Working with our strength coach has become a pivotal aspect in the lives of student athletes at SHC, building up both the physical and mental strength of our community.
Coach Colin Peuse, Director for Athletic Performance, is the backbone for all athletics at SHC. Prior to coming to SHC in 2006, Coach Peuse was an assistant strength coach for the Oakland Raiders. “It was always my dream to be in the NFL until I got there. There was something missing with the pro level that I just couldn’t get. I was in the right job, but at the wrong level.”
As a former safety for the Occidental College Tigers, Peuse explains, “I was already in love with football, but I loved the [lifting and conditioning] side of it too. It’s the one kind of coaching where you’re 100 percent with the athletes all year. There’s pretty much nowhere to hide here. It’s just beautiful. The way that you really are. I think you get the most unvarnished look at kids.”
Student athletes are drawn to the contagious, fast paced environment of the weightroom. It is a place where you can forget about anything else. “You’re just kind of living in the moment,” Coach Peuse describes. He summarizes the environment of the weightroom: “Loud, supportive, fun, and kind of primal in a way.”
Seeing 250 to 300 kids during the school day, Coach Peuse prepares almost all SHC athletes for their sport season. With a Masters of Science in exercise physiology, Peuse designs the lifting and conditioning workouts of each sport. Every sport keeps the same foundation and is specialized according to their team. Each off-session lift typically follows a similar format: warmups, the lift, then conditioning. Student athletes are expected to lift before, during, or after school multiple times a week during their season and in their off-season.
Coach Peuse offers this advice for future athletes new to lifting: “There’s no substitute for consistency. The most consistent kids get the best results. You’re not just trying to get strong, you’re trying to learn. Your full focus and effort is required.” Coach Peuse expects his more experienced athletes to guide the “rookies” through their lifting journey. To the upperclassmen, he says, “You are the example now, the one who has to uphold what everybody else has to live by. How do I make all the other people [my peers] better? How do I set the standards, set the example? […] Show that with your actions. Your actions carry weight, good or bad.” Coach Peuse believes that all student athletes, “better this place, better me as a coach, [and] make some sort of impact on me. They all touch your life, teach you something, or challenge you to approach something in a different way.”
Any questions, comments, or concerns? Stop by the weight room to say hey to Coach Peuse!
