Strength

How did you get your start in the NBA?  Who were key people in your advancement to this level?

NBA coach credits key people for career success

How did you get your start in the NBA who were key people in your advancement to this level? This is a great question by My Guy Brian do first. It's such a blessing to be in the NBA as a strength and conditioning coach. I'm with the Houston Rockets. Now I would credit my jumpstart to Jabbar Gillette who brought me on to the Houston Rockets for years ago. He's now the vice president of sports science with the Minnesota Timberwolves. And then I also would credit Donnie strike who brought me on to the Oklahoma City Thunder as a strength and conditioning coach, six years ago. And that's where my journey began in the NBA.

My startup in the NBA was credited to Jabbar Gillette and Donnie Strike, who brought me on as a Strength and Conditioning Coach with the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder respectively.

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Getting my start in the NBA as a strength and conditioning coach has been a true blessing. I owe my jumpstart to two key individuals who played a significant role in my advancement to this level. Jabbar Gillette, who is now the vice president of sports science with the Minnesota Timberwolves, brought me on to the Houston Rockets four years ago. Additionally, Donnie Strack, who brought me on as a strength and conditioning coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder six years ago, also played a crucial part in my journey in the NBA. I am grateful for their support and guidance along the way.

Never stop learning and growing: The key to personal growth and success.

What is your single best advice in life? My single best advice in life is to never stop learning and growing as a person never stop. And so I think one of the the keys for me early on in my 20s was that I did things, that may be uncomfortable, but those were the things that allow me to grow the most and those were the things that really got me to understand who I was the Most. And so I think, as you put yourself out there, you become more Curious in different areas and that Curiosity can spark action. And when you take action and get into being uncomfortable, that's really how you grow, right? Resiliency is one of the best skills that you can have in life. So never stop learning and growing and trying to be the best possible person.

Never stop learning and growing and put yourself out there to become more curious, take action, and be resilient.

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My single best advice in life is to never stop learning and growing as a person. It's important to embrace discomfort and take on challenges that allow for personal growth. By pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones, we gain a deeper understanding of who we are and what we are capable of. Curiosity plays a significant role in this process, as it sparks action and leads to personal development. Resilience is a valuable skill to cultivate, and continuous learning and growth contribute to becoming the best version of ourselves. So, my advice is to never stop seeking knowledge and striving to be the best possible person you can be.

Why did you choose to work with athletes as your profession?

Passion for Athletics and the Human Body: A Coach's Journey

Why did you choose to work with athletes as your profession? So I played Sports growing up, I played football, I played basketball, played baseball. And so, I was always in a team setting and when I decided in college that I was hanging up the shoes, and I wanted to find what was next that career path, honestly, it just kind of hit me when I decided that I didn't want to go, you know, be a lawyer I wanted to more. So follow my My passion, I knew that I had a passion for being around basketball being in some form of coaching. And then I started to really develop a passion for the human body in college after seeing the results that I would get each summer going into the year. So I wanted to be able to give that back to athletes. I wanted to be able to be with them in the trenches and grind and trained in for them to reap the benefits. So to speak. So that they were able to go on the basketball court and play at a high level. Whoa.

I chose to work with athletes because I had a passion for team sports and wanted to give back to them by helping them train and improve their performance.

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I chose to work with athletes as my profession because of my personal experience playing sports. Growing up, I participated in football, basketball, and baseball, which exposed me to the dynamics of being part of a team. When I reached college and decided to explore my career path beyond sports, I realized that I wanted to follow my passion and be involved in coaching and working with basketball players.

During my college years, I also developed a strong interest in the human body and its capabilities. Witnessing the positive results I achieved each summer through training, I wanted to share that knowledge and help athletes reach their full potential. I desired to be in the trenches with them, putting in the hard work and training, so they could excel on the basketball court or in their respective sports.

Ultimately, my decision to work with athletes was driven by my passion for the game, my desire to give back, and my fascination with the human body's potential.

How do you incorporate injury prevention strategies into your athletes' training regimens?

Preventing Injuries: A Strategic Approach to Athlete Training

How do you incorporate injury prevention? Strategies, into your Athletes Training, regiments. So what we do is we establish a baseline, We Gather Intel on the athlete, through our Baseline assessment. So, in that assessment, we're gathering information on the athletes range of motion and their ability to control that range of motion, which is stability. So Mobility, And stability are the two things that we want to address when incorporating an injury prevention program. So we go up the chain joint by joint approach. We're looking at, you know, the forefoot mid-foot, hind foot, ankle complex, hip complex going all the way up through the lumbo-pelvic. The core you got your t-spine, you got your shoulder, and you got your wrist and elbow. So we're going all the way up the chain from the ground up, and we're working. In to identify. Okay, where is the weakest link and how can we address it and so you address that with Mobility exercises before you start any type of strength work soft tissue and mobility and then you get that athlete and to their stability work. And so for us we'll address that and then you want to build capacity. So post your core strength and power, explosive training program, you want to do some high repetition work to increase.

When incorporating an injury prevention program into an athlete's training regimen, we start with a baseline assessment to gather information on the athletes range of motion and ability to control that range of motion (mobility and stability). We then work up the chain joint by joint, starting from the feet, and identify the weakest links. Once we address those weak points, we build capacity through core strength, power and explosive training programs, as well as high repetition exercises.

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Incorporating injury prevention strategies into athletes' training regimens involves establishing a baseline through a comprehensive assessment. This assessment gathers information on the athlete's range of motion and their ability to control that range of motion, which includes stability and mobility.

To address injury prevention, we take a joint-by-joint approach, starting from the forefoot, mid-foot, hind foot, ankle complex, and moving up through the hip complex, lumbo-pelvic region, core, t-spine, shoulder, wrist, and elbow. We identify the weakest link and develop mobility exercises to address it before incorporating strength work.

After addressing mobility and soft tissue, we focus on stability exercises. Once stability is established, we work on building capacity through core strength, power, and explosive training programs. Additionally, high repetition work is incorporated to increase endurance.

By following this approach, we aim to prevent injuries and enhance the overall performance and well-being of athletes.

How do you balance the demands of your job with your other interests and commitments outside of work?

Mastering the Art of Balancing Work, Interests, and Commitments

How do you balance the demands of your job with your interest and commitments outside of work? So, first things first, is the main thing is the main thing. So, the job comes first, and I truly believe that if you put your best foot forward, every day in the work that you do, that will give you space to tap into other things that draw your interest so to speak. So for me, it's all about balance. It's all about ensuring that my route. Teen is consistent waking up in the morning making sure that the first things that I'm doing is get my mind right, setting the tone for the day so that I can execute at a high level and be super efficient in my work day. And then carving out some time later in the day after I leave the office to finish up some work. And then typically to end days, if it's not a game day, we have some extra time to focus on other things.

Balancing the demands of my job with my interests and commitments outside of work is all about creating balance. I begin each day by getting my mind right and setting the tone for a productive and efficient day. After leaving the office, I carve out time to focus on other things, such as hobbies, family, and friends.

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Balancing the demands of my job with my interests and commitments outside of work is all about prioritization and consistency. I believe that the main thing should always be the main thing, so I prioritize my job and give it my best effort every day. By doing so, I create space to pursue my other interests.

To maintain balance, I start my day by getting my mind right and setting a positive tone for the day. This helps me execute my work efficiently and at a high level. I also carve out time later in the day, after leaving the office, to finish up any remaining work. If it's not a game day, I have extra time to focus on other things that interest me.

By consistently prioritizing my job and being efficient in my work, I can create the necessary time and energy to pursue my other commitments and interests outside of work.

Maximize Muscle Growth: Sleep, Protein, and Progressive Training

What's the best way to put on muscle? So control the things you can control for, so you can train hard, sleep and nutrition lot of protein. Well, balanced diet in at least eight hours of sleep, right? If you can't get 8 hours, you know, get as much sleep as you possibly can. Because we know that's when our body repairs itself from our training sessions, and that's when we actually grow in size. And then we think about training time under tension, don't do a program that targets the total body ensuring that you're getting the volume that you need. So progressively work your way up. So if you are a beginner level 1 to 2 sets is great, and as you work yourself up, you can get the two to three sets, focusing on the rep range of anywhere from eight to 12 reps to get that hypertrophy. And that's how you can put on the muscle. And then as you progress from there, getting some more of a strength phase with lesser reps and more.

To put on muscle, get 8 hours of sleep, eat a balanced diet with plenty of protein, and train with progressive programming that focuses on time under tension, working up to 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.

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The best way to put on muscle is to focus on the factors you can control. This includes training hard, prioritizing sleep, and maintaining a well-balanced diet with a sufficient amount of protein. Aim for at least eight hours of sleep each night, as this is when the body repairs and grows.

When it comes to training, consider time under tension and volume. Choose a program that targets the entire body and gradually increase the volume as you progress. For beginners, 1 to 2 sets per exercise is sufficient, while more advanced individuals can aim for 2 to 3 sets. Focus on a rep range of 8 to 12 reps to promote hypertrophy and muscle growth.

As you continue to progress, you can incorporate phases that focus on strength with fewer reps and higher intensity. By following these principles, you can effectively put on muscle and achieve your desired results.

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Willie Cruz is an Athletic Performance Coach for the Houston Rockets and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. A Rochester, NY native, he graduated from Edith Cowan Univ., Fordham Univ., and Eastern Kentucky Univ. with a Master of Exercise Science, Master of Science in Media Management, and Bachelor of Science in Sports Management with a concentration in strength and conditioning, respectively. Willie joined the NBA's OKC Thunder in 2017, and the Houston Rockets in 2019. Outside of the training facility, Willie is passionate about public speaking, traveling, reading, volunteering, and spending time with family and friends. He has committed to charity work with Shriners Hospitals for Children Medical Center in Lexington, KY and has participated in 5K runs for cancer, Alzheimer's, mental health, and heart health. Willie currently resides in Houston, TX.

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