North Carolina State University Athletics
Stroud Has Pack Looking Lean and Mean
6/28/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Leaner, faster, stronger. The philosophy that made Florida State a college football powerhouse in the 1990's is now becoming a way of life at NC State. Collectively as a team, the Wolfpack dropped hundreds of pounds after being introduced to new head coach Chuck Amato's conditioning program this spring.
Amato, who spent 18-years as an assistant at FSU, knows that leaner bodies make for faster players. That's one reason he hired Todd Stroud as his new strength coach.
Talk about someone who practices what he preaches.
When he first made his way to Florida State as a freshman nose guard in 1982, Stroud weighed 270 pounds. After dropping down to 218, he bulked back up to 250 for his senior season. Now, 15 years later, Stroud hits the scales at 185.
What's good for him is also good for the players he coaches in the weightroom.
"It's a lifestyle, and that's the biggest thing we've sold to our players," Stroud said. "This isn't just a quick fix where you can go sit in the sauna and fool me when you get on the scale. We're trying to develop lifetime habits. I really care that they're better football players, but if they can use this thing take care of their bodies for the rest of their lives, then I really feel good about what we're doing."
Stroud's disciplined regimen includes weight training and about 50-miles worth of jogging per week. In between, the St. Petersburg, Florida native finds plenty of time to pass his expertise on to NC State's football players. At first, some players were understandably cautious about changing up their training routines. But it wasn't long before they were jumping in, head first.
"Obviously, there are a lot of ways to skin a cat," Stroud said. "The strength training philosophy they had here before was something the players had bought into and liked quite a bit. When I got here, I installed my philosophy and coach Amato's philosophy into our weightroom. I think that sometimes change is good. When you have a program in place for a long time and you don't make changes and you don't evaluate yourself every year, the kids are ready for a change. The kids here have been great and their work ethic has been great."
As Florida State has proven, bigger isn't always better. FSU's best linemen and linebackers haven't always been the bulkiest players at their positions, but when it comes to speed and strength, they're hard to match.
Under Stroud's watchful eye, many of the NC State's players are a lot lighter and stronger than they've ever been.
"Jarvis Borum (OT) is a kid who's 6'8 and weighs 323. He was 355 when I got here," Stroud said. "Legitimately, that young man is a 460 (lbs.) bench presser with very long limbs. He can squat 525. In terms of sheer limb size and the distance of moving a load, that kid is about as big and strong as it gets."
Last year, defensive tackle Jeff Fisher was listed as the Pack's strongest player. The 6'1, 285 pound senior has continued his development this off-season.
"Jeff Fisher is an exceptional strength athlete," said Stroud. "He's very gifted genetically from the waist up in terms of his lifting ability. He's a young man who might become a legitimate 500-pound bench presser. He's an exceptional worker with a great work ethic. That's the thing that really separates the kids that we're talking about. Good things happen when you work hard."
Not only does Stroud advocate weight and cardiovascular training; he promotes the importance of developing healthy eating habits. So convincing is Stroud that he's even sold Amato on pizza without cheese. Chuck Amato, frequenter of the worlds best Italian restaurants, asking a waiter to hold the cheese on his pizza?
Now that's one not even Bobby Bowden would believe.
