By Paige Bortner

Strength and conditioning remain a cornerstone of Hastings College athletics, impacting everything from performance on the field to long-term athlete development. The Director of Sports Strength and Conditioning continues to serve as a backbone for Hastings College athletics, playing a critical role in both performance and overall athlete development. Director of Sports Performance Cole Fisher emphasized that success in competition is built long before game day. “Strength and conditioning are paramount,” Fisher said. “Without robust strength, power, speed, and change of direction training, student-athletes are not able to be physically competitive.” He added that the weight room provides athletes with “the physical skills and movement competency needed to excel at their sport,” while also helping “address weaknesses that leave a student-athlete exposed.”

Fisher explained that the program is built on developing a strong base, which impacts every other area of performance. “The ultimate goal of our strength training is to increase the student-athlete’s relative strength,” he said. From there, that strength is converted into usable athletic traits, including “greater rate of force development, foot speed, and change of direction ability.” As the season progresses, the focus becomes helping athletes “physically peak” so they reach their highest level during postseason competition.

Each training program is specifically designed with the sport and athlete in mind. Fisher works closely with head coaches to align the weight room with team goals. “We ask the head coach for their vision of what type of athletes they want,” he said. “Then it’s the strength coach’s job to make that vision reality.” Programs are also built to address injury prevention, incorporating movements that either “pre-habilitate those injuries” or help manage them once they appear. Fisher stressed the importance of physical preparedness, noting that “a student-athlete who cannot absorb force well is at very high risk of injury.”

While physical development is essential, Fisher believes the mental growth in the weight room is just as valuable. He described the transformation athletes go through over their careers, saying, “It’s almost as if your first year is about ‘me, me, me’… then as you get older it’s about ‘us, us, us.’” That shift is reinforced through daily expectations and accountability. “The weight room is where teams and individuals decide who they want to be,” Fisher said. “If you lack the maturity, discipline, and responsibility to be where you’re expected to be, how can anyone trust you during competition?”

Recovery is another major focus within the program, and Fisher emphasized that it requires intention. “Recovery cannot always be a passive thing,” he said. “Time is the least helpful modality to achieve recovery.” Instead, the program prioritizes active recovery methods, explaining that “movement is medicine and blood heals the body,” helping athletes stay ready to perform at a high level throughout the season.

Looking ahead, Fisher is focused on continuing to expand and improve the weight room. “One of my biggest goals… is increasing the variety of resources, equipment, and technology we have,” he said. Over the past five years, the program has introduced “velocity-based training” and “timing gates for speed testing,” along with the Hiland Dairy Nutrition Center and a partnership with 1 Great Nutrition to support athlete recovery and nutrition. Despite being at a smaller college, Fisher is committed to pushing forward. “I personally despise when a lack of resources breeds complacency,” he said. “My goal is to push our limits every year and increase the weight room’s capacity to care for and train student-athletes.”

With plans to add equipment like Safety Squat Bars to improve both safety and efficiency, Fisher believes the program will continue to evolve. “The weight room must be a high-level, high-energy, high optimism environment,” he said, reinforcing its importance as one of the most influential spaces for student-athletes at Hastings College.