BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Maybe it's a suspension strap, with handles, anchored to a door frame, a garage truss, or a tree branch. Maybe it's a homemade squat rack using sandbags or 50-pound bags of rock salt for weight. Maybe it's just a matter of pushing an SUV in a parking lot.
Off-campus training can take many creative forms, a necessity when local gyms are unavailable and most athletes are working out of their homes due to the coronavirus pandemic. Acutely aware of this new reality is Ross Kolodziej, the strength and conditioning coach for Wisconsin football.
"It's a different challenge, but it's not something we've never done," said the 41-year-old Kolodziej, who has overseen the Camp Randall Stadium weight room since 2015. "The month of May is typically similar to this where after finals the guys go home for about three weeks.
"We're just in kind of an extended holding pattern."
When the players left Madison for spring break, and it became obvious that they weren't returning to campus anytime soon, Kolodziej and his assistants broke down the roster alphabetically into five groups — 20 to 25 in each — and they've been monitoring them on a weekly basis ever since.
That weekend (March 13-15), Kolodziej said, "Guys had already reached out, 'Hey, Coach, my parents don't feel great about me even going to a gym,' and that was before things really hit. We were already making alterations to the workout plan knowing they would have minimal to no equipment.
"We have an app, TrainHeroic, that we've used the past couple of years, more so for incoming freshmen that aren't here to communicate workouts. The guys are familiar with it because we've used it in the weight room and for winter, spring and summer breaks.
"So we had a pretty good system set up and already in place. Now it's focusing in on your group as a strength coach each week and addressing any of the specific questions that they have. You're checking in and seeing how they're doing and making sure everything is good on their front."
UW players have access to a TRX suspension trainer, a total resistance exercise package that was the brainchild of a Navy SEAL. Said Kolodziej, "You're really using your body weight at different angles to increase intensity."
Beyond daily strength/power sequences utilizing the anchored straps — and everything is spelled out on the app — there are also running drills (pro-agility, three-cone, five-cone zig-zag, 30-yard rope ladder, etc.). Players can click on each exercise and they will get detailed instructions. Videos are available, too.
"Everybody has a variety of equipment, so we kind of write it a little more open-ended with some different suggestions," said Kolodziej, mindful of how in-home variables will affect guidelines. "When we get on our one-on-one calls, it's like, 'Do you have a (push) sled? If you do, then do this.'
"Some guys are pushing cars and trucks in parking lots."
You heard him right. Extend the arms on the trunk or rear bumper and push. With safety in mind, first and foremost, Kolodziej said, "We're just trying to help them be as creative as possible and find ways to train them through this period of time the best we can."
While sounding like something out of the World's Strongest Man competition, where events are taken to the extreme, it's actually more functional than gimmicky; a challenge-worthy exercise that can spur on teammates if shared and an option that falls safely in the realm of social distancing.
"It's not much different than the sled pushes that we do with our guys," Kolodziej said. "Over a shorter distance, you can be working on power, you can be working on strength. Over a longer distance, it's a tremendous cardio conditioning workout.
"It's a great way to throw something new in the repertoire to stay fresh. There are some (NCAA) limitations in terms of what we can do. We can't hold a virtual workout. So, we encourage the guys, 'Don't send us the video, send it to your teammates. Put out a challenge. You name it.'
"That's where they can have some ownership in it as well."
Kolodziej noted the ingenuity of one true freshman, an early enrollee, who graduated from high school in December and began taking UW classes in January. "He and his dad were one of the earliest squat rack builders in their garage with some two-by-fours," he said.
With campuses closed, and so many states issuing shelter-in-place or stay-at-home edicts, demand has exceeded supply in many areas, including the sale of gym equipment.
"It's just about getting creative with what you have and encouraging them," Kolodziej said.
Strength coaches generally have more interaction with athletes over a calendar year than anybody else on the staff. This leads to greater insight on their needs. All in all, Kolodziej feels good about the early results and how the players have responded with a backdrop of a national health crisis.
"I really feel like the group of guys that we have are self-motivated," he said. "They're high-character guys. And true character is who you are when nobody is watching.
"If you give a guy a call, I believe what they're saying when he's saying to me 'Coach, I've got a great workout schedule. From 8 to 10, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, I'm training.' While it's a trying and uncertain time, it's also a great opportunity. The guys grasp that and understand that.
"At this point, we have no reason to believe that the season won't be played. So, you'd better be prepared for that to happen. In all likelihood, it's going to probably be a much shorter preparation window than anyone at the Division I level has experienced.
"So really the onus for preparation is truly on you. To that end, we're just trying to make sure we can be the best resource possible to get these guys prepared for the season, whenever it happens."
For context, spring practice would be concluding this week at Camp Randall.
"Normally they're sitting here (on campus) with the same structured program," said Kolodziej, "and it's kind of a built-in accountability with coaches around and academic support staff. Everybody is there to keep you on point. Now, it's all on you as an athlete.
"This is the best opportunity for you to maximize your moment. Everybody is waking up the same. Should I get up early and train? Or should I sleep in a little bit today? Maybe I'll do it tomorrow. Over a week or two, you might be fine.
"But if this pushes into June and July and you're a guy who hasn't done a whole lot, there's going to be some concern not only from a fitness standpoint, but also an injury standpoint."
Kolodziej, a former UW defensive tackle, is fully invested.
"I know what this place is about," he said, "and I feel we have done a great job of recruiting good kids who are here for the right reasons. They love ball. If you have a why, this situation – though it's different – is an opportunity, maybe the best you'll ever have to get a leg up on the competition."
