Matt Cates has been a high school strength coach for 18 years and currently serves as the NHSSCA Indiana State Director, as well as the head strength coach at Penn High School in Mishawaka, IN.
Born in Portage, IN, Matt graduated from Portage High School and went on to earn his degree in Health and Physical Education (K-12) from Manchester University in 2006. While at Manchester, he was a 3-time letter winner in football.
Coach Cates has previously coached at Portage High School, Michigan City High School, and Martinsville High School. He was named the 2023 Great Lakes Region NHSSCA Strength Coach of the Year.
Matt is married to his wife, Stephanie, and they have a daughter named Savannah.
What do you enjoy most about being a strength and conditioning coach?
I love being in a competitive atmosphere every day. It’s not about wins and losses, but rather the opportunity for growth. Competing against yourself and watching student-athletes grow in strength, leadership, maturity, and speed is incredibly rewarding. The culture of our program centers around this philosophy: “Compete to be the best version of yourself.”
Please describe your training philosophy.
My philosophy is to keep it as simple as possible. Consistency is key—stacking the days and showing up to improve every day. We stick to the basics, like bench, squat, and clean, with dynamic effort days added in on Fridays. The focus is on mastering fundamentals and ensuring that each day has a standard for improvement.
I also believe in continuous learning, but understanding how to fit new knowledge into your own situation is crucial. Just because a training method works for one coach doesn’t mean it will work for you. Each school is different in terms of structure, schedule, weight room size, and support from administration and coaches. These factors all need to align to cultivate a successful program.
At the same time, I look to successful coaches I respect. Identifying common practices among them can reveal valuable insights to adapt to your situation.
A key component of our philosophy is using constant data feedback through Teambuildr. We track progress every day and foster competition through leaderboards for Vertical Jump, RSI, and daily lifts. This competitive spirit breeds success.
What do you feel are your best qualities as a strength coach?
I’d say my best qualities are organization and attention to detail. While flexibility and adaptability are important, consistently coaching to the standards and maintaining the program’s culture should never change. My intensity and commitment to this consistency might be my greatest asset.
What tips do you have related to these qualities that can benefit other strength coaches?
Be yourself. Don’t try to mimic someone else or copy another training program. That approach will only last so long, and your athletes will see through it. By being authentic and striving to be the best version of yourself, you’ll develop a consistent approach and coach the culture every day. Without that, the high school level will be a tough road to navigate.
