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Friday, August 1, 2008
Sam Gilbert
Greater Louisville, KY
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This young trainer is using all the tools in his belt to get the DeSales football squad be in their best condition.
When the DeSales Colts football team takes the field this season they will be leaner, stronger and more agile thanks to the efforts of strength and conditioning coach Sam Gilbert. At age 26, coach Gilbert is in his second year of coaching at DeSales. He is also an instructor at Velocity Sports Performance. A native of Columbus, Ohio and a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, Gilbert earned his masters degree in exercise science. He is putting his training to good use, improving the Colt players. Coach Gilbert also serves as offensive coordinator for the freshmen Colts. VYPE sat down with Gilbert to get his perspectives on conditioning, flexibility and his work with the team.
VYPE: Tell us about your background?
Gilbert: I was the graduate assistant strength coach at EKU. Also, I am a CSCS – Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.
VYPE: What is your philosophy as relates to strength and conditioning?
Gilbert: We use all Olympic based weight lifting and my major goal is to increase the speed of the stretch shortening cycle. We also spend a lot of time core training, because core is where you transfer energy from the lower body to the upper body. We also use plyometrics,* and train not only front to back but also left to right with our movements and weights.
VYPE: How do you tailor workouts for each player?
Gilbert: All positions are treated the same as relates to football specificity.
VYPE: Are there noticeable differences in your player’s bodies?
Gilbert: Yes, the biggest difference is flexibility, range of motion and technique with all the different Olympic lifts.
VYPE: What goals do you set for the players as relates to strength increase?
Gilbert: I am not worried about bench press because realistically if you’re bench pressing on the football field, you’ve been pancaked. My major goals are injury prevention as well as strength per body weight ratio.
VYPE: Do you offer nutritional advice as well?
Gilbert: Yes, I gave each player an eight page nutritional packet to offer them better choices.
VYPE: How important is it to gain flexibility as well as strength?
Gilbert: It’s very important because your body gets contorted into different positions on the field and your ability to bounce back from that is key.
VYPE: How important is stretching?
Gilbert: We stretch with bands. The days of bending over and touching your toes are over. We do a dynamic warm-up before we exercise and a PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation)** stretching after exercise.
VYPE: What do you like most about coaching?
Gilbert: The interaction with the athletes and seeing my program make a difference in their performance.
VYPE: Have you enjoyed your time at DeSales?
Gilbert: Yes, it’s a great school. It’s almost like a close-knit family.
VYPE: Why did you choose this as a profession?
Gilbert: I was working with college athletes during graduate school and really enjoyed seeing the results.
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