Q: What brought you to Menlo?
Raph: I met [Director of Sports Performance Daniel Hicker] at a conference last year in May, and I loved what he explained he’s trying to do with Menlo. So yeah, here I am.
Cole: I was working at [Menlo College] and [Hicker] had reached out to my boss there in need of temporary help. So I came over and talked to him, and started in December of 2022.
Q: When and how did you get into lifting?
R: I got into lifting through sports and playing football. You have to be big and strong to play football, so ever since then, I’ve been lifting.
C: My first exposure to lifting was in middle school, just through P.E. class. But I didn’t really get serious about it until freshman, sophomore year of high school.
Q: What’s your favorite part of being a performance coach?
R: Giving the athletes the best service I can to make them successful in their sport. Also, being that person who I needed when I was a student-athlete.
C: Yeah, service to the athletes is my favorite part. There’s a wide array of people, teams, sports, so there’s just a different set of constraints, different needs. So just trying to explore what each person needs and how to best communicate that.
Q: What’s your favorite exercise or movement?
R: Rear foot elevated split squat.
C: Trap bar deadlift.
Q: What’s your most impressive personal record?
R: 0.7-meter vertical jump on the force plate.
C: 550 pounds for the trap bar deadlift.
Q: What is your favorite song to listen to when lifting?
R: Silence.
C: The sound of my thoughts and my body.
Q: What is your favorite post-lift meal?
R: A bowl from Chipotle.
C: Some type of burrito. Doesn’t matter where it’s from.
Q: What’s your biggest pet peeve in the weight room?
R: Don’t come in [the weight room] with your Crocs or your Birkenstocks. Like c’mon, what are you doing?
C: Effort. Like, if you’re dogging the effort, but you’re here, you’re wasting both our time and you could be detracting from somebody else who cares more.
Q: Lastly, what are your tips to get strong in the weight room?
R: Lift. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. There ain’t no science about it. You just gotta get in the weight room and lift. Make sure you’re eating to support the energy you’re putting out through your lifts. And then get some good rest.
C: Yeah, I think that fits pretty well. I would say quality, consistency and intensity. Show up time and time again. And then when you’re here, give that intensity.
