The Strength Game

Chad Snodgrass is the Director of Sports Performance at Old Dominion University and the head football strength coach for the Monarchs. Snodgrass joined the ODU sports performance department in January of 2022. Prior to ODU he spent his entire career at his alma mater, West Virginia University. Snodgrass started as an intern coach assisting with football and other Olympic teams on campus before spending two years as a graduate assistant where he oversaw women’s soccer and continued to work with the football program. He was promoted to a full-time position and spent the next seven years as an assistant coach for the Mountaineers football team. Snodgrass was a three-year letterman for the Mountaineers on the offensive line playing both guard and tackle from 2009-2011. In his senior season he earned both the “Hammer Award” and the “Iron Mountaineer Award.” Those honors are given to the team’s most dedicated and hardest working individual and given to the hardest working member of the team voted upon by the strength and conditioning staff, respectively. Snodgrass continues to develop himself as an athlete and continues to train following his collegiate playing days and currently competes in powerlifting.  Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Sport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comCerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.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

Jay DeMayo is in his 21st year as a strength and conditioning coach at the University of Richmond, and his 19th year working with the men’s basketball team. DeMayo is directly responsible for the training for the men’s basketball and tennis teams and has worked with many of the other Spiders programs over his tenure at Richmond. In addition to his role with the Spiders, DeMayo is also the head strength and conditioning coach at NOVA of Virginia Aquatics where he is responsible for the year round training for the senior and senior gold age group swimmers. He got his start in the coaching field as a student strength and conditioning coach at his alma mater, SUNY Cortland from 2000-2001 followed by an internship at Binghamton University in 2002. From there he was a graduate assistant coach at Indiana State University before making his way to Richmond in 2004.  An author, presenter and podcast host, DeMayo is known for his extensive work within the coaching community. As a top expert in the field of strength and nutrition, DeMayo has presented at dozens of seminars and clinics across the country. He is the owner of Central Virginia Sport Performance and hosts one of the world’s top continuing education events, The Central Virginia Sport Performance Seminar (CVASPS) every July in Richmond, VA. He hosts multiple weekly podcasts including the CVASPS Podcast and Outside the Rack.A former soccer player at SUNY-Cortland, DeMayo is still training past his college playing days. He continues to stay active using the weight room as his lab and his own training to test out new programs, research, technology, and ideas on himself before implementing them with his athletes.  Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Sport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comCerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.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

John Odden is the Owner and Head Coach of Empowered Strength. Located in Bend, Oregon, Empowered Strength offers in person and online coaching for athletes, business coaching and both in-person and online Highland Games programming and clinics. Prior to starting his own business, Odden worked in the clinic environment as an exercise physiologist and employee wellness coordinator at PeaceHealth in addition to being a high school strength coach for over 10 years before “retiring” from his clinical position and relocating to Bend, Oregon to start Empowered Strength back in 2014. Since that time he has been training and rehabilitating clients in both the personal training and clinical setting. He is also a mace, Indian club and kettlebell instructor. Odden himself has a mired of athletic accomplishments his boasts as an athlete. He was the #1 World ranked Scottish Highland Games lightweight class athlete in both 2016 and 2017, was the 2017 lightweight National Champion, 2021 Master’s Highland Games World Champion and 6x World Record Holder. Additionally, he is a former heavyweight professional athlete from 2010-2014, competitive Olympic lifter in the 94kg masters class, and has competed in multiple StrongFirst challenges and strongman throughout his lifting career. Odden has also successfully lifted the Dinnie Stones and many other legendary stones of strength in Scotland.Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Sport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comCerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.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

Steve Pulcinella is the Owner of Iron Sport Gym in Glenolden, Pennsylvania. Starting Iron Sport Gym in 1995, the gym is fully equipped for all types of strength training including powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, strongman, and Highland Games. Nearly thirty years later, Iron Sport continues to build a unique strength community in the Philadelphia area and is truly a facility for the lifter operated by the lifter. In addition to the gym, Pulcinella is very active in the strength game community. He was a featured contributor for EliteFTS from 2010-2015 and previously served serves as athletic director for the annual Celtic Classic in Bethlehem, PA. He has also published a strength training manual titled “Iron Sport Strength Method” that is available in both paper and electronic formats and is notably the face of the “Do You Even Lift” meme. Pulcinella has been passionately strength training since the age of twelve and competing in strength sports and athletics since the age of fourteen. He started out as a powerlifter and progressed into strongman followed later by Highland Games. After winning many powerlifting titles in the early 1980’s, Pulcinella then shifted into doing professional strongman contests. His biggest pro strongman title was the 1993 North American Champion and he was selected as a competitor in the 1994 World’s Strongest Man Contest. From there he began competing in Highland Games and was a Professional on the circuit from 1994 until he retired from the sport in 2012 due to injuries. Over his career he participated in more than 300 events around the world and earned over 40 professional titles over the course of his throwing career in Highland Games competition. To this day, Pulcinella can still be seen training hard, competing and helping others in the gym every day. Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Sport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comCerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.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

Kerry Overfelt is the Owner and Strength Coach of Darkside Athletics. Located in Bardstown, KY, Darkside Athletics is a multipurpose training center that meets all athletes and client’s needs. He has owned and operated the gym for over 11 years. Getting his start training people and writing programs back in 1996 he began his personal training business in 2001 and has been working with athletes, clients and training groups ever since. In addition to coaching in his facility, Overfelt takes to the field, where he works with many Highland Games athletes coaching them both in person and online. He is also a Games Athletic Director running competitions in his home state of Kentucky, in addition to being the author of the “Master’s Highland Games Training Manual.”A former college football player at Campbellsville University, Overfelt has trained and competed in bodybuilding before finding his true talent in Highland Games. He went from self-taught thrower to Professional Highland Games Athlete. He boasts such accolades as being the 2013 Masters World Champion, 2009 US National Champion, 3 time North American Champion and regularly saw him placing high in the national rankings including a stint from 2006-2010 where he was ranked in the top 5 in the US. Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Sport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comCerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.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

Michelle Pifer is an Associate Director of Strength and Conditioning at Rutgers University where she works with the field hockey and women’s rowing programs. Pifer was promoted from her assistant strength coach role in 2023 and served in a similar capacity at the University of Pennsylvania from 2019-2021 before arriving at Rutgers. Pifer began her career as an intern coach at Bucknell University in 2014. From there she worked as a fitness specialist at Weston Fitness in North Wales, PA and also garnered experience as an intern at UPenn, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania as well as a return visit to Bucknell. Pifer was a wellness supervisor at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania from 2017-2018 before becoming an assistant strength coach for one year at Swarthmore College, arriving in 2018. Outside of coaching, Pifer herself is very active in her own right as an athlete. She is a multisport strength athlete having competed in both bodybuilding and powerlifting competitions over the course of her career. Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Sport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comCerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.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

Scott Leech is the Associate AD for Strength and Conditioning at the University of Rhode Island. In his current position he leads the training for Rams football, women’s Tennis and women’s Lacrosse in addition to overseeing all areas of the strength and conditioning department. First arriving to URI in 2020 as an assistant he has previously worked with the baseball, volleyball and women’s soccer teams before being elevated in 2021. Leech arrived by way of Merrimack College where he was an assistant coach from 2015-2020. First starting his career as a graduate assistant coach at Springfield College he also gained experience as intern with the strength and conditioning departments at Albany, Missouri and Brown. A former football player at Springfield College, Leech was a team captain his senior year, earning All-District honors. Following his collegiate athletic career, he continues to stay active and practice what he preaches training himself and consistently fine-tuning his athletes programs. Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Sport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comCerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.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

Scott Caulfied is the Director of Strength & Conditioning at Norwich University. Joining Vermont’s Military College in 2021, he is their first Director of Strength and Conditioning in university history. Caulfield has been in the strength and conditioning profession for nearly 30 years and has coached at nearly every level from the private sector, college, professional level and even NSCA Headquarters. Caulfield was the Coaching Education Manager and Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the National Strength and Conditioning Association Headquarters in Colorado Springs for nearly 11 years. During that time he also served as the head strength coach for the Colorado College men’s hockey team from 2011-2015 and the women’s soccer team from 2011-2013. Much of Caulfield’s work with the NSCA was centered around training other coaches and interacting with the many different high school, collegiate, professional and international teams, coaches and tactical units that came the headquarters to train, learn and develop. Just prior to joining Norwich, he rejoined the Colorado College staff for his second stint as the director of strength and conditioning working with the schools two Division 1 programs, men’s hockey and women’s soccer. Caulfield is no stranger to Norwich, got his start training the then club Norwich University men’s rugby team from 2003-2006. He worked in the private sector as the Fitness Director for First In Fitness from 2001-2007, as well the American Basketball Associations’ Vermont Frost Heaves as their head strength coach and director of camps from 2006-2008 where they won back-to-back ABA Championship titles. From there he became the director of sports performance at River Valley Club and then serving as an assistant strength coach at Dartmouth College for five and four years respectively, before joining the NSCA staff.Caulfield is a respected speaker and lecturer, having lectured on the national and international circuit for over a decade. He has been an adjunct instructor at both Norwich University and the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. He is the current NSCA Vermont State Director in addition to serving previously from 2008-2011. Caulfield also holds the role of Vice President of the NSCA Foundation and was the former host of the NSCA Coaching Podcast for three seasons as well as been featured on numerous others. Caulfield is also a veteran, serving in the Navy from 1991-1995 where he was an Aircraft Director onboard the USS GUAM LPH-9. He is also an active firefighter and the true definition of a strength athlete, advocate, and enthusiast. He fell in love with training before the start of his coaching career and, Coach Caulfield, aka “Dr. Jacked,” continues to stay active in his spare time training, lifting and getting on the slopes as an avid skier. Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Sport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comCerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.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

Nick Cidado is an Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at Boston College. Cidado arrived at BC in 2018 where he began working as an intern before being promoted to graduate assistant coach in 2019 and then full-time assistant coach in 2020. Over his tenure at BC he’s assisted with all 31 Olympic sports teams and now leads the performance training for the Eagles women’s lacrosse, field hockey and men’s and women’s golf teams. In his current role, Cidado has reached the NCAA National Championship in 3 consecutive years with the lacrosse program, who won the title in 2021, and most recently won the ACC Championship in 2023. Cidado started his career in the private sector first as an intern coach at Evolution Sports Performance in Easton, Massachusetts in 2017. He was an assistant strength coach at MJP Strength and Conditioning in Boston as well as sports performance coach at Velocity Sports Performance in Norwood, Massachusetts from 2018-2019. He also gained experienced as intern at Harvard University in the fall of 2019. Cidado is also the author of “Sweat More During Peace, Bleed Less During War: Preparation Tactics That Generate Success.” A former football player at the Bridgewater State University, Cidado continues to stay active in his spare time training throughout the demanding collegiate athletics year-round season. Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.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

John Grundy is the Assistant Director of Athletic Performance at the University of Missouri. Grundy joined the staff in 2023 and directly works with the Mizzou baseball, cheer and track and field sprinters. He spent the previous two years as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Memphis where he designed and implemented strength and conditioning programs for the baseball, women’s tennis, men’s soccer, rifle and track and field sprinters.. Prior to working at Memphis, Grundy was the head strength and conditioning coach at Marymount University from 2020-2021, where in addition to his coaching role, he was also the chair of the school’s return to sport committee. Grundy was a graduate assistant at George Washington University and held internship positions at American University, Newman University and Liberty, along with spending seven years in the private sector in various capacities at YMCA Greater Wichita and Central Virginia. He began his career at his alma mater, Randolph College, as a volunteer coach in 2014.Grundy is a former college lacrosse player at Randolph College and continues to train and progress in the weight room during his downtime.Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.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