SGPT Interviews University of Georgia Strength and Conditioning Coach Scott Sinclair

By Brandon Richey

Scott, thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this interview with me.

You’re welcome. I’m happy to do this.

Tell us a little about your background. When did you take on your position at Georgia (UGA)?

During my junior year of college I did an internship at Wake Forest in the strength and conditioning department and really fell in love with the profession.

I had always played sports and trained with weights so this seem like a perfect fit. I was able to coach, teach and impact young men and women and allow my passion for strength training to grow.  I have spent time at Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, University of Central Florida, Marshall University, and now at UGA.

I started at UGA in January 2016, with Head football coach Kirby Smart.

With the evolution of the strength and conditioning field over the past 40 years what are some highlights and focal points of your philosophy with off-season training for the Dawgs football program.

There have been many advances in the field of strength and conditioning.

Two in particular that I have used quite often are GPS technology and VBT (velocity based technology). I have really used the GPS technology to tailor my summer conditioning sessions with our team. For example if my skill players are averaging 5000 -7000 yds in a practice I want to train them in the summer do be able to handle this yardage during football practice.

If I am running them only 1000 – 2000 yards in the summer then I am not preparing them for the practice load during the fall. Secondly I have really been a fan of VBT. presently we use the tendo units to measure bar speed, power wattage, etc.

This has been a great way to have our players not only work explosively and to train fast, but also compete with one another. I would like to add that with all the evolutions out in the strength community you can never replace hard work.  You must work hard within a program for it to have an impact.

What sort of recovery protocol do you have in place for Georgia the week after a hard-fought game?

Actually I believe in having our guys come in and workout and stride the day after a game.  I believe moving around and working out allows the healing process to work better and faster. All too often an athlete will not do anything the day following competition and the body becomes more sore and stiff.

I like to have our players lift and run following a competition. Within that workout we will work with foam rollers, stretch bands, and body tempering. Also hot and cold tubs are used as well

What inspired you to get into the strength and conditioning field?

I have always enjoy physical activity and exercise.  My father early in my childhood had me training and exercising. Physical fitness was always a something I had a interest in.

As I grew older, I believed I wanted to coach but wasn’t sure what type of coach or sport. After doing an internship with the strength and conditioning department I knew this was what I wanted to have a career in.  I have also enjoyed molding and coaching young men and women and watching them grow and mature.

Seeing a freshmen come in as a kid and leave as a young adult with the skills necessary to have a bright future is one of the best parts of the job.

What do you do to keep your mental focus on point and use to inspire the team as well?

I think many times its being upfront with the athletes and telling them like it is.  I think they want the truth and need to hear it. Many times these players get told false statements and read to much into social media.

I also like to keep our athletes challenged within a workout.  Many times I will not tell them what the workout is or how many reps we have of a run.  I like them to be able to learn to handle whatever the situation throws at them. Also many times I will finish a workout with a 4 quarter exercise.

Many times this is more mentally taxing than physical. For example challenging them to lunge walk 50 yards without stopping but their hands must stay on their head and their knee must touch the ground.  Pushing them mentally to do it correct and learn to fight through the mentality of cutting corners or looking for short cuts.

Do you have one or more favorite quotes that you like to pull from?

My favorite quote is a job worth doing is worth doing right. Also look at things from this perspective, “you don’t have to you get to”.  Lastly, I try and live by my motto of ATD. Attack the day, in everything you do and you will not have any regrets.

How do you train your athletes–especially for functional conditioning/movement?

For me functional movement things are the exercises I used to do growing up in physical education class.  I think so many programs forget about the pullups, pushups, bear crawls, crab walks, forward rolls, cartwheels, lying on the ground and getting up, etc. For me and my programs that’s what I consider functional movement exercises.

Good back, grip, core, & team work! Up the hill with a golf cart full! @FootballUGA @Bsowders48 @coachellis6 #throwdownthursday #ATD pic.twitter.com/DXfYuMCkod

— scott sinclair (@coach_sinclair) November 1, 2018

How do you personally like to recover from your workouts and your training schedule.

I think you have to have a break everynow and then.  When I do get a chance to take a breath, I enjoy having with my family. Because you are away from them so much spending as much time as you can with my children and wife are important.  I want to be the best dad and husband first, then the best strength coach second. I also enjoy working in the yard. It’s my way of clearing my mind and enjoying the outdoors.

Tell us about Throwdown Thursday. Who inspired it, and how do you come up with the weekly physical challenges?

I was talking with one of the football coaches one day and they mentioned how they thought it would be neat to start a weekly video on social media.

My staff and I started brainstorming and came up with the idea. We really try and pride ourselves on being a staff that can walk the walk and talk the talk. We think it’s important for our players to see us lilfting and doing the exercises and things we ask them to do. We also feel like we are inspiring the general public and whoever sees the videos to exercise and stay healthy and fit.

Coming up with the challenges has become difficult. We want to make them challenging, teach and educate what they are working exercise wise, and make them fun and entertaining. We all come together and talk about ideas. It usually starts with a small idea and grows and mulitiplies into something wild and crazy!!

On location for the Friday edition of #throwdownthursday @FootballUGA @Bsowders48 @coachellis6 #ATD #Squatober pic.twitter.com/JEaAc2nJLC

— scott sinclair (@coach_sinclair) October 12, 2018

Can the folks at SGPT or I come for a workout sometime?

I would be more than happy for you to come by watch a workout with our team and coaches.

Thanks so much for your time Scott and I look forward to more success with the Junkyard Dawgs!

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SEALgrinderPT coach Brandon Richey is a certified strength and conditioning coach, author, and founder of Brandon Richey Fitness.

He has worked with thousands of athletes over his 17 years of experience, developing fitness training programs for beginners to professional and D-1 level collegiate athletes at the University of Georgia.

He also trains MMA and Muay Thai athletes, both professional and amateur.

 

QUESTION: Coach, what would be your favorite movements I could do to really round out my training program?

ANSSWER: Check out this article, 3 High-Ranking Functional Fitness Movements.

QUESTION: I’m really tired of the standard push-ups I learned back in elementary school. What are some variations I could do?

ANSWER: Here’s an article that’ll change things up for you: 5 Killer Push-Up Variations to Upgrade Your Functional Fitness.

 

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