20 Questions With Chris Holder

Strength and conditioning coach Chris Holder took a moment to sit down with www.sjsuspartans.com to answer this week's 20 Questions.

1. Where should student-athletes be in their training during the summer season?

It depends on their sport, depends on what season they are in. The fall sports especially, with the training cycles they have been in, should report in the best condition they’ve ever been in.

2. What are the biggest challenges you face when working with student-athletes?

My challenges mirror the same challenge that most of our student-athletes face and that is time. Between school, practice, games schedules fill up quickly and there is only so much time to coach them in a way they can get everything done and continue to live their lives.

3. Can you describe your theory of strength and conditioning?

How much time do you have?

4. OK, can you sum it up for us?

We are a free weight, ground-based, explosive movement Olympic-related fully-dynamic you-name it you-got it speed program. Big time free weights, I believe in the athletes doing all the work themselves so machines are out of the question. And speed. We believe in speed and we don’t care what sport you’re talking about. If its golf, we want clubhead speed as fast as possible, If its volleyball, we want arm swings as fast as possible. You can’t live without speed and win, especially at this level.

5. How did you develop your style, your system of strength and conditioning?

I’ve been very fortunate. The one good decision I’ve made is being intelligent enough to listen to the right people in this field. I’ve been talked to by a lot of different people, but I have a core group of guys who come from different disciplines.

6. Who are the individuals you credit?

My mentor is Mike Kent, currently the head strength coach at Kansas State. Mike Buergener is from San Diego who taught me all the Olympic movements. Mike steered me to Pavel Tsatsoulime who is the world-renowned Kettle Bell expert. And Tommy Hoke, the associate head coach at Michigan State. They are four guys who I really look up to and have helped me create the program I have today.

7. And the program you have today is a fairly diverse one, isn’t it?

The uniqueness of this program is that it’s not derived from one philosophy that is sort of stuck in a bubble. We have taken it from everywhere. The reason it works is that we are able to maneuver in and out of disciplines to accommodate the athletes.

8. You even use some bodybuilding movements in there don’t you?

Yes, including bodybuilding. In times when we are trying to gain size, to get big, we have taken form bodybuilding because that’s what they do. I’m just not someone who gets stuck in one principle. I like variety in our training regime.

9. Supplementation is a hot topic in your world. What are your views on it?

I think supplements have a place. The NCAA does a fantastic job of regulating supplements, so it makes my job easier. They eliminate a lot of garbage that kids are tempted to take. We preach a food-first nutritional approach, but it can be unrealistic for many student-athletes given time and money restrictions.

10. Take us off the field. Should we even bother asking what’s in your iPod?

Umm, let me think about that. Dave Matthews Band and more Dave Matthews Band. I can’t get enough.

11. Is it safe to say you are obsessed with the Dave Matthews Band?

Obsessed is probably accurate.

12. How did it begin?

I went to school back east and the following back there is twice as ravenous as it is out here. Funny thing is at the time, I thought their music was silly and kind of soft...

13. So how did it progress from silly and soft to a rabid following?

One of my closest friends is a DMB junkie and she kept pushing me to listen. And finally when I got back to the west coast, I started to actually listen and, like any big DMB fan, once you start to listen it becomes a sickness.

14. Have you seen them recently?

I will be hitting eight concerts this summer. Two of which are on the East Coast, so I will be traveling back and forth. I guess I need to win the lottery so that I can become a full-blown groupie.

15. How many times total have you seen them?

22. By the end of the summer I will be at 30.

16. So are you a musician yourself?

No, but I play a mean air guitar.

17. Are there any other musical influences for you?

I love the Foo-Fighters and I’m a big Elton John fan, but nothing like the DMB obsession.

18. So when you’re not touring with DMB, what are you doing?

My life tends to revolve around this place and making us better.

19. You played college football at a high level. Has that helped you in your career?

I think if I weren’t a former football player, my credibility would suffer. I played at Eastern Kentucky for a legendary, old-school coach who demanded the most from his players.

20. How has that helped you here?

I carry that with me today and I don’t tolerate a lot of sniveling around here and my staff reflects that as well. They have come from places where they had to work hard and earn everything.

This week’s 20 Questions was brought to you by The Grill On The Alley.

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