New head coach Kyle Whittingham revealed a shocking revelation about the strength training regimen for the college football program at Michigan under Sherrone Moore. The Wolverines did not bench press.
No, seriously.
One of the most prestigious organizations in college football did not do one of the most basic exercises often or with heavy weight. The new regime in Ann Arbor is more than pleased with the transformation in the weight room over the last seven months.
Michigan football did not bench press.
Whittingham was grateful to inherit a loaded roster from Moore when he took over as head coach in late December. However, he noticed right away that there was one “glaring issue” with the team upon his arrival to Ann Arbor.
“Testing them in the strength room, the overall strength of the team was not up to par. We’ve worked hard over the last seven months to correct that.”
The players themselves were not the issue. Whittingham described his new team as a group of “real tall, long, good-looking athletes.” They had the right foundation on which to build but they did not build. They lacked muscle mass.
Michigan’s strength coach, who came over with Whittingham from Utah, tested every player on the roster in January. The results were not what anyone had expected.
“(Doug Elisaia) came up to my office and said, ‘coach, you’re not going to like this,'” Whittingham said at Big Ten Media Days. “We talked for a while and I said, ‘Doug, I have no question in my mind you’ll get it right.'”
The new coaching staff quickly went to work. The first step was to reintegrate the bench press and squat rack into the players’ winter, spring and summer conditioning programs. Read that again. The Wolverines were not benching or squatting often.
On3 initially reported that Kyle Whittingham was shocked that “Michigan did not bench press last year” because it is a “staple lift.” Running back Jordan Marshall confirmed the lack of specific exercise in their daily routines.
“We did not (bench press), just because of shoulder injuries and stuff. I think we need to have it. We’re doing a lot of movements that prepare you for a football game instead of just being in there and just lifting. When we’re doing a movement, it also helps you directly going straight to the field and that’s what counts.”
In all seriousness, there may not be another team in college football that did not bench. Michigan has since changed that.
The Wolverines added a lot of muscle during strength training.
Kyle Whittingham did not always have the most talented roster in college football at Utah but the Utes were known for their strength and toughness. He hopes to bring that same mentality to Michigan.
“It was very apparent, by the numbers, they paled in comparison to the place we came from.”
The Wolverines underwent a significant transition during the offseason. 97% of players hit a new personal best in a specific exercise during the latest round of testing before fall camp. Marshall already sees the difference.
“A lot of us are a lot bigger and stronger. Even from a conditioning standpoint, we’re going to win a lot of games just because of how much we condition and how much we run. I think that’s the biggest difference: We’re going to be more conditioned than teams in the fourth quarter. We lacked that last season.”
Whittingham gives full credit to strength coach Doug Elisaia.
“As soon as the players realize you can help them be a better player, you’ll get buy in. As soon as they know what you’re preaching is going to work, if they follow it, they’re going to get better. That was something that really started to self-perpetuate.”
It is a night and day difference from the Sherrone Moore era in the weight room. Will it translate to wins? Only time will tell.