Zach Dechant grew up in a farming community in Kansas, where the population is 300 people (or less, depending on the day). Their high school didn’t have a weight room, nor a coach who knew anything about strength and conditioning.

But Zach knew that if he was going to become a college athlete, he’d need to learn how to become bigger, stronger, and faster.

So, with the money he earned from the farm, Zach bought his own weights and started teaching and training himself.

Heeding his father’s advice to share his love and passion for athleticism with others, Zach took the path of becoming a strength and conditioning coach. Today, Zach is on his 14th season at Texas Christian University as Senior Assistant Director of Strength & Conditioning.

In addition to this role where he oversees the development of the baseball program, Zach also authored Movement Over Maxes, where he details the process of developing foundational movement qualities in athletes.

Zach joins me today to discuss how he develops the baseball players at TCU and shares his “Movement Over Maxes” approach.

He explains why he focuses on building athletes over their entire career. He reveals his method for measuring and assessing an athlete’s strength and describes the role of velocity-based training in his program.

Zach discusses how coaches can help maintain the shoulder and elbow health of athletes and why he uses crawling patterns in his training.

He also underscores the importance of cultivating life-long relationships with athletes and shares his advice for younger coaches who want to progress into internships.

If your athletes don’t know how to move, you can’t progress or intensify your training in the weight room. – Zach Dechant

Are you ready to take your coaching and training career to the next level?

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But… mentorship can be expensive, and unfortunately, it’s not always feasible for some budgets.

That’s why Bill Hartman and I developed IFAST University, an online curriculum and mentorship program designed exclusively for fitness trainers, coaches, and rehab professionals.

We want to help every trainer and coach in the industry improve their training techniques and write better training programs for their clients.

By becoming a member of IFAST University, you’ll receive:

This blend of content and Q&A is specifically designed to help make YOU the best fitness trainer you can be.

To learn more or to join IFAST University now, visit https://ifastuniversity.com/

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Physical Preparation Podcast with Mike Robertson – your one-stop-shop for fitness trainers, coaches, and athletes.

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