Tennessee's Derek Owings tracks the difference between muscle that helps and weight that hurts, Anthropic launches Claude Design for instant dashboards, and why high schools need a Director of Athletic Performance.
Good morning. How Tennessee's new strength coach separates good weight from bad weight, how a new AI tool can help S&C coaches, and why most high schools don't have a training problem — they have a leadership problem. Let's get into it...
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⚖️ Tennessee's Derek Owings: Good Weight vs. Bad Weight
TeamBuildr recently released a blog post breaking down Tennessee's Derek Owings and his weekly tracking system. Owings tracks three metrics every single week to determine if weight gain is helping or hurting his players: sprint speed, power output, and vertical jump. If a player gains 15 pounds but gets slower, the added mass is counterproductive regardless of body composition. Owings built Indiana into a physically competitive roster without five-star recruiting by refusing to chase size for size's sake. His defensive line averaged under 280 pounds but controlled Miami's 330-pound offensive line in the national championship.
The decision tree: if weight goes up and performance stays flat or drops, hold bodyweight steady and rebuild speed and power first. Only then resume mass gain. Some players are already at their optimal playing weight — for them, getting leaner makes them faster and more powerful. Read More
🤖 Anthropic Just Dropped Claude Design — And S&C Coaches Should Pay Attention
Claude GPS Data Dashboard
Anthropic launched Claude Design last week — describe a visual, upload a document or data, and get dashboards, apps, and presentations back instantly. No design background. No developer. Just a prompt. One quick use for S&C coaches - build a dashboard from athlete data in seconds. As AI tools get more powerful, the gap between coaches who know how to use them and those who don't is widening fast. Read More
🚌 Why High Schools Need a Director of Athletic Performance
Tucker Platt argues most high schools don't have a training problem — they have a leadership problem. PE teaches foundational movement, after-school programs provide lifting access, sport coaches run their own conditioning. Everyone works hard, but no one owns the full pathway from freshman to graduation.
The solution: a Director of Athletic Performance who coordinates all strength, speed, and conditioning across PE, athletics, and offseason training. This role designs year-round calendars, tracks performance metrics, and ensures long-term development models progress safely. The difference between a busy weight room and a high-performing athletic department isn't the equipment — it's the leadership guiding it. Read More
