Strength and Conditioning Staff Excels During Unique Summer of Training
September 1, 2020 | Sports Performance and Wellness
by Kevin Edelson, BU Athletic Communications
This past summer looked different for everyone in college athletics, including the Boston University strength and conditioning staff, which moved its operations from the top floor of 300 Babcock Street and the ice level of Agganis Arena to the homes of hundreds of student-athletes.
Coordinating training programs virtually is not easy, but head strength and conditioning coach Glenn Harris and his staff met this challenge head-on, as they worked tirelessly to make sure that Terrier athletes returned to campus in great shape.
"There were a lot of Zooms and texts," Harris said. "The big thing was checking in with the athletes to make sure that the voluntary program was designed in conjunction with what they were able to do, because it changed so much depending on where they were and what they had access to. That definitely played a role in how we designed the voluntary programs going forward for the summer."
Not every athlete had access to the same facilities or equipment at home, which meant that Harris and his team had to tweak their programs accordingly to make sure that everyone was able to perform as best as possible.
"I remember having conversations at the beginning of the summer with a men's lacrosse student-athlete and made programs that not only fit our goals from a training perspective but fit our goals through his means of working out and what he could do in his environment to accomplish those goals."
"I thought it went very smooth given the circumstances," the men's lacrosse student-athlete said. "Glenn was really helpful for our entire team, and I was able to reach out to him individually to have him help me with a hybrid plan since I had access to different equipment."
In a typical summer, the strength and conditioning facilities at BU would be buzzing with activity, as individuals and teams conducted their training in preparation for the upcoming season. This summer, that training may have occurred at all hours of the day given the Terriers' presence around the globe. The men's rowing team, for example, has athletes hailing from three continents and 10 different countries, which sometimes meant 10 or more different health guidelines and restrictions to follow.
"I'd be sitting in on rowing team calls and checking in with them and figuring out what could be tweaked for people in Europe and Australia and New Zealand," Harris said. "We've been fortunate over previous summers to have a good participation rate of student-athletes coming in to train. We didn't have that this year, obviously, but I felt like everyone responded well. They were definitely engaged in our conversations, providing feedback when we checked in. I think it was as positive as it could be."
The men's lacrosse student athlete concurred that the virtual meetings were an important part of his summer.
"It was perfect," the athlete said. "Glenn has always been great. He gave us a sense of normalcy. I feel really prepared. I'm as strong as I ever was, if not stronger."
When they weren't in virtual meetings with teams, Harris and his staff were hard at work to make sure the on-campus facilities are ready to go when student-athletes return in September. The weight room may look different, but the energy and effort exerted by the coaches and athletes will remain at its usual peak.
"It's been challenging but exciting in the same breath," Harris said about implementing changes to his facilities. "Logistically speaking, we made some changes to the equipment layout to maximize what we can and can't do within our space. We spent last week both here and at Agganis spreading out the equipment, and we also occupied space on New Balance Field to do some outdoor training. It's going to be different, but the exciting thing for us is that it's coming."
No matter where on campus the Terriers train this fall, they will be given every opportunity to succeed thanks to the diligence and preparation of Harris and his team, whose hard work will be evident not only in what the facilities look like but in how the athletes perform.
"My staff and I are looking forward to working with the student-athletes," Harris said. "Having the athletes come back to campus and getting the buzz back in the weight room is exciting for all of us. We know there's going to be changes, but our goals are still plain and simple. Get stronger, get faster and get better."
This past summer looked different for everyone in college athletics, including the Boston University strength and conditioning staff, which moved its operations from the top floor of 300 Babcock Street and the ice level of Agganis Arena to the homes of hundreds of student-athletes.
Coordinating training programs virtually is not easy, but head strength and conditioning coach Glenn Harris and his staff met this challenge head-on, as they worked tirelessly to make sure that Terrier athletes returned to campus in great shape.
"There were a lot of Zooms and texts," Harris said. "The big thing was checking in with the athletes to make sure that the voluntary program was designed in conjunction with what they were able to do, because it changed so much depending on where they were and what they had access to. That definitely played a role in how we designed the voluntary programs going forward for the summer."
Not every athlete had access to the same facilities or equipment at home, which meant that Harris and his team had to tweak their programs accordingly to make sure that everyone was able to perform as best as possible.
"I remember having conversations at the beginning of the summer with a men's lacrosse student-athlete and made programs that not only fit our goals from a training perspective but fit our goals through his means of working out and what he could do in his environment to accomplish those goals."
"I thought it went very smooth given the circumstances," the men's lacrosse student-athlete said. "Glenn was really helpful for our entire team, and I was able to reach out to him individually to have him help me with a hybrid plan since I had access to different equipment."
In a typical summer, the strength and conditioning facilities at BU would be buzzing with activity, as individuals and teams conducted their training in preparation for the upcoming season. This summer, that training may have occurred at all hours of the day given the Terriers' presence around the globe. The men's rowing team, for example, has athletes hailing from three continents and 10 different countries, which sometimes meant 10 or more different health guidelines and restrictions to follow.
"I'd be sitting in on rowing team calls and checking in with them and figuring out what could be tweaked for people in Europe and Australia and New Zealand," Harris said. "We've been fortunate over previous summers to have a good participation rate of student-athletes coming in to train. We didn't have that this year, obviously, but I felt like everyone responded well. They were definitely engaged in our conversations, providing feedback when we checked in. I think it was as positive as it could be."
The men's lacrosse student athlete concurred that the virtual meetings were an important part of his summer.
"It was perfect," the athlete said. "Glenn has always been great. He gave us a sense of normalcy. I feel really prepared. I'm as strong as I ever was, if not stronger."
When they weren't in virtual meetings with teams, Harris and his staff were hard at work to make sure the on-campus facilities are ready to go when student-athletes return in September. The weight room may look different, but the energy and effort exerted by the coaches and athletes will remain at its usual peak.
"It's been challenging but exciting in the same breath," Harris said about implementing changes to his facilities. "Logistically speaking, we made some changes to the equipment layout to maximize what we can and can't do within our space. We spent last week both here and at Agganis spreading out the equipment, and we also occupied space on New Balance Field to do some outdoor training. It's going to be different, but the exciting thing for us is that it's coming."
No matter where on campus the Terriers train this fall, they will be given every opportunity to succeed thanks to the diligence and preparation of Harris and his team, whose hard work will be evident not only in what the facilities look like but in how the athletes perform.
"My staff and I are looking forward to working with the student-athletes," Harris said. "Having the athletes come back to campus and getting the buzz back in the weight room is exciting for all of us. We know there's going to be changes, but our goals are still plain and simple. Get stronger, get faster and get better."
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