Kaleb Sargent

Hi! My name is Kaleb Sargent! I currently am an Undergraduate Student majoring in Exercise Science at East Tennessee State University. Additionally, I am a Scholarship Athlete at ETSU's Olympic Training Site competing in the sport of Weightlifting. My main coaching interests are developing strength and power in Athletes to aid in a higher level of performance and prevent the likelihood of injury. I trained track and field athletes as an Assistant Strength&Conditioning Coach at Science Hill High School in Johnson City, TN through a year-long internship required for my undergraduate studies in Exercise Science. I am also an NSCA- Certified Personal Trainer and currently train clients through ETSU's Campus Recreation facilities where I train a variety of age groups and skill levels to reach their strength/fitness goals. I plan to apply to the graduate program at ETSU for Strength and Conditioning to further my knowledge and experience in the field. I am currently working towards earning distinction through the NSCA as a Certified Strength&Conditioning Specialist. While I have experience coaching strength and conditioning at a high school level, I have also had the opportunity to train with Internationally competitive Olympic Weightlifters and have the privilege of interacting and studying under some of the best sport-scientists in the country. Some of which include: Dr. Mike Stone who is known primarily for his time spent as head of Sport Physiology at the United States Olympic Committee before coming to ETSU but has also authored and co-authored numerous publications related to strength training and performance and Dr. Brad DeWeese who is currently the High Performance Coach for ETSU's Olympic Training Site Bobsled&Skeleton, Canoe/Kayak team. The unique situation I am in allows me to be surrounded by years and years of experience in the S&C field in and out of the classroom setting. I believe the knowledge gained from my time here at ETSU will help you reach your goals through an evidence-based approach to training without the hype and fluff of other training programs.

I competed in track and field in High School for a few years. I ran the 300m hurdles and pole vaulted. I quickly realized that I enjoyed the training for the sport than the actual sport itself. I fell in love with strength my sophomore year of High School and never looked back. My fitness journey transformed through the years my first endeavor was bodybuilding, then CrossFit, then powerlifting and then my senior year of High School I found my true love in Olympic Weightlifting. I signed up for ETSU's Weightlifting team as apart of their club team and then after a few months training they offered me a position on their Scholarship team. I have been competing locally and at the National University level in Weightlifting for a little over 4 years now. My current goal is to qualify for the American Open finals in December of this year.

I follow a Block Periodization or Phase Potentiation style of training. This just means I train people in phases that focus on specific physical attributes at specific times during the training process. These phases build on each other to allow the athlete to perform their absolute best at their most important competitions/games/ meets etc. Depending on who you aret and depending on the package offered or created will determine how your training will be laid out. As a Strength and Conditioning Coach I have a variety of ways of helping you achieve better performance on the field, on the court, or in the gym, the tools I use will be similar for everyone.
Some of which include: 1.) increasing strength in heavy compound movements, 2.) increasing power development through implementation of plyometrics and weightlifting movements or derivatives. 3.) increasing speed through various drills and speed focused lifting sessions.
A typical session would involve various barbell movements as well as speed and agility drills including but not limited to: back squats, snatch and clean variations, pulling and pressing movements, Sprint mechanic drills, cone agility drills, push-ups and pull-up variations, box jumps, depth jumps, etc.