactical. Just let everyone know that I'll be speaking at the, tactical conference come August. 00;29;16;02 - 00;29;41;01 I love it. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks, everybody, for tuning in today. Great episode. We talk tactical baseball, strength and conditioning. Matt has a ton of information and knowledge experience with the NSCA. He's a great contact so we'll put his information into the show. Notes. Also a special thanks to Sorinex Exercise Equipment. We appreciate their support. This was the NSCAs Coaching Podcast. 00;29;41;09 - 00;30;01;03 The National Strength and Conditioning Association was founded in 1978 by strength and conditioning coaches to share information and resources and help advance the profession, serving coaches for over 40 years. The NSCAs be trusted source for strength and conditioning professionals. Be sure to join us next time.

Lonnie Maddox is the Associate Director of Football Sports Performance at University of North Carolina. Prior to joining North Carolina, he served as an assistant strength coach at Kansas State University, helping the Wildcats to a 9-4 season and a victory in the 2024 Rate Bowl.Before Kansas State, Maddox was the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Valdosta State University and Alcorn State University, where he played a key role in multiple conference championships and deep postseason runs. A certified CSCS, RSCC, and USA Weightlifting Level 1 coach, Maddox earned his bachelor's degree from Troy University and his master's degree from Auburn University at Montgomery.$1 Trial Membership to SCN

Episode 228: Ben Ashworth chats to Gus Morrison, BSc, MSc, ASCC. Gus earned his Bachelor's degree in physiotherapy from the University of Southampton in 2013, followed by a Master's degree in Sports Medicine at University College London. During this period, he sought mentorship from Ben, focusing on refining his expertise in data-driven shoulder assessments and rehabilitation. Together they published his Master's dissertation in the Journal of Physical Therapy in Sport, exploring the Athletic Shoulder Test's application in amateur rugby players. Alongside this, Gus achieved full accreditation as a Strength and Conditioning Coach through the UKSCA. He went on to establish the Shoulder Assessment Unit at the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, delivering a data-driven assessment service for athletes recovering from shoulder injuries. Recognised for his expertise, he has spoken at webinars and conferences, and recently co-authored a publication with Ben in the Strength and Conditioning Journal on the synergy between testing and training for shoulder injuries. Gus joined Athletic Shoulder in July 2023, where he provides comprehensive testing and rehabilitation services to a diverse clientele of athletes and patients returning to sport and exercise post-injury. Topics Discussed - The Four Buckets: Range, Endurance, Strength and Power - Why Capacity Is the Biggest Driver of Pain - Outcome, Performance and Process Goals in Rehab - Quality Assuring Tests: Spotting Compensation Before You Trust the Number - Motor Learning, Joint Position Sense and the L and Y Holds - RFD and the Athletic Shoulder Test as a Force Transfer Test - From Closed Gym Skills to Chaos: Return to Contact   Where you can find Gus:   •LinkedIn   Sponsors Gameplan is a rehab Project Management & Data Analytics Platform that improves operational & communication efficiency during rehab. Gameplan provides a centralised tool for MDT's to work collaboratively inside a data rich environment VALD Performance, makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training Hytro: The world's leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport.  BTL: BTL Industries develops advanced rehabilitation and performance technologies, including SIS DUO, Shockwave Therapy, High-Intensity Laser, TR-Therapy, Lymphastim and R-FORCE. BTL systems are designed to support recovery, pain management, functional rehabilitation and return-to-play pathways across clinical and elite sport settings. -  Where to Find Us Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on: Instagram Twitter Our Website - Our Team Andy McDonald Ben Ashworth Nicola Graham Steve Barrett  Pete McKnight

Sam McGriff has been the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Pembroke Hill School since 2013. He came into the field through a nontraditional path, earning his degree at Mizzou on an ROTC scholarship before serving in the Navy, then working as a personal trainer before Pembroke Hill hired him to supervise the weight room after school.McGriff describes those early years plainly. There was no set culture, no established standards, and attendance was entirely voluntary. Rather than trying to overhaul the room on day one, he built trust first, with athletes, then with sport coaches, and let structure follow. Each season he picked one change to implement fully instead of stacking several half-finished ideas on top of each other.That approach produced a record board, then a PR bell that started as a wall-mounted piece of gym equipment and is now a fixture wheeled out for campus-wide events. It produced "fuzz up," Pembroke Hill's plate-return standard, and a color-coded block system (red, white, blue, silver) that gives voluntary lifters something concrete to chase even with zero mandatory attendance. McGriff also built an Exercise Science class into the school day, giving him room to teach nutrition and recovery in real depth instead of squeezing it into the last five minutes of a session.Thirteen years in, McGriff's advice for younger coaches is straightforward: stop chasing the next job before you've proven what you can build at the one you have.Key TakeawaysChange happens one standard at a time. McGriff rolled out a record board, then a PR bell, then the "fuzz up" standard, then a block system, letting each one take hold before introducing the next.Trust comes before culture. He built buy-in with athletes first, then sport coaches, before anything got labeled a rule.The color-coded block system (red, white, blue, silver) gives voluntary lifters a real standard to chase even with zero mandatory attendance.A dedicated Exercise Science class does more for nutrition and recovery education than anything said between sets during a session.Playing the long game means measuring impact by what you build where you are, not by chasing the next job.Quote"If I can't have an impact here, at this level, then how am I going to have an impact at the next level?"- Sam McGriff, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Pembroke Hill SchoolConnect with Sam McGriff:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/coachmcgriff/Pembroke Hill School - https://www.pembrokehill.org/athletics/strength-and-conditioning

Meagan Vota is a Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Wichita Wind Surge, the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. She is currently in her second season in this role which happens to be her first experience in professional baseball. Previously, she spent 2.5 years at IMG Academy, specializing in long-term athletic development for their 11 baseball teams from middle school through post-graduate levels. Meagan holds both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Exercise Physiology from the University of Louisville (2016 - 2022) and is certified through the NSCA (CSCS) and USA Weightlifting (L1). With experience ranging from youth and private sector to collegiate and professional sports, she is passionate about helping athletes maximize their performance while developing confidence, discipline, and leadership skills that extend into everyday life.Topics covered in this episode:-Coaching at IMG Academy-Finding success and advice for others-Continuing education resourcesQuotes:-"That's why I love Spring Training so much and having everyone around you for a few months, you just get that social aspect a little bit more" (8:03)-"I think at the end of the day I'm probably meant for youth athletics a little bit more than I am pro ball, but I am, again, loving where I'm at right now" (13:29)-"I think you can be great at your job and still leave it at the field" (26:25)If you would like to learn more from Meagan, you can connect with her on social media:Instagram:@meagan_vota

Ryan Horn - Head Basketball Strength and Conditioning Coach at Indiana - joins us for the 162nd episode of MTN. On this episode of the show, Ryan talks us through some of context behind the many stops in his career; including some of the wildest stories that he's encountered along the way. We dive into the evolution of CBB player that he's seen since he started way back at VCU, and we go over his 'System's Check' Protocol. This was a wide ranging conversation that had some vulnerability, transparency, and high-level education.Make sure to follow Ryan on social media @ryanhorn45Find and follow us on social media @mtn_perform and check back each Wednesday for a new episodeIf you enjoy this podcast - head over to https://mtninsider.netlify.app/ to dive into the MTN Insider which is a deep dive into every episode. Research, 'Fact Checks', and much much more.Huge shoutout to our newest partner: Hytro. Hytro is the answer for performance BFR in our space and we are thrilled to have them partner with MTN. Find out more about Hytro and everything they have to offer ⁠right here: https://hytro.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=paid-media&utm_campaign=partner&utm_content=podcast&utm_term=foundationalA huge Thank You to our sponsor, Hawkin Dynamics: Hawkin is the world leader in force measuring, and continues to put forth the tools for high-performance practitioners to be exactly that, high performers. If you haven't yet checked out Hawkins - head over to their website at: https://www.hawkindynamics.com/ and check out everything they have to offerMake sure to check out our sponsor, Samson Equipment: Samson is a leader in manufacturing elite weight room equipment (and have been for nearly 50 years). Founded by Dave and Linda Schroeder, Samson is weight room equipment made by coaches for coaches. Check them out at samsonequipment.com for more informationShoutout to our sponsor, 1080 Motion. The 1080 Sprint is the single best piece of training equipment in the world & has continually changed the game for training speed, strength, and power. Go to 1080motion.com to learn more

Most strength coaches get weeks to settle into a new job. Kevin Rodriguez got four days.Kevin Rodriguez's path to Siena wasn't a straight line, but it was fast at the end. After building the strength program from scratch at Delta State and spending four years at UT-Chattanooga working with men's basketball, women's golf, and beach volleyball, Rodriguez accepted the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach job at Siena and was on campus within four days. He credits a mix of prayer, self-reflection, and honest conversations with mentors, including former UT-Chattanooga head coach Dan Earl, for helping him make the call.Once he arrived, Rodriguez treated the first weeks like an audit. He got every player's phone number from the director of operations and texted personal introductions before he'd even found a place to live. From there, he assessed the weight room, met the training staff, and ran team lifts built less around programming and more around establishing standards, energy, and trust. Rodriguez calls it going back to the same intangibles he built at Chattanooga. The location changes. The standard doesn't.Rodriguez also gets specific about how he manages pressure and emotion, both his own and his athletes'. A habit he picked up as a graduate assistant at Mississippi State, rehearsing team talks and workout explanations out loud in the car, is still part of his routine before every big moment, podcasts included. He also leans on a mantra passed down from a football coach at Delta State: take it personal, but don't be sensitive. It's the same approach he brings to coaching players through emotional moments on the court, treating them like adults instead of problems to manage.The conversation closes on expectations. Rodriguez inherited a Siena program that won its conference last season, the same situation he faced walking into UT-Chattanooga the year after a conference championship run. He talks through UT-Chattanooga's NIT championship season, a run built on patience through a rocky start, and the lesson he's carrying to Siena: enjoy the big moments, because not every coach gets one.Key Takeaways- Getting player phone numbers and sending personal introductions before arriving on campus builds trust before day one.- Rehearsing high-pressure conversations out loud, a habit from his graduate assistant days at Mississippi State, keeps him composed in team talks and media moments alike.- Take it personal, but don't be sensitive: a mantra that turns criticism into fuel instead of self-doubt.- Treating athletes like adults defuses conflict faster than trying to manage or control it.- Winning the NIT at UT-Chattanooga taught him to sit in a big moment instead of rushing back to work.Quote"Take it personal, but don't be sensitive."— Kevin Rodriguez, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Siena College

Steve and Kenny are joined by Pittsburgh Penguins Strength and Conditioning coach Sean Young to discuss joining the Pens, his experience at the Olympics and representing Canada multiple times this year alone.

Q Willey is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach who joins me to discuss barbell training, back pain, injury risk, metabolic health, rehabilitation, and the way strength training is often portrayed online.Q joins me to discuss:• Why no existing studies show that squats or deadlifts cause back pain• Whether barbell lifts are inherently riskier than other forms of exercise• How the loadability of barbells can get some lifters into trouble• Why training systems matter more than individual exercises• Load management, fatigue, and individual capacity• Why pain can feel random even when contributing factors exist• How sensational injury stories shape public perceptions of lifting• The self-driving-car metaphor for anecdotes about barbell injuries• Why lifting is often demonized more than other physical activities• What imaging can and cannot tell us about back pain• Spine surgery, structural findings, and pain• The value of physical therapy beyond simply “fixing” injuries• The relationship between metabolic health, obesity, pain, and rehabilitation outcomes• How to discuss body weight respectfully in a clinical setting• GLP-1 medications and a physical therapist's professional scope• And much moreFollow Q on Instagram:@coach_q_physioCHAPTERS00:19 Meet Coach Q01:08 Do Squats Hurt Your Back?02:48 Load Management Basics06:57 Why Pain Can Feel Random10:45 Sensational Stories About Injury Risk13:24 Spine Surgery and Medical Imaging17:43 Why Lifting Gets Demonized20:21 Barbells Versus Training Systems30:37 The Value of Physical Therapy Beyond Fixes37:22 Metabolic Health and Pain42:38 Discussing Body Weight Respectfully51:33 GLP-1 Medications and Professional Scope55:33 Where to Find Q56:54 Final Thanks and Wrap-UpSUPPORT THE SHOWIf this episode helped you think differently about barbells, injury risk, pain, or rehabilitation:• Subscribe and check out more episodes• Share the episode on social media and tag @andrewcoatesfitness• Send it to someone who is afraid that squats or deadlifts will automatically damage their backFOLLOW ANDREW COATESInstagram: @andrewcoatesfitnesshttps://www.andrewcoatesfitness.comPARTNERS AND RESOURCESRP STRENGTH APPUse code COATESRP:https://www.rpstrength.com/coatesJUST BITE ME MEALSUse code ANDREWCOATESFITNESS for 10% off:https://justbitememeals.comMACROSFIRST — FREE PREMIUM TRIAL• Download MacrosFirst• Begin setting up your account• When asked, “How did you hear about us?” enter: ANDREWKNKG BAGS — 15% OFFhttps://www.knkg.com/Andrew59676VERSA GRIPPShttps://www.versagripps.com/andrewcoatesTRAINHEROIC — FREE 90-DAY TRIAL• Visit: https://www.trainheroic.com/liftfree• Reply to the email you receive or email trials@trainheroic.com• Let them know Andrew sent youL1 BIOMECHANICS AND ASSESSMENT COURSEUse code COATES:https://pro.activelifeprofessional.com/assessmentworkshopevents

Tim Teefy is the Assistant AD for Olympic Sports Performance at Temple University. Teefy joined the Temple athletics program in 2015 as the head Olympic strength & conditioning coach before being promoted to director of Olympic sports performance in 2016 and later in 2018 to his current position at Assistant AD for Olympic Sports Performance. Currently oversees training for the women's basketball team while overseeing the 19 Olympic varsity sports and a staff of seven. Prior to joining the Owls, Teefy spent three years as the head strength & conditioning coach at Villanova University where he was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the strength and conditioning department for 19 Division 1 varsity teams, working specifically with men's and women's lacrosse, baseball, field hockey and men's and women's soccer. He held a similar position as head strength and conditioning coach at High Point University for three years before joining the Wildcats. Teefy also gained experience on the strength staff at George Mason University and Georgetown University in addition to being an adjunct faculty member while at George Mason. Coach Teefy is a Master Strength & Conditioning Coach through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association earning the highest honor in the profession in 2020. He is an avid lifter and still heavily involved in strength and endurance training. Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Plates and Pancakes, Steven sits down with Riley Edgerton, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at Munster High School, for an in-depth conversation about building a successful high school strength and conditioning program from the ground up.Riley explains how he developed a comprehensive strength and conditioning manual, established a point-based grading system for athletes, and built a program that now serves hundreds of students. He shares his philosophy of “do it right, do it fast, then do it heavy” and explains how he uses that principle to teach movement, develop athleticism, and establish high standards in the weight room.The conversation also dives into Riley's approach to youth athletic development, including summer camps and the Futures Program for middle school athletes. Riley discusses teaching fundamental movement patterns before progressing to more complex exercises, including his unique “sandwich method” for teaching the power clean.Steven and Riley also explore velocity-based training (VBT), auto-regulation, APRE, sprint mechanics, resisted sprinting, and the importance of using technology as a coaching tool rather than a replacement for the coach's eye.Beyond programming, Riley shares how he is building the Mustang Mentality at Munster High School—developing leadership, accountability, work ethic, and a culture that extends beyond the weight room. They discuss athlete-driven leadership, incentives, competition, and how external rewards can eventually develop into internal motivation.This episode is a deep look at what it takes to build a sustainable high school strength and conditioning system—from program design and exercise selection to coaching, youth development, leadership, culture, and long-term athletic development.Topics Covered:* Building a high school strength & conditioning program from scratch* Creating a strength & conditioning manual* Point-based athlete grading systems* Youth athletic development* Futures Programs and summer camps* “Do it right, do it fast, then do it heavy”* Teaching the power clean* Riley's “sandwich method”* Velocity-Based Training (VBT)* APRE and auto-regulation* Sprint mechanics and resisted sprinting* Athlete-driven leadership* Building a championship weight-room culture* External vs. internal motivation* Mustang Mentality* Testing and performance metrics* Long-term athletic development* Coaching hundreds of athletes effectivelyhttps://youtube.com/@platesandpancakes4593https://instagram.com/voodoo4power?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=https://voodoo4ranch.com/To possibly be a guest or support the show email Voodoo4ranch@gmail.comhttps://www.paypal.com/paypalme/voodoo4ranch

Send us Fan MailWhat does it take to prepare one of the nation's top softball programs to compete for a national championship?In this episode of Plates and Pancakes, Steven Thompson sits down with Michelle Diltz, Strength & Conditioning Coach at the University of Alabama, to discuss how she develops powerful, explosive female athletes using a conjugate-based training system. Michelle oversees Alabama Softball, Women's Golf, and Cheer & Dance, sharing how she balances the unique demands of multiple sports while building athletes who are stronger, faster, more resilient, and ready to perform.The conversation explores the Conjugate Method, max effort, dynamic effort, and repeated effort training, why back squats remain a cornerstone for softball performance, monitoring pitcher readiness with jump testing and grip strength, and how isometric and eccentric training improve force absorption while reducing injury risk. Michelle also explains how she individualizes programming for injured athletes, collaborates with athletic trainers and dietitians, and manages training across multiple Division I programs.Whether you're a strength coach, softball coach, athlete, or sports performance professional, this episode delivers practical insights you can apply immediately to your own athletes.In This Episode:Conjugate Method for collegiate athleticsStrength training for softballSpeed and power developmentFemale athlete performanceBack squat programmingMax effort & dynamic effort trainingCountermovement jump testingGrip strength monitoringPitcher workload managementSprint mechanicsIsometric & eccentric trainingInjury preventionOlympic lifting for cheer & danceNCAA strength & conditioningUniversity of Alabama SoftballCoaching leadership and athlete developmentIf you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Plates and Pancakes, leave a 5-star review, and share it with another coach, athlete, or parent looking to improve athletic performance.Keywords: Strength and Conditioning, Softball Strength Training, Conjugate Method, Sports Performance, Female Athlete Training, Alabama Softball, NCAA Softball, Explosive Power, Speed Training, Athlete Development, College Strength Coach, Pitching Performance, Olympic Lifting, Injury Prevention, Sports Science, Plates and Pancakes Podcast.https://youtube.com/@platesandpancakes4593https://instagram.com/voodoo4power?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=https://voodoo4ranch.com/To possibly be a guest or support the show email Voodoo4ranch@gmail.comhttps://www.paypal.com/paypalme/voodoo4ranch

Ryan Horn has spent 20 years building strength programs, and almost none of that time has looked stable from the outside. Horn's path runs through Robert Morris, Virginia Commonwealth (where he became the school's first full-time strength coach), Tulsa, and seven years at Wake Forest under Danny Manning. After being let go from Wake Forest following COVID, Horn spent two years outside college athletics entirely, training soldiers with the 75th Ranger Regiment in Savannah, Georgia. From there it was Wichita State, Drake, a return home to West Virginia, and now Indiana.Horn and host Connor Agnew dig into what that kind of instability actually teaches a coach. Horn's answer keeps coming back to one idea: stop chasing permanence and start chasing presence. Roles end. Jobs change. What matters is whether you were fully in it while you had it. He connects this directly to mentorship, arguing that a good mentor's job gets harder, not easier, because they take the time to teach instead of just execute. And he's candid about the trap of comparing career timelines on social media, pointing out that the context and luck behind someone else's fast rise almost never makes it into the post.The conversation closes on family. Horn's son is now an Olympic weightlifter who interns under him at Indiana, and Horn talks openly about what it's meant to coach alongside his own kid, and about how losing both his parents in recent years reshaped how he thinks about time with the athletes and people in front of him right now.KEY TAKEAWAYS- Seek presence and impact in a role, not permanence. Every job has an expiration date, and treating it otherwise costs you the time you actually have in it.- A real mentor's job gets harder, not easier, because they take the time to teach instead of just execute.- Comparing your career timeline to someone else's on social media ignores the context and luck behind their path.- Avoid becoming the coach who dismisses a new idea because "we did that 20 years ago." Curiosity is the job, not a phase of it.- Losing both parents reshaped how Horn thinks about finite time with his family and his athletes.QUOTE BLOCK"There's no permanence in any role. It's just presence."- Ryan Horn, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Indiana University

View This Week's Show NotesStart Your 7-Day Trial to Mobility CoachJoin Our Free Weekly Newsletter: The AmbushMarin Lazic believes the best athletes aren't just physically prepared – they're mentally free to perform. But that flies in the face of how many of us were taught to think about high performance. In this episode of The Ready State Podcast, Kelly and Juliet Starrett sit down with the Australian Men's Olympic Water Polo team's Head Strength & Conditioning Coach to explore why fun, play, and psychological safety may be some of the most overlooked performance tools in sport.Drawing from his own experience as an athlete whose performance collapsed under stress, Marin shares how that moment completely reshaped his coaching philosophy. We dive into why reducing anxiety can improve movement, decision-making, and resilience, how breathwork and vision training are becoming part of elite athletic preparation, and why creating a culture where athletes genuinely enjoy the process leads to better long-term results.Whether you're coaching athletes, raising competitors, or simply trying to perform better under pressure, this episode offers a fresh perspective on building durable, high-performing humans.What You'll Learn in This EpisodeWhy reducing stress and performance anxiety and creating psychological safety can unlock higher levels of athletic performanceHow fun, play, and positive team culture improve movement, resilience, and performance under pressureWhy elite coaching extends beyond strength training to include recovery, mindset, and athlete well-beingHow breathwork, vision training, and movement quality help athletes perform at their best when it matters mostWhy the best coaches develop durable athletes who can stay healthy, adapt to setbacks, and perform consistently over timeKey Highlights: (0:00) Intro & Meet Coach Marin Lazic(0:38) Marin's Background & Coaching Philosophy(0:58) Marin's Athlete Setback Story(8:16) The Stressful Moment That Changed Everything(9:13) How Stress Physically Tanks Performance(16:55) Evolving from Old-School to Modern Coaching(18:12) Happy Athletes Are Better Athletes(20:17) Entrenched Thinking in Sport(20:57) Finding a Head Coach Who Buys In(24:38) Making Fun a Performance Strategy(26:43) Pre-Game Warmup Games to Ease Performance Anxiety(27:08) Beating Serbia at the Olympics(29:27) Preparing for Paris Olympics(30:25) Six Weeks in Europe Pre-Game(32:39) Removing Decision Fatigue on Game Day(33:04) Quarterfinal Loss to USA in Shootout(34:24) The Physicality of Elite Water Polo(36:04) Wrestling, MMA, & Water Training Methods(43:21) Eye Training & Vision Work(47:19) Breath Work & Session Structure(48:18) Post-COVID Efficiency Approach(54:29) The Concept of the "Stoke Tank"(55:53) Being a "MacGyver" Coach on the Road(1:00:33) Coaching Influences: Peter Twist & Pavel(1:02:11) Losing Size, Gaining Water Strength(1:06:14) Dad of the Year & Bluey(1:09:56) Infinite Shelf: The Book Legacy(1:12:17) Where to Find Marin & Watch World CupHuge thanks to our sponsors, LMNT and Momentous.

Meagan Vota is a Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Wichita Wind Surge, the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. She is currently in her second season in this role which happens to be her first experience in professional baseball. Previously, she spent 2.5 years at IMG Academy, specializing in long-term athletic development for their 11 baseball teams from middle school through post-graduate levels. Meagan holds both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Exercise Physiology from the University of Louisville (2016 - 2022) and is certified through the NSCA (CSCS) and USA Weightlifting (L1). With experience ranging from youth and private sector to collegiate and professional sports, she is passionate about helping athletes maximize their performance while developing confidence, discipline, and leadership skills that extend into everyday life.Topics covered in this episode:-Her journey to professional baseball-Mastering the basics with athletes-Bodybuilding, powerlifting, and long-term athletic developmentQuotes:-"I am someone that loves experiences" (5:47)-"I absolutely love long-term athletic development, I love youth sports. But I wanted to find a version of myself that I didn't know, and that was working with professional athletes" (6:37)-"I think that there is a difference between modifying to personalize for performance and modifying to just make your programming seem snazzy and appealing" (15:38)If you would like to learn more from Meagan, you can connect with her on social media:Instagram:@meagan_vota

Speed in American football is about far more than running a fast 40-yard dash. It is the ability to create space, close space, accelerate, decelerate, change direction and repeatedly produce high-speed actions under the demands of the game. This week, Richard Graves is joined by Matt Gebert, Strength and Conditioning Coach at Ole Miss Football, to explore how speed is developed within an elite college football programme. Matt explains how Ole Miss structures speed training across the week, from acceleration and change of direction to maximum velocity, curved sprinting and conditioning. He also breaks down how the physical demands change between position groups and why offensive linemen, linebackers, running backs, wide receivers and defensive backs require different training priorities. The conversation explores the five key qualities Matt uses to assess speed development and how tools including Catapult GPS and the 1080 Sprint can help coaches understand an athlete's strengths, weaknesses and potential performance limiters. However, collecting more data does not automatically lead to better decisions. Matt explains why sports science technology must be accurate, efficient and actionable, particularly when working with a squad of around 120 athletes within strict time restrictions. Richard and Matt also discuss the balance between pushing athletes hard and protecting player availability, the value of wellness monitoring, the importance of sleep and why technology should help practitioners ask better questions rather than replace coaching judgement. Matt also reflects on how his coaching philosophy has changed during more than a decade in college football, including moving away from one-size-fits-all programming and learning to coach athletes differently, both physically and psychologically. In this episode you will learn Why speed in team sport is ultimately about creating and closing space How Ole Miss structures acceleration, maximum velocity, change of direction and conditioning work Why different football positions require different speed and strength qualities The five physical qualities Matt assesses within speed development How Catapult GPS and the 1080 Sprint are used to profile athletes Why maximum velocity is particularly important for wide receivers and defensive backs How to identify and improve an athlete's performance limiters The difference between using sports technology and practising sports science The three questions Matt asks before introducing new technology How external and internal training loads can inform programme decisions Why wellness questionnaires can start important conversations with athletes The relationship between training load, recovery and player availability Why sleep may be the most overlooked performance metric How Matt's approach to individualising training and communication has evolved Why acceleration should be a priority for young athletes in almost every sport About Matt Gebert Matt Gebert is a Strength and Conditioning Coach with Ole Miss Football, where he leads speed development work within the programme's performance team. Matt has worked in college football for approximately 13 years and is currently completing a PhD focused on speed development. His work covers linear speed, multidirectional movement, acceleration, maximum velocity, deceleration, curved sprinting and conditioning for team-sport athletes. Alongside his coaching and research, Matt regularly shares practical information about speed development and the use of sports science within high-performance environments. He is also preparing a forthcoming book focused on speed development for team-sport athletes. FREE 7d SCIENCE FOR SPORT ACADEMY TRIAL SIGN UP NOW: https://bit.ly/SFSepisode241 ​ Learn Quicker & More Effectively ​ Optimise Your Athletes' Recovery ​ Position Yourself As An Expert To Your Athletes And Naturally Improve Buy-In ​ Reduce Your Athletes' Injury Ratese ​ Save 100's Of Dollars A Year That Would Otherwise Be Spent On Books, Courses And More ​ Improve Your Athletes' Performance ​ Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes ​ Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research

Eddie Ramirez took an unconventional route into strength and conditioning. He spent his teenage years and early twenties as a competitive breakdancer before a friend showed him that college strength coaching was even a career path. Internships at Syracuse and Texas followed, and by the time he wrapped his stint with Texas football in 2019, he knew this was what he wanted to do for good.Now in his fourth year at Indiana University, Ramirez works with volleyball, men's and women's swimming and diving, and men's golf. Volleyball has been his primary focus, and he's been direct with his athletes from day one. Competing with programs like Wisconsin, Purdue, and Nebraska, teams that lean on deep talent pools, meant Indiana needed something else to close the gap. Ramirez calls it grit, and he builds it by refusing to sugarcoat hard training while staying honest with his athletes about his own tough stretches.That same directness shapes how he works with the program's international athletes. Rather than expecting them to adjust to a new sport system and a new country on the same timeline as everyone else, Ramirez has taught himself greetings and coaching cues in his athletes' native languages, including Russian and Turkish, to shorten the adjustment period and build trust early.Key Takeaways- Competing with programs that out-talent you requires a deliberate culture decision, not just harder workouts. Ramirez tells his volleyball team upfront that training will be uncomfortable, and backs it up by being vulnerable about his own hard moments.- International athletes are managing two adjustments at once: a new training system and a new country. Ramirez shortens that gap by learning basic phrases and coaching cues in their language.- Skill progression should be athlete-paced, not calendar-paced. If a full clean takes a year to teach safely, that's the timeline he uses.- His own path into the field was nontraditional. Five years as a competitive breakdancer came before he even knew college strength and conditioning existed as a job.- He's actively working to close a skill gap this year: getting sharper with GPS and data tracking through Catapult.Quote Block"It's not because I hate you guys or think you're out of shape. We've got to have a little extra when we're competing against these big-name teams."- Eddie Ramirez, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, Indiana University

Devin Young, Senior Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Pittsburgh, did not take a straight path into the profession. He grew up chasing a hockey career through the junior ranks, walked on at Fitchburg State, and did not make the team. That setback pushed him into exercise science and a string of internships at UMass Lowell, Eastern Michigan, Princeton, St. Francis, and James Madison before he landed his first full time job at North Carolina A&T.Young was the department's director during COVID, running a football strength program with roughly 100 athletes, five platforms, a fraction of the normal equipment, and a single part time, uncertified assistant. He walks Connor Agnew through the daily problem solving that era demanded and how it shaped the coach and communicator he is today.The conversation centers on what Young says has done more for his growth than any book: investing directly in mentors through site visits, cohorts, and phone calls, because a mentor can answer the follow up question a book cannot. He connects that philosophy to Pitt's staff culture, weekly continuing education, and the summer internship program he now runs, where he is trying to give young coaches the same head start his own mentors gave him.Young's fastest growth as a coach came from investing in mentors and site visits rather than books alone, calling it the difference between reading about a problem and actually getting it answered.Directing a strength program during COVID with no staff and constantly rotating athlete pods forced Young to build rapid problem solving and communication skills that still define how he coaches today.Pitt's staff runs weekly continuing education and full peer reviewed program audits, using force plate data and KPIs to catch blind spots without turning it into a competition.Posting workouts and running a handwritten whiteboard series forces him to be certain of what he is teaching before it goes public, sharpening his own knowledge in the process.Pitt's summer internship runs on daily meetings, a full 15 week programming project, guest round tables with outside coaches, and live coaching drills that get progressively harder, built to give interns the same mentorship head start he got."I'm a big believer in finding people who are doing what you believe in and reaching out to them. Go intern for them. That's the best way to learn, because now you're hands-on, learning and doing at the same time."Guest: Devin Young, Senior Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, University of PittsburghInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/devin_sc_coach/Versatile Training Academy, Devin's side company (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/vta_sports_performance_/ | linktr.ee/VTAcademyUniversity of Pittsburgh Strength & Conditioning (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/pitt_sportsperformance/Devin's staff bio, Pitt Athletics: https://pittsburghpanthers.com/staff-directory/devin-young/3836Talkin' Pitt Podcast: Spotify | Apple PodcastsKeywords: Devin Young, University of Pittsburgh, Pitt strength and conditioning, strength coach mentorship, COVID training protocols, program audits, continuing education, Talkin' Pitt podcast, internship program, Connor Agnew, Samson Strength Coach Collective

Nicholas Lee, BS, CSCS, RSCC, USAW-L1 is the H2F Lead Tactical Strength and Conditioning Coach at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. With more than 20 years of military service, including time in Army Special Operations and conventional forces, Lee brings a unique blend of tactical leadership and human performance expertise to his coaching.Prior to his current role, Lee worked with EXOS as an H2F Tactical Strength and Conditioning Coach and served as Director of Strength and Conditioning at Freedom Christian Academy. He earned his bachelor's degree in Sports and Exercise Science from Methodist University and is currently pursuing a master's degree in Athletic Development Management.Save on your re-certification to the NSCA and CSCCa with best price CEUs

"Your skill set's not going to be lifting weights—it's going to be the sport, but you still have to learn how to strain." For thirteen seasons, including eleven in the collegiate trenches, Lucas White has survived the brutal, revolving-door reality of Division I strength coaching by adapting elite powerlifting principles to hyper-talented athletes who have never had to grind out a rep in their lives. By rejecting the copy-and-paste templates of traditional football programs and introducing Westside-influenced periodization to a 120-man roster, he transformed the weight room from a mandatory chore into a high-stakes diagnostic lab where athletic longevity is built and weaknesses are ruthlessly exposed. INSIDE THE EPISODE Managing the Chaos: The exact mechanics of running a multi-wave conjugate system inside a high-pressure Power Five football program. Specialty Bars as Diagnostics: Why safety squat bars, cambered bars, and Swiss bars are essential diagnostic tools rather than optional accessories. The Private Sector Carryover: What elite collegiate programs must steal from underground powerlifting gyms to drastically reduce player mileage. The 20% Rule: Cultivating absolute, bone-crushing strength when your athletes are genetically gifted but technically raw in the weight room. Surviving the Trench: A raw look at the grueling reality of zero-dollar internships, moving across the country, and earning trust at the elite level. MEET THE GUEST Lucas White is an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for Penn State Football, operating under Director Reid Kagy and Head Coach Matt Campbell. Over a thirteen-season career spanning stops at Iowa State, Boise State, and Mississippi State, White has cemented himself as a premier practitioner of team-scale conjugate periodization. His philosophy was forged not in pristine football facilities, but through years of coaching Olympic sports and training alongside world-record lifters in the private sector—proving that true strength coaching isn't about chasing arbitrary numbers, but building a robust physical base that survives the chaos of late-November football. Become an elitefts Channel Member Get early access to Dave Tate's Table Talk podcast and other perks: ➡️ @eliteftsofficial Support Dave Tate's Table Talk FULL Crew Access https://www.elitefts.com/join-the-crew Limited Edition Apparel https://www.elitefts.com/shop/apparel/limited-edition.html Programs & More https://www.elitefts.com/shop/dave-tate-s-table-talk-crew.html TYAO Application https://www.elitefts.com/dave-tate-s-tyao-application Best-Selling elitefts Products Pro Resistance Training Bands https://www.elitefts.com/shop/bands.html Specialty Barbells https://www.elitefts.com/shop/bars-weights/specialty-bars.html Wraps, Straps & Sleeves https://www.elitefts.com/shop/power-gear.html Sponsors Get an Extra 10% OFF at elitefts Use Code: TABLE TALK https://www.elitefts.com/ Get 10% OFF Your Next Marek Health Labs Use Code: TABLETALK https://marekhealth.com/tabletalk Get a FREE 8-Count Sample Pack of LMNT's Most Popular Drink Mix Flavors http://www.drinklmnt.com/tabletalk ChiliPad 2.0 – Save Up to $255 Use Code: TABLETALK https://sleep.me/tabletalk OFFICIAL MEAL PREP PARTNER Save 10% on the Best Meals in Central Ohio Use Code: TABLETALK10 https://visionarymeals.com Support Massenomics https://www.massenomics.com/ Save 20% on Monthly, Yearly, or Lifetime MASS Research Review Use Code: ELITEFTS20 https://massresearchreview.com/ Get 10% OFF RP Hypertrophy App Use Code: TABLE TALK https://rpstrength.com/pages/hypertrophy-app

On this episode of the Samson Strength Coach Collective, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at UT Tyler, Morgan McCrary, joins us to discuss his journey through nearly every corner of the strength and conditioning profession. From JUCO athletics and private sector coaching to the collegiate level, Morgan explains how each experience shaped his coaching philosophy.Throughout the conversation, Morgan emphasizes that relationships, communication, and trust are the foundation of every successful program. He shares how he builds athlete buy-in, develops accountability, and encourages athletes to "flip the switch" once they step into the weight room. Morgan also reflects on overcoming setbacks, staying motivated throughout his career, and why adapting your coaching to the environment and athlete is essential for long-term success.Key TakeawaysBuilding trust starts with genuine relationships and consistent communication.Every coaching environment offers valuable lessons that shape long-term growth.Athletes perform best when expectations and accountability are clearly established.Adaptability is one of the most valuable traits a strength coach can possess.Career setbacks become opportunities when approached with perseverance and a growth mindset.Quote"I call it flipping the switch. Whatever you've got going on outside of the weight room, when you're in the weight room, it's time to go." — Morgan McCrary

Matt Durant is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at University of La Verne, where he oversees performance training for all 20 varsity sports. A 1999 La Verne graduate, Durant returned to his alma mater in 2002 and has spent more than two decades developing student-athletes and building a highly respected Division III strength and conditioning program.In 2017, Durant was named the National Sports Performance Association Coach of the Year. During his tenure, numerous athletes have earned conference, regional, and national recognition, including multiple National Strength and Conditioning Association All-America Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year honors.Before returning to La Verne, Durant coached at College of the Canyons and Wingate University. He earned his bachelor's degree from La Verne and a master's degree from Azusa Pacific University, and remains active in both the NSCA and USA Weightlifting.From our sponsors: Hawkin Dynamics

Garga Caserta (@GargaCaserta) is the former Head of Performance for the KC Current and the founder of TALO. With over a decade of experience training world-class athletes, Garga has coached at the highest levels of sport, including stints with the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, the Portland Timbers, and the Portland Thorns. His teams have won an NWSL championship and were 2x Supporters Shield Champions. Known for his transparent, accountability-driven approach, he bridges the gap between elite sports performance, strength and conditioning, and injury rehabilitation. Whether managing fitness departments or shaping collegiate programs, Garga's mission is simple: elevating human potential and building durable, high-performing athletes. In our discussion today, we discuss the role of performance training in both injury prevention and the psychological boost it gives athletes. We talk about the importance of sleep and recovery, and how soccer coaches can accomplish most fitness goals with a ball instead of straight running. Finally, the importance of making your conditioning training game like in order to achieve match performance and not simply improved fitness.  CAPTAIN: THE ATHLETE'S GUIDE TO BEING AN EXCEPTIONAL TEAM LEADER is now live on Amazon!  CLICK HERE TO ORDER We are constantly asked "where have all the leaders gone?" Now more than ever, it is up to schools, clubs and coaches to develop our leaders, and this new book is a perfect guide to train and develop them. It is filled with stories of champion team captains on the professional and college level, Hall of Fame coaches, and more, and is a masterclass on leadership. Your athletes will learn from leaders such as Carles Puyol Abby Wambach, Tim Duncan, Shane Battier, Richie McCaw, Carla Overbeck and Simone Biles. It will help your athletes understand the qualities needed to lead, the responsibilities they must accept, and the most common challenges they will face. The chapters are short and sweet and have discussion questions so that your leaders can work through them together and set your team up for great success. The book also comes with a  FREE downloadable 10-session curriculum so you can guide your team or the leaders in your school or club through the entire book.  FOR ORDERS OF 10 OR MORE, WE OFFER A $5 PER BOOK DISCOUNT. EMAIL John@ChangingTheGameProject.com to place your order. BOOK A SPEAKER: Interested in having John or one of our speaking team present to your school, club or coaching event, either in person or virtually? Looking for leadership training for your student athletes, a coach development workshop or parent education? We are still booking Fall 2026 events, please email us to set up an introductory call John@ChangingTheGameProject.com PUT IN YOUR BULK BOOK ORDERS FOR OUR BESTSELLING BOOKS, AND JOIN 2026 CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS FROM SYRACUSE MENS LAX, UNC AND NAVY WOMENS LAX, AND MORE! These are just the most recent championship teams using THE CHAMPION TEAMMATE book with their athletes and support teams. Many of these coaches are also getting THE CHAMPION SPORTS PARENT so their team parents can be part of a successful culture. Schools and clubs are using EVERY MOMENT MATTERS for staff development and book clubs. Are you?  We have been fulfilling numerous bulk orders for some of the top high school and collegiate sports programs in the country, will your team be next? Click here to visit John's author page on Amazon Click here to visit Jerry's author page on Amazon Please email John@ChangingTheGameProject.com if you want discounted pricing on 10 or more books on any of our books. Thanks everyone. This weeks podcast is brought to you by our newest sponsor, Zone 14 Coaching. Zone 14 Coaching is a company built by coaches for coaches. If you have ever ended a session thinking, "Did that practice really hit the mark?" you will love what they have created. Zone 14's next-gen journals for coaches and players help you plan every practice, reflect on what worked and track progress all season long. Built on intentional coaching and backed by neuroscience, they bring structure and purpose to your training. Visit zone14coaching.com and use code Champions20 for 20% off. Or if you want to outfit your whole team or club and improve consistency across coaches, you can get in touch with Zone 14 via their website to discuss bulk discounts. This week's podcast is brought to you by our friends at Sprocket Sports.  Sprocket Sports is a software platform for youth sports clubs.  Yeah, there are a lot of these systems out there, but Sprocket provides the full enchilada. They give you all the cool front-end stuff to make your club look good– like websites, communication tools and marketing tools – AND all the back-end transactions and services to run your business better so you can focus on what really matters – your players and your teams. Sprocket is built for those clubs looking to thrive, not just survive, in the competitive world of youth sports clubs.  So if you've been looking for a true business partner – not just another app – check them out today at https://sprocketsports.me/CTG.

Tanner Kolb is the Associate Director of Strength & Conditioning for Olympics Sports at West Virginia University. Kolb joined the Mountaineer athletic staff in 2012 and was promoted to his current position in 2017, where he handles the strength and conditioning responsibilities for the rifle, men's soccer and wrestling programs. Prior to WVU, Kolb was an assistant coach at East Carolina University for one year where he designed and implemented programs for baseball, volleyball and tennis, as well as assisting with football. Prior to his tenure at ECU, Kolb spent three years as the head strength coach and adjunct professor at Waynesburg University. There he designed and implemented programs for all varsity sports in addition to teaching four classes. Kolb spent three years as a fitness specialist at the Stillwater Medical Center and Total Health in Oklahoma teaching Olympic lifting techniques, instructing group exercise classes, supervising and judging the weightlifting portion of the Pioneer Senior Olympics. Kolb began his career in 2003 as a volunteer coach at Oklahoma State, where he assisted primarily with football, wrestling, softball and the equestrian programs. Additionally, he spent two stints as a prep strength and conditioning coach first at Perry High in Oklahoma during the summer of 2004 as well as both at Petoskey High and Charlevoix High in Michigan from 2006-2008. While there he contributed time at Northern Michigan Sports Medicine while lecturing and directing powerlifting and strongman competitions. Coach Kolb is a Master Strength & Conditioning Coach through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association earning the highest honor in the profession in 2021. His work has been published in numerous industry-associated publications, including The Sport Journal, Journal of Applied Ergonomics and Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. A former college wrestler at Messiah College, Kolb has competed both single and multiply geared powerlifting. He is still active himself in the weight room in addition to getting outside the weight room to enjoy rock climbing and white water kayaking in his free time.Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

#268: Justin Roethlingshoefer is a performance scientist, former NHL strength and conditioning coach, and the founder of OWN IT—an elite health coaching ecosystem trusted by Stanley Cup champions, Olympians, and mission driven leaders such as Brandon Lake & Phil Wickham. His life's work lives at the intersection of data-driven performance and Spirit-led transformation. Holy Health is the most personal and prophetic piece of literature he has published. Fusing science with biblical truth, he redefines health as a holistic act of worship, aligning body, mind, and spirit. Having overcome personal health crises, he provides a blueprint to break the "all-or-nothing" cycle, moving from burnout to overflow.For more on Justin and his new book check out holyhealthbook.com holyhealth.org & justinroethlingshoefer.com Enjoy the show!

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Steven sits down with Coach Cade Oller, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Choctaw High School in Oklahoma City, to discuss the training philosophies and coaching principles that have helped build a successful athletic culture.The conversation dives deep into Coach Oller's implementation of Brief Maximal Tension (BMT) training within a conjugate framework, including how his athletes utilize box squats, bench press variations, deadlifts, and APRE methods to drive consistent strength gains. Coach Oller shares practical insights on why box squats became a cornerstone of his program, how he addresses posterior chain weaknesses, and the adaptations required when coaching athletes of different sizes and abilities.Beyond sets and reps, Steven and Coach Oller explore the human side of coaching. They discuss building positive team culture through individual conversations rather than public criticism, helping athletes navigate setbacks and pressure, and creating an environment where accountability comes from both coaches and athlete leaders. Coach Oller also shares how reorganizing Choctaw's weight room schedule into flexible before- and after-school sessions dramatically improved athlete participation and coach collaboration.Additional topics include:• BMT and APRE programming• Box squat coaching and technical development• Strength transfer to speed and athletic performance• Leadership development within teams• Managing multi-sport athlete schedules• Consistency as the foundation of long-term success• Hip projection and movement efficiency• The role of culture in strength and conditioning successWhether you're a strength coach, sport coach, athlete, or parent, this episode offers valuable lessons on adapting training systems to fit your population, developing athlete buy-in, and creating a culture where performance and personal growth go hand in hand.Tune in for a conversation that blends practical programming, coaching wisdom, and real-world solutions from one of Oklahoma's leading high school strength coaches.https://youtube.com/@platesandpancakes4593https://instagram.com/voodoo4power?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=https://voodoo4ranch.com/To possibly be a guest or support the show email Voodoo4ranch@gmail.comhttps://www.paypal.com/paypalme/voodoo4ranch

Dr. Eric Cash serves as President of the National High School Strength Coaches Association and is the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at Dorman High School. Widely recognized as one of the leading voices in high school strength and conditioning, Dr. Cash has dedicated his career to developing young athletes through evidence-based training, mentorship, and long-term athletic development.Prior to Dorman, he held head strength and conditioning positions at Presbyterian College, Eastern Illinois University, and Elon University. He earned his doctorate in Kinesiology from University of North Carolina at Greensboro and was named NHSSCA Coach of the Year in 2020.___$1 Trial Membership to SCN

Episode 221: In this episode of Sports Science Insights, host Steve Barrett is joined by Julie Gooderick — a UKSCA Accredited Strength & Conditioning Coach and Sports Therapist with more than 15 years of experience supporting athletes across a wide range of sports, from grassroots participation through to the Olympic Games. Julie has led athlete scholarship programmes within schools and universities, helping to create pathways that develop talent from early participation to elite performance. With a degree in Sports Therapy, an MSc in Strength & Conditioning, and experience supporting athletes at two Olympic Games, she brings a unique perspective on long-term athlete development, performance support, and the realities of working in high-performance sport. At the centre of the conversation is the challenge of supporting athletes beyond the training programme itself. Julie discusses the role of recovery in performance, why sleep remains one of the most underutilised tools available to athletes, and how practitioners can create environments that promote both performance and wellbeing. The discussion also explores Julie's involvement in initiatives designed to support and develop female coaches within the profession. Drawing on her own experiences, she reflects on the progress that has been made, the challenges that remain, and the importance of creating opportunities for future generations of practitioners. Throughout the episode, Julie shares practical examples and case studies from her consultancy work with female athletes, providing insight into the complex and individualised nature of performance support across different sporting environments. -  Topics Discussed: Julie's Background and Career Journey Sleep, Recovery and Performance Female Coach Initiatives Through UKSCA Female Athlete Consultancy Case Studies Long-Term Athlete Development Supporting Athletes Across Different Sporting Environments -  Where you can find Julie: Linkedin Publications -  Sponsors Axon: Performance teams spend the morning after game day stitching together six systems before the coach gets an answer. Axon Perform fixes that. Every source you already use, Catapult, StatSports, VALD, Opta, OVAL, Wyscout, WHOOP, Garmin and the rest, connects into a dedicated Snowflake warehouse. Ask Axon, the in-platform chat, lets analysts and sports scientists query the lot in plain English. Reports that took hours now take seconds. Used by the Springboks, England RFU, Japan RFU, Sydney Roosters and a growing list of rugby, football & cricket clubs and federations. Your data, reports, measures and AI models stay yours, fully portable. See if your data is ready for AI at axonperform.com VALD Performance, makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training Hytro: The world's leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport.  -  Where to Find Us Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on: Instagram Twitter Our Website - Our Team Andy McDonald Ben Ashworth Nicola Graham Steve Barrett  Pete McKnight

● Dr. Pat Ivey is the Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Health and Performance at University of Louisville and currently serves as President of the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association Board of Directors. With more than 20 years of experience in collegiate athletics, he has held leadership roles at Louisville, Missouri, and Arkansas State while becoming one of the most respected voices in athletic performance and leadership.● Jason Wilfawn is the Director of Strength and Conditioning for the Oxford School District and the 2024 Mississippi High School Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year. With more than 20 years of experience in athletic performance, he has worked across the high school, private sector, and Division I collegiate levels, including stops at the University of Mississippi, the University of Arkansas, and the University of Evansville● Aaron Duvall is the Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Performance at University of Pittsburgh, where he oversees all strength and conditioning and applied sport science operations for the athletic department. In addition to leading Pitt's integrated high-performance model, he directly oversees the training of the women's volleyball program.● Beth Byron is the Chief Science Officer for the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, where she helps guide the organization's scientific and educational initiatives. With nearly two decades of experience in collegiate athletics, she has held strength and conditioning positions at West Virginia University, University of South Florida, The Ohio State University, and The University of Texas at Austin. Matt Jennings is the Assistant Athletics Director for Strength and Conditioning at XavierUniversity, where he oversees strength and conditioning for all 19 varsity athletic programs. A member of the Xavier staff since 2007, Jennings was promoted to his current leadership role in 2021 after helping build and advance the department's performance culture.

Matt Gebert is an Assistant Football Strength & Conditioning Coach at the University of Mississippi. Gebert joined the Ole Miss staff in 2026 after serving a similar position for football at Auburn University for the 2025 season. Prior to that he was an assistant director for football strength & conditioning at the University of Arizona from 2024-2025. Before Arizona Gebert logged stints at Indiana University (2023), Stanford (2020-2022), Florida International (2017-2020) and Purdue (2015-2017). Additionally, he garnered experience as an intern coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the 2014 season, at Columbia University in summer of 2013 and Rutgers University in spring of 2013. Gebert was also a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach on the staff at Minnesota University from 2013-2014. In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Gebert is currently completing his PhD in Sport Science from Liberty University. A former college football player at Western Connecticut State University from 2009-2013, Gebert is an avid lifter and still very active himself in the weight room.  Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Early-career coaches have to learn fast, adapt faster, and still earn trust. Sammi Ryan, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Boston University, shares how seeking golden opportunities led her across the country and into unfamiliar sports. After an early training experience deterred her from the field, Ryan found her way in through graduate experience and a support system she still maintains today. When coaching sports she has not played, Ryan starts with research, trusted peers, and relationships with sport coaches. She stresses that coaches cannot “copy and paste” what worked at a previous stop because every team, athlete, and setting is different. For Ryan, athlete questions are a chance to clarify the plan or change course. She also discusses staff coverage and sport science integration at Boston University. Ryan reflects on helping college athletes grow and develop as humans, not just athletes. Listen to learn how to strengthen your support system, adapt across teams, and guide athletes beyond sport. Connect with Sammi on Instagram: @sammiryann or by email: sryan95@bu.edu | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs Join the NSCA College Coaches Professional Development Group (PDG) to build your network, share ideas, and navigate challenges in college strength and conditioning.Show Notes“I think a lot of times we can kind of get a little narrow focus on the way we're doing things or the way that things are happening at whatever spot we're at. So, I think being able to lean on different support systems, mentors, other people that were in my cohort at my different grad programs to be able to reach out and lean on them and see how are you dealing with this, not just kind of the X's and O's, but maybe dealing with sport coaches or navigating how to train different teams, or working with sport science or just anything that kind of we deal with on the day to day... I think has been a huge one.” 7:10  “I feel like athletes nowadays, especially with the social media climb, they want to know the reason behind everything. So, I think being able to take a step back and [...] making sure I mean everything I program always has a why behind it. And I told my athletes, if they ask me why and I don't have a reason, I'm more than happy to take a step back and change it.” 14:45  “We get kids that are 17/18 years old and then we can take them and see them grow and develop into not just athletes, but grow and develop as humans as well. [...] I think a big part is being part of their life and helping them develop as humans, not just athletes. And to see that development throughout the years is definitely one of my favorite parts about this field.” 19:20 

Sign Up for Collective Membership: https://strengthtc.com/product/collective-membership-subscription/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=video_descScott Leech (URI) on Modern Football S&C Programming: High/Low Weeks, Roster Turnover, Testing, and Contact PrepTim Caron hosts Scott Leech, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at the University of Rhode Island, to discuss practical program design amid the realities of modern college football, including transfers, NIL, and shortened training windows. Leach explains how he assesses athletes' readiness to train, uses position and relative-strength standards, and structures off-season weeks with a flexible high/low approach to manage field demands. He outlines non-negotiables such as max-velocity exposures (90%+), jump testing, and quality strength work, and explains how metric trends guide deloads and expectations across phases. The conversation covers planning from the annual calendar down, evaluating daily sessions and entire off-seasons, integrating game-based conditioning and contact prep, using GPS to validate load, and the need to keep programming evolving rather than becoming static. Leach also shares where to find him and his “Grid Iron Warrior 2.0” resources.00:00 Introduction and Background01:54 Rivalries and High School Memories03:03 Hall of Fame Aspirations03:58 Program Design Philosophy04:40 Challenges in College Football Programming06:51 Assessment and Developmental Programs13:36 Training Structure and Flexibility18:48 Max Effort Training and Metrics22:01 Annual Planning and Adjustments24:07 Evolving Training Models and Challenges29:42 Facing Life's Challenges30:26 Evaluating Training Sessions32:50 Assessing Off-Season Effectiveness34:49 Adapting Training Programs38:06 Maintaining Program Flexibility44:41 Contact Prep and Games52:30 Impact on Wins and Losses

Megan Pierro is in her 3rd year as a Strength & Conditioning Coach with the Tampa Bay Rays organization (seasonal in 2024, full-time in 2025 and 2026). She is originally from Lutz, FL and attended the University of South Florida, where she played 5 seasons as a D1 softball player (2019-2023). She graduated with a B.S. in Biomedical Health Science and a Minor in Nutrition. She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the NSCA and will be playing professional softball this summer for the Florida Breeze in the Professional Softball League (PSL).Topics covered in this episode:-Her softball playing career-Finding success and advice for others-Continuing education resourcesQuotes:-"I think for me as a coach establishing relationships with my players is a very important piece" (0:41)-"Baseball you have to take into consideration that they're playing so many games, and we have to be able to optimize our players to go out there and perform to their greatest potential throughout the whole season" (5:21)-"The best thing I think we can do as coaches is to just be a sponge to the information around us and try to absorb it all" (14:38)If you would like to learn more from Megan, you can connect with her on social media:Instagram:@meganpierro

Mike Joseph is the Assistant Athletics Director and Head Football Strength & Conditioning Coach at West Virginia University, where he has led the Mountaineers' strength and conditioning efforts since 2008. A pioneer in integrating sport science, recovery, nutrition, and performance technology, Joseph oversees athletic performance development across the department with a primary focus on football.Rece Poulin is the Assistant Director of Sports Performance at Merrimack College, where he oversees Men's Ice Hockey, Women's Basketball, and Women's Lacrosse. A former Merrimack graduate fellow, he earned his master's degree in Exercise and Sports Science and was honored with the prestigious Lance Vermeil Award from the CSCCa for his commitment and potential in the strength and conditioning profession.Kristina Jeffries is the Associate Director of Athletic Performance at Penn State University, where she currently oversees Men's and Women's Hockey. Since joining Penn State in 2014, she has worked with multiple programs, including Track & Field and Men's Soccer.Dr. Bill Burghardt is the Director of Sports Science at Michigan State University, where he leads efforts to optimize athlete training, performance, and return-to-sport through the integration of sport science, technology, and data analytics. He previously served as Director of Football Sports Science and spent several years on the Spartans' strength and conditioning staff.Scott Swanson is the Assistant Athletic Director and Director of Strength & Conditioning at United States Military Academy, where he oversees the physical development of more than 1,000 cadet-athletes across 28 varsity sports. Now in his 24th year leading the program, Swanson directs one of the most unique and comprehensive strength and conditioning operations in collegiate athletics.Jordan Nilson joined Auburn University in 2024 and oversees all aspects of strength and conditioning for Auburn's Olympic sports while serving as the primary performance coach for women's tennis. Prior to Auburn, she spent several years at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she worked with gymnastics, women's tennis, and softball while also leading internship education and athlete leadership initiatives.Kelly Powers is the Athletic Director at Saint Ursula Academy. Prior to this she was the Associate Athletic Director for Olympic Sports Performance at University of Cincinnati, where she oversees Olympic sports performance and nutrition while serving as the head strength and conditioning coach for women's basketball and volleyball. Since joining Cincinnati in 2008, she has helped lead the growth of the department's performance and athlete wellness initiatives.

Send us Fan MailThis week on Leave Your Mark, I sit down with Chris Chapman, a veteran Strength & Conditioning Coach, Sport Scientist, educator, and outdoor adventurer whose career has spanned eight Olympic quadrennials, multiple sports, and the rapidly evolving world of performance technology.Chris currently serves as the Lead Strength & Conditioning Coach for Canada's Slopestyle and Big Air Freeski Team, while also working as a Sport Scientist with WHOOP. Over the course of our conversation, we explore a career that has taken him from traditional Olympic sport environments to startup culture, innovation, and entrepreneurship.We discuss:• Growing up with dreams of becoming a fighter pilot, video game tester, and martial artist• How martial arts shaped his approach to coaching and life• The role nature plays in his mental health, creativity, and personal growth• Lessons learned working across eight Olympic cycles• Building trust and buy-in with athletes in high-risk sports such as freestyle skiing• Why context matters more than absolutes in coaching• The transition from high-performance sport to the technology sector• Product development, innovation, and the realities of bringing new ideas to market• Mentorship lessons from legendary Canadian coach Chris Delcin• The importance of humility, kindness, and choosing your battles wisely• Why innovation often struggles inside large organizations• His vision for creating a nature-based training and wellness retreat in Northern OntarioChris is thoughtful, reflective, and deeply passionate about helping people perform at their best. Whether you're a coach, therapist, sport scientist, entrepreneur, or simply someone trying to build a meaningful career, there are lessons in this conversation for you.Enjoy the conversation.If you liked this EP, please take the time to rate and comment, share with a friend, and connect with us on social channels IG @Kingopain, TW @BuiltbyScott, LI+FB Scott Livingston. You can find all things LYM at www.LYMLab.com, download your free Life Lab Starter Kit today and get busy living https://lymlab.com/free-lym-lab-starter/Please take the time to visit and connect with our sponsors, they are an essential part of our success:www.ReconditioningHQ.comwww.FreePainGuide.com 

Joe "Big House" Kenn coached strength in the NFL for nearly a decade. He sits down with Tom Barry for four decades of lessons. From a guard at Wake Forest to leading strength programs at Boise State, Utah, Arizona State, and Louisville, Joe Kenn has built one of the most decorated coaching careers in the NSCA. He created the Tier System, served as head strength and conditioning coach for the Carolina Panthers from 2011 to 2019, and is the only coach to have won both the NSCA Collegiate Strength Coach of the Year and the NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year. He now runs Big House Power and works with elite strongman athletes including Brian Shaw and Tom Evans. In this episode, Joe and Tom dig into how strong is strong enough at the highest levels, how NIL and the transfer portal have rewired strength coaching, how Joe interpreted Louie Simmons rather than copying him, practice-based evidence vs evidence-based practice, why he stopped programming power cleans for three years at Arizona State, peak velocity over average velocity, and why the strength coach often has to be the sacrificial lamb in a team sport setting. TOPICS COVERED 00:00 What the public misunderstands about strength at the top level 05:35 Joe's background: Wake Forest to the Carolina Panthers 10:41 How NIL and the transfer portal changed strength coaching 28:58 No absolutes, and how Joe interpreted Louie Simmons 32:00 Dynamic effort, compensatory acceleration, and peak velocity 36:00 When three quarters of the NFL trained one set to failure 41:00 Lineage, principles, and "absorb, modify, apply" 49:00 The apprenticeship problem: 32,000 grads, 14,000 jobs 1:13:00 Why Joe stopped programming power cleans for three years 1:30:00 Why the strength coach has to be the sacrificial lamb 1:36:00 What Louie Simmons actually contributed to Joe's tier system LEARN THE CONJUGATE METHOD Conjugate Coach Pathway: https://www.westside-barbell.com/products/conjugatecourse Digital Internship (Level 1): https://www.westside-barbell.com/products/digital-internship Conjugate Club: https://www.conjugateclub.com/ CONNECT WITH JOE KENN Instagram: @bighousepower Website: https://bighousepower.com/ FOLLOW WESTSIDE BARBELL: Website: https://www.westside-barbell.com/ Instagram: @westsidebarbellofficial Facebook: @westsidebarbellofficial Twitter: @westsidebarbell Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: Studio Sponsor: Dollamur Sport Surfaces CLMS Conjugate Tactical The Conjugate Club