Christina Bernal (Penn S&C) sits down for a raw, no-BS deep dive on building buy-in in the Ivy League, coaching rowers and jumpers in the same room, and why the team-around-the-team matters most when athletes get hurt. We get into contrast training you’re probably not using yet, the micro calls she makes between practice and lift, and coaching the human first—data, nuance, and a little Nickelback for good measure.
Steal-this-playbook:
Contrast beyond “just load.” ROM contrasts, uni ↔ bi, assisted ↔ resisted, pins/quarter squats for sprinters & jumpers, plus how she stacks plyos (POGOs → depth drop to box jump) with cleans—and why heavy lives Monday while neuro-prep and “feel fast” work land late-week.
Rowing realities, solved. Long warm-ups after class, CNS “wake-ups,” keeping rib-stress and lat fatigue from nuking the session (trap bar → belt squat/leg press swaps) while protecting water time through daily AT collaboration.
Coach’s eye + simple data. Weekly RSI/CMJ to catch midterm dips, Perch for athlete ownership, and the 15–30 minute window she uses to rewrite a lift after watching practice.
Culture that sticks. Buy-in without scholarships, pairing leaders & followers on racks, non-negotiable standards (clean the room, raise the bar), coffee check-ins, and using music requests as a sneaky intent switch.
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Christina' Social:
Instagram - @coachxtina_
Manny' Social:
Instagram - @_coachmanny_
Enquiries:
mannysilveira@primitiveathletix.com
