Even after gaining national recognition during the NCAA tournament as "Crazy Beard Guy," Cory Schlesinger shifted the limelight to his athletes and their efforts. Schlesinger knows all too well the countless hours it took to get the UAB Blazers a first-round upset victory during March Madness and who should be credited for it. His beard, his demeanor, and intensity may have blown up on Twitter, but his ego would never replicate that.

To say Schlesinger was thrown into the fire of the strength and conditioning field is an understatement. His situation as a young strength and conditioning coaches forced Schlesinger swallow his pride and seek out the expertise of Mark Uyeyama and Dan John. Schlesinger has given credit to all the mentors that have given him an opportunity and their knowledge to make him a better coach.

If you really want an in-depth and unique perspective on training basketball players (or any sport athlete at that), this podcast covers it all. Cory goes through all phases of his programming and specific exercises he utilizes. His real-world advice for young coaches in the profession is invaluable. Cory Schlesinger has risen up through the ranks of strength and conditioning for the right reasons. Listen to this interview and you'll understand why.

Topics Covered in this Podcast

  1.  The Nautilus Checklist
  2. A Strength Coach at Age 19
  3. Intern to Director
  4. The Advantage of Being An Assistant
  5. General and Foundational Strength
  6. Noon Ball to a New Job
  7. The Coyote Kettlebell Club with Dan John
  8. Primal Movements — Motor Skills
  9. Movement for Body Awareness
  10. Complexes for Multiple Modalities
  11. Assessments for Basketball Players
  12. Joint by Joint from the Ground Up
  13. You Don't Need to Be a Genius to See Dysfunction
  14. Modifications by Height
  15. Olympic Lifting Variations for Taller Players
  16. Multiple Squat Variations
  17. The Wingspan Phenomena; Training Spiders
  18. Off-Season = Most Variation
  19. Changes in Basketball Culture
  20. Physicality Can Dictate Play
  21. The Beauty of the Young Sport Coach
  22. The Southern Culture in Basketball
  23. Players Are Not Educated — And It's Not Their Fault
  24. Technology in Sports Performance
  25. Technology Reinforces What You Already Know
  26. How Weight Training Can Turn into Regeneration
  27. Experience Beats Technology
  28. Perceived Maxes Based on Velocity: Fast and Smooth
  29. Programming Strength Training In-Season
  30. Off-Season Training
  31. Linear Periodization Using RPE
  32. Olympic Complex
  33. Conditioning through Extensive Complexes and Sled Work
  34. Transparency
  35. Find the Universal Language
  36. Mentoring
  37. Learning How to Learn
  38. Identify How Others Learn
  39. Feel to Replicate
  40. Give Credit Where Credit Is Due
  41. How to Reach Cory

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The Cory Schlesinger File

Cory Schlesinger is an Assistant Director of Sports Enhancement to work with the Blazers' men's basketball program along with the men's golf program.

"Coming to UAB is a dream job and it is a destination," Schlesinger said. "Mainly because I get to work specifically with Coach Jerod Haase. I believe in Coach Haase, and I believe that he will win and win at a high level."

Schlesinger served a pair of internships at the University of North Carolina, in 2008 and 2009, while Haase was an assistant coach on Roy Williams' staff with the Tar Heels.

“Cory’s knowledge for strength and conditioning is something that I love,” Haase said. “He is always trying to learn and grow as a coach, but what he brings with his knowledge is what already really sets him apart from others. He is young and energetic like the rest of our staff and will fit right in.  We have a chance to be really good in a lot of different ways and I think strength and conditioning is in good shape.”

Schlesinger plans to not only get the Blazers' men's basketball players in best possible shape for the upcoming 2013-14 campaign, but also have their bodies ready for the long, grueling season.

"One of my major goals is to impact the team in the offseason but also in season, when traveling with the team on the road," Schlesinger said. "Whether it be training, nutrition, supplementation or regeneration sessions, I want the guys recovered and ready for the next game."

Schlesinger, a native of Hillsville, Va., spent the last three years as Director of Strength and Conditioning at Santa Clara University, working with student-athletes on the men's and women's basketball teams.

Prior to joining the staff at Santa Clara, Schlesinger spent time at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. In addition, he was a sports nutritionist for the San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) along with being a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and also earned certification in United States Weightlifting.

Schlesinger earned his master's degree in education with a concentration in exercise science at Campbell University in 2011. During his time as a graduate assistant, he worked with the volleyball, men's soccer, swimming and diving, golf and tennis programs, while also assisting with football.

A former basketball player at Berea College in Berea, Ky., Schlesinger graduated with a bachelor of arts in physical education with a concentration in exercise science and sports medicine in 2009. During his time as an undergraduate, Schlesinger completed a pair of internships at Wake Forest in 2007 under strength coach Ethan Reeve and a pair of internships at North Carolina in 2008 and 2009.

At UNC he worked under strength coach Jonas Sahratian where he helped train the men's basketball team.

"None of my experiences and I would not be where I am at today without Coach Jonas Sahratian," Schlesinger said. "He's my mentor and biggest influence and I owe everything to him for helping and guiding me."

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