Blue White Illustrated

March 5 Newsletter

Penn State Sports Magazine

Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/272353

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 1 of 11

worked with Fitzgerald on the Terrapins' staff for six years and remains good friends with his predecessor at Penn State. "To be honest, I started to get cold, so I stopped doing it," Galt said. "He was able to hang on, and he did a great job. I think a couple of times last year, he may have gotten cold. I can't be too cold. I've gotta focus on the game. He's a little tougher than I am." Tougher? Maybe, maybe not. The Nit- tany Lions' workout regimen sounds as though it's going to be as demanding as ever under Galt. The weight room hasn't changed much from the look of it, and the video boards stationed high above the floor ask a very pertinent question: "WHO REALLY IS THE HARDEST WORKING TEAM IN THE COUN- TRY???" As Galt made clear, that's not intended rhetorically. "We do want to be the hardest working team in the country. No doubt. We don't want anyone to be our peer in that area," he said. "That's what we strive for." Galt said his program involves year- round weight training. He said that a@er his arrival at Penn State, he scheduled 52 workouts prior to preseason camp, and as of Monday a@ernoon, the team still had 40 to go. Players will continue to li@ throughout spring practice, a departure from the previous regimen. "We're gonna crank all through spring ball," Galt said. "It'll be a little bit of an adjustment for them, because those first couple of days of practice they're gonna be a little sore. They're gonna be weight-training sore, and that's not typical. However, once August comes around with this kind of system, you get really good im- provements in strength and power. That's gonna be a big thing for them, and I think that'll help us a lot." In the summer, players will run four days a week, li@ three days a week, and Wednesdays will be devoted to football skills. Team leaders like Christian Hack- enberg and Mike Hull will organize those drills. Throughout the workouts, the focus will be on speed. Everything will be up- tempo. Players will run hills, perform agility drills and work out in the sand pit. "It's gonna make them more athletic while getting them in shape at the same time," Galt said. The ultimate goal is to help players push through their fatigue and perform well late in games and late in the season. "Anybody can perform at a high level when they're fresh," Galt said. "The first and third quarters, it's kind of an even playing field. The second and fourth quarters, it's a little different dynamic. You've got a little more lactic acid down there, a little more fatigue, not as much energy, and that's when you draw from within. It goes from physiological to al- most mental, and we're gonna do every- thing we can off the field to prepare them for that feeling so that they can still per- form at a very high level when they feel that way." Galt said that although his pregame routine won't be quite as dramatic, there will be plenty of carryover from Fitzger- ald's regime. When they were at Mary- land, the two coaches developed a pro- gram that aimed to combine strength gains with improvements in speed, agility, balance and quickness. Fitzgerald began implementing that program in his two years at Penn State, and Galt is look- ing to keep it going. "A lot of the things that we developed at Maryland in the early 2000s were things that he and I collaborated on," Galt said. "There's a similar theme to what both of us do, whether it's with the Houston Texans or Penn State or South Carolina or Vanderbilt. Our programs have always been very similar. We have the same philosophy, so I think it's been a real good transition for the kids. There are a few different touches that we do, but that's good. Change is good." M A R C H 5 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 2 Tim Owen TALKING POINTS Galt addressed his team before a workout March 3. "We want to be the hardest-working team in the country," he said.

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Blue White Illustrated - March 5 Newsletter