Jordon Riley

[Pipe Line]

He was probably one of the more energetic guys I've seen at practice, not the whole practice but for his prepractice segments and team work. Duval sticks around on the side and not too involved. Philipp was always a hype man on defensive sideline. Which is why our conversations started. I about ran into a few defensive guys and just told him to make sure they stay back, I don't want to embarrass them by getting trucked. Then he told his players to get back and guaranteed I probably put in more work than them in the weight room. Which was a conversation a few weeks later about how a large part of the team would skip workouts and nothing would be done about it.

I've never seen his training sessions so I can't comment on those, including intensity. I'm guessing he was walking a fine line in what he did.

God damn that's ridiculous. So that's where the zero accountability in the weight room stories come from. That's disheartening man. I guess probably not his fault at the end of the day. Strength coaches want their guys working their tail off. I know he was there in 2017 so that confirms the shitty team culture.

 

[...TrueColors...]

He was probably one of the more energetic guys I've seen at practice, not the whole practice but for his prepractice segments and team work. Duval sticks around on the side and not too involved. Philipp was always a hype man on defensive sideline. Which is why our conversations started. I about ran into a few defensive guys and just told him to make sure they stay back, I don't want to embarrass them by getting trucked. Then he told his players to get back and guaranteed I probably put in more work than them in the weight room. Which was a conversation a few weeks later about how a large part of the team would skip workouts and nothing would be done about it.

I've never seen his training sessions so I can't comment on those, including intensity. I'm guessing he was walking a fine line in what he did.

In my opinion, and to get philosophical here, the weight room is like a bank; you can only take out of it what you put into it.

Maybe people will disagree, but I feel there are a lot of methods that will make you bigger and stronger and not one of them is wrong or right. Your commitment and dedication to it will determine what you get out of it.

Nice little nugget about your conversation with Phillip. I know it was always taken as fact that the accountability in the weight room for Riley’s program was severely lacking. But it’s nice to get complete confirmation on it.

In my opinion, you can’t make up for 3 years of bad training habits in 1 year. Which is why to me it looked like that 2018 team was still out of shape. I got a handful of texts from different people during the Michigan game that year saying we should consider forfeiting at halftime because it looked dangerous for us to be playing that game.

 

[Pipe Line]

In my opinion, and to get philosophical here, the weight room is like a bank; you can only take out of it what you put into it.

Maybe people will disagree, but I feel there are a lot of methods that will make you bigger and stronger and not one of them is wrong or right. Your commitment and dedication to it will determine what you get out of it.

Nice little nugget about your conversation with Phillip. I know it was always taken as fact that the accountability in the weight room for Riley’s program was severely lacking. But it’s nice to get complete confirmation on it.

In my opinion, you can’t make up for 3 years of bad training habits in 1 year. Which is why to me it looked like that 2018 team was still out of shape. I got a handful of texts from different people during the Michigan game that year saying we should consider forfeiting at halftime because it looked dangerous for us to be playing that game.

To touch on the weight room philosophy part, you're 100% correct. Only thing I'd say is that there are different programs and styles for different ways to play the game. For example, there was an article I think back in 2018 about OU and their offseason training. Long story short, it was basically they were trimming down their lineman some and basically getting them in better strength/cardio shape so they could still be strong, but be able to still run around and be athletic and make plays for the Big 12 style of spread football. It makes sense for that style. Now I'm pretty passionate about Powerlifting/weightlifting/Husker Power that what is frustrating for me, and probably people who are a little bit older, is that Duval's Husker Power is strictly from Boyd, just with newer technology and equipment, so a tad more variation in things because of modern day knowledge, but the base program and principles are the same. And that Husker Power program is built for running the damn ball and beating the shit out of people physically. So, on paper, the Oregon Spread mixed with Husker Power sounds great, but when you have massive lineman and are throwing the ball around more than trying to be a physical team on the ground, it no longer makes sense.

 

[...TrueColors...]

To touch on the weight room philosophy part, you're 100% correct. Only thing I'd say is that there are different programs and styles for different ways to play the game. For example, there was an article I think back in 2018 about OU and their offseason training. Long story short, it was basically they were trimming down their lineman some and basically getting them in better strength/cardio shape so they could still be strong, but be able to still run around and be athletic and make plays for the Big 12 style of spread football. It makes sense for that style. Now I'm pretty passionate about Powerlifting/weightlifting/Husker Power that what is frustrating for me, and probably people who are a little bit older, is that Duval's Husker Power is strictly from Boyd, just with newer technology and equipment, so a tad more variation in things because of modern day knowledge, but the base program and principles are the same. And that Husker Power program is built for running the damn ball and beating the shit out of people physically. So, on paper, the Oregon Spread mixed with Husker Power sounds great, but when you have massive lineman and are throwing the ball around more than trying to be a physical team on the ground, it no longer makes sense.

I defer a lot to you about S&C knowledge because even when I was playing my sport, my desire to learn about it approached zero. I’d just do what people told me to do and eat the way they told me to. There’s so much misinformation out there that a guy like me just doesn’t wanna wade through it all and I’d rather now pay someone to do it all for me, or back then just listen to the people who went to school for it.

But it does make sense that your S&C program should make your guys stronger at the movements that they’re going to use within your offense and defense. Looking back at what they did with me at IWCC, as a goalkeeper I would do the workouts that the WRs and the DBs would do. The goal was long and lean, flexible and explosive.

 

[KidsSeeGhosts]

With the caveat that I am just a dude who really likes to pick heavy shit up and put it back down, weight room philosophy is one of those things that you're going to get a completely different answer depending on who you talk to about shit. I do think Indiana (and now Bama) was doing some pretty interesting science-based shit in terms of increasing speed that I wish we'd look into more.

 

[...TrueColors...]

With the caveat that I am just a dude who really likes to pick heavy shit up and put it back down, weight room philosophy is one of those things that you're going to get a completely different answer depending on who you talk to about shit. I do think Indiana (and now Bama) was doing some pretty interesting science-based shit in terms of increasing speed that I wish we'd look into more.

The new facility is going to be a sports science Mecca from what I was told. We are looking to be the nations leader in that category again. Ellis and Duvall got what they wanted in that regard.

 

[Pipe Line]

I defer a lot to you about S&C knowledge because even when I was playing my sport, my desire to learn about it approached zero. I’d just do what people told me to do and eat the way they told me to. There’s so much misinformation out there that a guy like me just doesn’t wanna wade through it all and I’d rather now pay someone to do it all for me, or back then just listen to the people who went to school for it.

But it does make sense that your S&C program should make your guys stronger at the movements that they’re going to use within your offense and defense. Looking back at what they did with me at IWCC, as a goalkeeper I would do the workouts that the WRs and the DBs would do. The goal was long and lean, flexible and explosive.

Sooooooo I didn't give a single shit about the weight room up until my going into my Sophomore year in college. Basically I was trying to walk on for baseball at UNO and I just needed to grow and get bigger and stronger and more explosive. Did the wrong workouts realistically but that's a different conversation. I started training at X-Edge with Duval's brother, Gib, around that time and spent something like 2 full years just constantly training as much as I could to get as much out of my body as I could. Hung the cleats up and then worked for him again for another 2-ish years. I'm no expert by any means but I really bought in to the training and nutritional side of athletic performance and just soaked up all the knowledge I could from him in that time frame and I just learned so much.


But yeah overall you should want your philosophies and your program to match the sport you're playing and your position as well. Some former players at Nebraska have said these things but specific exercises changed between DBs, QBs, Lineman, and skill players, but the basics stayed the same like squats, forms of bench, Olympic lifting, things like that. And it's just super ironic to me still going into Year 4 that we're kind of just now starting to do the things football wise that Duval/Epply's Husker Power program is built for but that's still progress in my eyes.


Yeah goal keeper and pitching workouts would be pretty similar in what the goal is performance wise. I was basically doing body building workouts on my own, before X-Edge, to try and be a better pitcher. Doesn't work like that lol

 

[...TrueColors...]

Sooooooo I didn't give a single shit about the weight room up until my going into my Sophomore year in college. Basically I was trying to walk on for baseball at UNO and I just needed to grow and get bigger and stronger and more explosive. Did the wrong workouts realistically but that's a different conversation. I started training at X-Edge with Duval's brother, Gib, around that time and spent something like 2 full years just constantly training as much as I could to get as much out of my body as I could. Hung the cleats up and then worked for him again for another 2-ish years. I'm no expert by any means but I really bought in to the training and nutritional side of athletic performance and just soaked up all the knowledge I could from him in that time frame and I just learned so much.


But yeah overall you should want your philosophies and your program to match the sport you're playing and your position as well. Some former players at Nebraska have said these things but specific exercises changed between DBs, QBs, Lineman, and skill players, but the basics stayed the same like squats, forms of bench, Olympic lifting, things like that. And it's just super ironic to me still going into Year 4 that we're kind of just now starting to do the things football wise that Duval/Epply's Husker Power program is built for but that's still progress in my eyes.


Yeah goal keeper and pitching workouts would be pretty similar in what the goal is performance wise. I was basically doing body building workouts on my own, before X-Edge, to try and be a better pitcher. Doesn't work like that lol

The difference between me and the pitchers were that some of the smaller muscles in my arms and back weren’t as important to me as they were to pitchers.

 

[Pipe Line]

The difference between me and the pitchers were that some of the smaller muscles in my arms and back weren’t as important to me as they were to pitchers.

Yeah. Scapular and forearm muscles were pretty big when I was in the thick of it. I was more into strength and explosion with my lower body and trying to somewhat balance that out with a leaner upper body. There was a point in time during my last fall of college baseball before Tommy John that I was eating 100% clean 5/7 days of the week, doing team lifting and then waking up about 5 AM everyday to go do my X-Edge Olympic training before any other team was in the weight room because my baseball team wasn't doing the explosive stuff that I believed in so I just did it on my own, plus fall ball practice which was brutal. Was late to about every class that it was to the point where it felt like I wasn't even enrolled in school. Wild 3 months before surgery.

 

[Pipe Line]

With the caveat that I am just a dude who really likes to pick heavy shit up and put it back down, weight room philosophy is one of those things that you're going to get a completely different answer depending on who you talk to about shit. I do think Indiana (and now Bama) was doing some pretty interesting science-based shit in terms of increasing speed that I wish we'd look into more.

Do you do legit Powerlifting or more Strongman?

 

[KidsSeeGhosts]

Do you do legit Powerlifting or more Strongman?

Ha--I wish I did something as cool as strongman. Maybe will add that to the list one day. First got under a bar at 10-11 or so and has just been a long-time hobby for me. Have found that I get pretty bad ADHD/fuckarounditis, so try to mix it up to keep shit interesting and have tried a bunch of different things over the years.

At this point, I just try to always keep a couple things in the rotation (squat, hip hinge (DL), and press) at minimum and then stay goal oriented w/ it (increase my bench or DL by some amount by Y date, get my 5K/10K time below a certain mark or something more random like a I did a 125 mile through hike through Co in ~week). More than anything I just try to get bigger/stronger and make sure I can could kick last year me's ass.

 

[Pipe Line]

Ha--I wish I did something as cool as strongman. Maybe will add that to the list one day. First got under a bar at 10-11 or so and has just been a long-time hobby for me. Have found that I get pretty bad ADHD/fuckarounditis, so try to mix it up to keep shit interesting and have tried a bunch of different things over the years.

At this point, I just try to always keep a couple things in the rotation (squat, hip hinge (DL), and press) at minimum and then stay goal oriented w/ it (increase my bench or DL by some amount by Y date, get my 5K/10K time below a certain mark or something more random like a I did a 125 mile through hike through Co in ~week). More than anything I just try to get bigger/stronger and make sure I can could kick last year me's ass.

Love it. My general goals are the same. I was the small dude growing up and I finally got big as an adult so just riding that as long as I can. I didn't get serious until mid way through college and just took on Powerlifting as I got older and matured. Haven't done actual running or conditioning in years lol but yeah main goal is constant increase in strength and PRs.

 

[alt f4]

Love it. My general goals are the same. I was the small dude growing up and I finally got big as an adult so just riding that as long as I can. I didn't get serious until mid way through college and just took on Powerlifting as I got older and matured. Haven't done actual running or conditioning in years lol but yeah main goal is constant increase in strength and PRs.

We just became friends. Powerlifter here. What association/meets do you typically lift in?

 

[Pipe Line]

We just became friends. Powerlifter here. What association/meets do you typically lift in?

Very nice! Haven't done anything association wise, although I want to, just never really confident enough I guess to pull the trigger. I hate losing lol but I've done a couple at my local gym. Built a Powerlifting garage gym so I don't go there anymore but they have meets every now and then that I do. I've done one in Omaha at Pickle Smoochers Prep High School that I did back in 2019. And then the same Director that did that one at Prep held one this last May in his garage that I assume was in place of the one at the high school because of COVID. He used to compete professionally and I'm really good friends with his younger family members that I grew up with through baseball and also Powerlift. I meant to do the Cornhusker State Games in 2019 but chickened out, didn't do it in 2020 not even sure if they still had it or not. But that's a major one I'd like to compete in sometime.

You?

 

[alt f4]

High School that I did back in 2019. And then the same Director that did that one at Prep held one this last May in his garage that I assume was in place of the one at the high school because of COVID. He used to compete professionally and I'm really good friends with his younger family members that I grew up with through baseball and also Powerlift. I meant to do the Cornhusker State Games in 2019 but chickened out, didn't do it in 2020 not even sure if they still had it or not. But that's a majo

Pull the trigger. There isn't anything to be scared or intimidated of, the powerlifting community is surprisingly friendly. It's not what I thought it would be like. I've lifted for 24+ years and just got back into powerlifting in 2016. I compete in USPA, I prefer the squat, power, and deadlift bars vs the power bar only that USA Powerlifting uses (Cornhusker State Games). I've done 9 meets so far in Des Moines, KC, Omaha, and in Kansas. Next planned one is first week in Dec down in KC again. I know there will be two good ones in Omaha area this fall. One at Omaha Barbell and one in Gretna at the new Iron Heaven gym.

My best totals at 198 are:
Raw w/ sleeves 622.8/446.4/639.3 -- 1703 total (Dec 2020)
Raw w/ wraps 655.8/435.4/644.8 -- 1736.1 total (March 2021)

 

[Ext. 55]

I would pay good money to see Frost break this out at a home game at the 1 yard line only to call a swing pass for a loss. the crowd reaction would be amazing

In fairness to his previous post, he didn’t say they ran the dive…only that they lined up with Yant and Stepp.

My bet…swing play out of that set to Brody Belt who got stoned on the one yard line for no gain.

 

[alt f4]

High School that I did back in 2019. And then the same Director that did that one at Prep held one this last May in his garage that I assume was in place of the one at the high school because of COVID. He used to compete professionally and I'm really good friends with his younger family members that I grew up with through baseball and also Powerlift. I meant to do the Cornhusker State Games in 2019 but chickened out, didn't do it in 2020 not even sure if they still had it or not. But that's a majo

Pull the trigger. There isn't anything to be scared or intimidated of, the powerlifting community is surprisingly friendly. It's not what I thought it would be like. I've lifted for 24+ years and just got back into powerlifting in 2016. I compete in USPA, I prefer the squat, power, and deadlift bars vs the power bar only that USA Powerlifting uses (like Cornhusker State Games). I've done 9 meets so far in Des Moines, KC, Omaha, and in Kansas. Next planned one is first week in Dec down in KC again. I know there will be two good ones in Omaha area this fall. One at Omaha Barbell and one in Gretna at the new Iron Heaven gym.

My best totals at 198 are:
Raw w/ sleeves 622.8/446.4/644.8 -- 1703 total (Dec 2020)
Raw w/ wraps 655.8 -- 1736.1 total (March 2021)

 

[Pipe Line]

Pull the trigger. There isn't anything to be scared or intimidated of, the powerlifting community is surprisingly friendly. It's not what I thought it would be like. I've lifted for 24+ years and just got back into powerlifting in 2016. I compete in USPA, I prefer the squat, power, and deadlift bars vs the power bar only that USA Powerlifting uses (Cornhusker State Games). I've done 9 meets so far in Des Moines, KC, Omaha, and in Kansas. Next planned one is first week in Dec down in KC again. I know there will be two good ones in Omaha area this fall. One at Omaha Barbell and one in Gretna at the new Iron Heaven gym.

My best totals at 198 are:
Raw w/ sleeves 622.8/446.4/639.3 -- 1703 total (Dec 2020)
Raw w/ wraps 655.8/435.4/644.8 -- 1736.1 total (March 2021)

Beautiful. My best friend encouraged me to get serious about Powerlifting about 5 years ago. It was kind of a fluke I had been just kind of working out daily without really any plan or goal and my deadlift just jumped pretty big for someone my size and my buddy was like you should take this serious and actually train for it and follow nutrition for it, so I did. Taken a little bit of a toll on my body over the 5 years but I'll ride it as long as I can. I use a Texas Power Bar in my garage for all the lifts and absolutely love it.

Questions:

1. Are you sponsored or affiliated with anybody?
2. How did you find out about the different meets?
3. How do you program to work around meet time to get ready?
4. I've seen the totals listed different ways with your numbers, how do yours work with that? I've only just now started to use knee sleeves when squatting and deadlifting. Considering elbow sleeves for bench.


I don't really know how to word Raw with sleeves or anything lol but my best at about 245 is:
Bench: 315
Squat: 475
Deadlift: 635

 

[KidsSeeGhosts]

That’s a legit DL

 

[alt f4]

Beautiful. My best friend encouraged me to get serious about Powerlifting about 5 years ago. It was kind of a fluke I had been just kind of working out daily without really any plan or goal and my deadlift just jumped pretty big for someone my size and my buddy was like you should take this serious and actually train for it and follow nutrition for it, so I did. Taken a little bit of a toll on my body over the 5 years but I'll ride it as long as I can. I use a Texas Power Bar in my garage for all the lifts and absolutely love it.

Questions:

1. Are you sponsored or affiliated with anybody?
2. How did you find out about the different meets?
3. How do you program to work around meet time to get ready?
4. I've seen the totals listed different ways with your numbers, how do yours work with that? I've only just now started to use knee sleeves when squatting and deadlifting. Considering elbow sleeves for bench.


I don't really know how to word Raw with sleeves or anything lol but my best at about 245 is:
Bench: 315
Squat: 475
Deadlift: 635

Those are pretty decent starting numbers.

Raw = no suits, briefs, or gear. Just a singlet.
Raw w/ sleeves = same as above, approved knee sleeves, approved wrist wraps, and elbow sleeves for squat/deadlift only, not bench.
Raw w/ wraps = same as w/ sleeves except wraps (either 2.5 or 3 depending on federation) can be used for squats, approved wrist wraps, and elbow sleeves for squat/deadlift only, not bench.

You'll see some single-ply and multi-ply suits/briefs, but almost everyone lifts raw now.


1. Are you sponsored or affiliated with anybody?
Right now I am by Unbreakable Gear. I wear their knee sleeves, destroyer knee wraps, and destroyer wrist wraps.

2. How did you find out about the different meets?
Since I've competed at the same meets and it's the same meet director, he usually gives me a heads up. Also, through Facebook there are USPA groups for each state that post their upcoming meets as they're scheduled. Also check the USPA website randomly. After a few years you learn they schedule the meets around the same weekends each year. Example, my Dec meet is always first Saturday and Sunday in Dec.

3. How do you program to work around meet time to get ready?
I do my own programming and always have. The best way I can describe it is a progressive 5-3-1 method with an RPE component built into it. I also listen a lot to my body to pick days to workout heavy or back off. I'm 39 so recovery is a little bit longer. Each day I set my day's 1 rep max and then do my planned reps on that one-rep max. Example, bench day, I'll rep 350 for reps, having done this long enough I know if I hit an easy 7 or 8 with plenty left my working rep max is 440-450. Then set my weight and reps for that day based on that number. I used training blocks with deloads. Prior meets I've done 5 weeks heavy, 1 week deload, 5 weeks heavy, 1 week before meet deload. This next meet I'm dropping that to 4 weeks, 1 week, 3 weeks, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 week.

4. I've seen the totals listed different ways with your numbers, how do yours work with that? I've only just now started to use knee sleeves when squatting and deadlifting. Considering elbow sleeves for bench.
Since bench and deadlift are the same in both wraps and sleeves, its usually only listed once, but sleeves and wraps are different lines for squats and total. So my 644.8 deadlift came in my wrapped meet, but it's my raw PR. Hopefully it makes sense.
Elbow sleeves can't be used in bench in any association. I would also ditch the sleeves for deadlifts.

Less confusing way to list is:
Squat - 622.8 (sleeves), 655.8 (wraps)
Bench - 446.4
Deadlift - 644.8
Total - 1703 (sleeves), 1736.1 total (wraps)