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Muscles and Management
Over the last near decade, Gerry DeFilippo has trained THOUSANDS of athletes from the youth to pro level across all major team-sports.
Gerry started his gym and brand, Challenger Strength, as an ambitious 22 year old still finishing his college degree.
In the time since, he has built his facility and following into a nationally recognized performance company training thousands of athletes both in-person and online.
Gerry brings guests across all areas of sports and performance training, giving the listener inside access to his rolodex of collegiate, world renowned private and professional performance and sports coaches.
If you are looking to improve your own performance OR knowledge of performance/sports training (and learn how to shape your career), Muscles and Management is for you!
Muscles and Management
Episode #235 Sprint Mechanics, Positional Speed Work, and High/Low Programming with Matt Gebert
Send us your questions, or thoughts on today's episode!
In this episode of Muscles and Management, Gerry is joined by Matt Gebert, newly appointed strength and conditioning coach for Auburn Football, previously at Arizona. Matt brings a deep dive into real-world speed development for football players, with a focus on position-specific programming, sprint mechanics, and how to effectively use the high/low model for both performance and injury prevention.
They break down:
- The SMAS sprint mechanics scoring system: a free and objective way to evaluate and improve sprinting posture and efficiency
- Sprint training for linemen vs. skill positions: why all positions need sprint exposure—but not in the same way
- The “butt-kick epidemic” in football and how to correct poor front-side mechanics
- Blending acceleration and max velocity days, and how to match plyometric and strength work to ground contact demands
- High/low training structure in the off-season vs. in-season, and how to individualize workloads based on playing time
- Speed testing and leaderboards to increase athlete engagement and competitive drive
Matt also shares how to handle athlete autonomy on game day, how to create buy-in without micromanaging, and yes—how one NFL athlete used tomatoes in a bizarre pre-game routine.
This one is packed with practical strategies for organizing large football rosters, individualizing training based on need and position, and pushing athletic performance while keeping guys healthy.
Timestamps:
- 0:00 – Intro to the Episode and Guest, Matt Gebert
- 3:17 – Foundational Training and Social Media Gimmicks
- 6:33 – Influence of Joe DeFranco and Cam Josse on Matt’s Approach
- 9:46 – Sprint Mechanics Assessment (SMAS): Objective Speed Analysis
- 14:25 – Addressing Positional Differences: Linemen vs. Skill Players
- 20:00 – Butt-Kicking Epidemic and Front/Back Side Mechanics
- 23:37 – Using Cues vs. Addressing Physical Limitations
- 27:16 – Sprint Training Design for Linemen: 2 Accel Days + Adjusted MaxV
- 30:08 – Ground Contact Matching in Plyometrics and Lifts
- 32:49 – High/Low Programming Model in the Off-Season
- 34:54 – In-Season Adjustments and Stress Regulation with Practice
- 39:46 – Lifting Structure Based on Player Participation
- 40:34 – Game Day Warm-Up Structure and Athlete Autonomy
- 44:38 – Craziest Game Day Routine: The Tomato Knees
- 45:50 – Weekly Speed Days, Testing Setups, and Competition Culture
- 51:35 – Extracting Peak Output: Why Competition Drives Performance
- 52:32 – Final Thoughts and Coaching Philosophy
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