Strength Coach | blog 107

I’m celebrating my first year as the Strength & Conditioning Coach at the University of St. Francis (Joliet, IL). I work with over 400 student athletes and have full-time responsibility for the Football, Men’s Soccer, Track & Field, and Softball teams.​

Coaching at an NAIA school is unique, especially for student athletes and their families. Our school welcomes international students, which allows me to teach and learn from athletes with diverse backgrounds and training philosophies. Because of our limited budget, we have to get creative with our training programs.

Last year, I taught a four-week breakwork series to soccer, track, and volleyball athletes as part of my master’s thesis. This year, I’m developing a special Summer Series workout for student athletes who aren’t required to stay on campus. The program includes mindfulness and personal development skills like teamwork, visualization, breathwork, performance preparation, body awareness, and journaling.

Many student athletes, especially those between teams or from other countries, don’t have access to personalized training. I want to help make things like nutrition, strength training, and coaching in nutrition, strength, speed, and agility less overwhelming—especially for athletes and parents who may not have had mentorship or coaching before.

​Stay tuned….

Coach RichG

USF Men’s Football Team

USF Men’s Soccer Team