Lanier Coleman | Strong Beyond the Weight Room

Lanier Coleman coaches from a simple truth: intent drives intensity. Now in his role as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the National Football League (NFL) Jacksonville Jaguars, Coleman brings the same determination he embodied as a collegiate defensive lineman. He shares how early adversity shaped his standards, teaching him to lead with discipline, cultivate deeper relationships, and “build a fire” in every athlete he coaches. During his coaching tenure at Florida State University, mental and emotional endurance became cornerstones of team development — these are lessons he now carries into professional football. Coleman describes the shift from building collegiate foundations to coaching with precision at the NFL level, where he fine-tunes elite qualities to manage injury risk. He also stresses the importance of unified performance staffs to support athletes through this fast-paced and demanding sport. Gain inspiration to strengthen daily purpose, be a spark in your facility, and support athlete readiness across high-performance environments.

Reach out to Lanier via Instagram: @l_coleman98 | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs  

Join the NSCA Football Special Interest Group (SIG) and explore 24 other specialized communities designed to support your development on the Special Interest Groups page.

“It's not just what you learn about, how you learn to clean or how you drive up your numbers in the weight room. It's the standard and the discipline that it takes to be the best you can be in the gym, which also translates to how you learn in the classroom at school, but also how you learn in the classroom in the football facility around football, how you manage yourself and the intensities of football. But also, how you manage your mind and your emotions and the intensities of life as that comes to you as well.” 4:55

“I think building those relationships allows you to create not just more buy-in and belief to what we're doing, but what I think is really important when you come into the gym is to have the intent about what we're asking the athlete to do that day. So, to not get out of bed without a fire to yourself, to not come into the building without a fire and intensity towards what you're trying to achieve, to not address the bar, to not put your pads on, to not go anywhere without an intensity and a purpose and an enthusiasm to what you're trying to accomplish. And that would mean having a deeper understanding about what's going on and having a process to making sure every part of you is geared towards the success of that goal.” 11:35

“Don't try and look at the long-term thing. Have your goal in mind, but focus on each individual day and have a success in that individual day.” 15:20

“Be dynamic enough to understand where people are in their situations and help them through those individual spots.” 22:40

[00:00:00.00] [MUSIC PLAYING]
[00:00:02.76] Welcome to the NSCA Coaching Podcast Season 9, Episode 16.
[00:00:08.00] I think building those relationships allows you to create not just more buy-in and belief to what we're doing, but what I think is really important when you come into the gym is to have the intent about what we're asking the athlete to do that day. So to not get out of bed without a fire to yourself, to not come into the building without a fire and intensity towards what you're trying to achieve, to not address the bar, to not put your pads on, to not go anywhere without an intensity and a purpose and an enthusiasm to what you're trying to accomplish. And that would mean having a deeper understanding about what's going on and having a process to making sure every part of you is geared towards the success of that goal.
[00:00:51.68] This is the NSCA's Coaching Podcast where we talk to strength and conditioning coaches about what you really need to know, but probably didn't learn in school. There's strength and conditioning, and then there's everything else.
[00:01:02.16] Welcome to the NSCA Coaching Podcast. I'm Eric McMahon. As coaches, we often reflect on our own journey into the profession, drawing from those experiences and lessons learned to shape our coaching philosophy. In today's episode with Lanier Coleman, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach of the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars, we will have that discussion. Coach, welcome to the show.
[00:01:25.28] How you doing, man? Thank you for having me.
[00:01:27.28] Yeah, absolutely. Ran into you at the NFL health and performance meetings down in Florida. We got to talking. Here you are on the podcast. It's your first year with Jacksonville.
[00:01:40.72] First year. First couple months. Yeah.
[00:01:43.55] Yeah. So you've had-- going through your bio, you were at University of Louisiana as a player. You had coaching stops at Rice, Cal, Ole Miss, Florida State the last five years. And take us back through that process of some of the milestones you've had from being a player and making your way into the coaching ranks.
[00:02:05.63] So I think the big reason why I got into strength and conditioning, for me growing up, one of my favorite movies growing up was Rocky. And the one thing I loved about the movie Rocky was the "Eye of the Tiger," the training montage, kind of the fight before the fight. I fell in love with what that meant to the character in that moment and saw it in my own life as an athlete.
[00:02:23.27] And that's one thing I always kind of wanted, I always gravitated towards is just training always brought a different side of me out, a different connection with my teammates. And then once I got an opportunity to break into the strength and conditioning industry, I got to see that in the athletes, and it really became an awesome experience for me.
[00:02:40.41] So coming out of college, not really knowing which way I wanted to go, football career felt like it was over. I had a trial with the Minnesota Vikings. Didn't work out. So just really trying to look around and trying to find things to latch on to. And had some great people in my life, great coaches who helped me find my direction in the industry and in life, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.
[00:03:03.35] So once this opportunity came up and I got a chance to do it during my internship, it was one of those things where you're making $200 bucks a month. And I'm like, man, they're paying me to do this? This is incredible.
[00:03:14.57] [LAUGHS]
[00:03:15.03] You know? So I just fell in love with it then. And from that point all the way till now, nothing has changed. That fire is still the same. The intensity, the passion, the love for this side of it and what it can do for athletes outside the gym is what I really enjoy about the profession.
[00:03:32.63] Back to the beginning. Was it challenging when you transitioned? You were a player, and then a year later you're a coaching intern at your alma mater.
[00:03:42.91] What made that transition very, very easy was being at my alma mater and training guys who I had either taken them on their recruiting trips or I played with them. So it was like training my little brothers for the success that I knew they had in them, the success that I knew they wanted, and being able to meet them in moments where maybe the journey towards that success got a little taxing, a little tiring, whether it be emotionally, physically, mentally, or spiritually.
[00:04:11.60] So finding those guys in those moments to help them through those difficulties, because I had walked in their shoes, and now I'm armed with another level of knowledge in the sense of not just the literature I was reading, not just the awesome mentorship I was receiving, but also being in their shoes, wanting to go where they're trying to go, having really, in a lot of ways, a little bit of setbacks and failures in where they were trying to go, and understanding how I messed up and how I could empower them to take the proper steps forward.
[00:04:39.96] So almost kind of forecasting what it would be for them and saying, OK, guys. These steps that you take may be easy, but they're not going to be beneficial for you in the long run. These steps are difficult, but you're going to see some tremendous gains in your body and in the steps you're taking towards your goals. So it's not just what you learn about, how you learn to clean or how you drive up your numbers in the weight room.
[00:05:04.78] It's the standard and the discipline that it takes to be the best you can be in the gym, which also translates to how you learn in the classroom at school, but also how you learn in the classroom in the football facility around football, how you manage yourself and the intensities of football. But also how you manage your mind and your emotions and the intensities of life as that comes to you as well.
[00:05:23.36] So that was a big point of emphasis through my leadership as a young coach and a big point of emphasis as an intern to my younger brothers as I coached them. And once I saw that spark in their eyes, it really drove something in me to understand what the impact was in this industry. So it gave me an more of a focused intensity to what I was doing, how I was growing. But also, I just fell in love with seeing guys overcome and do things that they probably didn't think they could do before.
[00:05:53.57] Who have been some of your biggest mentors to help you figure out those lessons?
[00:05:58.13] So just how I try to be as a coach in mentoring or coaching and meeting guys where they are, I had some really influential people that found me in difficult moments in my life. My freshman season at the University of Louisiana, Rob Phillips, my head strength coach at the time, was one that helped me develop mentally and spiritually as I had some time away from my father.
[00:06:22.85] My dad basically called me about two weeks after the storm and was like, hey, man, don't even think about going back to New Orleans. I know you want to go see your buddies and your friends, but there's nothing good there right now. You're in the safest place possible. I know they're going to feed you there. I know you have shelter there.
[00:06:38.61] I have to move our entire family from New Orleans to somewhere else. Ended up being Houston, Texas-- but somewhere else after what just happened, so I just need you to stay there. But it's time to grow up quick. It's time to be a man, because this situation that's transpired for the people in our city, it's really going to bring out some different things in people.
[00:06:58.11] And I'll never forget how he broke it down to me. He was like, people are going to either use this as a motivator or a crutch. Some people, it's going to be really difficult for them to get past this, and other people, it's going to push them to be better than they were before. We have to be on the correct side of this for us. We want to be better than we were before this. We don't want to have this hold us back as a family and as men. So let's push ourselves and the people around us to be better than we have been before the storm happened.
[00:07:24.95] So when I was at Louisiana Lafayette, Rob Phillips found me in those moments. He was able to guide me in those times when I was away from my father physically. And then throughout my playing career, he was really huge, and really big in helping me develop physically. But like I said, mentally and as a leader. Gave me some confidence to step out there and lead my teammates, and helped me transition from being a walk-on in 2005 to a team captain in 2008. So that journey was awesome.
[00:07:52.75] And really, after a mini camp tryout in Minnesota, Minnesota Vikings in 2009 as a defensive lineman, I came back to Lafayette. And he was somebody that found me in the gym, and was like, hey, listen, I have a buddy at the University of South Alabama who's looking for some strength coaches, some guys who are really interested and who I think are high-caliber guys to be in this industry, and I thought of you. So if it's something you're interested in, I'd like to recommend you for the opportunity.
[00:08:19.27] And I thought about it for a long time. It made me a little nervous, because I saw the dedication and intensity Rob Phillips had towards what he did for us and how he was a father to over 100 kids and a big brother at the same time, but it also excited me. And after some time coaching high school football and playing arena ball, just keeping the dream alive, I was given an opportunity to be an intern by Rusty Whitt.
[00:08:41.45] Coach Whitt is the head strength coach at Tulane right now, and has been huge in my professional development-- professional development, but also as a friend and a mentor in life. He's somebody who I can honestly say I've got a lot of love for. He's been big for me in this career and in establishing the foundation of pushing people past what they think they can achieve in the moment.
[00:09:03.82] So we put those young athletes, my little brothers, in some very challenging situations that we gave them an opportunity to have success in. It was just on them to build the fire within themselves and push themselves past any adversity that came in those moments, and using those moments in training as teachable moments for life. How to develop the skills, how to develop the processes and the discipline to succeed other places other than the football field or the weight room or a conditioning session.
[00:09:32.10] So the focus was more so on developing the man and the human being more so than just the athlete. Obviously, Coach Whitt had a huge intensity towards developing the athlete. But also, his purpose was developing the young men and the future adults and leaders that were on our football team at that time.
[00:09:50.34] And then after my internship, multiple stops across the country, Texas and Rice University and obviously Cal Berkeley, like we talked about. But after my NFL stint, which we'll get into later-- we'll talk about a little later. But after that stint, I met Paul Jackson. He was the head strength coach at Ole Miss at the time, and has been the coach to help me and the mentor to help me have a more honed in, professional approach to what I was doing.
[00:10:17.52] Not that Coach Whitt didn't, but Coach Jackson allowed me-- I mean, Coach Jackson pushed me to understand a different approach to everything, a more disciplined, detailed approach to how I was going about my day as a professional, how I was developing my brain, how I was developing my coaching voice, and how I was impacting the athletes that I got to coach every day. So it's really an awesome opportunity to grow under those guys.
[00:10:42.89] And then even today in the job I have now, to have Paul Jackson as an office mate, that's been an awesome experience. Separate from all the books and the articles that we may read or the experiences we have on the floor, just talking about things that we've seen in our careers with each other, away from each other, and then back in the situation we're in right now.
[00:11:02.91] Wow. Yeah. I mean, a lot of personal perspective there, going back to your college years, having to, as you said, grow up quick. And when you think about what that did for you as a young coach, it gave you a lot of perspective early to be able to pour into that next generation, even though they were probably only a year or two younger than you in that program at the time. How do you think that shaped your coaching style today? What's your coaching philosophy, and how have you seen that evolve from those early days?
[00:11:34.91] I think it's shaped me in a way to focus on building relationships with people. I think building those relationships allows you to create not just more buy-in and belief to what we're doing, but what I think is really important when you come into the gym is to have the intent about what we're asking the athlete to do that day.
[00:11:54.11] So to not get out of bed without a fire to yourself, to not come into the building without a fire and intensity towards what you're trying to achieve, to not address the bar, to not put your pads on, to not go anywhere without an intensity and a purpose and an enthusiasm to what you're trying to accomplish. And that would mean having a deeper understanding about what's going on and having a process to making sure every part of you is geared towards the success of that goal.
[00:12:22.87] So having a desired end state of being-- I want to be the best-- be in the best shape that I can be so that I can put everything that I have in myself into the team. That right there, if I can get 85% of the team to at least think of that-- I'm not going to get a super large-- a really large amount.
[00:12:41.36] But if I can get most of the team to think about that, to converse with each other about that, and to not lose themselves as individuals, to find purpose in that standard but also be themselves at the same time, I can create a-- I feel like we can light a fire within the athlete. And that fire and that passion towards the game, we can teach them how to apply that same fire and passion towards who they grow up to be, whether it be an all pro, a father, husband, fiancé, boyfriend, whatever it's going to be. Everything that you do is geared towards you continuing to maximize your potential and to push yourself to get a little bit better every day, that every day you have an opportunity to step into this gym, to step into the success that you say you want to achieve.
[00:13:24.42] You spent five years at Florida State from 2020 to 2024, a period that saw both growth and challenges for the program. Looking back, what are you most proud of from your time there?
[00:13:37.54] Most proud of the relationships I built with the athletes and continue to have with the athletes and coaches that I spent time with there. From the second I stepped on that campus, Mike Norvell and the rest of the staff made it clear, and we realized about how important it is to have like-minded people in that building, and we did. I think that we had people that were of the growth mindset, people that were geared towards success of not only the football brand at Florida State University, but also each individual athlete that stepped through that building.
[00:14:10.58] So continue to build those relationships and helping athletes to understand the importance of the proper response at every moment, whether it be good or bad, the importance of discipline, the importance of commitment, the importance of being intentional and being intense about what you say you want. Learning to endure, being tough enough to endure the challenges along the journey.
[00:14:32.60] And then realizing the most important thing in sports like this, and in football, which I believe is the greatest sport on the planet, is the brotherhood that comes along with it. It's a difficult journey, but you don't have to do this by yourself. There's other guys that are going through it with you. They have different challenges. The standard that we have in place can help you address-- can help you meet those challenges head on and attack them. And if you can't find success immediately in the moment, there's resources around you to help you find that success.
[00:14:57.78] So with all the ups and downs that went along there, I think that one of my favorite things that we pushed to develop was the mental and emotional endurance in our team and our athletes. Obviously, over the time period we saw things change.
[00:15:14.38] And in the best moments, I think we did a great job of helping them to understand that every individual day and every individual week mattered. Don't try and look at the long-term thing. Have your goal in mind, but focus on each individual day and have a success in that individual day. And by the time you get to that end state, you'll be excited about what you see, because you did all the work properly on the front end.
[00:15:36.29] Now, such is life, things don't always go the way you want them to. And in the midst of all those things, it just gave us another opportunity to reinforce those standards, to show that, hey, listen, even though it's raining outside, we can still get through this together. We're still locked up together. We're still hand in hand in this pursuit of this.
[00:15:52.47] And if this may not be the way, we're going to find another way and we're going to do it together. So just that basic understanding of how to approach your day and how to approach the challenges that come along with who you are and what you're trying to pursue is things that we can use to translate into other things in our life.
[00:16:08.15] And an identity I think that I'm very proud that-- one, that was built within the athletes during my time there, but two, has helped me out as a man as well. I was blessed to have an opportunity to pursue my master's at Florida State. Got that master's in May last year. That was another thing. As a student athlete, I wouldn't say I never thought I could achieve it.
[00:16:29.33] I was never around-- not never. Being around the people that I was at Florida State in the mindset that I was in at the time helped me to take the necessary steps to go out and achieve something that I didn't think I could achieve before.
[00:16:43.89] And all the individual stops that were along the way to that point helped me to arrive at that. And then once I was able to accomplish that, it was like, it wasn't so much a celebration.
[00:16:54.21] Like, first second you're happy. Yeah, I got my masters, man. That was cool. I started out not having a ton of success in academics, and now here I am, finding myself with the discipline to stay focused on something like this while training a team, while going through an intense college football season, but also reaching out and pursuing things within the master's program that may have been a little bit difficult for me or worrisome for me to go out and pursue and challenge myself in different ways.
[00:17:21.11] But I met those challenges with confidence, met those challenges with intensity and enthusiasm, and was ready to pivot and make adjustments as they came. And I think all of those came from the continued echoing of the standard in that building at Florida State.
[00:17:33.80] So as I continue to learn those things and try and bring that wisdom to the players, I was able to apply it in my own life. And sometimes I look up at where I am and what I'm trying to do, and it's not so much always of where. It's also who I'm around, because who I'm around is starting to showcase, OK, this job that I do is never really an easy one, but I love doing it. I love doing the difficult work in it, and I love doing-- I love who I get to do it with, whether it be both the coaches I get to coach with and the athletes I get to work with on the daily.
[00:18:11.80] And that pursuit of greatness, that pursuit of success that each of us defines is a difficult road. And it doesn't matter which level you're on when it comes to that. Even the stigma of maybe certain levels may be, quote, unquote, "easier" work than others, or you have a little bit more lax approach. It just doesn't exist with me, because every athlete on every level or every athlete that I would look to develop should want to pursue a greatness, should want to pursue some sort of greatness in their life.
[00:18:42.16] So that comes with difficulty. No matter where it is, what it looks like, what level it's on, the pursuit of greatness is hard. And to have like-minded people who are all on the same page who are pushing the same way and willing and ready to endure adversity as it comes is more important than where or how you work. And it's just the people that you get to do it with.
[00:19:02.42] And I'm overjoyed to have had my time at Florida State and the relationships that I continue to have with the people there. And there's a lot of people in the building that I'm in currently who have connections to Florida State, and it's always good to reminisce with them. But really enjoying where my feet are at the moment, and operating at the same level that I did at Florida State, and the lessons and the standards that I learned there and applying them to my new opportunity.
[00:19:26.00] Yeah, I like that, man. The pursuit of greatness. You talk about your education. And education's a big part of the strength and conditioning profession. We're always trying to make ourselves better. There's skills and drills we're doing today that we weren't doing 10, 15 years ago.
[00:19:42.04] Absolutely.
[00:19:43.44] Yeah. And what do you think it is? Tons of great strength and conditioning coaches have come out of football. That's a little bit of the history of sport. But what do you think it is about the game of football, the sport of football that creates an avenue for people like yourself to make their way into strength and conditioning as a career path?
[00:20:06.32] I don't think that it's purely because I was a football player as much as it is I was able to connect or able to identify the standards that was being constantly put into my brain and I didn't even know it. The writing's on the wall, the words that are coming from the coach. Sometimes it's really easy when you have your mind on other things or you're thinking about the goal, getting to the goal rather than being where your feet are to just listen to those standards and let them go in one ear and out the other. It's easy to do that, especially with all the distractions that are around.
[00:20:39.83] But to forcibly always put these things in your life is an effort. Takes effort. And once that effort is applied, it allows you to put yourself in these areas. So I mean, transition from player to coach, you get to see more things. You get to connect the dots. As a player, you have an intensity and a want to do everything your strength coach asks you to do, and be successful at it and be awesome at it.
[00:21:05.79] And then sometimes you really don't ask why, because you know the relationship is being connected-- a relationship has been built to where you're like, you know what? No matter what, I'm going to go as hard as I can for this guy because I love him, I love the guys next to me, and I love what we're fighting for, so we're going to do this together. But to connect those dots on the coaching side and to be able to say, OK, with all the intensity that you have, I want you to keep it, but I want to be able to harness it.
[00:21:30.85] I always have the-- I always tell guys, I want you to be like a sniper rather than like Rambo. Because a lot of guys want to come and just machine gun everything, which I love. And I always tell them, I don't want you to lose that. We're just going to put it in a different area. We're going to put it in the right spot at the right time.
[00:21:48.45] So don't think about coming and spraying the machine gun everywhere and just being ultra intense. Yes, in your spirit, in your soul, how you go about things. There's a detail to every little thing that goes into it, and that will help optimize your success or put you in the best position to achieve success, which is the number 1 thing you can promise guys.
[00:22:08.09] Because it's easy to be like-- I mean, not easy. It's not always the best plan I feel to say, this lift, this strain of running, this strain of jumping will bring you success. That's not always true. There's different ways of going around that. But the number 1 thing is, do you possess the spirit emotions like-- spirit emotions to take this step forward on your own, overcoming yourself, but then also as a leader to inspire others, and not just regurgitate the same words? Be dynamic enough to understand where people are in their situations and help them through those individual spots.
[00:22:46.40] And I think that being in different locker rooms from semi-pro arena football, college, Sun Belt, Division I college football, in the NFL, at Lambeau Field, here, at Florida State, at Ole Miss, being in all those different locker rooms, learning all the different players that I got to interact with and their personalities, how they responded to adversity, how they brought in life's baggage into the building and how they worked with it. Some guys will walk in through the door and wear it all the time. Some guys walk in the door, check at the door, and you're all about what's in the building.
[00:23:21.78] And being able to find them at those spots and help them grow-- because it's all about, in my mind, finding guys where they are, whether it be at this level or this level, and just getting everybody to raise up just a little bit. So the step forward is more important of where they are than getting everybody, I believe, to this line, because everybody's probably not going to get to this high line together. It's all about just helping everybody take a step up from where they are.
[00:23:44.26] Yeah, raising the level of the group. And one thing in the passion you bring, it's clearly about more than just strength and conditioning. In every environment, we're part of a team. We're part of an organization. We're part of a university, whatever it may be. So having seen both sides of the line now, what are the biggest differences you notice in designing programs, strength and conditioning programs at the college level versus the NFL level?
[00:24:13.14] At its core, these guys want to be great too, just like college kids. So the approach and the intensity that you have as a coach should not fall off, and it should be amplified when you do have them. And the time you have them is a little bit more-- a little bit smaller than you would in college, so you have to be more intentional about what you do.
[00:24:30.93] The brilliant thing is that these are older guys. These are professionals. So whereas to my own fault as a coach sometimes I've learned to overcome, I may go and give an athlete five different cues in one session-- in one lift, and that may overload them. So I learned then to give them one cue at a time per rep. That helped them overcome some of the issues that they may having-- that they may have.
[00:24:58.01] Fast forward to this level, I may give one cue, and it fixes everything for the athlete on this level, because these guys are the top 1% of the 1%, and they're trying to do 1% things. So we're in the danger zone as it is about what we're asking them to do. So getting the understanding of what we're asking to do, why we're asking to do it, all the other stresses that go into it, their own history, the relationship we can build with them, and what we feel like is most beneficial to them getting the opportunity to go out and do their job, it has been a different approach.
[00:25:29.59] Now, I wouldn't say it's more or less difficult. It's just different. It's a different way of approaching the weight room, the lifts, the teaching aspect behind it, what they've known in the past. With guys, we just need to crank up the intensity on and get them excited about coming to the lift, and wake them up and give them enthusiasm and cut them loose. With guys you kind of have to walk them through certain things or address needs they had before and work around them.
[00:25:54.43] So in the college environment, I felt like my role, especially being primarily with all our freshmen and newcomers in college, was to establish a foundation of, you're not coming to school to be an average college student. I always used to define it as gladiator school. You come in-- I'm trying to turn you into a warrior. So everything about you is warrior-like in your discipline and your intensity to achieve and success.
[00:26:20.99] I want you to get up, and I want you to eat breakfast well. I want you to hydrate well. I want you to sleep the night before well. I want you to walk into this gym with the mindset of, you're about to go into a football field and attack it. And the second you're done with that, go replenish yourself. Go take that intensity and now apply it to your classroom work, whether it be with football or in school.
[00:26:41.33] And now here, a lot of those guys have that same standard of operation to everything they do already. You can tap in and cue it every once in a while just to make sure it's sharp, but they already have-- a lot of them already have it in them. It's just guiding them through it. If you see any small dip or detail that needs to be corrected, we're there to help guide them back into it. But this group of workers, this group of athletes at this level are a very, very special group that I'm enjoying every moment of coaching with.
[00:27:12.56] But building a relationship, the fire in their eyes, the smile on their face, how you interact with them, the power of touch as we call in that building-- when I come and dap a guy up, they feel the same connection that I always wanted to have as a coach that Rob Phillips and Rusty Whitt and Paul Jackson gave me. Like, we're coming in here to have fun. We're coming here to work really hard. We're coming here to develop warriors. We're coming here to have a lot of fun being the best we can be.
[00:27:37.46] And I think that that stays the same kind of across the board. The approach may be different. The understanding may be different. The athlete I work with in this population may get it quicker. The athlete I work in the other population, it may take some time. But once they got it, they got it, and they're running hard with it.
[00:27:53.86] But overall, I would think the main-- I would say the main line for that is that these guys want to be great just like anybody else. And there's a cost to be paid for that, and there's some guidance that needs to go along with that and some teamwork, you know? Some collaboration needs to happen between player and coach and coach and coach.
[00:28:14.70] So as long as those things are operating at a high level, which at this level, if you're not operating at a high level, you're sticking out like a sore thumb. So as long as everybody's operating at a high level and they're in their department, it all runs really, really smoothly.
[00:28:29.92] You mentioned at the pro level, shorter windows of access to work with players, just the way those leagues operate with when they can be at the complex, when they can train with their coaches. Injury prevention is obviously critical at the NFL level, sustaining and maintaining your ability to play and go out there and compete and train. How does that factor into the football day for you?
[00:28:54.80] I think that for one, the term injury prevention in playing this violent and fast of the game with these type of players kind of doesn't exist. You manage the risk of the injury and then work with them past it.
[00:29:09.55] So I think that for one, eliminating injury doesn't exist. Managing it, helping them through it, and having the workouts be more catered to, OK, this is what he has going on. The lift will obviously help him, but this may be the main movement of the day. Let's see how we can alter it to help him optimize what he can get-- or maximize what we can get out of here so he can do what the real thing is out here, which is to be able to think fast, process information fast, and do it on the grass inside those white lines.
[00:29:44.81] Because every player wants to get to this level. This game happens faster than they've ever seen it. And it happens every time, you know? Talk with college freshmen, that's my words to them. This is about to happen faster than you've ever seen it. All our rookies here, same message. This is about to get really, really hectic, so you need to make sure that we can maximize all the qualities necessary so that when you go into that environment-- and inevitably, something will happen. We have a very, very high injury rate here.
[00:30:10.99] We need to prepare on this end so that if we do cross that road, coming back from that injury is less of a-- is less of a difficult journey for you. So finding different movements, finding different training avenues to push guys through or different coworkers to work with. Like, our sports science department is probably-- for me is one of the best I've ever been around, not just in what they do, but how they collaborate and how they work together with strength conditioning and sports medicine.
[00:30:40.65] But the three-headed monster of cohesion on this level is unlike I've ever seen it. And I think philosophically for me as a coach, I've always wanted that in a strength and conditioning program. But also to have it from an entire performance staff has been awesome. We are literally a team within a team.
[00:30:58.69] And I thoroughly enjoy being a part of this team within a team, because we all operate at such a high level together. We all kind of bounce ideas off each other. It's never a dull moment in growing together, learning together, and maximizing what we can for the athletes on the floor. So it's really easy when we come to that point to where guys are dealing with things they can't really control, it's out of their control, or that have already happened, helping those guys bounce back forward or navigate it in their own specific way to them.
[00:31:28.26] I like it, teaching them to control what they can control. I love the props you're giving to your performance staff there. And it speaks to where we're at as a profession right now, a lot of moving parts coming together in the health and performance departments at the pro level, at the college level.
[00:31:46.86] If you've been in the field as long as we have, you've been around some really great people in the profession, and that speaks highly of what we do. Our field is ahead of where it was years ago because of all the impactful contributions of the many people we work with, the thoughts, the coming together on our staffs, the things you're able to accomplish there.
[00:32:14.68] So I don't always think, hey, I just have this job, and I'm doing this on a daily basis. I'm actually taking the field forward. Every time you come into the locker room, every time you're working with someone in the weight room, you're taking us all forward. And that's a message to everyone listening to this podcast. Whether you're at the NFL level, D3 college football level, or any sport for that matter, our field's come a long way, and it really-- everything you're saying connects with me, man. I think this is really great. For our listeners who want to connect with you after the show, what's the best way for them to reach out?
[00:32:52.50] Please feel free to reach out to me on Instagram. Lowercase @l_coleman98. Facebook, just my name, Lanier Coleman. Those are the best ways to reach out to me about my means of communication. I'm not always checking my phone during the day, but sometimes when I get home, I'll have some direct messages from either interns or people that I've known before that just want to reach out and ask a question or talk about the journey, or they may be in a certain situation they're trying to navigate on their own.
[00:33:25.56] I as a coach don't have all the answers. I'm learning every day myself. But what I do have is an experience of highs and lows in my own life, highs and lows in my football career and as a coach, and a ton of different perspectives that I've learned from as an individual. So as I continue to meet new young coaches or coaches in general that go through what they're doing, it's really cool to connect and just talk about where we've been, where we're going, what we're trying to accomplish together.
[00:33:50.42] Because I want-- like you said, as the industry continues to grow, I don't want for me as a strength coach to be known as-- and I'll put it in a story. I had a great coach that I worked for at Rice University that told me-- and he didn't mean it this way, but this is how I internalized it. He was just like, man, you're always going to be good in this profession because you're big, you're articulate, and you have a presence.
[00:34:16.73] And for me, I didn't want to just be that. I didn't want to just be large and with the presence. I know he didn't mean that. Jared Kaaiohelo is an awesome friend of mine, and I love what he's doing at UTSA as I hear him on his podcast and hear him talk.
[00:34:32.67] But in that moment, he inadvertently challenged me to be better than what I was in the moment. You're big and you've got a presence. All right. Well, how can I'd be more than just a guy with a presence? How can I be somebody who's a spark and who shines in that facility wherever I go, but not shine for myself?
[00:34:51.97] I want to shine a light for everyone else or the people that I get to work with every day and broaden their perspective. I want to come into a return to play situation with an athlete and understand that sometimes an injury, after having my own injuries in football, it's like you're out in the middle of deep water on a boat with no light, and you're just floating.
[00:35:10.13] I want to be the light bulb to come and get you and guide you back to shore. Not just put you in my boat and take you there, but show you how to get back to shore and walk that walk with you in return to play. And injury's a very difficult thing for athletes, so to be able to be there for them is important.
[00:35:24.03] I want to be a teammate on the strength staff where you can know that whatever avenue or whatever task you've given me as a coach, that I'm going to go attack it and I'm going to dominate it as best as I can. I want you to know that as I continue to work with the group that I have, I'm going to help them adopt that same mindset. Whatever task is asked of me, I want to go and dominate that with all the enthusiasm that I can, knowing that I have support and knowing that no matter what happens in the outcome of this task, that I'll have another opportunity the next day, God willing, to come out and give it another great try again.
[00:35:57.94] So I think just-- like, learning to maximize the day, learning to understand each athlete where they are, and that strength coach is not to be focused on simply what we read in articles or what we learn in clinics, but to also learn about, it's not just about developing strength in the weight room. It's about developing strength beyond strength, strength in who the person is, strength in who they can be, strength in who they want to be, and how they want to inspire those around them to take another step forward as well, because that's really important, you know?
[00:36:28.24] To be a good player is one thing. To be a good defensive lineman is one thing. To be on a D line with a bunch of hungry wolves is different. I don't want to just be pursuing this quarterback enthusiastically by myself. I want to know the other three guys want to get there with them too. I don't want to just achieve trying to chase my goals to be a great fiancé, husband, father. I want to be around other guys who are doing the same things as well, who are taking steps in their lives to be great men as well.
[00:36:55.42] So every area of my life, I look to not only figure out the knowledge to do it the best that I can myself, but also surround myself with people who are like-minded to pursue those same goals. And then others who may need to be pulled along to make just-- who haven't just seen that perspective or haven't opened their eyes in that way, to try and be that beacon for them as well, just as my mentors have been for me, my teammates have been for me, and my dad and my mom and everybody in my family has been for me, to just help see the world for everything it is, and to try and be as much of a light as you can be every single day.
[00:37:31.24] That was a great conversation, one I think that every coach can relate to. At the end of the day, your coaching journey truly matters. It shapes how you lead, how you connect, the kind of impact you can have on your athletes and your program.
[00:37:47.40] Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the NSCA Coaching Podcast. We'll include Coach Coleman's contact info in the show notes if you'd like to connect. Also, if you haven't already, take a moment to join the NSCA's Football Special Interest Group on LinkedIn. We'll drop that link in the show notes as well. And a big thanks to Sorinex exercise equipment for their continued support of the NSCA Coaching Podcast. Have a great day.
[00:38:13.03] My name is Autumn Lockwood, and you just listened to an episode of the NSCA Coaching Podcast. And if you'd like to get involved in any sort of way for volunteer opportunity, make sure you head to nsca.com, and you'll be able to find a list of them to get involved.
[00:38:27.74] [MUSIC PLAYING]
[00:38:30.79] This was the NSCA's Coaching Podcast. The National Strength and Conditioning Association was founded in 1978 by strength and conditioning coaches to share information, resources, and help advance the profession. Serving coaches for over 40 years, the NSCA is the trusted source for strength and conditioning professionals. Be sure to join us next time.

Reporting Errors: To report errors in a podcast episode requiring correction or clarification, email the editor at publications@nsca.com or write to NSCA, attn: Publications Dept., 1885 Bob Johnson Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80906. Your letter should be clearly marked as a letter of complaint. Please (a) identify in writing the precise factual errors in the published podcast episode (every false, factual assertion allegedly contained therein), (b) explain with specificity what the true facts are, and (c) include your full name and contact information.