Donald Day

Donald Day is the Director of Olympic Sports at Murray State University. He joined the Racers after being Assistant Strength Coach at Arizona. During his time at Arizona, he was responsible for all aspects of the quarterback program. Prior to working at Arizona, Day was the Director of Strength & Conditioning for Olympic Sports at Georgia Southern working directly with the school's baseball and women's soccer programs. He also served as the assistant director of strength and conditioning for the football team before moving into his new role. Prior to his stint at Georgia Southern, Day was the interim director of strength & conditioning at the University of Buffalo. He has contributed as a columnist for EliteFTS.com since 2015 and also has had stops at Western Kentucky, American, Robert Morris, and Akron. Day received his Master’s at the University of Akron in sports science and coaching while doing his graduate assistantship with the football strength staff. He received his bachelor’s degree in strength and conditioning at The University of Findlay while also playing football for the school. He is certified through the CSCCA with the S.C.C.C (Strength Conditioning Coaches Certification) and USAW certification as well as Precision Nutrition Certified. Don has been a speaker for the Cscca National Conference as well as being featured on multiple podcasts as a guest speaker. He has had the fortune of working with a number of all Americans in countless sports as well as having coached a number of professional players from MLB Pitchers to Super Bowl Champions and Pro Bowlers. He and his wife Brianna reside in the western part of Kentucky with their dog Fritz.

 
3 Conversations Worth Having With Yourself
3 Conversations Worth Having With Yourself

Are you too easy or too hard on yourself? Are you loving or hateful? How do those around you influence these conversations?

The Worth of Social Media Promotion
The Worth of Social Media Promotion

Will the use of social media help you land your next strength and conditioning job? Doubtful.

The Lost Manual for Throwing
The Lost Manual for Throwing

The arm is just another part of the body that can be trained like the legs or the biceps if you know how to do it correctly.

Honoring Those Who Came Before Us
Honoring Those Who Came Before Us

Let’s honor those who came before us. Who gave you a better chance to succeed as you started your new role?

Why Do Strength and Conditioning Coaches Specialize So Early?
Why Do Strength and Conditioning Coaches Specialize So Early?

Just like early specialization in youth athletics stunts a child’s athletic development, the same holds true for coaches. Coaches, don’t set your own ceiling.

Programming is Irrelevant
Programming is Irrelevant

The last time I checked, there are places that squat, don’t squat, wicket run, don’t wicket run, Olympic lift, Conjugate, Triphasic, unilateral, bilateral, and whatever else…BUT ALL OF THEIR ATHLETES SEEM TO DEVELOP.

In-Season Considerations for Multiple Sports
In-Season Considerations for Multiple Sports

I wanted to write an article that impacts all of the sport teams I work with but can be used across really any team setting. This is going to be a general guideline I use for my entire program.

The First Eight Months
The First Eight Months

The journey of being a strength and conditioning coach is different for everyone. However, there’s something to be gained from sharing what you’ve learned along the way.

The Path to Greatness: Tension
The Path to Greatness: Tension

To me, greatness is a journey, not a destination. The next few articles I write are going to talk about the path to greatness and the key things that I think are necessary for ultimately reaching that goal. The first thing is tension.

Do You Have a Task- or Process-Oriented Mindset?
Do You Have a Task- or Process-Oriented Mindset?

A couple of years ago, I was fixated on all the wrong things. The big picture was out of scope. I urge you to take the time to slow down on accomplishing tasks and enjoy the process. Build relationships and make memories — you’ll regret it if you don’t.

Opportunity Over Money
Opportunity Over Money

I’ll take an amazing opportunity over high pay for $500, Alex…

Specialized: The Baseball Training Manual
Specialized: The Baseball Training Manual

I’m no wizard when it comes to baseball, but I’m about to blow your mind: My team lifts heavy, keeps volume down on max effort work, does a lot of speed work, and I don’t condition the strength out of them.

Listen and Learn: How I'm Developing My Staff
Listen and Learn: How I'm Developing My Staff

When you sit and yammer at people, like most of us do in our leadership developments, we aren’t developing leaders… We’re gaining followers. Be quiet and listen to others’ ideas and examples and learn from them, just as they’ll learn from you.

45 Minutes or Your Money Back
45 Minutes or Your Money Back

Someone once told me when it came to programming, their objective was to be able to get as much bang for your buck as possible. That stuck with me, so I ensure my programs are of good quality and don’t last more than 45 minutes.

Comfort Zones are Death Zones
Comfort Zones are Death Zones

As I start up my new job, I wanted to give younger strength and conditioning coaches some advice: Don’t be afraid to spread your wings and fly out of your comfort zone. Be bold and be brave. It will pay off at some point.

Your Do and Don't Guide to the CSSCa Conference
Your Do and Don't Guide to the CSSCa Conference

For those new to the game and for seasoned vets alike who’ll be attending the CSSCa National Conference, here are some do’s and don’t’s that will make your annual trip a success — both in terms of enjoyment and employment.

Always Have a Plan
Always Have a Plan

It’s never been about making these “New Year, new me” resolutions; it’s about dedicating yourself to the daily process, having a vision, and having a plan in every aspect of your life. Want to be a head strength coach? Have a plan and dedicate yourself daily to the process.

Men of Strength Sports Performance Podcast #4: Jeff Ward
Men of Strength Sports Performance Podcast #4: Jeff Ward

This episode’s guest is Georgia Southern University’s director of Olympic strength and conditioning: Jeff Ward. Coach Ward was a part-time assistant when I started working there, and he made a huge jump to the director position. He’s got a good story of how he got there, so listen up!

A Thank You to My Valentine
A Thank You to My Valentine

Head’s up: If you’re looking for reps, sets, or percentages, you might want to look elsewhere on this website. Or take the time to make a sweet gesture for your significant other today, just like I’m about to do for my wonderful wife in this article.

Performance Drive Response
Performance Drive Response

Reading Al Miller’s “The System” made me think about my most successful program. I’ve dubbed this hodgepodge of six years in strength and conditioning “Performance Drive Response,” which is a culmination of a bunch of different systems I’ve used, seen, and been in or part of.

Men of Strength Sports Performance Podcast #3: Dr. Brandon Harris
Men of Strength Sports Performance Podcast #3: Dr. Brandon Harris

This episode’s guest is Georgia Southern University’s sports psychologist Dr. Brandon Harris. He explains what exactly he does and what his job entails while giving listeners a deeper insight into sports psychology.

Top 5 Lessons I've Learned as a Coach
Top 5 Lessons I've Learned as a Coach

I’ve been really blessed to be around some great leaders who taught me these lessons. I wouldn’t be the man and coach I am today without them.

Men of Strength Sports Performance Podcast #2: Bret Huth and Scott Salwasser
Men of Strength Sports Performance Podcast #2: Bret Huth and Scott Salwa...

This episode covers a variety of in-depth training and coaching topics (injury reports, physical preparation, sports specificity, junk volume, culture), along with the current state of Cleveland sports and the return of LeBron James to Cleveland in 2022.

Men of Strength Sports Performance Podcast #1: David Kitchen
Men of Strength Sports Performance Podcast #1: David Kitchen

Our first-ever guest is David Kitchen, who serves as the Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning for the UNLV Rebels football team. Kitchen talks about everything from his life journey to discipline and even the different sociology principles he’s studied in an attempt to better his athletes.

The Flaws in Follow the Leader
The Flaws in Follow the Leader

This model is where the leader of the organization is upfront, having all of the power and all of the answers, whereas the workers are behind, clueless and scampering to appease the leader in his or her all-powerful greatness. Does this leadership style seem flawed to you?

The Process with Ryan Davis, Rodney Hill, Brian Johnson, and Dantonio Burnette
The Process with Ryan Davis, Rodney Hill, Brian Johnson, and Dantonio Bu...

People on the outside see the bowl game wins, or the squat PR’s, but what they don’t see is the process.

Meet Ryan Davis, Rodney Hill, Brian Johnson, and Dantonio Burnette
Meet Ryan Davis, Rodney Hill, Brian Johnson, and Dantonio Burnette

Each of these men are great attributes not only to the field of strength and conditioning but also to the development of future generations of men. In this introductory interview, we discuss philosophy, programming, and summer training.

The SAID Principle — Training Optimally for Sport
The SAID Principle — Training Optimally for Sport

We as strength coaches have a way of screwing training up even with this ancient, written-in-stone principle.

Dynamic Effort and Practical Application to Football Sports Performance
Dynamic Effort and Practical Application to Football Sports Performance

In layman’s terms, dynamic effort can be described as fast, explosive movement. This seems simple, but many people get lost between “fast and explosive” and “movement.”

S&C Programming Considerations for College Football Freshmen
S&C Programming Considerations for College Football Freshmen

What we all want is to set our freshmen up for success for the future. How we go about it isn’t about ego and “our system” or anything like that; it’s about taking the time to put thought into what you’re doing and what will be the best for them.

Strength Coach Ego Check: Rediscover Who You Are
Strength Coach Ego Check: Rediscover Who You Are

I had a conversation with Coach Jeff Ward that not only humbled me, but shook me to my core. I thought I had been focused on convictions, but ego had slipped into the driver’s seat.

Don’t Fear Failure — Hate It
Don’t Fear Failure — Hate It

Everyone loses sometimes, but that isn’t the mentality you should mold your life around.

In-Season Training: Communication, Trust and Buy-In
In-Season Training: Communication, Trust and Buy-In

This was the first time running my program and my first time being a head guy, so I could have been completely off-base. Not many go into the season expecting to get stronger.

Moving Tips for Strength Coaches
Moving Tips for Strength Coaches

Accepting a new coaching position and uprooting your life to a different city and state is one of the worst parts of our profession, but following these six steps can help simplify the process.

Want to Make the Industry Better? Be Better
Want to Make the Industry Better? Be Better

Mike Gittleson once told me that becoming a good coach means learning to use your voice as a weapon. This changed everything about my mindset to communicating with my team.

Athlete Programming Made Simple
Athlete Programming Made Simple

I cannot have rep integrity, movement efficiency, and tempo in the weight room if my athletes are dumbfounded by the extremely complex exercise selection that looks like a NASA test simulator. So let’s focus on simplifying things.

Life Is About Growth, Not Comfort
Life Is About Growth, Not Comfort

It’s okay to fail. It’s okay to be uncomfortable. Defeat can lead to victory if you learn from it and gain experience along the way.

The Human Element
The Human Element

College athletics may be a giant machine, but the humans run it. We need to understand that the athletes, just like us as coaches, have good days and bad days, and instilling good character should always be number one.

Are You a Leader or Do You Lead?
Are You a Leader or Do You Lead?

I have found there are two main types of leaders in the industry of strength and conditioning. There are those who inspire others and there are those who dictate.

Changing the System from Within
Changing the System from Within

Our job is to be better than those coaches who let the kids believe football is life. Our job is to make sure these athletes leave us better than when they arrived.

The Secret to Success in the Weight Room: Training Hard and Knowing Your Players
The Secret to Success in the Weight Room: Training Hard and Knowing Your...

You want the short route to constructing the perfect program? Here it is, summed up in two variables.

The Real State of The Industry — 3 Imperfections of S&C
The Real State of The Industry — 3 Imperfections of S&C

We are the most egotistical profession in the nation, right next to actors and those people who work at Baywatch (a documentary I’m definitely about to see). Let me break it down for you.

What Qualifies A Mentor?
What Qualifies A Mentor?

There are a lot of people that hold positions of power, but that does not mean they are true mentors. What does?

Belly of the Beast: The Hardships of Strength and Conditioning
Belly of the Beast: The Hardships of Strength and Conditioning

Things aren’t all sunshine and rainbows in this field, and even when you’re winning, sometimes it doesn’t feel like you’re winning. Can you handle it?

The Legacy
The Legacy

Because I grew up in Akron, Ohio, I’ll never forget the impact LeBron James has had on my life. But it’s not the championships or the records that I admire him for most.

S&C Meeting of The Minds — Training A New Generation, Bandwagon Trends, and Research
S&C Meeting of The Minds — Training A New Generation, Bandwagon Tren...

Coaches Kitchen, Clapp, Nosak, and Showers are back to answer more questions about succeeding in the strength and conditioning field.

WATCH: The Story Behind the Strength Coach — Donald Day
WATCH: The Story Behind the Strength Coach — Donald Day

In this video, Don walks through his growth as a strength and conditioning coach. He discusses lessons from each of the positions he has held and shares the names of several of the most influential people that have helped him in his career.

S&C Meeting of the Minds — History, Athlete Development, and In-Season/Off-Season Goals
S&C Meeting of the Minds — History, Athlete Development, and In-Seas...

This article was conducted in collaboration with David Kitchen (Bloomsburg University), Matt Clapp (University of Indiana), Ryan Nosak (UNC Charlotte), and Parker Showers (University of Cincinnati).

The Mythos of Training Female Athletes
The Mythos of Training Female Athletes

When an argument comes up about training women and the differences, I have a perspective that many of my male colleagues do not: there is no difference.

The Innovator, Imitator, and Integrator
The Innovator, Imitator, and Integrator

There are three types of people in the world of strength and conditioning — which one are you?

Internship Perspective: Don't Forget the Act of Kindness
Internship Perspective: Don't Forget the Act of Kindness

It’s not all smiles and pep talks. There will be broom duty, but kindness should always be somewhere in the mix.

Practice What You Preach — A Behavior Guide for Young Strength Coaches
Practice What You Preach — A Behavior Guide for Young Strength Coaches

Your relationship with your athletes is fundamental to helping them improve. It’s also fragile. Don’t risk compromising your role as a leader and your job as a coach.

A Call to Young Coaches
A Call to Young Coaches

After a four-year degree and multiple internships, I thought I knew it all. I was wrong. You are too.

Five Rules for Developing Your Career As A Strength Coach
Five Rules for Developing Your Career As A Strength Coach

Through a recent trip, I had the privilege of seeking guidance from two coaches I admire and whose knowledge can benefit any young strength coach looking to make their mark in this industry.

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