The Strength Game

Mike Colella is a Strength Coach and the Owner of Coach Mikes Dawg Pound. Colella established his coaching business and LLC in 2023 after training clients at Explosive Performance from 2018-2023 in Frederick, MD. Throughout his time working in the fitness industry as a personal trainer, group fitness instructor and strength coach he’s worked with athletes of all levels from youth to pro, competitive powerlifting and general population clients. In addition to his business and coaching role, Colella is an adjunct professor at Hood College. He began teaching in 2024 and currently teaches courses in Health and Wellness, Strength Training and Exercise Physiology, and Coaching Theory and Leadership. He is a former graduate assistant strength coach at Hood College from 2022-2024 where he earned his masters of business administration. Colella also garners experience as a strength and conditioning intern at UMBC in 2016 as well as being the director of youth and high school programs at Explosive Performance from 2021-2023.  Colella is very active in training outside of his coaching and teaching responsibilities. Currently he is a competitive strongman athlete where he’s been competing since 2017.Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Tim Kontos is the Associate AD for Sports Performance and Student-Athlete Wellness at Virginia Commonwealth University. Kontos is going into his 27th year at VCU. First arriving in 1998 as the head strength and conditioning coach, he became an assistant athletic director for sports performance and was again promoted to associate AD before his new title of associate AD for sports performance and student-athlete wellness. From August of 2018 to January of 2021 Kontos supervised the Sports Medicine, Sports Nutrition, Sport Psychology and Sports Performance departments. This was in addition to being responsible for the design, implementation and supervision of all strength, speed and agility programs for The Rams’ Baseball and Volleyball teams. He currently oversees the Volleyball program in addition to the Sports Performance department. Kontos got his coaching start at his alma mater, Radford University, where he spent two years serving as the strength and conditioning coach for the ice hockey team, prior to joining VCU. Kontos is a Master Strength & Conditioning Coach through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association earning the highest honor in the profession in 2015. He is also the Head Coach and Owner of Kontos Strength which is an online platform that offers custom programming and coaching, including return from injury and competition prep. A firm believer in learning “under the bar” Kontos was a competitive powerlifter from 1994 until retiring due to injuries in 2023. His best lifting accomplishment? A competition best 600lb Squat in knee wraps at 198lbs. In his off time Kontos enjoys being outside with his wife, Laura, and kids Alex, Zane, and Moriah. Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Blair Vaughan is the Head Football Strength & Conditioning Coach at Sam Houston State University. Prior to his start with the Bearkats in 2025, Vaughan spent two season as the associate head strength coach at the University of Arizona. He arrived in Tuscon after spending 2020-2022 on the Army West Point strength and conditioning staff working with the Black Knights football team. Vaughan got his start as an intern football strength coach at his alma mater, Western Kentucky University in 2016 as well as interning with the football strength staff at Ohio State University in 2017. From there he served one season as an assistant strength coach at Robert Morris University in 2019. Vaughan had a very successful collegiate career himself. A 4-year letter winner for the Western Kentucky University football team. He was a part of WKU’s first AP Top 25 finish in 2015 being ranked 24th overall after a 12-2 season, won back-to-back C-USA titles in 2015 & 2016, and earned three straight bowl victories. Vaughan continues to stay active himself in the weight room and trains several days a week while balancing the rigors of the collegiate coaching schedule. He is an avid lifter and enjoys spending time with my wife and 15 month old son when he is not training in the weight room. Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Anthony Fuhrman is a Strength Coach, Athletic Trainer and Co-Founder of Strengthlete Collective. The Strengthlete Collective is an online community and training app that gives members access to strength sports-based fitness programs created by world-class athletes and coaches. In addition to working with strength sport athletes, strongman competitors and team sport athletes alike, from the high school level to pro level, Fuhrman is also a former Infantry Soldier. Enlisting in the U.S. Army in 2006, Fuhrman retired in 2022 as a Platoon Sergeant. At the tail end of his service in 2021, he earned his Master’s degree in Sports Administration and in spring 2025 earned his second Master’s degree in Athletic Training, to compliment his Bachelor’s degree in Sports and Health Science. In addition to his training programs on Strengthlete Collective and being featured on many strength sport and coaching podcast, he is a huge ambassador for the strongman community. He currently serves as a committee member on the NSCA Strongman SIG as well as owner, TV producer and commentator of Clash on the Coast hosted on ESPN from 2021-2023. Fuhrman is an extremely accomplished athlete competing in multiple strength sports over his career, while predominately competing nationally and internationally in the 105kg weight class as professional strongman. He is a two-time Middleweight World’s Strongest Man earning back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019. Fuhrman also appeared as a competitor on Season 1 of NBC’s Titan Games. He continues to train and remains very active in and out of the weight room.  Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Justin Lima is a strength coach, high-performance consultant, as well as the president and CEO of Strength Coach Network. Lima has been at the helm of SCN since 2023, initially starting as a partner with the company from 2020-2022 and followed by serving as the general manager from 2022-2023. In addition, he is serves in dual coaching roles as the head strength and conditioning coach at Goldfinch Athletics as well as volunteer strength coach at Ankeny Centennial high school both since 2024. Prior to his current roles, Lima spent his career in the college setting. First starting as an assistant football coach at his alma mater, Bridgewater State University from 2009-2010 he secured his first strength and conditioning coach position in 2011 as an intern with the University of Rhode Island. From there he was a strength and conditioning fellow at Harvard University from 2011-2012, followed by intern strength coach at the University of Iowa in 2012 before earning a full-time assistant position on the University of Maryland staff where he spent the 2012-2013 seasons. Lima returned to the University of Iowa for a second stint in 2013, this time as an assistant on the football strength staff before taking over as the director of football performance at Towson University from 2018-2023.Lima earned his Ph.D in Health and Human Performance from Concordia University Chicago in 2020 and is heavily involved in the coaching community where he serves on multiple Executive Council Boards for the National Strength and Conditioning Association, including the Iowa State advisory board, football special interest group and NSCA college S&C professional development special interest group. Dr. Lima is also the host of the Cheeky Mid Weeky podcast on SCN. A former four-year offensive lineman at Bridgewater State University, Lima has shifted gears from his college player days but has still found way to stay active himself both in and outside the weight room. Since his time on the gridiron, he’s stepped on the platform competing in powerlifting for multiple years. He continues to strength train in addition to training mixed martial arts. Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Danny Strohm is the Director of Basketball Performance at Georgia Southern University. Strohm arrived in Statesboro in 2024 after spending the previous two years as the interim director of strength & conditioning at Southeast Missouri State University. He spent the 2021-2022 season as the director of basketball performance at the University of Northern Iowa. Strohm got his start coaching as an intern at Kansas State in 2018, followed by an internship at Sain Louis University in 2019 before becoming a graduate assistant sport performance coach position at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He spent the 2019-2021 seasons at SIUE with a brief stop in the private sector at ProForce Sports Performance in Ohio, before accepting his first full-time role at UNI in 2021. Strohm is also the author of “High-Performance Hoops: A Complete Guide to Basketball Preparation & Performance.”A former College baseball player at Webster University. Strohm was selected as the Rawlings Gold Glove winner at second base while helping lead the Gorloks to the NCAA Division III College World Series. He continues to stay active himself in the weight room and trains throughout the crazy collegiate coaching season.Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Shannon Boone is the Head Athletic Performance Coach for USA Women’s Volleyball National Team. She joined Team USA in summer 2025 after spending the previous five years as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Florida State University. Joining FSU in 2020, she oversaw training for the volleyball and beach volleyball programs. Prior to joining the Seminoles, she served as assistant director of strength and conditioning for Olympic sports at Georgia Southern, working with the men’s soccer, swimming & diving, softball, track & field and volleyball teams, in addition to overseeing all nutrition efforts for the Olympic sport student-athletes. Boone served as an assistant at the University of Connecticut for the 2018-2019 season, working directly with men’s & women’s swimming & diving, and tennis teams, as well as assisting with softball, track & field and volleyball. Before UConn, she was a graduate assistant coach at Mississippi State University from 2016-2018 in addition to spending time interning at both the University of Kentucky and Temple University.A former four-year college volleyball athlete, Boone competed in three Division III NCAA Tournaments including a 2013 run to the Elite Eight.. Following her collegiate career she continues to stay active and is an avid lifter and enjoys spending time outdoors hiking & backpacking with her husband and dog when she is not training in the weight room.Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Connor Truhitte is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach and Fitness Center Director at the University of Redlands. At Redlands Truhitte overseas the strength and conditioning department for all 21 sports in addition to the recreation fitness center on campus. He joined Redlands in 2021 after serving the previous year as an associate sports performance coach at Stanford University working with the football program. Truhitte got his start at Fresno State University in 2018 as an intern strength coach while additionally serving as the sports nutrition assistant before being promoted to graduate assistant strength coach from 2019-2020.An athlete in his own right, Truhitte is a former college football player at the University of La Verne. A defensive captain his senior season and two-time All-Conference honors player, he continues to train following his collegiate career, most recently stepping on the platform to compete in his first Olympic weightlifting competition.Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Rick Howard is an Associate Professor in Applied Sports Science at West Chester University (PA), Sports Performance Coordinator, and Coaching Minor Advisor. Starting at West Chester University in 2014, he is also a visiting professor at Reykhavik University, Iceland and a Fellow of the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Previously, Howard served as a teacher at Keilir Health Academy in Iceland from 2015-2023, fitness director at Wilmington Country Club in Philadelphia, PA from 2014-2020 and director of athletics at School District of Philadelphia from 2003-2011.Over the course of his career, Howard has taught K-8 health and physical education, coached middle school sports, and strength and conditioning for middle school, high school, and college. He is a founding member and past Chair of the NSCA Youth Special Interest Group and Chair of the NSCA State Provincial Director Committee, where he was the Mid-Atlantic Region Coordinator. He has been a lead instructor for CSCS exam prep since 2014 and currently sits on the NSCA strongman, special populations, educators and LTAD, Special Interest Group committees in addition to being a liaison to the high school state and provincial director program. He presents nationally and internationally on youth training, LTAD, and strongman, and has contributed several articles to peer-reviewed journals and blogs on the topics.Howard is a master’s strongman competitor and has been training and competing in the sport for over ten years. He is an avid lifter and enjoys walking his 2 dogs when he is not training in the weight room or teaching.Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Tanner Care is the Director of Performance for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL) as well as well as the Director of Performance for the Vancouver Bandits of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). Care joined the BC Lions in summer 2025 and began working with the Bandits in early 2023. Previously, Care was the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at Simon Fraser University from 2021-2025 after being promoted after initially serving two years as an assistant coach. Prior to SFU, he was the head strength and conditioning coach for the University of Ottawa rugby team from 2020-2021 in addition to performance coach at the Titan Performance Centre. He began his coaching career as a postgraduate intern at Elite Performance Academy in Ottawa from 2016-2017 before moving on to become an assistant strength coach for football at North Prep School from 2017-2020. In addition to his experience working in professional and collegiate sport, Care is passionate about providing value in the realm of continuing education, presenting for companies such as the NSCA and Hawkin Dynamics and several universities. He is also an advisory team member for the Canadian Strength & Conditioning Association (CSCA). A former collegiate football player at the University of Ottawa, Care continues to stay active himself in the weight room and trains in high frequency training model while balancing his dual coaching roles and their intensive season schedules. Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show