Aug 2, 2016Colts Change Program
As strength and conditioning coach for the Indianapolis Colts, Darren Krein is changing things up. New workouts focus a lot on injury-reduction.
According to the Indy Star, the Colts have often been ranked as the team that is most frequently injured on the field. With that in mind, Krein proposed new exercises, such as the Turkish getup, that reflect the movements players will do in games.
“I think sometimes strength coaches can be a little bit selfish in (asking) how much weight do you lift?” Krein said. “That’s not always the most important thing. The most important thing is how well do you move? How well are you able to adjust to what’s happening on the field? At the end of the day, my job is to help them be the best they can be on the field.”
Krein said he knew that what he was proposing was not the Colts’ standard practice, and that it was critical to convince the team to accept it.
“I always try to say, ‘Why don’t we try to do this for a year and see if we can get two or three more years out of you?’ ” Krein said. “That way, they’re not looking at it in a negative way. Guys sometimes just have to get out of their comfort zone. Just because you’ve never done it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be doing it.”
Robert Mathis, a 35-year-old linebacker for the Colts, said the training is an adjustment from what he was used to, but has came to accept it.
“I think a lot of old-school guys like the old, Olympic stuff, squats, and that ‘grrrrr’ type of stuff,” Mathis said. “So, yeah, I had to adapt. The game is speed, endurance and flexibility … It took a little convincing. I was very caveman about my lifting. But I’ve come out of my shell a little bit.”
