In this episode, Baylor Men's Basketball S&C Coach, Charlie Melton, joins me to talk about the program's first National Championship. We talk about what was different this year, in comparison to previous seasons. We also catch up on how much things have changed in the decade that has passed since I was getting my start in his weight room. We cover 5-Zone training, the unique responsibilities he has at an elite basketball program, how he prioritizes training variables at different times and phases of the year, how he coaches nutrition via behavioral change, and some advice he would have given himself, and me (or others just starting out in the sport performance industry) 10 years ago. We also cover just how important the right kind of music is in the weight room, and how the right beat can turn a dragging session into a very productive, energetic, and memorable workout.

Charlie Melton enters his 17th season working with the Baylor men’s basketball team as director of athletics performance in 2021-22. Melton joined the Bears in June 2005 after spending four seasons as a full-time strength coach at Florida State University. He spent one season as a graduate assistant for FSU’s football program before being hired as a full-time strength coach in 2001. In May 2014, Melton was recognized as a Master Strength and Conditioning coach (MSCC) by the Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coaches Association. The title is the highest honor that can be achieved by a strength & conditioning coach, and Melton is the only current Baylor strength coach to have earned the recognition. A 1998 graduate of the University of Memphis, Melton earned a master’s degree in exercise and sport science from his undergraduate alma mater in 2000. He worked as a graduate assistant in the strength department under Todd Stroud and with Memphis’ Exercise and Sport Nutrition Research Lab under current Baylor professor Dr. Richard Kreider from 1998 to 2000. In his career, Melton has trained 31 NFL Draft picks, including nine first-round picks and one Heisman Trophy winner, five NBA Draft picks and four track and field national champions. An accomplished weightlifter, Melton placed third and fourth in the Collegiate Weightlifting National Championships in 1997 and 1998, respectively. Melton is certified through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCA). He has also completed the certification requirements of Level 1 club coach through USA Weightlifting (USAW).