Jan 29, 2015GT Summer Internship Insider
By Jason Benguche, MS, CSCS, PES
This summer marks the beginning of a new era in education at Georgia Tech. We have a new crop of students taking part in our new comprehensive strength and conditioning summer internship program. Here’s an inside look at the endeavor. Editor’s Note: This is the first in a multi-part series.
Many times, the word “internship” has a negative connotation. The visions of scrubbing floors, racks, benches, and washing towels are all too familiar for most. Although these things must be done for the program to function properly, there should be much more involved in the educational process of an intern. Interns are valuable contributors to our program just as they are across the country in many schools. Here, individuals are given an opportunity to get experience coaching NCAA Division I athletes, create a network for further opportunities, and in many cases earn college credit.
To add to this experience, our staff at Georgia Tech has developed a comprehensive 11-week summer internship program. This program is not designed to be exhaustive in teaching every strength and conditioning principle or exercise, but is inclusive of all theory, principles, and techniques that are particular to the development of our student-athletes. Educational and practical sessions will take place twice per week and will include article handouts, PowerPoint presentations, group discussions, and practical experience in the weightroom.
Here is an outline of what is to follow over the next 11 weeks. Check back for updates on our progress throughout the summer.
Week 1- May 23-27: Getting Started
Introductions/Schedules This week marked the beginning of the Georgia Tech Strength and Conditioning Internship Program. This year’s group consists of three undergraduate students, two graduates, and two volunteer assistants. The group has varying levels of experience, which has allowed us to create a program that will fit the needs of all individuals. Week one was spent on some of the more administrative issues that go along with how we run our program. We familiarized the group with our philosophy, rules and regulations, and safety issues regarding training. The schedule of the internship program was discussed in detail, in addition to our plans for a Strength and Speed Clinic.
For this clinic, each individual will present a comprehensive six-week program for a randomly selected sport. Lastly, the description and format of our GTSC exam was gone over thoroughly. This exam will help prepare some of these individuals for future certification and help ensure that they have a good understanding of the material we have covered throughout the entire 11-week program.
The session concluded with next week’s article handouts and all of the interns filling out an aspirations and goals sheet. This will help us as a staff determine what direction each individual would like to head in their career, along with some of their passions and other interests. Check back next week and see some of the material covered on the following topics:
• Weightroom Warm-Ups • Pre-Hab for Major Joints • Shoulder, Hip, Ankle • Training the Neck • Training the Core Week 2- Prep-Work/Warm-Ups
o Pre-Hab/Core Work
Week 3- Training for Power
o Olympic Lifts
Week 4- Training for Strength
o Lower and Upper Body
Week 5- On the Field
o Movement and Conditioning
Week 6- Nutrition and Recovery
o Assessment/Supplementation o Recovery Techniques
Week 7- Testing and Program Design
o Testing Week and Building a Program
Week 8- The Next Step
o Resume/Cover Letters/Interviews/Networking
Week 9- Sharpen the Saw
o Professional and Leadership Development
Week 10- Presentation Skills/GTSC Exam
o Presentation Techniques/Exam
Week 11- Strength and Speed Clinic
Jason Benguche, MS, CSCS, PES, is Assistant Director of Player Development for Football at Georgia Tech.
