Cal Berkeley Athletic Performance Coach Brian Johnson

The FNF Coaches Talk Podcast

Brian Johnson agreed to become the Cal head football athletic performance coach in January. Johnson has spent the previous 11 seasons on strength and conditioning staffs at FBS schools and in the NFL. Most recently, he served as director of strength and conditioning at Arizona (2018-20), where he heavily implemented sports science while also working as a liaison between the football program and the Center for Innovation in Brain Science.

Topics include:

• How would he assess his HS strength program at Godby High (Fla.)? (1:55)
• What was missing? (3:00)
• Playing at LSU, what were the biggest takeaways from your college experience? (5:15)
• How do you break up the season in terms of phases? (7:20)
• What about position groups? Customizing workouts? (9:45)
• What is a standard week like during the summer? (12:35)
• How do you generate energy in the weight room? (14:35)
• What lifts do you test players on? How does it work? (18:00)
• What technology do you use in the weight room? (21:45)
• How do you avoid soft tissue injuries? (24:10)
• How does he train for speed (28:10)
• How do you balance giving players enough recovery time vs. pushing them to make gains? (30:45)
• How has your philosophy evolved over the years? (32:45)
• What is your in-season philosophy? (36:00)
• What did you take from your NFL experience? (37:30)

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