The Strength Game

Nick O'Brien
  • 5.0 (25)
  • Sports
  • Updated Weekly

The Strength Game is a weekly podcast dedicated to discussing all things physical culture with the coaches, athletes, iron enthusiasts, and experts deeply imbedded in the strength game on both sides of the profession; as coaches and as competitive athletes. Hosted by Nick O’Brien, each episode we discuss, rant and dive deep into all things related to strength and conditioning, high performance and training lifestyle. Join us in The Strength Game!

  1. 7h ago

    #166 - Tim Teefy

    Tim Teefy is the Assistant AD for Olympic Sports Performance at Temple University. Teefy joined the Temple athletics program in 2015 as the head Olympic strength & conditioning coach before being promoted to director of Olympic sports performance in 2016 and later in 2018 to his current position at Assistant AD for Olympic Sports Performance. Currently oversees training for the women’s basketball team while overseeing the 19 Olympic varsity sports and a staff of seven. Prior to joining the Owls, Teefy spent three years as the head strength & conditioning coach at Villanova University where he was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the strength and conditioning department for 19 Division 1 varsity teams, working specifically with men’s and women’s lacrosse, baseball, field hockey and men’s and women’s soccer. He held a similar position as head strength and conditioning coach at High Point University for three years before joining the Wildcats. Teefy also gained experience on the strength staff at George Mason University and Georgetown University in addition to being an adjunct faculty member while at George Mason.  Coach Teefy is a Master Strength & Conditioning Coach through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association earning the highest honor in the profession in 2020. He is an avid lifter and still heavily involved in strength and endurance training.  Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

    #166 - Tim Teefy

  2. Jul 14

    #165 - Jake Patten

    Jake Patten is the Director of Strength & Conditioning overseeing the Fairfax County Fire and Police Departments. Patten has been with the Fire & Rescue Department for over nine years, first joining the in 2016 and overseeing the Fairfax County Police Department’s Wellness and Fitness program for over four years. He arrives at his current position after serving as the assistant fitness director in the private sector at Sport & Health from 2015-2016. He began his coaching career in the collegiate setting first as an assistant strength & conditioning coach at Duke University from 2008-2010. He then joined the staff at American University in a similar roll in 2010 before quickly being promoted to head strength & conditioning coach at the end of his first season. Patten spent the next three seasons at American before moving on to James Madison University where he served as the associate director of strength & conditioning for the Dukes from 2013-2015. At JMU he worked with the football program in addition to overseeing both women’s lacrosse and field hockey.  A former college football player at Virginia Tech, Patten played both strong safety and special teams from 2003-2006 and went on to be an undrafted free agent with the San Francisco 49ers. Following his football career, Patten continues to stay active himself in the weight room. Currently his training centers on hybrid conjugate, muscular endurance and lots of challenge WODs with his tactical athletes. Working around previous injuries and new personal goals, he has shifted his training to balance all the demands required of a tier 1 operator – can run a needed distance when asked, lift relative bodyweight for the majority of movements, carry 1x his bodyweight, and still maintain great mobility and conditioning. To add to this he has also added training for Jui Jitsu to his regimen. Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

    #165 - Jake Patten

  3. Jun 30

    #164 - Tanner Kolb

    Tanner Kolb is the Associate Director of Strength & Conditioning for Olympics Sports at West Virginia University. Kolb joined the Mountaineer athletic staff in 2012 and was promoted to his current position in 2017, where he handles the strength and conditioning responsibilities for the rifle, men’s soccer and wrestling programs. Prior to WVU, Kolb was an assistant coach at East Carolina University for one year where he designed and implemented programs for baseball, volleyball and tennis, as well as assisting with football. Prior to his tenure at ECU, Kolb spent three years as the head strength coach and adjunct professor at Waynesburg University. There he designed and implemented programs for all varsity sports in addition to teaching four classes. Kolb spent three years as a fitness specialist at the Stillwater Medical Center and Total Health in Oklahoma teaching Olympic lifting techniques, instructing group exercise classes, supervising and judging the weightlifting portion of the Pioneer Senior Olympics. Kolb began his career in 2003 as a volunteer coach at Oklahoma State, where he assisted primarily with football, wrestling, softball and the equestrian programs. Additionally, he spent two stints as a prep strength and conditioning coach first at Perry High in Oklahoma during the summer of 2004 as well as both at Petoskey High and Charlevoix High in Michigan from 2006-2008. While there he contributed time at Northern Michigan Sports Medicine while lecturing and directing powerlifting and strongman competitions.  Coach Kolb is a Master Strength & Conditioning Coach through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association earning the highest honor in the profession in 2021. His work has been published in numerous industry-associated publications, including The Sport Journal, Journal of Applied Ergonomics and Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.  A former college wrestler at Messiah College, Kolb has competed both single and multiply geared powerlifting. He is still active himself in the weight room in addition to getting outside the weight room to enjoy rock climbing and white water kayaking in his free time. Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

    #164 - Tanner Kolb

  4. Jun 16

    #163 - Matt Gebert

    Matt Gebert is an Assistant Football Strength & Conditioning Coach at the University of Mississippi. Gebert joined the Ole Miss staff in 2026 after serving a similar position for football at Auburn University for the 2025 season. Prior to that he was an assistant director for football strength & conditioning at the University of Arizona from 2024-2025. Before Arizona Gebert logged stints at Indiana University (2023), Stanford (2020-2022), Florida International (2017-2020) and Purdue (2015-2017). Additionally, he garnered experience as an intern coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the 2014 season, at Columbia University in summer of 2013 and Rutgers University in spring of 2013. Gebert was also a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach on the staff at Minnesota University from 2013-2014. In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Gebert is currently completing his PhD in Sport Science from Liberty University.  A former college football player at Western Connecticut State University from 2009-2013, Gebert is an avid lifter and still very active himself in the weight room.   Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

    #163 - Matt Gebert

  5. Jun 2

    #162 - Kenny O'Mary

    Kenny O’Mary is the Assistant AD – Director of Sports Performance at Sacramento State. Prior to relocating to the west coast, O’Mary served in a similar role as the associate athletics director/director of student athlete high performance at William & Mary since 2021. Before joining the Tribe, he was the director of strength & conditioning at Howard University for three and a half years. O’Mary primarily worked with the football, volleyball, track & field, and women’s soccer programs in addition to overseeing the 19 Bison varsity programs. O’Mary began his career at his alma mater, Eastern Kentucky University, as an intern coach from 2009-2010 before being promoted to graduate assistant, from 2010-2012 and eventually full-time assistant from 2012-2013. Additionally, O’Mary garnished experience as an intern coach at Louisville in 2011 between his roles at EKU and later joined the staff at the United States Military Academy at West Point where he worked from 2013-2017.  O’Mary is active himself in the weight room and continues trains while balancing the rigors of the collegiate coaching schedule. He is an avid lifter and enjoys golfing and hanging out with his dog, Coach, when he is not training in the weight room.  Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

    #162 - Kenny O'Mary

  6. May 19

    #161 - Joe Connolly

    Joe Connolly is the Head Sports Performance Coach for Football at Arizona State University. Connolly arrived in Tempe in 2018 after serving as the director of sports performance at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for two years primarily working with the football program. Prior to UMass, he was the director of strength and conditioning at the University of South Carolina. Connolly oversaw the training for the football and track and field programs at South Carolina for seven season from 2009-2015. Connolly got his start coaching in 2007 at Harvard University where he assisted with all 41 athletic teams. Following a year with Harvard, he spent one year as an athletic performance coach for football at the University of Louisville before joining the Gamecocks for his longest stop.  Connolly is a Master Strength & Conditioning Coach through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association earning the highest honor in the profession in 2022. He was awarded Football Scoop Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year in 2024 and was a nominee in 2026 for the NSCA’s Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year. Over his career, Coach Connolly has worked with over 45 NFL Draft picks including the 2014 number one overall pick, and has been a part of 11 bowl games. A former four-year baseball at the University of Hartford, Connolly has shifted gears from his college playing days but has still found way to stay active himself both in and outside the weight room. Connolly is an avid lifter with dedicated time under the bar. Since his time on the diamond, he’s stepped on the platform competing in both drug-free powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting as well as strongman and Highland Games.  Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

    #161 - Joe Connolly

  7. May 5

    #160 - Melissa Mercado

    Melissa Mercado is the Tactical Manager and Practice Planner General Manager at TeamBuildr. Mercado joined TeamBuildr in 2024 first as a tactical manager before taking on additional responsibilities as the practice planner general manager in 2025. Prior to her current position, Mercado was a strength and conditioning coach at the School of Infantry-East for the Marine Combat Instructor Course and Headquarters and Support Battalion in Camp Lejeune, NC. She was in this role from 2022-2024 and spent the early part of 2022 as a strength coach at Wounded Warrior Battalion-East. Mercado began her coaching career as an intern coach at her alma mater, Radford University. She served in that role from 2017-2018 while also gaining additional experience as an intern at Virginia Commonwealth University in summer of 2018 and Clemson University the fall of 2018. From there she transitioned into the tactical field as a Fitness Specialist at Marine Corps Base Quantico, where she played a key role in the Force Fitness Instructor Course, developing the curriculum and instructing future FFI’s and FFIT’s.  Outside of work, Mercado enjoys sunrise runs, discovering new coffee shops, lifting heavy things, walking her dog Wyatt, and cheering on the Pittsburgh Steelers and Clemson Tigers.  Support the show

    #160 - Melissa Mercado

  8. Apr 21

    #159 - Mike Axler

    Mike Axler is an Exercise Science professor and researcher with extensive experience in endurance sport, strength training and applied physiology. Earning his PhD in applied physiology from the University of Delaware in 2023, Axler currently teaches classes on the subject of anatomy & physiology and human nutrition as an assistant professor of exercise science at Jacksonville University. Arriving at JU in 2023, he spent 2019-2023 as a graduate research and teaching assistant at the University of Delaware while earning his doctorate. He also garnered coaching experience as a seasonal strength coach with the UDel football program in summer 2022. Prior to that, Axler spent time as a certified personal trainer at Retro Fitness in Winter Garden, FL from 2018-2019 and graduate assistant at the University of Central Florida from 2017-2018. Axler got his start in the exercise science field as a physical therapy aide and online trainer at Breakthru Physical Therapy in Mt. Laurel, NJ from 2016-2018.  Beyond the classroom, Axler is also an executive performance strategist and founder of Axler Concierge Coaching. Through his online coaching business, he combines evidence-based strategies with a concierge-level client experience, programming and consulting for a wide range of clients from youth athletes and older adults to professional athletes, busy entrepreneurs, and high-performing executives. Additionally, he is also the host of the Simple Science podcast, where he leads long-form conversations on the intersection of science, performance and human health with a wide range of guests in the health and fitness space.  Axler is no stranger to training in addition to his many research, teaching and coaching responsibilities. He is very active himself in the weight room and outside of it, competing in multiple endurance based events. To date he has competed in and successfully completed over 60 marathons and ultramarathons over the course of his racing career with the long-term goal of competing in a race in every state across the USA.  Support the show

    #159 - Mike Axler
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About

The Strength Game is a weekly podcast dedicated to discussing all things physical culture with the coaches, athletes, iron enthusiasts, and experts deeply imbedded in the strength game on both sides of the profession; as coaches and as competitive athletes. Hosted by Nick O’Brien, each episode we discuss, rant and dive deep into all things related to strength and conditioning, high performance and training lifestyle. Join us in The Strength Game!

Information

  • Creator
    Nick O'Brien
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    167
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Strength Game
  • Show Website
    The Strength Game

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