ABOUT THIS EPISODE
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
