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In this episode of Plates and Pancakes, Steven sits down with Riley Edgerton, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at Munster High School, for an in-depth conversation about building a successful high school strength and conditioning program from the ground up.

Riley explains how he developed a comprehensive strength and conditioning manual, established a point-based grading system for athletes, and built a program that now serves hundreds of students. He shares his philosophy of “do it right, do it fast, then do it heavy” and explains how he uses that principle to teach movement, develop athleticism, and establish high standards in the weight room.

The conversation also dives into Riley’s approach to youth athletic development, including summer camps and the Futures Program for middle school athletes. Riley discusses teaching fundamental movement patterns before progressing to more complex exercises, including his unique “sandwich method” for teaching the power clean.

Steven and Riley also explore velocity-based training (VBT), auto-regulation, APRE, sprint mechanics, resisted sprinting, and the importance of using technology as a coaching tool rather than a replacement for the coach’s eye.

Beyond programming, Riley shares how he is building the Mustang Mentality at Munster High School—developing leadership, accountability, work ethic, and a culture that extends beyond the weight room. They discuss athlete-driven leadership, incentives, competition, and how external rewards can eventually develop into internal motivation.

This episode is a deep look at what it takes to build a sustainable high school strength and conditioning system—from program design and exercise selection to coaching, youth development, leadership, culture, and long-term athletic development.

Topics Covered:

* Building a high school strength & conditioning program from scratch
* Creating a strength & conditioning manual
* Point-based athlete grading systems
* Youth athletic development
* Futures Programs and summer camps
* “Do it right, do it fast, then do it heavy”
* Teaching the power clean
* Riley’s “sandwich method”
* Velocity-Based Training (VBT)
* APRE and auto-regulation
* Sprint mechanics and resisted sprinting
* Athlete-driven leadership
* Building a championship weight-room culture
* External vs. internal motivation
* Mustang Mentality
* Testing and performance metrics
* Long-term athletic development
* Coaching hundreds of athletes effectively

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How do you build faster, stronger, and more resilient high school athletes? In this episode of Plates and Pancakes, Steven Thompson sits down with Jon Hersel, strength and conditioning coach and current NHSSCA Region 1 Southeast Strength Coach of the Year, to discuss the systems behind developing elite football players and multi-sport athletes.

Jon shares his proven approach to dynamic warm-ups, sprint mechanics, acceleration development, and high school strength and conditioning programming. From menu-based warm-ups that improve athlete buy-in to heavy prowler sled progressions that teach proper body position, this episode is packed with practical coaching strategies that can be implemented immediately.

Topics covered include:

• Dynamic warm-up design for football and multi-sport athletes
• Sprint mechanics, acceleration, and top-speed development
• Backward A-Skips, wall drills, and sprint isometrics
• Heavy sled training and prowler progressions for linemen and skill athletes
• Medicine ball throws for sprint preparation
• Building explosive athletes through proper body positioning
• Coaching high school football players year-round
• Speed testing and using timing systems for player evaluation
• Reducing injuries while improving athletic performance
• Training volleyball, softball, and other multi-sport athletes
• Integrating game-speed drills into football practice
• Developing athlete leadership and accountability
• Coaching within limited facilities and resources

Whether you’re a strength coach, football coach, sports performance coach, personal trainer, PE teacher, or parent of a young athlete, this conversation provides actionable insights into creating faster, healthier, and more explosive athletes.

If you enjoy conversations with some of the top minds in strength & conditioning, sports science, athletic performance, and coaching, be sure to subscribe, leave a like, and share this episode with another coach.

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#StrengthAndConditioning #SprintTraining #FootballTraining #SportsPerformance #Acceleration #SpeedTraining #HighSchoolFootball #AthleteDevelopment #StrengthCoach #ProwlerSled #SprintMechanics #SportsScience #FootballSpeed #PerformanceTraining #NHSSCA #Coaching #PlatesAndPancakes #VoodooPower #StevenThompson #JonHersel

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Ryder Weischedel on Sports Psychology, Strength & Conditioning, Mental Toughness, and Building Championship Athletes | Plates & Pancakes Podcast

What separates great athletes from everyone else? Is it strength, speed, talent… or something deeper?

In this episode of the Plates & Pancakes Podcast, Steven Thompson sits down with Ryder Weischedel, Senior Director of Strength & Conditioning and Campus Wellness at the University of Jamestown and a 2026 Master Strength and Conditioning Coach (MSCC), to discuss the role of sports psychology, mental performance, strength training, and culture in developing successful athletes.

Ryder shares his incredible coaching journey from growing up in a South Dakota rodeo family to coaching at Baylor, the University of Tulsa, Buena Vista University, and ultimately helping lead one of the nation’s most respected Division II strength and conditioning programs.

Topics covered include:

• Sports psychology and mental performance training
 • Building mentally tough athletes
 • Strength and conditioning philosophy
 • College strength coach career path
 • Athlete motivation and accountability
 • Nutrition strategies for athletic performance
 • Weight management for football linemen
 • GPS athlete monitoring technology
 • Vertical jump development
 • Strength coach leadership and culture
 • Training over 650 collegiate athletes
 • Division II athletics vs. NAIA athletics
 • Developing resilient athletes through controlled adversity
 • Coaching philosophy and athlete relationships
 • Lessons learned from rodeo and how they translate to athletics

Ryder also breaks down his coaching philosophy:

“Wings Crispy. Coffee Black. Chili Hot. Grits Guaranteed.”

A mindset built around attention to detail, relentless effort, energy, accountability, and grit that has helped shape hundreds of collegiate athletes.

Whether you’re a strength coach, athletic performance coach, football coach, sports psychologist, personal trainer, athlete, or sports science student, this episode is packed with practical coaching strategies you can immediately apply to your own program.

If you enjoy conversations about strength & conditioning, sports performance, athlete development, leadership, coaching culture, sports psychology, football training, nutrition, and mental toughness, make sure to like, subscribe, and share the episode.

#StrengthAndConditioning #SportsPsychology #MentalPerformance #AthleteDevelopment #StrengthCoach #CollegeFootball #FootballTraining #SportsPerformance #Leadership #SportsScience #Nutrition #MentalToughness #PerformanceTraining #PlatesAndPancakesPodcast #StevenThompson #RyderWeischedel

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What does it take to prepare one of the nation’s top softball programs to compete for a national championship?

In this episode of Plates and Pancakes, Steven Thompson sits down with Michelle Diltz, Strength & Conditioning Coach at the University of Alabama, to discuss how she develops powerful, explosive female athletes using a conjugate-based training system. Michelle oversees Alabama Softball, Women’s Golf, and Cheer & Dance, sharing how she balances the unique demands of multiple sports while building athletes who are stronger, faster, more resilient, and ready to perform.

The conversation explores the Conjugate Method, max effort, dynamic effort, and repeated effort training, why back squats remain a cornerstone for softball performance, monitoring pitcher readiness with jump testing and grip strength, and how isometric and eccentric training improve force absorption while reducing injury risk. Michelle also explains how she individualizes programming for injured athletes, collaborates with athletic trainers and dietitians, and manages training across multiple Division I programs.

Whether you’re a strength coach, softball coach, athlete, or sports performance professional, this episode delivers practical insights you can apply immediately to your own athletes.

In This Episode:

• Conjugate Method for collegiate athletics
• Strength training for softball
• Speed and power development
• Female athlete performance
• Back squat programming
• Max effort & dynamic effort training
• Countermovement jump testing
• Grip strength monitoring
• Pitcher workload management
• Sprint mechanics
• Isometric & eccentric training
• Injury prevention
• Olympic lifting for cheer & dance
• NCAA strength & conditioning
• University of Alabama Softball
• Coaching leadership and athlete development

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Plates and Pancakes, leave a 5-star review, and share it with another coach, athlete, or parent looking to improve athletic performance.

Keywords: Strength and Conditioning, Softball Strength Training, Conjugate Method, Sports Performance, Female Athlete Training, Alabama Softball, NCAA Softball, Explosive Power, Speed Training, Athlete Development, College Strength Coach, Pitching Performance, Olympic Lifting, Injury Prevention, Sports Science, Plates and Pancakes Podcast.

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What separates elite jumpers from everyone else? According to legendary performance coach Jeremy Fisher, it isn’t just strength—it’s mastering movement.

In this episode of Plates and Pancakes, Steven sits down with one of the most respected coaches in track and field to discuss the biomechanics behind explosive performance. Jeremy breaks down why sprint mechanics, posture, hip position, and technical precision are the true foundations of speed and jumping ability, and how the weight room should enhance those qualities rather than replace them.

The conversation dives into developing high school and collegiate athletes, the importance of teaching movement before loading strength, and why America continues to produce talented jumpers who struggle to transition into international medal contenders.

Whether you’re a strength coach, track and field coach, sports performance coach, athlete, or parent, this episode is packed with practical coaching insights that can immediately improve athletic development.

In this episode:

* Sprint mechanics for explosive athletes
* Long jump, high jump, and triple jump technique
* Why biomechanics matter more than chasing bigger lifts
* Developing speed through proper posture and hip position
* Eccentric, isometric, and concentric training methods
* Dynamic core stability for athletic performance
* K-Box, VertiMax, and specialized performance training tools
* Motor learning and skill acquisition
* Building explosive power that transfers to sport
* The future of American track and field development

If you’re serious about speed training, vertical jump development, explosive power, athletic performance, biomechanics, strength and conditioning, sprint coaching, and track and field, this conversation is one you won’t want to miss.

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💬 Leave a comment with your biggest takeaway.
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#JeremyFisher #TrackAndField #StrengthAndConditioning #SportsPerformance #SprintTraining #JumpTraining #HighJump #LongJump #TripleJump #Biomechanics #ExplosivePower #VerticalJump #SpeedTraining #AthleteDevelopment #PerformanceCoach #SportsScience #PlatesAndPancakesPodcast #StevenThompson

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In this episode of Plates and Pancakes, I sit down with Coach Brandon Davis, Head Performance Coach and Assistant Athletic Director at Southwest Florida Christian Academy. Brandon brings a unique blend of sport science, coaching, and administration experience to the conversation as we dive into the methods and philosophies that are driving athletic development in his program. (Listen Notes)

We discuss the role of Olympic lifts in high school strength programs, why Brandon has evolved his thinking on certain training methods, and how tools like altitude drops, loaded jumps, and resisted sprinting can improve explosiveness and vertical jump performance. We also cover the importance of rate of force development, eccentric strength, curvilinear running, and the practical realities of training athletes when time, equipment, and schedules are limited. (Amazon Music)

Throughout the conversation, Brandon emphasizes adaptability over dogma, sharing how data, athlete response, and real-world coaching experience have shaped his programming decisions. Whether you’re a strength coach, sport coach, or athlete looking to improve performance, this episode is packed with practical takeaways you can apply immediately.

Topics include:

• Olympic lifts and athletic transfer
• Altitude drops and landing mechanics
• Vertical jump development
• Rate of force development
• Eccentric training strategies
• Curvilinear running
• Sport science in the high school setting
• Training adaptation and program design
• Technology in athlete development
• Coaching lessons from the weight room

Coach Davis brings a thoughtful, evidence-based approach while never losing sight of what matters most—getting athletes better. This is a conversation full of ideas that will challenge your thinking and help you become a more effective coach.

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In this episode of Plates and Pancakes, Steven Thompson sits down with legendary strength coach, author, educator, and former Olympic-level discus thrower Dan John to discuss decades of experience in strength training, athletic performance, and coaching development.

Dan John shares the story behind his discovery of anti-rotation training for rotational athletes and why movements like the one-arm bench press, suitcase deadlift, suitcase carry, and loaded carries became foundational tools for improving performance in throwing athletes.

The conversation dives deep into the concepts of linkage vs leakage, creating proper athletic tension, and how athletes can learn to produce force without losing energy through inefficient movement. Dan explains how isometric training can help athletes build better positions, improve technique, and develop a stronger connection between the weight room and sport performance.

Steven and Dan discuss:

* Anti-rotation exercises for baseball, softball, discus, shot put, and rotational athletes
* Strength training principles that transfer to athletic performance
* Finding the correct tension level for speed, power, and explosiveness
* Why simplicity often beats complexity in strength and conditioning
* The importance of coaching fundamentals: sleep, nutrition, consistency, and measurable progress
* How Dan approaches training, aging, walking, kettlebells, loaded carries, and staying competitive at 68 years old
* Lessons from decades of coaching athletes and developing practical training systems

Dan John has influenced generations of coaches through his books including Easy Strength, Intervention, and other works on strength and conditioning, and his philosophy continues to shape how coaches think about training athletes.

Whether you are a strength coach, sports performance coach, athlete, football coach, baseball coach, thrower, or someone looking to improve your training, this episode is packed with practical lessons from one of the most respected voices in the industry.

Subscribe to Plates and Pancakes for more conversations with the coaches, athletes, and educators shaping the future of strength and conditioning.

#DanJohn #StrengthAndConditioning #SportsPerformance #AthleticTraining #StrengthTraining #Coaching #Discusthrow #ShotPut #AntiRotation #LoadedCarries #KettlebellTraining #VoodooPower #PlatesAndPancakes

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In this episode, Steven sits down with Coach Cade Oller, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Choctaw High School in Oklahoma City, to discuss the training philosophies and coaching principles that have helped build a successful athletic culture.

The conversation dives deep into Coach Oller’s implementation of Brief Maximal Tension (BMT) training within a conjugate framework, including how his athletes utilize box squats, bench press variations, deadlifts, and APRE methods to drive consistent strength gains. Coach Oller shares practical insights on why box squats became a cornerstone of his program, how he addresses posterior chain weaknesses, and the adaptations required when coaching athletes of different sizes and abilities.

Beyond sets and reps, Steven and Coach Oller explore the human side of coaching. They discuss building positive team culture through individual conversations rather than public criticism, helping athletes navigate setbacks and pressure, and creating an environment where accountability comes from both coaches and athlete leaders. Coach Oller also shares how reorganizing Choctaw’s weight room schedule into flexible before- and after-school sessions dramatically improved athlete participation and coach collaboration.

Additional topics include:

• BMT and APRE programming
• Box squat coaching and technical development
• Strength transfer to speed and athletic performance
• Leadership development within teams
• Managing multi-sport athlete schedules
• Consistency as the foundation of long-term success
• Hip projection and movement efficiency
• The role of culture in strength and conditioning success

Whether you’re a strength coach, sport coach, athlete, or parent, this episode offers valuable lessons on adapting training systems to fit your population, developing athlete buy-in, and creating a culture where performance and personal growth go hand in hand.

Tune in for a conversation that blends practical programming, coaching wisdom, and real-world solutions from one of Oklahoma’s leading high school strength coaches.

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In Part 2 of this conversation, Steven and Michael Fahey dive deeper into the principles that separate good athletes from elite performers. Building on the foundation established in Part 1, the discussion shifts toward advanced strength training methods, velocity-based training (VBT), force production, and the role specialty exercises play in long-term athletic development.

Michael explains why acceleration remains one of the greatest opportunities for athletic improvement and how strength development drives performance gains across nearly every sport. The conversation explores board presses, deep box squats, time-to-peak velocity training, and how athletes can use specific exercises to build confidence, overcome sticking points, and improve force application.

Steven and Michael also discuss the relationship between strength and coordination, why sprinting doesn’t directly make athletes stronger, and how athletes must eventually learn to express newfound strength through technical mastery. They examine force plate data, contact times, eccentric strength, and the practical application of velocity-based training metrics for coaches working with athletes at every level.

The episode concludes with a discussion on coaching philosophy, social media debates within the strength and conditioning profession, and the importance of finding training methods that create lasting athletic advantages.

Topics Covered:
• Velocity-Based Training (VBT)
• Peak Velocity vs Average Velocity
• Time to Peak Velocity (TPV)
• Board Press Training
• Deep Box Squats
• Acceleration Development
• Force Production and Ground Contact Times
• Strength vs Coordination
• Special Strength Exercises
• Sprint Performance
• Eccentric Strength
• Force Plate Analysis
• Athletic Development
• Coaching Philosophy
• Performance Training Systems
• Long-Term Athlete Development
• Strength and Conditioning
• Sports Performance

If you’re interested in speed development, force production, velocity-based training, or building stronger and more explosive athletes, this episode delivers practical insights from one of the most thought-provoking minds in performance training.

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Can athletes get significantly faster without spending more time sprinting?

In Part 1 of this conversation, Steven sits down with Michael to explore the relationship between strength development, sprint performance, and athletic coordination. Michael breaks down how exercises such as sled drags, belted marches, deep box squats, and specialty movements can improve running mechanics by developing strength where athletes need it most.

The discussion dives into posture, hip position, shin splints, foot and ankle strength, and why relative strength plays a critical role in maintaining efficient movement patterns during competition. They also challenge traditional conditioning models, examining how strength-based approaches can replace excessive road work while improving performance and reducing wear and tear.

Steven and Michael further explore the transfer of strength to speed, the development of acceleration, and why many successful distance runners begin as speed-based athletes. Along the way, they discuss athlete development, wrestling preparation, and how exposing athletes to challenging training environments can improve resilience and decision-making under pressure.

Topics Covered:
• Strength training for sprint performance
• Belted marches, sled drags, and below-knee development
• Posture and hip position during running
• Reducing shin splints and overuse injuries
• Sprint-to-distance athlete transitions
• Wrestling preparation and conditioning
• Fight-or-flight states in athletic performance
• Building acceleration through strength development
• Deep box squats and force production
• Developing resilient, adaptable athletes

Whether you’re a sprint coach, strength coach, track athlete, or simply interested in performance development, this episode offers a fresh perspective on how strength drives speed.

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