Programming Philosophy, Annual Plans, and Building a Better Weight Room with Coach Devin Young (Pitt)

Tim Caron welcomes Coach Devin Young (University of Pittsburgh) to discuss programming workflow for group training, including how Young builds annual plans for cyclical sports like track and adapts plans for acyclical team sports like softball amid constantly changing schedules. Young outlines his process from coach meetings and intro blocks for freshmen/transfers through accumulation and intensification phases, emphasizing “low-hanging fruit” qualities (strength and speed) guided by testing, sprint timing, force plates, and isometric measures. He describes Pitt’s integrated sports science support via master’s students and walks through a typical softball Monday session from force-plate jumps and movement prep to A/B/C blocks, accessories, and cooldown. They then explore how a much larger new facility (more racks, indoor/outdoor turf, Sorinex racks) could remove bottlenecks but introduce logistical and culture/energy challenges, prompting Tim’s advice to identify constraints, request needed rack features, and “scorched earth” rethink programming while preserving team cohesion.

00:00 Podcast Intro and Guest

00:10 Products and Courses Plug

01:21 Programming Workflow Setup

01:56 Annual Plan and Blocks

04:03 Softball vs Track Constraints

06:32 Debate on Long Term Planning

08:33 Cyclical vs Acyclical Periodization

09:48 Low Hanging Fruit Testing

12:30 Sports Science Integration

14:26 Softball Session Walkthrough

18:27 Current Room Layout

19:29 Warmups And Flow

21:11 New Facility Upgrades

21:46 Racks Pins And Tools

29:56 Space Changes Culture

34:33 Explore The New Room

35:54 Jammer Arms Physics Rant

38:17 Wrap Up And Plugs