Philipp (wearing red above) is a former USC and Oregon State football strength coach who marvels at the speed Nebraska moves when it comes to solving a problem.“Nebraska wants to be on the cutting edge of training,” he said. “Every program in the country is looking for new ways to maximize performance and output. The weight room design and equipment helps enhance training. To get the most out of training, we felt our weight room setup limited our ability to maximize training time.”
The objectives to improve the facility ranged from a lack of efficiency for workout times to wearing lifting shoes. Components considered in the weight room’s new layout included accommodating a larger number of athletes per group and the time and space required to enhance performance and reduce the risk of injury.
The layout allows Philipp, plus associate football strength coach Tim Rabas (far left) and Husker assistant strength coaches Willie Jones, Andrew Ervin and Jamie Belt to help redesign and implement a program that accommodates each individual athlete with the most beneficial exercises in an efficient time frame.
Make no mistake. Those five strength coaches spend more face-to-face time with Nebraska football student-athletes year-round than anyone else. “We have to be the guys that bring the energy into this complex every day,” Philipp said. “If we’re dead, they’re dead. If we’re energetic and work hard, they’re energetic and work hard."