As a strength coach for 38 years, Reb Brock has trained professional, collegiate, and elite amateur athletes, including Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III (RG3), first responders and members of the United States military.
Early in his career, Brock also worked for four years as a Muscle Rehabilitation Specialist working in conjunction with physical therapists, athletic trainers, and orthopedic surgeons at one of the most highly regarded sports medicine facilities in the Southwest.
For almost three decades, Brock’s focus has been in the area of sport performance training of athletes grades 7-12. He currently serves as the Director of Strength and Conditioning for Harker Heights High School in Texas. His passion remains working with kids and elevating their game on and off the field of play.
Brock has been a professional member of the NSCA since 1984, and has held CSCS certification since 1994. Brock was certified by USA Weightlifting as a Level 1 Olympic Weightlifting Coach in 1995 and earned his National Level Olympic Weightlifting certification in 1999. Brock has held the position of Co-Director for the Texas branch of the NHSSCA since October 2020.
What do you enjoy most about being a strength and conditioning coach?
The most enjoyable aspects of being a strength and conditioning coach is taking an athlete with little to no training experience and teaching them how to train safely and effectively. It gives them a skill they can use to stay healthy and physically fit for their entire life. It’s so satisfying to watch their self confidence, self-discipline, and attention to detail increase as they become physically stronger.
What is your training philosophy?
The foundation of my training philosophy is “What you do in training is not nearly as important in determining success as how you do it. GOOD TECHNIQUE WINS!” Being technically sound in your movement patterns and having attention to detail in exercise technique, coupled with training consistency, are the keys to success. Sets and reps are secondary to movement.
What do you consider your greatest accomplishment as a strength coach?
In a career spanning 38 years, I have had several outcomes that I consider accomplishments. I have been blessed to work with several professional and Olympic caliber athletes from the NBA, NFL, MLB, LPGA, and the collegiate realm, including a national championship football team. The past 28 years, I have worked primarily high school athletes in which our teams were perennial playoff teams and many of our players were blessed to play at the next level, including a Heisman Trophy winner and multiple players (my sons included). However, my most satisfying accomplishment was training and coaching all three of the sons, who all went on to receive full collegiate scholarships and have successful careers at the FBS level.
How fulfilling is it to watch student-athletes develop from novice to upperclassman?
Watching student-athletes progress and blossom from 7th graders to seniors in high school––and sometimes further in their athletic career––makes all the work worthwhile. The relationships built through hard work and perseverance often become lifelong bonds. I am still in contact with many players I have coached, and some from my first years 35+ years ago. The greatest fulfillment isn’t witnessing the progress in athletic development but their development of character through hard work and discipline––and ultimately into people who are good spouses, parents, and productive members of society.
How has your experience as a Muscle Rehab Specialist shaped your career and philosophy?
I was beyond blessed to work for STI-Physical Therapy & Rehab at the beginning of my strength coaching journey. The owner and President, Jim Maher, was a protégé of the late Jon Cole, a legend in the strength world. At age 12, my first training experience was under Coach Cole. Then during my freshman year in college, I began training under Jim. After graduating from Indiana University, I returned home and began my coaching career. Shortly after, Jim partnered with the Center for Sports Medicine & Orthopedics to venture into a completely new concept in injury rehabilitation which took the physical therapy process another step. In a collaborative effort between, sports medicine physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and strength coaches, we developed what is now known as “Return to Play Protocol.”
We worked with the Phoenix Suns of the NBA, NFL, MLB, Olympic athletes, etc. I was blessed to be part of building the foundation of developing several rehab protocols, including the one that significantly changed ACL reconstruction rehabilitation. My time at STI spring-boarded me 5-10 years in my knowledge of strength and conditioning.
