Zach Walrod: A Deeper Dive Into Physical Education

In this episode of the Keiser Human Performance Podcast, host Gabe sits down with Zach, a strength and conditioning professional who transitioned from collegiate athletics to the high school setting. Zach shares how his career shift was driven by a desire for greater family balance and a deeper impact on young athletes.

The conversation explores how he’s redefining physical education through a “Human Performance” model — focusing on movement quality, speed, strength, and overall wellness rather than traditional weight training. Zach also discusses facility transformation, curriculum redesign, and how tools like Keiser equipment and performance data are helping elevate training experiences for students. The episode highlights the powerful role performance training can play in both athletic development and long-term health.

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Zach great to have you on here with me before we
jump into our conversation today I have to start

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by asking about your cooking skills I've seen
posts on social media of you smoking Meats with

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the green egg tell us what's been inspiring you
recently uh well that really goes back to kind of

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how I was raised so my dad my mom and dad um it
was more of a a rural Farm growing up my dad was

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in the beef industry so our freezer was always
packed full of fresh beef um and given I'm the

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youngest of six kids so it was always my siblings
friends always knew dad was grilling burgers

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grillin steaks you know whatever um whatever the
cut was so that that was what spawned and it was

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always done on the charcoal grill um fast forward
a few years later in life my dad um was gifted a

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green egg from a couple of my other older brothers
and then that started that and so it's just kind

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of like a family tradition if you will um and then
I always had interest in it loved cooking loved

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being outside um and then Co like a lot of things
really kind of sped it up got me more opportunity

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to spend time on YouTube and other networks of
learning and just being inspired so right now

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you know I I say I'm not a I'm not your typical
midwesterner outdoor cook because I don't stop

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even when it's 20 below out we've established a
nice little covered outdoor kitchen area and um it

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just allows me to enough block from the elements
to yet still cook outside and my wife still maybe

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sometimes reluctantly says yes to investing in
more on that area because she knows entually

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it benefits all of us but yeah man that's that's
definitely one of my some people have meditation

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some people have church and all that stuff like
I have cooking outside that's my reset one that's

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amazing it must be pretty good if she's asking
you to keep going love it um so you know excited

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to talk about this topic of physical education
today with you and you've had an impressive career

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working in college athletics and professional
athletes before that before transitioning into

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this High School level what led you to this shift
in this transition into the high school level

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and what has excited you most about working with
younger athletes and students um it starts with my

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wife Cari has always been involved in education
she started her undergrad career pursuing her

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teaching degree um and that's where her and
I cross path and so having her you know lock

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in step with with my strength and conditioning
career she moved a lot initially and she did it

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and she did it with a grin on her face but I knew
that that was really hard on her um she would get

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settled in she's she's really good at what she
does she's connecting with kids and you know

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establishing herself at a year and it was like one
year here we move States move locations one year

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here move again and then a few years later we we
build our own family right we had our first child

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and now we're up to three my oldest is seven um
I have a 7-year-old son named Colt a 5-year-old

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daughter named Remington we call her Remy and
then a a almost three-year-old named Sawyer

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little girl so when my oldest started kindergarten
and I had been at Iowa at that time about 8 and 1

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half years at the University of Iowa and what it
really hit me was that in the end of the year I

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think I could count on one hand how many times
I was able to do a pickup or drop off for my

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kindergartener and that stung man that that really
was like the punch in the gut like man something's

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got to change here so started exploring ideas I
didn't have my teaching degree um it's like okay

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how can we do this this High School thing or even
Junior High I mean I my options were open I wanted

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to stay relevant to strength and conditioning
that's just because that's that's what I've

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done I I am passionate about it and so we found
this program called rapple and it's essentially

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built for people with full-time careers already
that can just kind of expedite a teaching license

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so my last year at Iowa there was a lot of late
nights attending class on Zoom synchronously to

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get this teaching degree program and then there
was about one Saturday a month of one of the

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three regions institutions where I'd have to go
spend an entire day out so University of Northern

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Iowa University of Iowa Iowa State University
so that got my teaching license done then that

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kind of opened a lot of opportunities for me
interviewed for a couple different positions

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had offers found this this one at Prairie there
was just something special here I could tell right

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away um the principal's name at the time it didn't
really strike a cord with me um and then I did a

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little bit of research found out who he was found
out his background primarily about his family and

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at the time his son was a senior defensive end
captain for the University of Iowa football team

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so I knew right away he was going to have passion
for student athletes and it couldn't be you know

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more accurate my initial assessment of him so when
we interviewed he was kind of quiet and then at

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the end of the interview he just like opened up
and I knew that it was going to be a good working

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relationship if we had that opportunity moving
forward he asked me the last question of the day

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you know what would I do here if I had just a
blank slate and um it starts with the room the

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room that they had was really not a bad room and
it was less than 5 years old and it's just about

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8,500 Square ft so a decent Siz room and we had a
cardio cluster we had 35 spin bikes 10 ellipticals

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10 treadmills 10 rowing ergs and an entire
collage of old school universal weight stack

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equipment um and then just adjacent two different
rooms there's a there was a dance studio that the

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dance team did not ever use they had outgrown it
so they practiced in the main gymnasium and then

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we had like our auxiliary gym that rarely gets
used and I said well Mr Evans I would first you

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know I'd blow up that room remove all that cardio
equipment cuz there was Zero movement space it was

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just all equipment and racks so that got us you
know you could tell that the gears were turning

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then he had somebody that was just thinking like
I'm not just going to come in here and plug and

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play if I had the opportunity I would I'm not
just going to Bow because this space is only 5

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years old like it's it's not in my opinion serving
the population for what I think kids of this age

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and generation should be getting EXP OS to so I
rambled on a bit there that about the interview

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and kind of like why I I chose Prairie I know
there was a part two to your question that since

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left me Gabe like kind of uh if you could send
me that one again man I'd appreciate it yeah no

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problem I just I guess what I'm curious about is
what has excited you most about taking that step

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from working with more professional Collegiate
athletes into this younger population of athletes

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and students the excitement is super selfish and
I'm not scared to admit it but it gives me that

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family time back that was super slim previously
and then Additionally the the impact that I've

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realized that I can have four kids that you
know maybe their athletic Endeavors student

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athlete Endeavors are ending after high school or
during high school or maybe I'm teeing them up to

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be even more successful than they might have been
for those that are going to go ahead and pursue

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student athlete opportunities post high school and
then additionally for those that I I have taught

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classes where it's not student athletes at all the
the acknowledgement of the mental health thing if

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you want just for lack of a better word right like
we all know the impact of physical activity on

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that so knowing that I can provide interventions
to to head those things off at the past for kids

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and get them physically active throughout routines
and elements of of their movement that they've

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never been exposed to to stimulate some different
brain chemistry and hopefully improve some mental

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health that's hard to see it's hard to measure
maybe if we get like a long-term study with kids

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as they graduate from here that that'd be super
cool I'd be if you have anybody that could fund

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that that'd be awesome Gabe um but I believe it I
know that long-term wise that that that will have

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an impact so that's I mean that that's that's
exciting for me yeah and can you tell us more

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about your role now at Prairie kind of how it all
works what's your day what does your day-to-day

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look like yeah so I would you know I want to say
I was lucky because I worked for it but I had

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leverage when I interviewed that there was not
going to be very many people in the nation that

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had my strength and conditioning experience and a
teaching LIC you know a secondary teaching license

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so I had some leverage there in the positions
I was interviewing for because it's becoming a

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growing Trend that high schools even here in Iowa
they're they're creating full-time strength and

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conditioning positions I've seen some creative
ways that they're structuring contracts and like

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how their working hours are but one of the things
that I that I laid out when when I interviewed and

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again I had this leverage and as I told the the
interview panel is that I am not interested in

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coaching Sports which is kind of a stretch for PE
teachers like you you sign a PE teaching contract

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it's kind of sometimes assumed that you're going
to coach a sport I said I'm not interested in

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that and I'm not interested in any before and
after school training like you get me Bell a

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bell during the school day and he's like done and
he's honored that from day one so year this is my

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second year winding down year 2 last year was
a little different we didn't have the new space

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the new facility we had what we had which like I
alluded to earlier was not a bad space and I was

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also teaching some other more traditional physical
education classes we call them Lifetime Fitness

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which I described this to people as like if you
see physical education classes portrayed in a

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Hollywood movie that's that's what I was teaching
for part of my like kickball dodgeball like all

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the good stuff I remember my first couple of weeks
of class I took some videos and I actually said

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to like Landon and Bill and I'm like this is
quite a change in one year you know what I'm

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doing um it was just the breath of fresh air um
I was also teaching you know classes around the

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weight room um we called it strength training
we've evolved that throughout like our I've

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worked with our counselors and in our district
office like we've we've written a new program

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of study and I know I'm kind of jumping ahead
to some questions that you have we've Rewritten

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some curriculum we've Rewritten some program of
studies um and along with that came some name

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changes because I thought that the name strength
training was very pigeon hold we do a heck of a

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lot more than barbell and dumbbell training but
it was also a different time last year with our

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class uh class length we had traditional eight
period days last year where we saw each class

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Monday through Friday 40 minutes we also served
them a five minute change out period on the front

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end and the back end of class so that left us
real you know realistically with 30 minutes of

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training every day um however I will say that was
one of the the first times outside of a few small

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populations that I had worked with over the years
that I had that frequency of training with an

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individual so seeing them five times a week like
that's pretty potent to me I I think you can do

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even though it's 30 minute gaps there was a lot
of positives for that however now this year they

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transitioned to a traditional block schedule which
now we have 85 minute classes but my frequency of

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contact is down so depending on the week if you're
on the we call them odd days and even days I if

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you're on an odd Day schedule I'll see you three
times this week twice next week three times twice

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next week so I know some people are familiar with
that I was never familiar with that that was not

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my high school background so there was a lot of
learning about like high school again for me I'd

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been pretty disconnected with that once they came
to where you know previous jobs with Collegiate

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professional like we weren't talking about their
High School experience a whole heck of a lot so my

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day-to- day now right it's that's that transition
from like our our schedule our facility now I

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only teach each with with this new PR program
and study we call it Human Performance we have

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two sections we have human performance one and
Human Performance 2 additionally our high school

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is unique that our building is strictly 10 through
12 we have a ninth grade academy that's physically

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connected to our building but it's um it's a long
long hallway and we've previously never had ninth

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graders integrated within our physical education
department until this spring semester we started

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that yeah and we just we just got approve with
the nth grade principle that she'd like to do

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that again starting in the fall next year I think
that's going to continue to grow it's going to

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get those nth graders acclimated to what they're
going to eventually get as they turn into 10th

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graders so it's almost like kind of year one all
over again in a lot of ways you you mentioned the

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name change from strength training did you change
that to Human Performance is that what you're

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saying correct cool and you think that's had a a
much more positive impact on just how people see

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or view the class yeah I mean to me you can never
undo a first impression and when they're signing

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up for classes if they've never observed the class
of ours or met me or spoken with students who

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have had my class before I didn't want there
to be like this preconceived notion that you

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know I took strength training why are we doing
speed development why are we doing mobility you

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know there's there's a lot of unlearning going on
here with some students that they're just used to

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just kind of your you know show up start stacking
plates on the barbell you know what what you know

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start stacking plates on the leg press and just
going so it's kind of a lot of unlearning in those

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aspects you know even with the kids that we had
in the classes last semester that weren't student

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athletes like I'm still teaching them acceleration
I'm still teaching them change of Direction I'm

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still working on Mobility isolated Mobility work
with them I'm still you know I I I like the motto

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repetition without repetition so I'm going to
teach you how to squat proficiently or hinge

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proficiently with your traditional barbell and
dumbbell external loads but let's do those with

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body weight and let's play with foot stances
let's go heels elevated let's let's go knees

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in like certain I mean because there's certain
movement things that required with activities

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of daily living is you're not going to be in this
perfect biomechanical structured position like you

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better have some some physical tolerance for that
so now of course when we stack on heavy external

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loads I'm going to cue that and Coach that
differently for sure but yeah I I I I appreciate

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that whole repetition without repetition concept
and expose them to various broad movement patterns

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yeah earlier you mentioned when you first got
there all the cardio equipment that you had on

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site and then you talked about getting that weight
room to look and function in a way that it really

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should so what did that should look like what has
that renovation looked like in Year from year 1

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to year two yep um we actually increased our um
our traditional racks and platforms we increased

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the number of those that we had so initially
we had 20 and they were all in a singular line

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which was great for you know uh being able
to scan and Coach efficiently but there's the

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room that we're in is an old renovated cafeteria
and so there's this like one wall that was where

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the the the kitchen Prep Station was so it was
kind of this partial wall and there would be racks

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behind there and those kids tended to you know
kind of get lost in the Bermuda Triangle so I'm

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not able to coach them effectively you know there
was safety concerns so we reconfigured how we had

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our traditional rack and platform set up and that
also opened up this massive movement space when we

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did that that's since become what I refer to with
the kids as as our plyometric area and it's just

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this broad open floor area which also allows us
with with the small footprint that Keiser provides

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where we have our our four functional trainers our
two squat pros and our two chest presses so those

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are all kind of on the exterior of that space
and we have this just big open floor Concept in

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that area and then running the whole length of the
room We R we have 40 yards of turf that's 5 yards

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wide so like today's particular training session
that we have going on we have a speed and power

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sessions we were fortunate too with the investment
of Keiser we we I had familiarity with some pieces

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from VA so we we incorporated some of their timing
Gate Systems and just that that feedback just like

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Keiser provides every repetition provides that
bio feedback to how how much power or how much

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speed how much what was your time on that 10 that
flying 10 whatever the drill is that feedback

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is invaluable for the kids and so we track
that over time so that that Turf area that

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open floor area the newly repositioning area of
our of our traditional rack and platform set up

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I mean we went everything brand new from a
whole new floor new paint job the only thing

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that returned from the old room was kettle bells
and the that still kind of irks my principal he

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goes did you get the new kettle bells ordered yet
he goes I'm tired of looking at the old ones so

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that's where his mind is like he and then in the
interview he he his quote was that I want you to

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give our kids a first class division one snc
experience and I just said I I know what guy

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that's great and it's awesome to have that type of
support from above so that session today is that

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specific to just athletes at Prairie or is that
the general student body as well everyone that

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takes so the like for example this is my prep
period right now but there's actually a class

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going on in there that's being taught by two of
my other PE counterparts and they're running very

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similar training the only thing that we one I
should say one of the major things that that

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we vary away from is any sort of like Olympic
derivatives we don't really spend time teaching

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those components I do teach those components to
the the student athlete classes so and there's

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there's a certain small number of students in
my student athlete classes that are not student

00:18:16.320 --> 00:18:21.640
athletes but we do try to keep those sections
predominantly for our student athletes but you

00:18:21.640 --> 00:18:26.920
run into some Equity issues and those type of
things if you strictly just you know block kids

00:18:26.920 --> 00:18:31.800
out because they're not involved in athletics so
they they are permitted to take the class however

00:18:31.800 --> 00:18:37.480
there are some prerequisites that they have to to
meet and it's mostly kind of just up to my final

00:18:37.480 --> 00:18:42.960
say of signing off on the class roster so having
that power could come with consequences Someday

00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:49.440
I Suppose but I I think with the administration's
support of me and and my trust in them I think we

00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:54.440
got something pretty special cooking here that's
great I'd be curious to hear more about what that

00:18:54.440 --> 00:18:58.160
session is going to look like today I know you're
going to head in here head in there after this so

00:18:58.160 --> 00:19:02.640
can you walk us through maybe what that session
actually looks like from x's and O standpoint sure

00:19:02.640 --> 00:19:12.880
so we have we capped our sizes our class sizes to
72 students so my classes are co-taught I have um

00:19:12.880 --> 00:19:18.880
a co-taught teacher so Jeremy Rickson and Lynette
stline they have been longtime PE teachers here

00:19:18.880 --> 00:19:25.600
they're also former Varsity High School varsity
coaches Lynette was a super successful volleyball

00:19:25.600 --> 00:19:31.440
coach here for many many years um Jeremy Rickards
was the head varsity basketball coach here for

00:19:31.440 --> 00:19:36.680
several years he coached two NBA draft picks that
eventually went on to Iowa the Chris and Keegan

00:19:36.680 --> 00:19:43.880
Murray twins so whenever I came in having them
the experience of the education background and but

00:19:43.880 --> 00:19:51.800
yet the open-mindedness to basically just let me
run with it and I always share to people that are

00:19:51.800 --> 00:19:57.440
I'm I'm sharing my experience with they I was the
intern coordinator for many years at Iowa so with

00:19:57.440 --> 00:20:02.320
that right like you you get get exposed to a lot
of different interns some higher level some medium

00:20:02.320 --> 00:20:07.040
level some super low level but all you know the
idea is to progress them all Jeremy and Lynette

00:20:07.040 --> 00:20:13.320
are like my most advanced interns I've ever had
and and I say that like I put a lot of weight in

00:20:13.320 --> 00:20:19.320
that CU I know that if I have to step away for a
day to be home with a sick child that session is

00:20:19.320 --> 00:20:25.160
getting ran just as effectively as if I was there
so back to your question right like could you

00:20:25.160 --> 00:20:29.640
repeat that question for me G yeah no problem uh
you're heading into that session right after this

00:20:29.640 --> 00:20:34.680
right to teach I'm just curious what that actually
looks like from start to end so 72 students we

00:20:34.680 --> 00:20:39.840
had to cap class sizes that was the you know we
had a waiting list for enrollment um so I think

00:20:39.840 --> 00:20:47.400
that that's a positive too um so heading into that
class I I bring up the class sizes because I knew

00:20:47.400 --> 00:20:53.920
the value of Keiser specifically the resistance
training pieces um with all um you know like from

00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:58.600
the squat Pros the leg presses you know all the
lines that you have I had experience with those

00:20:59.800 --> 00:21:08.360
I knew the value of the shallowness of the
learning curve to be able to get in set

00:21:08.360 --> 00:21:15.080
your resistance and go and not only that but the
shallowness of the learning curve with the return

00:21:15.080 --> 00:21:21.360
on the investment of the potency of the stimulus
to me that was just a no-brainer we have to invest

00:21:21.360 --> 00:21:31.400
in Keiser um so with 72 kids and two squat Pros
how do we do that um took some creativity it took

00:21:31.400 --> 00:21:37.960
okay what training qualities mesh I learned a
lot from track and field in my career I never

00:21:37.960 --> 00:21:42.920
worked with track and field you know as a direct
support staff member but my influences are heavily

00:21:42.920 --> 00:21:48.520
rooted there with your Charlie francis's and
your bu eator of the world Derek Hansen so I

00:21:48.520 --> 00:21:54.240
I mentioned that because it's one of BU eator
famous lines is beer and ice cream they're both

00:21:54.240 --> 00:22:01.160
great independently but don't go well together so
something like heavy aerobic quality stimulus that

00:22:01.160 --> 00:22:07.160
you want to train with a speed and power component
those don't go together within the train train the

00:22:07.160 --> 00:22:12.160
same training session like we all know that so it
was just finding things that I could bring with

00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:18.360
only having two squat Pros how can I get 72 kids
on those within a training session and not just

00:22:18.360 --> 00:22:24.960
have a long line of kids that need to be moving
there needs to be some structure but yet I don't

00:22:24.960 --> 00:22:29.560
want to take away from that stimulus so what that
looks like today if if you were to walk in there

00:22:29.560 --> 00:22:34.080
we have an extensive warm-up which many of them
were not used to that they were used to a 5 minute

00:22:34.080 --> 00:22:39.720
stand around casual knee hugs chatting with their
neighbors like we we have a standardized warmup

00:22:39.720 --> 00:22:44.760
that we do three stations we have our like today
we have the the smart speed gate set up on the

00:22:44.760 --> 00:22:52.960
turf so we have two lanes of those um so there's
about 20 to 25 kids ripping flying tents they hit

00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:57.800
their rep they get their feedback on their time
right away all they have to do is record their

00:22:57.800 --> 00:23:04.040
best time um for the day on that so we hit that
station for about 8 minutes while that station is

00:23:04.040 --> 00:23:11.360
going on we have about 25 kids on the squat Pros
within that 8 minutes they're they've gotten very

00:23:11.360 --> 00:23:16.520
efficient take some reminding pretty much daily
with with regards to like hey that platform can't

00:23:16.520 --> 00:23:21.520
be empty for more than 5 seconds I need a new
person up clear the data on the interface set your

00:23:21.520 --> 00:23:28.520
load go so I can get about 25 kids on two squat
Pros in 8 minutes I can get about five sets of

00:23:28.520 --> 00:23:35.640
three on that and I have them record their their
kpr on that for the day so that is the the second

00:23:35.640 --> 00:23:40.520
station so then it was like kind of scratching my
head like what I need a third station that doesn't

00:23:40.520 --> 00:23:47.080
take away from that speed and power element so
then it's I call it fluff but it does serve a

00:23:47.080 --> 00:23:53.320
purpose right so like today for example and these
things change probably more regularly than like

00:23:53.320 --> 00:23:58.440
my my big stimulus that I'm providing them but
we like we're doing some Barefoot rope walking

00:23:58.440 --> 00:24:04.520
we're doing some some sort of cord work right like
today they're doing a prone plank kettle bell pull

00:24:04.520 --> 00:24:10.960
through um so 8 minutes and there's we have a an
audio going for them where the bell rings every

00:24:10.960 --> 00:24:16.920
minute on the minute they do a trip down the rope
and a set of pull throughs so something that's

00:24:16.920 --> 00:24:22.960
structured doesn't require a lot of coaching
oversight like you know cuz I'm my main attentions

00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:28.760
are spent on the flying tens and the squat Pros
during that time so we go 8 minutes per s and then

00:24:28.760 --> 00:24:35.760
we rotate so that's 25 minutes of our class right
there after about a 30 minute warmup movement

00:24:35.760 --> 00:24:42.240
prep routine that's the meat and potatoes of like
today's particular training session and how we're

00:24:42.240 --> 00:24:49.480
able to integrate only two squat Pros with 72 kids
in a class it's working but I'm hopeful in may

00:24:49.480 --> 00:24:54.880
like I alluded to earlier that we can expand on
that so that maybe we don't have to be as creative

00:24:54.880 --> 00:25:00.120
with our integration that's great thanks for the
break down you you mentioned this speed and power

00:25:00.120 --> 00:25:05.000
day and also this block schedule that you're now
working with so are these other days dedicated

00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:11.680
to other qualities then like how do you break
down your week to week schedule yep so we have a

00:25:11.680 --> 00:25:18.560
three-day like our template that we kind of start
from is a 3-day template one day is pretty much a

00:25:18.560 --> 00:25:27.200
Max Force quality day where it's going to be our
our heavy static lifts our heavy squats presses

00:25:27.200 --> 00:25:34.520
pulls those type of of things so just High Force
low velocity type movements that is one day the

00:25:34.520 --> 00:25:42.840
other day is our is our speed and power day and
then the third day is um pretty much for lack of a

00:25:42.840 --> 00:25:48.920
better term an upper body day that's whenever you
know the kids love the bench press of course you

00:25:48.920 --> 00:25:53.520
know like I'm not a bench press hater I probably
don't love it as much as they do so that's

00:25:53.520 --> 00:25:58.240
that's the Genesis of our they're going they're
going through that phase of their life no doubt

00:25:59.720 --> 00:26:04.040
so question for you how do you you know
at this level how do you measure success

00:26:04.040 --> 00:26:08.640
in this physical education course what does
progress look like to you just beyond athletic

00:26:08.640 --> 00:26:18.720
ability uh I think about that just like in a a
day or a session it's cliche I get it but the

00:26:18.720 --> 00:26:24.880
older I get the less I'm I'm ashamed to admit
it do the kids leave my class with a smile on

00:26:24.880 --> 00:26:30.560
their face I'm going to measure success with that
now they might have just got their their tail end

00:26:30.560 --> 00:26:34.880
handed to them like with a hard session but again
goes back to that mental health piece and we know

00:26:34.880 --> 00:26:40.640
like the the brain chemistry that occurs with
physical activity and they're leaving exhausted

00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:45.960
but smiling like I'm going to measure success
there of course we we can talk about wins and

00:26:45.960 --> 00:26:52.040
losses but then we can talk about the mile long
list of other variables that go into that aside

00:26:52.040 --> 00:26:57.320
from the integration of of me as a support staff
member and I would say that would be even harder

00:26:57.320 --> 00:27:03.000
to do in this this High School setting versus you
know previous jobs that I've had because I I am I

00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:09.080
am not as integrated here with sport coaching
staffs as I once was with regards to marrying

00:27:09.080 --> 00:27:14.240
up what's going on with today's track practice
with what's going on in the weight room versus

00:27:14.240 --> 00:27:19.600
like that's a that was a no-brainer right at other
jobs like you you went to weekly staff meetings

00:27:19.600 --> 00:27:27.720
sometimes multiple times a week integrating with
that I still make attempts to do that but it's

00:27:27.720 --> 00:27:31.920
also working work with high school sport coaches
you know not not as experienced they they don't

00:27:31.920 --> 00:27:36.880
have that experience that the coaches I've worked
with previously have had so thankfully they've

00:27:36.880 --> 00:27:42.880
just entrusted a lot with me um and even some have
allowed me to kind of guide some some training for

00:27:42.880 --> 00:27:48.640
their Sports specific practice now I'm not like
writing a coaching cues for you know the softball

00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:53.200
swing or anything like that but they're allowing
me to give some general suggestions with volumes

00:27:53.200 --> 00:27:57.640
and intensities throughout their Sports practice
training so it is occurring I don't want to make

00:27:57.640 --> 00:28:03.080
it sound like I'm just living in my own little
cocoon here and just tearing kids apart and then

00:28:03.080 --> 00:28:10.880
just have fun at your sport practice so that
that is occurring just I would say maybe not

00:28:10.880 --> 00:28:18.560
as deep as it once was um again I'm sorry I get
the rambling gab B and I lose track it's all good

00:28:18.560 --> 00:28:23.560
how much of your curriculum is dedicated towards
like classroom and and learning about certain

00:28:23.560 --> 00:28:28.120
training qualities and about human performance
versus being on the floor actually working out

00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:36.920
I'm working on uh balancing more of that my goal
at the start of this year relative to last year

00:28:36.920 --> 00:28:43.360
after some reflection was like giving them more
of the why so I I've been actively trying to to

00:28:43.360 --> 00:28:47.400
provide more of that with students whether
it's just through cold call methods after

00:28:47.400 --> 00:28:55.160
I know something's been cued to them through
various Pathways of queuing whether they had

00:28:55.160 --> 00:29:01.520
visual verbal peer-to-peer teacher to here all
those type of things so when we do like exercise

00:29:01.520 --> 00:29:05.880
progressions early in the semester where we're
just stripping down basic movement patterns of

00:29:05.880 --> 00:29:12.680
like how does foot pressure feel and look when
you're squatting how does neutral spine look and

00:29:12.680 --> 00:29:19.920
feel so I have them you know I the whole I do you
do we do kind of thing I have them do peer-to-peer

00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:27.000
critique and not only am I you know observing
the the Mover but I'm observing the feedback of

00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:35.320
the peer that's giving to the Mover if they are
sitting there and um tolerating uh a flexed spine

00:29:35.320 --> 00:29:40.880
when we're doing a SWAT progression like I'm going
to provide probably just as much feedback to The

00:29:40.880 --> 00:29:47.440
Observer than I am the actual lifter cuz I I mean
I'm I'm trying to promote like hey there's 72 of

00:29:47.440 --> 00:29:55.720
you there's two of us teachers um that ratio is
is not in favor for you so we got to empower you

00:29:55.720 --> 00:30:02.040
to be a better Coach um so that that's my Approach
for that is to empower the kids at a younger age

00:30:02.040 --> 00:30:06.360
and then like like I said earlier those that are
going to maybe go on and maybe be in a Collegiate

00:30:06.360 --> 00:30:11.560
weight room in a in a year or more I want their
strength coach or wherever they end up like I

00:30:11.560 --> 00:30:18.240
want them to know that they have an additional
assistant strength coach on the floor yeah

00:30:18.240 --> 00:30:22.560
absolutely and and knowing that you're in year
two of what you're trying to build the curriculum

00:30:22.560 --> 00:30:27.960
you're trying to build the culture you're trying
to build what do you think year five looks like

00:30:31.760 --> 00:30:38.880
yeah I we're going to have a trophy case that's
needs some we need more trophy case sizes I'm

00:30:38.880 --> 00:30:43.720
going to lead off with that I studied psychology
through grad school and there there's always a

00:30:43.720 --> 00:30:52.200
balance about ex extrinsic goals and intrinsic
goals and I think a lot of mainstream if you you

00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:57.160
know people that read in and follow those type
of things maybe on social media it's been so

00:30:57.160 --> 00:31:03.440
heavily you know focused on intrinsic the process
the process the process yes absolutely but you

00:31:03.440 --> 00:31:09.880
cannot neglect the extrinsic okay everyone's
going to be happy when you know the the whole

00:31:09.880 --> 00:31:14.800
phrase of of winning cures everything like
that's ultimately what we're here to do okay

00:31:14.800 --> 00:31:19.080
but year five I'm going to lead off with that
right like we're going to have a need for a

00:31:19.080 --> 00:31:25.120
bigger trophy case my principal's Gung Hall
on on being the the first high the first 4A

00:31:25.120 --> 00:31:31.200
school on this side of the state to bring home
a football trophy that area is kind of dominated

00:31:31.200 --> 00:31:38.440
by the deine metro area so we're going to start
with that secondly I I would hope that our kids

00:31:38.440 --> 00:31:42.880
are are better coaches amongst each other on the
floor like we were just talking about right now

00:31:42.880 --> 00:31:47.360
I think there's still there's still a lot of
unlearning going on about previous processes

00:31:47.360 --> 00:31:52.120
that they were been acclimated to I would hope
that there's less you know one of the friction

00:31:52.120 --> 00:31:57.880
points I would say that goes on I would say
any High School deals with this I I've spoke

00:31:57.880 --> 00:32:04.600
working with peers is the seeking out external
private personal trainers and not not because

00:32:04.600 --> 00:32:10.120
I think that there's they're all bad it's just
I tell students that I that I hear about that

00:32:10.120 --> 00:32:15.960
are going to a a gym downtown over the weekend
or extra days that we don't have class pick one

00:32:15.960 --> 00:32:21.640
or the other like if you're trying to do both your
your adaptations are not going to occur you're not

00:32:21.640 --> 00:32:28.040
going to get the results that you wanted to get
so I would hope by year five that we have a a more

00:32:28.040 --> 00:32:32.400
of a community there and I know that there's
always going to be some elitist in the high

00:32:32.400 --> 00:32:39.000
school maybe led by parents that they think that
what they're getting here for free can't be good

00:32:39.000 --> 00:32:42.720
because it's free they know that they're going
to get the best if they go pay for that hey I'm

00:32:42.720 --> 00:32:47.160
happy to take your money on the side too if that
makes you feel better um so I would hope that we

00:32:47.160 --> 00:32:51.960
continue to knock those walls down within the
community and you know again I'm not here to

00:32:51.960 --> 00:32:55.640
put out put people out of business that are
in the community on the personal training and

00:32:55.640 --> 00:33:00.480
working with you student athletes and those type
of things but I would like to see more of a an

00:33:00.480 --> 00:33:05.920
understanding of the drive adaptation I need
specific stimulus during a specific time and

00:33:05.920 --> 00:33:12.680
I need recovery that recovery concept right now
on year 2 we're not not there yet by year five

00:33:12.680 --> 00:33:18.040
I would like to have a greater appreciation for
that recovery concept that's great so I have next

00:33:18.040 --> 00:33:22.560
question I have is more of a two-part question I'm
just going to start with the first part so what's

00:33:22.560 --> 00:33:29.960
something that you took with you to Prairie
High School from Iowa concept methodologies

00:33:29.960 --> 00:33:38.880
principles the principle overload like that I mean
I've taken that with me from day one as an intern

00:33:38.880 --> 00:33:45.320
the principle of overload is to me the number
one driver okay I don't care if we're trying to

00:33:45.320 --> 00:33:50.920
develop aerobic qualities or Max Force qualities
or reactive strength qualities like you have to

00:33:50.920 --> 00:33:57.720
overload the system to drive adaptation um so
that would be one like I guess training specific

00:33:58.800 --> 00:34:05.040
answer more of like the soft skill standpoint
I would say just the relationships relationship

00:34:05.040 --> 00:34:09.280
with with the students the kids the coaches other
teachers in the building I'm sure there's a lot

00:34:09.280 --> 00:34:14.520
of conversations behind closed doors when I'm
not around about this new guy comes in on year

00:34:14.520 --> 00:34:19.520
one and gets to completely renovate the room and
I'm scratching tooth and nail to get new grease

00:34:19.520 --> 00:34:23.520
board markers you know I'm sure there's some math
and science and English teachers may be a little

00:34:23.520 --> 00:34:28.360
bitter about that the other thing too is that
their access to the weight room got ax right away

00:34:28.360 --> 00:34:35.160
that was the principal's idea I fully supported
it but there was just a lot of misuse at times so

00:34:35.160 --> 00:34:40.600
relationships are going to drive everything that
you know that again cliche not scared to admit

00:34:40.600 --> 00:34:45.280
it but they don't know or they don't care what
you know until they care until they realize how

00:34:45.280 --> 00:34:51.400
much you care couldn't ring further from the truth
that principle of overload and then also too like

00:34:51.400 --> 00:34:56.360
having 72 students in a single class and I know
that I have representation from everything from

00:34:56.360 --> 00:35:04.160
cross country to American football to soccer to
baseball is that principal specificity now that

00:35:04.160 --> 00:35:13.400
one's probably the one I'm uh I've had to kind
of detach a little bit more so than I than I ever

00:35:13.400 --> 00:35:18.360
did at previous jobs but I also I don't feel that
bad about it just given the biological age of of

00:35:18.360 --> 00:35:24.040
the group that I'm with now I think this Global
movement qualities and how we move whether it's

00:35:24.040 --> 00:35:30.840
moving with you know High rate of speed or low
rate of speed higher rate of force I think there's

00:35:30.840 --> 00:35:36.640
value for a 15-year-old cross country Runner
learning to move with high Force low you know

00:35:36.640 --> 00:35:42.560
low velocity with a you know something that's
less specific as they got onto a power four

00:35:42.560 --> 00:35:48.320
institution like I was at at Iowa like I'm going
to be driving more sport specific training with

00:35:48.320 --> 00:35:52.640
regards to movement you know how those movements
occurs The Joint angles the velocities at which

00:35:52.640 --> 00:35:58.160
they're moving through those joint angles those
type of things but here I'm a little bit more

00:35:58.160 --> 00:36:03.760
removed from that just given the class sizes and
the representations within those but like I said

00:36:03.760 --> 00:36:08.040
I also don't feel super bad about it just given
the biological age and I know one of the questions

00:36:08.040 --> 00:36:13.920
you you had sent me earlier Gabe was the concept
A free play and that Global movement idea like I

00:36:13.920 --> 00:36:21.520
I think that there's value for them to learning to
move in all of those Scopes early on because just

00:36:21.520 --> 00:36:27.920
because you run cross country now you may turn
into a a midfielder on the soccer pitch 4 years

00:36:27.920 --> 00:36:32.040
from now you might be playing division one soccer
there so you better have some power speed giddy

00:36:32.040 --> 00:36:38.640
up to you when you get there as well yeah and the
second part of the question if you were to return

00:36:38.640 --> 00:36:44.200
to Iowa or College athletics what's something that
you would bring from Prairie High School back into

00:36:44.200 --> 00:36:51.640
that that you don't have to have the resources to
make an impact they certainly make it easier it's

00:36:51.640 --> 00:36:58.480
certainly nice like again like I I alluded about a
lot of the positives from Keiser and there's many

00:36:58.480 --> 00:37:03.040
more but just that that bio feedback of every rep
there's accountability same thing with our timing

00:37:03.040 --> 00:37:08.480
Gates every rep there's accountability there's
ways to create that accountability without those

00:37:08.480 --> 00:37:15.560
resources um so taking that back in and especially
with today's era of Collegian Athletics and this

00:37:15.560 --> 00:37:20.280
was outside of the family time that I gained back
I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I can

00:37:20.280 --> 00:37:26.800
read read Futures but at the time that I was
starting to think about that transition nil

00:37:26.800 --> 00:37:31.520
and those type of things things were were really
starting to change the landscape and given that

00:37:31.520 --> 00:37:36.720
I was an Olympic sport staff member let's be
real those are going to be the first if the if

00:37:36.720 --> 00:37:42.200
the dominoes start to fall it's not going to be
football it's not going to be basketball which I

00:37:42.200 --> 00:37:46.720
didn't work with um it's probably going to be
the sports I was working with or the support

00:37:46.720 --> 00:37:51.760
you know the support staff members associated
with them so I would say hey I can provide value

00:37:51.760 --> 00:37:57.440
without bleeding out you know we need more
weight room funding or those type of things

00:37:58.960 --> 00:38:02.640
yeah thanks I appreciate that and you know you've
seen a lot you got your teaching license you've

00:38:02.640 --> 00:38:08.120
had countless hours of teaching observations you
know been there for two years as you think about

00:38:08.120 --> 00:38:17.000
physical education Nationwide is there anything
that you would change or emphasize more so public

00:38:17.000 --> 00:38:23.720
education has what you call Teaching Standards and
those are every content area has those right like

00:38:23.720 --> 00:38:27.960
if you're teaching math there's math standards
that you must meet to move from from 9th grade

00:38:27.960 --> 00:38:33.320
to 10th grade and so on and one thing that I
so our you know like strength and conditioning

00:38:33.320 --> 00:38:38.800
right like we have our there's whatever you
subscribe to as the governing body whether it's

00:38:38.800 --> 00:38:45.880
the NCA or the ccca whatever there's there's a an
organization within secondary physical education

00:38:45.880 --> 00:38:50.200
called shape and it's an acronym don't ask me
to recite the acronym of it's It's called The

00:38:50.200 --> 00:38:55.280
Shape organization and the one thing I remember
when I was first learning about that is there's

00:38:55.280 --> 00:38:59.320
they just rewrote standards that are going
to be new for next year however when you read

00:38:59.320 --> 00:39:04.080
them they're not that much different than maybe
just a few different word smithing but there's

00:39:04.080 --> 00:39:10.080
five standards and every standard starts with
the following the physical literate individual

00:39:10.080 --> 00:39:16.160
will be able to and when I think about physical
literacy first of all I think about I want to

00:39:16.160 --> 00:39:22.240
say that term was really kind of at least with
people I read and learn from physical literacy

00:39:22.240 --> 00:39:28.520
was a term that I remember learning early on from
Vern gambetta and to me physical literacy is just

00:39:28.520 --> 00:39:34.400
like I mean I never heard that term until I heard
Vern say it and you know if you're literate you

00:39:34.400 --> 00:39:40.280
can read and write well if you're physically
literate you're diverse and you know you should

00:39:40.280 --> 00:39:45.480
have seen Gabe the first time I asked these high
school students here to within our warmup to do a

00:39:45.480 --> 00:39:51.240
Ford somersault roll yeah like their mind was
like are you kidding me I mean I saw it with

00:39:51.240 --> 00:39:56.880
basketball I work with college basketball I saw
the same thing even at that level so yeah right

00:39:56.880 --> 00:40:00.920
like an and I remember even that at Iowa asking
like you know some of the student athletes I was

00:40:00.920 --> 00:40:08.600
working with as I was starting to incorporate
like during like a gpp block of training just

00:40:08.600 --> 00:40:15.080
very remedial tumbling type movements I'm like
y'all are not that old like the fact that your

00:40:15.080 --> 00:40:24.000
PE curriculum didn't incorporate somersaults and
cartwheels a little bit just a little bit you know

00:40:24.000 --> 00:40:29.840
like you didn't have to be a gymnastics licensed
coach like maybe maybe you needed some mat areas

00:40:29.840 --> 00:40:35.600
and whatnot but yeah their heads about exploded
when I started to incorporate that within their

00:40:35.600 --> 00:40:41.080
training and again goes back to how do I measure
success there was a lot of complaining and moaning

00:40:41.080 --> 00:40:44.960
but the moment that they got up to their feet
from doing their first set of forward rolls or

00:40:44.960 --> 00:40:50.280
cartwheels dude the smiles on their faces cuz like
one they realized like right how ridiculous they

00:40:50.280 --> 00:40:55.600
just looked or they smiled because like oh man
I can actually do that you know like that I'm

00:40:55.600 --> 00:41:01.920
like yeah the the this is not like I'm asking you
to solve a math board like like what's his name

00:41:01.920 --> 00:41:07.480
did on Goodwill Hunting you know like it's some
pretty basic physically literate things that you

00:41:07.480 --> 00:41:14.560
know yeah I might be pulling a fish out of water
here initially but once you do it you realize the

00:41:14.560 --> 00:41:20.000
the global movement abilities that you have that
you're not on a day-to-day rehearsing so a lot

00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:25.400
of value for that in me and I don't care how
specialized you are within training if I was

00:41:25.400 --> 00:41:31.760
working with an NBA player right now I would still
want them to do some very basic remedial things it

00:41:31.760 --> 00:41:39.160
has a to me a great return on investment with
low risk of training injury yeah gety up yeah

00:41:39.160 --> 00:41:44.680
I know Vern and Randy Huntington are definitely in
that camp of whatever you want to call it literacy

00:41:44.680 --> 00:41:50.760
movement Library seeing seeing performance
and shapes you know they've talked a lot about

00:41:50.760 --> 00:41:57.360
that which I think is really awesome and great to
learn from so what do your Summers look like yeah

00:41:57.360 --> 00:42:03.960
man that was H last summer was awesome so I I
come in I provide three days a week of training

00:42:03.960 --> 00:42:11.800
for all Prairie students I've run basically four
four different groups three days a week um I'm we

00:42:11.800 --> 00:42:18.920
start at about seven I think we start at 7:00
a.m. and I'm out the door by noon um one thing

00:42:18.920 --> 00:42:25.160
that I think is pretty special here for me is
is the high school football the head coach has

00:42:25.160 --> 00:42:29.720
entrusted me and I know that that's not the case
at a lot of high schools I think there's a lot

00:42:29.720 --> 00:42:35.000
of high school I know that there's a lot of high
schools that have very well equipped professionals

00:42:35.000 --> 00:42:40.360
like myself but yet the the high school football
coach still runs the football training so within

00:42:40.360 --> 00:42:45.800
those four sessions two of them are actually
football only and then the other two are just

00:42:45.800 --> 00:42:50.720
like our Olympic sport you know that's kind of
how we split it so Summers right 3 days a week

00:42:50.720 --> 00:42:57.120
I'm here rocking in the mornings with those kiddos
and then I'm either getting the smoker fired up or

00:42:57.960 --> 00:43:04.480
teeing off on whole one at at some local track
um it's AED me to get a lot of golf in I like

00:43:04.480 --> 00:43:11.840
many during Co like got bit by the golf bug yeah
so that's I get a lot more midday lunches with my

00:43:11.840 --> 00:43:16.800
wife and and the kids and those type of things
so that's the summer is when you think about a

00:43:16.800 --> 00:43:21.360
teacher doing doing their life in the summer
that's what I'm doing man all right stand on

00:43:21.360 --> 00:43:26.080
that topic for a second then what's one part of
your game that you feel really good about and

00:43:26.080 --> 00:43:33.400
what's one part of your game that that needs a lot
of work really good about t- shots going straight

00:43:33.400 --> 00:43:38.480
okay they might with that even with my driver
that I'd spent too much money on they might not be

00:43:38.480 --> 00:43:45.240
exceeding much past 240 yards but they're straight
like dude I need to be touching the ball at least

00:43:45.240 --> 00:43:50.920
275 like to be respectable like cuz I'm I'm not
in the Senior League quite yet so we're going

00:43:50.920 --> 00:43:55.760
straight off the tea the other thing that that
I'm pretty dialed in on is putting the part that's

00:43:55.760 --> 00:44:04.440
sketched out the most is anything that's I would
say 120 to 180 out like we're spraying that big

00:44:04.440 --> 00:44:12.080
you and me both we're thinning it we're fat in it
it's hard to say you and me both no doubt so going

00:44:12.080 --> 00:44:16.080
back to this uh strength conditioning Approach at
the high school what's one piece of advice you'd

00:44:16.080 --> 00:44:20.240
give to other schools or professionals looking
to improve their strength conditioning program

00:44:20.240 --> 00:44:23.600
maybe there's somebody listening here that's
in charge of a high school program wondering

00:44:23.600 --> 00:44:27.040
how they can make one practical change to
improve their operations in their program

00:44:28.280 --> 00:44:33.920
unification unification again that and there's
still I know some conversations that I'm

00:44:33.920 --> 00:44:39.320
continuing to have with some sport coaches about
like their concern about why their track athletes

00:44:39.320 --> 00:44:44.960
are lifting next to baseball athletes and I
would say like let's have an appreciation for

00:44:44.960 --> 00:44:52.680
the physical qualities that we all have in common
which many of them aren't even aware of versus

00:44:52.680 --> 00:44:58.600
the differences are there differences absolutely
but let's let's open the conversation first and

00:44:58.600 --> 00:45:04.760
that this creates that unification about what are
the the more of the movement commonalities such

00:45:04.760 --> 00:45:10.680
as something as simple as Sir Isaac Newton's you
know laws of force like I put force in the ground

00:45:10.680 --> 00:45:16.520
it puts Force back like I don't care if we're
talking like our palms group dance like they're

00:45:16.520 --> 00:45:22.440
dealing with that force of nature so is your track
athlete so is our baseball athlete whatever the

00:45:22.440 --> 00:45:26.960
case is so you know that that list could go
on and on and on so I think it's giving them

00:45:29.360 --> 00:45:33.440
the understanding of more of the commonalities
that we all have in common when it comes to

00:45:33.440 --> 00:45:38.080
training than the making sure we're getting our
rotational work in because we're we're baseball

00:45:38.080 --> 00:45:45.920
athletes yeah so that that would be my starting
point because if you can get that barrier kind

00:45:45.920 --> 00:45:53.680
of broken through early on that that assures that
the sport coaches are bought in with your strength

00:45:53.680 --> 00:45:59.160
and conditioning professional and they're sending
a message to the kids when they see them on the

00:45:59.160 --> 00:46:06.840
road at competitions and and at home at practices
and um just targeting that that common vernacular

00:46:06.840 --> 00:46:13.280
that common language and really being bought into
the entire system versus I know in years past here

00:46:13.280 --> 00:46:19.320
it was sport coaches saying Hey I want you all
to go spend money at this gym downtown because

00:46:19.320 --> 00:46:25.400
this person is Sport specific X Y or Z and then
you'd have a conflicting message from another

00:46:25.400 --> 00:46:32.480
sport coach well the problem with that is is that
Theo many of these kids are multiport athletes so

00:46:32.480 --> 00:46:37.120
they're getting mixed messages right there in
and of itself um and again going back to what

00:46:37.120 --> 00:46:42.640
I was talking about earlier with regards to more
commonalities and differences is that given that

00:46:42.640 --> 00:46:49.760
we I could I could mathematically and objectively
tell you this answer and the fact that I can't

00:46:49.760 --> 00:46:54.840
right now is kind of bugging me but I'll figure it
out and text it to you later Gabe um the percent

00:46:54.840 --> 00:47:00.120
of our total kids that we see on a daily basis
how many of them are multiport athletes It is Well

00:47:00.120 --> 00:47:09.480
north of 85% yeah that's great and and they're
involved with sports that are quite different you

00:47:09.480 --> 00:47:14.360
know with regards to the specialization and the
specificity of how they move within the context

00:47:14.360 --> 00:47:21.520
of their sport so to me that just means that
the training should even be more General yeah

00:47:21.520 --> 00:47:27.040
training is general you know like training is
general like the reality is the weight room is

00:47:27.040 --> 00:47:32.200
General I started you can you can have specificity
but the reality is that specificity is still

00:47:32.200 --> 00:47:39.280
General 100% you know and that's where when I was
the intern coordinator at Iowa we had a curriculum

00:47:39.280 --> 00:47:44.960
that we put them through and and there was we
had trimmed it down over the years and kind of

00:47:44.960 --> 00:47:50.040
trimmed a lot of fat and just got to the meat and
potatoes of things and and one of the curriculums

00:47:50.040 --> 00:47:57.200
that we give them was on bonder truck's exercise
pyramid and just understanding that like hey

00:47:57.200 --> 00:48:03.360
you can maybe argue a little bit that we go
up a little bit to some SP a little bit sure

00:48:03.360 --> 00:48:13.200
but we're gpe 95% of the time and yeah let's
own that you know like that's that's what we

00:48:13.200 --> 00:48:20.160
do and that that's not like a downgrading on
what we do right that's just let things can

00:48:20.160 --> 00:48:27.000
flow up that pyramid if they're done correctly
but if you try to get too special too early um

00:48:27.000 --> 00:48:33.520
things are not going to transfer and then once
they're more developed they're 21 22 years old

00:48:33.520 --> 00:48:41.200
and they're winning Big 10 titles and whatnot yes
there is less transfer from gpe but that doesn't

00:48:41.200 --> 00:48:46.960
mean they still don't to get exposed to those
qualities just maybe not the volume the frequency

00:48:46.960 --> 00:48:53.560
yeah so earlier you mentioned your kids uh Colt
Remy Sawyer and so are any of them athletes right

00:48:53.560 --> 00:49:01.080
now are them involved in sport yeah so we just
finished um so my seven-year-old Colt he last

00:49:01.080 --> 00:49:11.600
weekend he had State wrestling um he he's like
all like all good I wins do yeah right um he's

00:49:11.600 --> 00:49:19.880
he's he's he's he's okay I'll just say at that uh
he he has shown that he really likes the sport of

00:49:19.880 --> 00:49:25.880
wrestling um however much influence he may may or
may not have gotten from me I mean wrestling was

00:49:25.880 --> 00:49:32.160
my ticket through college College um my wife's
ticket through college was softball so we just

00:49:32.160 --> 00:49:37.360
ended wrestl State wrestling tournament last
weekend and he just started baseball practice last

00:49:37.360 --> 00:49:45.240
night so he's got that going my middle child she
has only sport she's done has been uh Sports I I

00:49:45.240 --> 00:49:52.400
will say is she's been doing some dance and soccer
um I think she's starting to get a little bit of

00:49:52.400 --> 00:49:57.920
an itch from from the wrestling bug which kind
of excites me I'm not sure how about that yet our

00:49:57.920 --> 00:50:03.440
youngest dude she's the Wild Card she's about to
turn three she is definitely just the most she's

00:50:03.440 --> 00:50:09.720
the toughest one like she can get blindsided by
the big kids and just you know tailbone over tea

00:50:09.720 --> 00:50:15.680
kettle and just gets right back up and smiles and
just keeps piling for if if there is a a combat

00:50:15.680 --> 00:50:21.000
athlete in our family that's probably going to be
the most successful I would say probably her maybe

00:50:21.000 --> 00:50:26.960
the oldest he's seven right like whatever I'm
not going to say oh he's a prodigy or anything

00:50:26.960 --> 00:50:32.520
but he's he's decent and the coolest thing was is
when we got home from that tournament we walked

00:50:32.520 --> 00:50:39.760
in the door and I think finally like just the he
was starting to kind of decompress the weekend and

00:50:39.760 --> 00:50:44.360
and wasn't over stimulated at the time and we
you know was time to go to bed and he's like I

00:50:44.360 --> 00:50:48.200
I want to watch my matches I want to watch my
matches I'm like no dude it's bedtime he goes

00:50:48.200 --> 00:50:53.000
no dad I only want to watch the matches that
I lost and at that point I'm like that's that

00:50:53.000 --> 00:50:56.800
you've never done that you've never wanted to
watch the matches before he go I want to watch

00:50:56.800 --> 00:51:00.960
one I lost and goes I want to know what I can
do better I want to learn I'm like 7-year-old

00:51:00.960 --> 00:51:07.160
saying that and then we're watching so of course
right like he's just like struck my heart I'm

00:51:07.160 --> 00:51:13.480
like let me go get my phone bro we're sitting
there at like 10:30 at night on a school night

00:51:13.480 --> 00:51:18.640
with my seven-year-old and he's I'm not saying a
word he's breaking it down like we have like we

00:51:18.640 --> 00:51:23.880
say hey what's your like every night in practice
what's your stance five and he'll say head up back

00:51:23.880 --> 00:51:30.160
flat elbows in knees bent butt down like right you
never break stance five that is wrestling position

00:51:30.160 --> 00:51:39.080
101 and so he's watching his match he goes elbows
stance five breakdown I'm like my man you know so

00:51:39.080 --> 00:51:44.840
that's awesome having a seven-year-old start
to have that intellect develop there and learn

00:51:44.840 --> 00:51:52.440
and take some ownership on his own dude that was
like the coolest coach SL dad moment I think I've

00:51:52.440 --> 00:51:58.000
ever had with my kids in their athletic sporting
whatever that's really cool I was going to ask

00:51:58.000 --> 00:52:01.760
about you know I know there's a lot of strength
coaches and you've grown up the you've grown up

00:52:01.760 --> 00:52:05.120
over time in strength conditioning right starting
as an intern and kind of working your way up now

00:52:05.120 --> 00:52:08.760
you have kids that you mentioned you have three
of them I know everyone's always kind of wondering

00:52:08.760 --> 00:52:14.240
what they would do when they finally have their
own kid or kids so um I was curious to know how

00:52:14.240 --> 00:52:21.040
maybe having your own kids reshaped or maybe
changed the way you viewed physical education

00:52:21.040 --> 00:52:25.160
in any capacity or you're just like hey like I
always kind of knew that this was my plan as we

00:52:25.160 --> 00:52:31.880
were kind of have kids and and and they would grow
into their own kind of athletes or just people

00:52:31.880 --> 00:52:37.560
well yeah like that's the other cool thing is that
this has this transition to high school has given

00:52:37.560 --> 00:52:46.800
me the opportunity to to coach my kids or to you
know if I want to coach other sports I I can and

00:52:46.800 --> 00:52:52.400
I am becoming more and more active with my son's
youth wrestling club it it started initially like

00:52:52.400 --> 00:53:02.000
I I was kind of purposely taking a backseat to
that and I'm kind of getting pulled in I mean I

00:53:02.000 --> 00:53:10.600
the the coaches have we now and there's parts of
practice now that are have a a label to our our

00:53:10.600 --> 00:53:15.840
practice it's like all right we have Wall Rod at
the end and I kind of like initially my chin hit

00:53:15.840 --> 00:53:21.000
my chest I'm like God jeez like what this is what
we're calling it now essentially what Wald means

00:53:21.000 --> 00:53:28.960
is like we're going to um provide some structured
strength and conditioning work okay um so the the

00:53:28.960 --> 00:53:33.960
coaches knew that that was my background you know
and like that I guess you could say I had kind

00:53:33.960 --> 00:53:40.160
of some immediate Equity with them because I had
worked with Iowa women's wrestling and they just

00:53:40.160 --> 00:53:45.440
won their second National Title in a row off
of a brand new program yes they have Olympic

00:53:45.440 --> 00:53:52.440
and world champions that they're recruiting not
going to not acknowledge that but they also have

00:53:52.440 --> 00:53:58.200
the most brilliantly minded wrestling coaches I've
ever been around in my life meeting women so that

00:53:58.200 --> 00:54:03.240
transition has allowed me to be more involved on
the mat and taking my experiences from strength

00:54:03.240 --> 00:54:09.760
and conditioning as a coach there and you know I
I've been away from the mat for several years but

00:54:09.760 --> 00:54:17.080
being back on the mat and having an appreciation
for basic pedagogy these wrestling coaches that

00:54:17.080 --> 00:54:22.120
have technical abilities that were light years
even when I was in my Prime ahead of me it's

00:54:22.120 --> 00:54:27.360
nice to be able to know that I can provide some
value to taking a sport like wrestling where it's

00:54:27.360 --> 00:54:34.360
the Dynamics are always changing what position
you're in biomechanically to you know learning

00:54:34.360 --> 00:54:40.240
leverage and learn you know physical combat with
people that have different limb links and how

00:54:40.240 --> 00:54:45.360
those things can manipulate how you're moving and
certain tactics and strategies they've appreciated

00:54:45.360 --> 00:54:52.800
my my ways that I can make things with greater
concision so something is like teaching things

00:54:52.800 --> 00:54:59.080
like um hey we're working with seveny olds here
like like I'm I'm talking to our our wrestling

00:54:59.080 --> 00:55:04.000
our like our head our lead coach I'm like have you
ever thought about creating some pneumonics for

00:55:04.000 --> 00:55:09.640
kids like a big concept like stance like let's
create a neonic so that they can remember and

00:55:09.640 --> 00:55:15.000
they can recite those things CU if they can do
that they're more inclined to physically portray

00:55:15.000 --> 00:55:20.640
it especially under conditions of fatigue which
often occurs right something to go back to yeah

00:55:20.640 --> 00:55:27.360
so they've you know I guess I'm they view me
as like the the experience of a coach however

00:55:27.360 --> 00:55:32.560
I haven't been coaching wrestling for all those
years but now I am and then also like my you know

00:55:32.560 --> 00:55:37.640
my my pedagogy background and and just teaching
how to teach I'm teaching these coaches like hey

00:55:37.640 --> 00:55:42.600
you all have the technical skills but what if we
just broke it down like simpler it's like when

00:55:42.600 --> 00:55:48.320
you teach someone to squat for the first time
you can't read them paragraphs like your cues

00:55:48.320 --> 00:55:52.880
got to be concise two to three things at a time
never with the bar on their back right like give

00:55:52.880 --> 00:55:58.240
them feedback after um and if you can create ways
that they can get feedback during the repetition

00:55:58.240 --> 00:56:02.400
without hearing your voice whether it's getting
into internal and external queuing and things like

00:56:02.400 --> 00:56:07.760
that that's what you strive for that's how they
learn no I just like reading off the paragraph

00:56:07.760 --> 00:56:16.520
you know reading off the paper and then next you
will yeah descend downwards progression at Iowa

00:56:16.520 --> 00:56:21.720
was was those progressions and the the amount of
cringing we had to do watching interns do their

00:56:21.720 --> 00:56:27.680
progressions that started like that you know um
oh man when I was at University of Michigan this

00:56:27.680 --> 00:56:32.280
I'll never forget this I was an undergrad intern
and we were teaching the push press right just

00:56:32.280 --> 00:56:38.200
like you do at CCA I'm getting ready for that and
we had all the Olympic full-time coaches watching

00:56:38.200 --> 00:56:44.120
and I absolutely popped myself in the chin like
with the barbell and played it off so cool but you

00:56:44.120 --> 00:56:49.080
heard that like had to play it off like just kept
going hey guys like I got to go to the bathroom I

00:56:49.080 --> 00:56:54.880
just see you a little bit later I mean I just
nail myself I'll never forget that one um but

00:56:54.880 --> 00:56:58.880
okay so you know I really appreciate your time
today just have a few um kind of quick hitters

00:56:58.880 --> 00:57:05.280
to finish up here right before we get done um
so best local food spot right around you my

00:57:05.280 --> 00:57:13.000
house I would say best local food spot there's
a place in North Liberty Iowa called red zaale

00:57:13.000 --> 00:57:19.560
house and it's just your local really good craft
selection phenomenal happy hour phenomenal outdoor

00:57:19.560 --> 00:57:25.880
patio when Iowa weather permits that opportunity
and a very simple menu of things that are just

00:57:25.880 --> 00:57:31.080
done well your basic flat breads burgers and
those type of things um love it the the local

00:57:31.080 --> 00:57:42.000
watering hole red Zale um all right any poor
quality TV shows that you're into recently if

00:57:42.000 --> 00:57:50.560
any Reacher it's like that that scratches my like
alpha male itch is that Amazon I forgot yeah yeah

00:57:50.560 --> 00:57:58.480
yeah okay um Allan richson is the actor like
sorry dud is yolked he's got a great pharmacist

00:57:58.480 --> 00:58:07.040
but yeah uh that's my as my wife watches her
trash like you know whatever that is I would

00:58:07.040 --> 00:58:11.240
even say it's like she'll watch American Idol
like that just doesn't do it for me like I I

00:58:11.240 --> 00:58:17.760
still need my John Rambo Arnold Schwarzenegger
need your fix you need your fix um one exercise

00:58:17.760 --> 00:58:26.120
you've been really into lately and one that
you're content never doing again into lately

00:58:29.480 --> 00:58:34.800
and I keep it pretty basic like I I have this
phenomenal space here at at Prairie I've maybe

00:58:34.800 --> 00:58:40.480
trained here I could count on one hand how
many times I trained here I have everything I

00:58:40.480 --> 00:58:47.000
need in my in my garage I have some flywheels I
have barbells and dumbbells um I don't have any

00:58:47.000 --> 00:58:55.760
pneumatics at home so I I do get some of those in
here without I could do without ever any sort of

00:58:55.760 --> 00:59:03.160
Step State running ever again that was a big part
of my life as a weight classifications athlete

00:59:03.160 --> 00:59:10.120
sure but one one exercise I've really been into
lately I guess would just have to be I had some

00:59:10.120 --> 00:59:14.800
neck concerns grow last year I thought I was
pretty close to having to go under the knife

00:59:14.800 --> 00:59:19.240
so really delved into some Spinal Care and
nothing groundbreaking it's just things that

00:59:19.240 --> 00:59:24.120
I neglected over the years and I know years and
years of a slouched posture and wrestling never

00:59:24.120 --> 00:59:29.520
helped so man I'm just and really Landon's
wife Stephanie she's like when I was first

00:59:29.520 --> 00:59:33.360
you know of course when I get hurt she's my
go-to right I'm like Steph I need some help

00:59:33.360 --> 00:59:37.960
so just oh man what does she call there's a term
there's a physical therapy term for him but it's

00:59:37.960 --> 00:59:46.520
basically dang I can't think of the term but
just neck mobilization work man making sure

00:59:46.520 --> 00:59:51.800
that my neck can move and operate because if I
don't then I start to have headaches I start to

00:59:51.800 --> 00:59:57.000
have some shoulder pain that I don't ever want to
deal with again which then I can't swing my golf

00:59:57.000 --> 01:00:03.160
club like I want and it's just we got problems
man then the world's over the world ends after

01:00:03.160 --> 01:00:09.320
that um all right cool well um you know shout out
Zach walrod thank you so much Perry High School

01:00:09.320 --> 01:00:13.880
director of strength conditioning for joining me
today on the Keiser performance podcast to stay up

01:00:13.880 --> 01:00:19.680
toate on Zach's social game which may include some
Smoked Meats on there um follow him on Instagram

01:00:19.680 --> 01:00:25.960
at Zack walrod and on Twitter at Zack walrod
thank you for tuning in and have a great day

01:00:27.120 --> 01:00:31.840
we'll say Gabe too we have at Prayer performance
which is like our you know where you're just going

01:00:31.840 --> 01:00:36.240
to see training collaboration training Colles
of things we got going on so but otherwise than

01:00:36.240 --> 01:00:42.160
that thank you awesome at Prairie performance as
well that's Instagram Twitter both Instagram only

01:00:42.160 --> 01:00:47.040
Instagram @ Prairie performance so make sure you
put that in the episode notes as well thank you