Interview with Strength Coach Todd Hamer
By
Richard Canter
Todd Hamer is the head strength and conditioning coach at Robert Morris
University. He received his bachelor’s of science degree in exercise science
from Pennsylvania State University in 1999 and his master’s of science degree
from the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia in August 2002.
Todd is a competitive powerlifter, and his best lifts are a 545-lb squat, a
375-lb bench, and a 500-lb deadlift.
RC: Why did you want to become a strength and conditioning coach?
TH: I’ve always been interested in athletics. For years, my father
worked at the University of Pittsburgh and that led me down the road of strength
and conditioning.
RC: Where did you start your career?
TH: I began interning for Buddy Morris during his second stint at the
University of Pittsburgh. I was extremely green and had no clue what performance
training was all about. Also, working for or around Buddy when you’re
22-years-old is a little intimidating.
RC: Who are your influences?
TH: I will try to mention everyone—Buddy Morris, Mylo (Tom Myslinski
and his staff), Tim Beltz, Ethan Reeves, Tim Kontos, Jason Riddell, and Jim
Roney. This is just a short list of strength coaches. As far as those working
outside of college athletics, there are many more such as Eric Cressey, Jason
Ferruggia, Smitty and the Diesel Crew, Dr. Steve Horwitz, the guys at EliteFTS,
Sir Edmund Hillary, and Tenzing Norgay.
RC: What is your favorite sport to work with?
TH: I can honestly say that I don’t have one team that I enjoy working
with more than any other team. The beauty of this job is that I deal with
athletes from many different backgrounds and sports. This makes my job ever
changing.
RC: What do you think is the most important attribute to have to be a
strength coach in the NCAA?
TH: Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. I interviewed for a job
once, and the strength coach who interviewed me called Buddy Morris to ask about
me. His response was that I wasn’t afraid to get my hands dirty.
RC: What is the basis of your program design for your athletic teams here
at Robert Morris?
TH: Wow, what a great question. I have no clue! Each team is
different. Some teams do Olympic lifts while others don’t, and some use
kettlebells while others don’t. My underlying philosophy is that I must make the
athlete better using whatever means possible. If something isn’t working, we
must adapt.
RC: What type of preventative measures do you take with your teams as a
sort of
pre-habilitation before the in-season?
TH: We do pre-habilitation work throughout the year. We work some
pre-habilitation into each one of our warm ups. I try not to separate
pre-habilitation, rehab, and strength training because there are numerous
movements that could be classified as all three. For example, take the squat. If
your athletes’ knees collapse during the squat and you correct this, you have
decreased your athletes’ chance of being injured while training for strength.
RC: What’s the biggest challenge you have being the strength coach at
Robert Morris University?
TH: Twenty-three teams! Ha ha! Just time for each athlete and the
ability to motivate many different teams, coaches, and athletes. One of the
first rules I implemented when I started at RMU was that when you come in the
weight room, I don’t want to see any other school’s gear. This was a shock to
many athletes. However, being a Division I school, I think it is important to
place ourselves on the same level as the University of Missouri or the
University of Pittsburgh. Attitude controls everything that we do.
RC: In your opinion, what is the key to making each team’s workout time
efficient?
TH: I have roughly 45 minutes to an hour with each team so this is
extremely important. First, we do not waste time on exercises with little
metabolic demand. Our core exercises are squats, pull-ups, body weight rows
using blast straps, and bench presses. As you can see, all of these exercises
have a high metabolic demand. Pull-ups are the king.
RC: From your experience, what schools do you feel are truly getting the
most out of the weight room in recent years?
TH: Anyone who shows up. Honestly, I can’t say who is and who isn’t
getting it done. However, I will tell you the schools that I learn a lot from.
I’ve been blown away by what the University of Missouri (Mizzou) is currently
doing. Also, with Buddy Morris working with the football team and Tim Beltz
working with basketball, the University of Pittsburgh is getting it done. Others
that affect me are Wake Forest University, the University of Richmond, the University
of North Carolina, Duke, American University, Virginia Commonwealth University,
Minnesota (Cal Dietz is really smart!), University of Southern California, and
Drexel (any school who has a dragon is good with me). Also, Quinnipiac (second
best in the NEC) is going to be a school that you hear from in the future.
RC: In your opinion, what is the one thing missing from training programs
for athletes?
TH: Attitude. I have said this many times but will repeat it here. My
workouts are just pieces of paper, no better or worse than toilet paper. What
makes the workout is the work put into the workout.
RC: If you could add anything to the weight room, what would it be?
TH: More space. My weight room has three Sorinex double-sided racks,
three York racks, and one York half rack with a platform. So I have enough
places to squat, bench, and perform pull-ups or other movements. Also, we have
blast straps from EliteFTS hanging from every pull-up bar as well as bands,
chains, Strongman equipment, trap bars, fat bars, and kettlebells. We don’t need
much more equipment. However, being in the sunshine city of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, it’s difficult during the winter to find space to warm up a team
or foam roll due to lack of space.
RC: In five years, where do you see your athletes?
TH: What a great question. Ninety-nine percent of my athletes will
never play a professional sport, and I must realize that as a strength
professional. My ultimate job is to make better people. I am an educator, not
better or worse than a physics teacher. So I hope that most of my athletes
continue on to successful careers in whatever profession they choose.
RC: What one piece of advice would you give a student who wants to be a
strength and conditioning coach in the NCAA?
TH: Volunteer! Get out and work for someone and anyone.
RC: Finally, what’s the best part of your job?
TH: The best part of my job is working with the athletes. Most of my
athletes are good people with bright futures, and it is exciting to watch them
travel through this period of their lives.
Richard Canter is currently in his senior year at Bloomsburg
University of Pennsylvania and is working toward his bachelor’s degree in
exercise science. He has volunteered many hours with Division 1 coaches in
the pursuit of learning what it means to be in the strength and conditioning
profession. He has a passion for training and plans to pursue a career as a
strength coach. Richard is also employed as a personal trainer. He can be
contacted at rncstrength@comcast.net.
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