Every good thing in your life is about relationships, and that includes fitness. Nobody can illustrate this point better than Dr. Chris Holder, head strength and conditioning coach at Cal Poly, and a long-time contributor to Breaking Muscle. He and Justin Lind dive into his athletic and coaching careers, uncovering the family tree of coaches who shaped who he is today. Under their tutelage, Dr. Holder learned to actively adapt his coaching philosophy to meet the unique needs of his athletes, as illustrated by his new partnership with David Weck.
A consistent theme you’ll hear in this interview is Dr. Holder’s willingness to be the first to try new things. This manifested in the evolution of his coaching methods toward the primacy of kettlebell training, which he feels has given his teams the edge over their competitors for more than 15 years. His curiosity also led to his introduction to and education in Qigong, and he discusses the impact it has had on himself and his athletes at Cal Poly.
