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Interview with Joe Kenn Part 2

Head Strength & Conditioning Coach

Carolina Panthers

Joe Kenn is undoubtedly one of the most influential strength and conditioning coaches in the industry.  The number of coaches that "House" has had an impact on stretches throughout the professional, collegiate, high school, and private sectors. Coach Kenn has been and mentor to me since I started reading his articles on elitefts™ and read The Coach’s Strength Training Playbook which outlines the Tier System; a system that I have used with my athletes with great success.

Joe has become a friend and I am able to speak to him regularly.  I was honored to introduce him when he presented at the NSCA National Conference this past summer and privileged to be one of the first to review his new eBook: The Coach's Strength Training Playbook for Football before it was released.  Here is my review of his manual:

In today’s saturated sports performance market, there are eBooks that surface left and right on various topics with an underlying motivation to make a profit. Most of these manuals turn out to be promotional platforms written by individuals who have never actually coached athletes in a team setting.  Real coaches want to cut through the creative formatting and flashy marketing without reading through another theoretical guide based not on anecdotal evidence but on personal beliefs.  This is not that kind of eBook.

Make no mistake, Joe Kenn’s “The Coach’s Strength Training Playbook for Football: A Championship Program” is anything but watered-down and solely theoretical.  Coach Kenn opens the doors to an entire off-season of training in a detailed format.  This data was collected during the off-season training of a highly successful team in a BCS conference with a number of NFL drafted players.  No component of preparation was left undocumented including sets, reps, percentages, target times, and performance testing data.

There is a reason Joe “House” Kenn is arguably the most decorated and influential strength & conditioning coach in the industry.  His attention to detail, straightforward guidance, and unwavering integrity is evident in every one of the 280 plus pages.  Coaches that truly want to help their athletes succeed on the football field and in the weight room will appreciate the effort and honesty of Coach Kenn’s writing.  This is the type of information that strength coaches covet and will flourish with.  A must read for any coach beyond the over-simplification of athletic performance. “The Coach’s Strength Training Playbook for Football: A Championship Program” is written from the sack. Words Win.

It was an honor to do this interview, although it didn't feel much like one; more of a conversation that we have had many times before.

Topics Covered in Part 2 of this Podcast

  1. Maximum Effort Training for the Front Seven Article
  2. Mental Toughness
  3. Young Coaches Platform and the"New Methods"
  4. Embracing the Process
  5. Surviving the Profession
  6. Advice for Young Coaches
  7. Coach's New eBook: The Coach's Strength Training Playbook for Football: A Championship Program

Elitefts™ Sports Performance Podcast on iTunes

Elitefts™ Iron Subcultrue Podcast on iTunes


The Coach's Strength Training Playbook for Football: A Championship Program


More from Joe Kenn:

Articles by Joe Kenn

 Joe Kenn’s Push, Jump, Punch e-book

 Joe Kenn’s The Coach’s Strength Training Playbook

 Joe Kenn’s Tier System Training System DVD

Joe Kenn’s The Sled Work Outs DVD

Joe Kenn is undoubtedly one of the most experienced and knowledgeable strength coaches in the industry.  As the head strength & conditioning coach of the Carolina Panthers and founder of the Tier System, coach Kenn is one of the most sought after presenters in the country.

 

Over the last 20 plus years, “House” has coached athletes at The University of Louisville, Arizona State University, The University of Utah, Boise State University, and his Alma Mater, Wake Forrest University.  The number of athletes and assistant coaches who have benefited from his guidance reaches throughout the profession.

 

The Joe Kenn File:

Year

Organization

Position

2011 – Present Carolina Panthers Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
2009 – 2011 Big House Power Competitive Athletic Training Owner/ President
2008-2009 University of Louisville Director of Athlete Development
2003-2007 Arizona State University Head Coach of Sports Performance
2001-2002 Arizona State University Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
1999- 2000 The University of Utah Director of Strength & Conditioning
1994-1998 Boise State University Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
1991-1994 Boise State University Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach
1991 Wake Forrest University Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach
1989-1990 Pine Crest Preparatory School Assistant Football, Head Wrestling, & Head Strength Coach

Awards:

  • NSCA Professional Coach of the Year - 2013
  • CSCCa Master Strength & Conditioning Coach – 2009
  • NSCA College Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year award – 2002
  • NSCA Mountain West Conference Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year – 2000
  • NSCA Big West Conference Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year – 1998
  • NSCA All-American Strength & Conditioning Athlete – 1988
  • Wake Forrest University Bill George Award – 1987


Related Articles

Elitefts Sports Performance Podcast Episode 5: Todd Hamer Interview

Elitefts Sports Performance Podcast Episode 4: Cam Davidson Interview

Elitefts™ Sports Performance Podcast Episode 3: Tom Palumbo Interview

Elitefts™ Sports Performance Podcast Episode 2: Chad Scott, Tim Kontos, & Jon-Michael Davis Interview

Elitefts™ Sports Performance Podcast Episode 1: Dan John Interview

Elitefts™ Sports Performance Podcast Episode 1: Dan John Interview

Direct download: Elitefts_SP_Episode_7B2.mp3
Category:Sports and Fitness -- posted at: 1:42pm EDT

Elitefts SPP: Joe Kenn Interview Part 1

Interview with Joe Kenn

Head Strength & Conditioning Coach

Carolina Panthers

Joe Kenn is undoubtedly one of the most influential strength and conditioning coaches in the industry.  The number of coaches that "House" has had an impact on stretches throughout the professional, collegiate, high school, and private sectors. Coach Kenn has been and mentor to me since I started reading his articles on elitefts™ and read The Coach’s Strength Training Playbook which outlines the Tier System; a system that I have used with my athletes with great success.

Joe has become a friend and I am able to speak to him regularly.  I was honored to introduce him when he presented at the NSCA National Conference this past summer and privileged to be one of the first to review his new eBook: The Coach's Strength Training Playbook for Football before it was released.  Here is my review of his manual:

In today’s saturated sports performance market, there are eBooks that surface left and right on various topics with an underlying motivation to make a profit. Most of these manuals turn out to be promotional platforms written by individuals who have never actually coached athletes in a team setting.  Real coaches want to cut through the creative formatting and flashy marketing without reading through another theoretical guide based not on anecdotal evidence but on personal beliefs.  This is not that kind of eBook.

Make no mistake, Joe Kenn’s “The Coach’s Strength Training Playbook for Football: A Championship Program” is anything but watered-down and solely theoretical.  Coach Kenn opens the doors to an entire off-season of training in a detailed format.  This data was collected during the off-season training of a highly successful team in a BCS conference with a number of NFL drafted players.  No component of preparation was left undocumented including sets, reps, percentages, target times, and performance testing data.

There is a reason Joe “House” Kenn is arguably the most decorated and influential strength & conditioning coach in the industry.  His attention to detail, straightforward guidance, and unwavering integrity is evident in every one of the 280 plus pages.  Coaches that truly want to help their athletes succeed on the football field and in the weight room will appreciate the effort and honesty of Coach Kenn’s writing.  This is the type of information that strength coaches covet and will flourish with.  A must read for any coach beyond the over-simplification of athletic performance. “The Coach’s Strength Training Playbook for Football: A Championship Program” is written from the sack. Words Win.

It was an honor to do this interview, although it didn't feel much like one; more of a conversation that we have had many times before.

Topics Covered in Part 1 of this Podcast

  1. Coaching in the grid of the NFL season
  2. The transition from the collegiate setting to the professional level
  3. In-season training and exercises density
  4. The evolution of the Tier System
  5. Limitations on coaching at the college level

Elitefts™ Sports Performance Podcast on iTunes

Elitefts™ Iron Subcultrue Podcast on iTunes


The Coach's Strength Training Playbook for Football: A Championship Program


More from Joe Kenn:

Articles by Joe Kenn

 Joe Kenn’s Push, Jump, Punch e-book

 Joe Kenn’s The Coach’s Strength Training Playbook

 Joe Kenn’s Tier System Training System DVD

Joe Kenn’s The Sled Work Outs DVD

Joe Kenn is undoubtedly one of the most experienced and knowledgeable strength coaches in the industry.  As the head strength & conditioning coach of the Carolina Panthers and founder of the Tier System, coach Kenn is one of the most sought after presenters in the country.

 

Over the last 20 plus years, “House” has coached athletes at The University of Louisville, Arizona State University, The University of Utah, Boise State University, and his Alma Mater, Wake Forrest University.  The number of athletes and assistant coaches who have benefited from his guidance reaches throughout the profession.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Joe Kenn File:

Year

Organization

Position

2011 – Present Carolina Panthers Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
2009 – 2011 Big House Power Competitive Athletic Training Owner/ President
2008-2009 University of Louisville Director of Athlete Development
2003-2007 Arizona State University Head Coach of Sports Performance
2001-2002 Arizona State University Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
1999- 2000 The University of Utah Director of Strength & Conditioning
1994-1998 Boise State University Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
1991-1994 Boise State University Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach
1991 Wake Forrest University Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach
1989-1990 Pine Crest Preparatory School Assistant Football, Head Wrestling, & Head Strength Coach

Awards:

  • NSCA Professional Coach of the Year - 2013
  • CSCCa Master Strength & Conditioning Coach – 2009
  • NSCA College Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year award – 2002
  • NSCA Mountain West Conference Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year – 2000
  • NSCA Big West Conference Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year – 1998
  • NSCA All-American Strength & Conditioning Athlete – 1988
  • Wake Forrest University Bill George Award – 1987


Related Articles

Elitefts Sports Performance Podcast Episode 5: Todd Hamer Interview

Elitefts Sports Performance Podcast Episode 4: Cam Davidson Interview

Elitefts™ Sports Performance Podcast Episode 3: Tom Palumbo Interview

Elitefts™ Sports Performance Podcast Episode 2: Chad Scott, Tim Kontos, & Jon-Michael Davis Interview

Elitefts™ Sports Performance Podcast Episode 1: Dan John Interview

Elitefts™ Sports Performance Podcast Episode 1: Dan John Interview


Todd Hamer Interview. 

There are coaches in our field who have made tremendous sacrifices to help their athletes and their assistants to improve in every aspect of their lives.  Todd Hamer not only understands the importance of developing and mentoring student-athletes from a physical standpoint, but takes pride in facilitating them to make a positive impact in all facets of their maturing process.

Todd Hamer is a friend and mentor who is continually combining a global, life-long learning process with real-world experiences which have made him one of the wisest strength & conditioning coaches in our field.  His track record of weight room management, long-term development of athletes, and the holistic preparation of assistant coaches is second to none.

I have invited Coach Hamer to speak at the Central Ohio Strength & Conditioning Clinic on three separate occasions and have watched him coach at Robert Morris University and at the elitefts™ Learn to Train seminars.  There has not been an interaction with Todd that I have not learned something about coaching athletes, mentoring people, and bettering myself.

This is an interview we did together at the Learn to Train 7 Seminar in November of 2013.

Topics Covered in this Podcast

  1. Balancing the training of so many sports at a smaller university.
  2. Developing assistant coaches and preparing them for the next job.
  3. The gap between the science of strength & conditioning and the practical application of it.
  4. Being a thermometer versus being a thermostat in the weight room.

 Articles by Todd Hamer


The 2013-14 athletic campaign marks the sixth season for Todd Hamer as head strength and conditioning coach at Robert Morris. Hamer is responsible for designing and implementing programs for each of RMU’s 23 Division I intercollegiate sports.

Named head strength and conditioning coach in May of 2007, Hamer came to RMU from George Mason University, where he served in the same capacity since 2004. At George Mason, Hamer was responsible for the women’s basketball, women’s lacrosse, baseball, women’s soccer, softball and women’s track and field teams.

A graduate of Penn State with a Bachelor of Science degree, Hamer received a master’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to George Mason, Hamer was the head strength and conditioning coach at Marist College from 2002 to 2004. He worked with each of the 23 intercollegiate programs for the Red Foxes and was also responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Marist College Fitness Center. Before taking the position at Marist, Hamer was an assistant strength & conditioning coach at The Citadel in Charlestown, South Carolina.

In August of 2001, Hamer worked as a graduate assistant for Virginia Commonwealth University. At VCU, he worked with soccer, field hockey, track and field and volleyball in all aspects of strength and conditioning. He also assisted in the design of a new 5,500-square foot weight room at VCU.

A native of Moon Township, Pa., Hamer is a competitive powerlifter and competed in the International Powerlifting Association National Championships in 2002. He continues to compete and won the 2001 USAPL Virginia State Championship. In addition, he is a competitive member of the International Power Lifting Association. His best lifts are 545 pounds for squat, 425 pounds for bench and 540 pounds for deadlift. He is a regular presenter for the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

- Courtesy of Robert Morris University Sports Information

 


Cam Davidson Interview

There aren’t many strength and conditioning coaches that get the opportunity to work with national championship teams or athletes. Cam Davidson has been a part of them in three different sports. Davidson, who is an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Nittany Lions’ Olympic Sports has worked with men’s ice hockey, track and field, the four-time national champion women’s volleyball team, and the three-time national champion wrestling team, among others.  Davidson also trains three-time national champion and Olympic hopeful shot-putter, Ryan Whiting.

I had the privilege of witnessing Cam’s wisdom and his passion for strength and conditioning during his presentations, hands-on coaching, and his own training. He spoke at the Central Ohio Strength and Conditioning Clinic in May of 2012 on max effort training for female athletes where he displayed incredible knowledge of the scientific foundations and the practical application of his training modalities. Cam has the uncanny ability to communicate complex training methodologies in a very clear and enthusiastic manner. This summer while training at The Columbus Weightlifting Club, Cam visited the S4 Compound and coached me through the Olympic lifts.  He was also the key contributor on Olympic Lifting for Athletes: Using Static Holds to Improve Technique, published here on elitefts.com.

Cam Davidson is a friend, mentor, and an outstanding strength and conditioning coach.  It was a pleasure to do this interview.

Topics Covered in this Podcast

1. Cam’s Career Path

2. Transitioning from Small School Head Coach to Big School Assistant

3. Max Effort Training for Females

4. Being New to an Already Successful Program

5. Olympic Lifting Progressions for First-year Players

6. Four-Stage Squat Progression for Throwers

7. Training Athletes at the Highest Levels of Competition

8. Cam’s Biggest Challenges in the Profession

Cam Davidson enters his first year as the Penn State men’s hockey team’s strength and conditioning coach in 2013-14.

As an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the University, Davidson also works with Penn State’s women’s volleyball and track & field programs. During his time in State College, he also assisted in the design and application for the strength programs for the three-time NCAA defending national champion Penn State wrestling squad. In addition to his work with the school’s teams, Davidson serves as the strength coach for Penn State volunteer throws coach and 2012 Olympian Ryan Whiting.

Prior to working at Penn State, Davidson was the director of strength and conditioning at the College of Charleston from 2007-09. At Charleston, he designed and implemented strength and conditioning programs for all 19 intercollegiate teams.

Davidson began his coaching career at his alma mater, the University of Wyoming, where he wrestled from 2001-02. Davidson went on to earn his master’s degree from Marshall University in 2006, while working with many of its athletic teams. In 2006-07, he served as an assistant basketball strength coach at Clemson.

A senior-level Olympic weightlifter, Davison has competed at the national level for the past three years. He is SCCC certified through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, CSCS certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, has his Level 1 weightlifting certification through USA weightlifting, and has taken advanced certifications through Columbus Weightlifting and Totten Training Systems.

- Courtesy of Penn State Sports Information

 

 

9. Athletes’ Impressions of the Coach’s Training

Direct download: Elitefts_SP_Episode_4.mp3
Category:Sports and Fitness -- posted at: 5:26am EDT

Tom Palumbo Interview

I first met Tom Palumbo in 2006 when he visited The United States Military Academy at West Point. I was an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Army and Tom was the associate head strength and conditioning coach at The Ohio State University, a position he held until the Spring of 2012. As the director of strength and conditioning at Denison University, I had decided to intern for Tom at Ohio State in the summer of 2007. Tom’s passion for getting his athletes better, his diligence and practical application of anecdotal research, his tenacious work ethic, and his unwavering integrity has made him one of the most respected coaches at the collegiate setting.

I have witnessed firsthand, Tom Palumbo coaching in the weight room, mentoring interns, and presenting at conferences. I asked Coach Palumbo to present at three consecutive central Ohio strength and conditioning clinics, as well as many other regional and national conferences. As an internship coordinator, I would schedule multiple professional development trips each year. These were integral to the learning process for our student coaches.

Tom has used his experiences from the University of Georgia, The Pittsburgh Pirates, and The Ohio State University to organize and institute Flagler College’s first ever strength and conditioning program. In this interview from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Conference in Kansas City, Missouri last May, Tom and I discuss his journey and transition through the coaching field. He goes into detail about programming, internships, and his frustrations within the industry.

Topics covered in podcast:

    1. The career path
    2. The Challenges of starting a program from scratch
    3. Transitioning to a smaller school
    4. Using accommodating resistance
    5. Both sides of internships
    6. Off-season programming
    7. The stressors of the profession
    8. Dealing with sport coaches

Tom Palumbo begins his second season as Flagler’s strength and conditioning coach. He is the school’s first full-time employee in that position and started July 9, 2012.

Palumbo comes to Flagler from The Ohio State University where he served as an associate strength and conditioning coach since 2003. He directed the women’s lacrosse, women’s ice hockey, men’s swimming, women’s golf and rifle teams recently, but has worked with 28 sports during his time with the Buckeyes.

Prior to Palumbo’s time in Columbus, he had a stint as the minor league conditioning coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates and was the assistant director of strength and conditioning at the University of Georgia (1999-01).

He worked directly with 15 future Olympians as well as 33 all-Americans. Some of the notable student-athletes he worked with includes two-time gold medal winner Courtney Shealy (swimming), and gold medal winners Tessa Bonhomme (ice hockey) and Debbie Ferguson (track and field). Palumbo also worked with 2012 Master’s champion Bubba Watson at Georgia.

A native of Savannah, Ga., Tom graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor of science degree in microbiology. He also earned a master of education in physical education and sports studies from Georgia.

- Courtesy of Flagler College Sports Information
Direct download: Elitefts_SP_Episode_3.mp3
Category:Sports and Fitness -- posted at: 5:21am EDT

Chad Scott, Tim Kontos, and Jon-Michael Davis Interview

I had the opportunity to sit down with three strength and conditioning coaches that I have the utmost respect for. Not only are these three gentlemen outstanding coaches, but they have been both friends and mentors to me.

I was introduced to Tim Kontos many years back through elitefts™ columnist Todd Hamer. Tim is one of the most respected strength and conditioning coaches in the industry and his work ethic, practical knowledge, and unwavering integrity are unparalleled.

I have known Chad Scott since the Spring of 2010 when he came to Denison University for a USA Weightlifting Certification and I met Jon-Michael Davis a few months after. In the summer of 2011, I brought my interns on a professional development trip to elitefts™ and also took them to Eastern Kentucky University. At the time, Chad Scott was still an assistant at EKU and he, Coach Davis, myself, and all of my interns spent the day talking shop. It was an invaluable learning experience for my guys as we talked about real-life coaching issues with brutal honesty. We also had a chance to poke fun at every stereo-typical coach, athlete, and NARP until I laughed so hard my face hurt. Chad and Jon-Michael are great men and role models for young coaches.

We all sat down in the lobby of the hotel during the Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coaches Association National Conference in Kansas City Missouri in May. We talked about how each of them got their start in the field, advice for young strength and conditioning coaches trying to break into the profession, and the biggest challenges of being a strength and conditioning coach.

Direct download: Elitefts_SP_Episode_2.mp3
Category:Sports and Fitness -- posted at: 5:05am EDT

Dan John Interview

Dan John is one of the most influential and popular authors in the Sports Performance Community.  Dan has competed in Track & Field, Olympic Weightlifting, and Highland games a the highest level.  He was an All-American Thrower in the discus and still holds the American Record in the Weight Pentathlon. Dan John is the author of Intervention, Never Let Go, and Mass Made Simple.  He has also co-authored Easy Strength with Pavel Tsatsouline.  I had the opportunity to sit down and interview Dan for this podcast during the last day of discus camp.  Our discussion covered many topics including the need to write Intervention, his 4 quadrants, youth training in America, 3 musts for trainers, periodization, assessment, and teaching the hip hinge.

For the last several years, I have made the trip to Granville, Ohio to visit with Dan at John Powell’s Throwing Camp on the campus of Denison University.  The first year, my assistants and I sat in an on-campus apartment and talked for hours about training, the industry, and life in general. To say if was a invaluable learning experience is an understatement.

Year two found me making the trek to my former place of employment twice.  The first time ended up being an outstanding roundtable of sorts as Nic Bronkal, Elitefts.com™ Advisor, J.L Holdsworth, myself, Derek Fry, and Nick Showman joined John Powell and Dan John. Anytime, you have a collection of coaches able to share ideas without ego, everyone involved wins.

Books by Dan John

Easy Strength: How to get  lot Stronger than you Competition (with Pavel Tsatsouline)

Intervention: Course Corrections for the Athlete and Trainer

Mass Made Simple: A Six-Week Journey into Bulking

Never Let Go: A Philosophy of Living, Lifting, and Learning


Videos by Dan John

Intervention: Course Corrections for the Athlete and Trainer

Dan John 3-DVD Set: Everything’s Over my Head, From the Ground Up, and Carried Away

Dan John has spent his life with one foot in the world of lifting and throwing, and the other foot in academia. An All-American discus thrower, Dan has also competed at the highest levels of Olympic lifting, Highland Games and the Weight Pentathlon, an event in which he holds the American record.

Dan spends his work life blending weekly workshops and lectures with full-time writing, and is also an online religious studies instructor for Columbia College of Missouri. As a Fulbright Scholar, he toured the Middle East exploring the foundations of religious education systems. His books, on weightlifting, include Intervention, Never Let Go, Mass Made Simple and Easy Strength, written with Pavel Tsatsouline as well as From Dad, To Grad.


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