Aug 12, 2015Making Mountains Out of Hilltoppers
After seeing a massive drop in the weight of his players during the first half of the 2014 season, Western Kentucky University Strength Coach Justin Lovett emphasized the need for players to bulk up this past offseason—and the team has responded.
According to the Bowling Green Daily News, the 70 players returning to the program from 2014 have put on a combined 338 pounds since the Hilltoppers’ win in the Bahamas Bowl on Dec. 24. The biggest gains have come on the defensive line where two tackles added 39 pounds and three ends combined for a 60-pound gain.
“We identified a lot of areas we needed to improve upon in the offseason,” Head Coach Jeff Brohm said. “One of them is that we needed to put on mass weight and strength to get bigger and ready for the season.”
The process actually began last season after the team saw its weight drop by 630 pounds from fall camp to Week 8. The Hilltoppers added 230 pounds between Week 8 and its bowl game appearance while ticking off five straight wins.
“That was a point of emphasis by coach Brohm and the strength staff—to get us bigger and stronger this offseason,” senior defensive end Gavin Rocker said. “I feel like we’ve done a great job of doing that. You can tell a difference on the field. We look thicker, and we’re playing stronger, but I feel like we haven’t lost any speed in the process, which is good.”
