BEHIND THE SCENES | Mondo Strength and Conditioning Clinic

Waco High School, Waco TX

Joe “Big House” Kenn

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The clinic and conference calendar are in full swing for the Dynamic Fitness and Strength team. The first of two back-to-back events in the state of Texas began for Coach “YOX” and myself by attending the Mondo Strength and Conditioning Clinic at Waco High School. We at DFS are extremely proud to have Waco High School as a member of our team. Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Leo Burks and Coach “Yox” worked for approximately three years from origin to completion of this facility. It was a no brainer for Yox and I to get involved when we were approached. Yox has been dominating the state of Texas and laying the DFS footprint across the state. Our contribution to the event included sponsoring the Friday night speaker and sponsor dinner, and I was asked to speak on the Tier System on Saturday.

Waco High School (TX)

The event was well attended. I was excited to see that many coaches in the room. Mondo sponsors several boutique clinics across the country, and we were fired up that Waco was chosen, especially with us already headed to Texas for the CSCCa National Conference starting May 4–6. Coach Ethan Reeve was very strategic in planning this event to coincide with the larger conference a couple hours away in Fort Worth. In reality, I prefer these types of clinics. They are more engaging for both attendees and speakers. You actually get time to talk shop, exchange ideas, and build relationships. Regardless of the host or sponsors, these events are outstanding learning opportunities across the board.

Our highlighted speaker for this event was… me. Just kidding.

Leo Burks was the easy choice. Host school, DFS family, and more importantly, a coach doing real work in a real environment.

Leo opened his presentation with what he calls the Hybrid Strength System, and right away it was clear this was not theory driven for the sake of sounding intelligent. This was built from the ground up through necessity. High school strength and conditioning is not clean. It is not controlled. It is not ideal. You are dealing with multiple sport athletes, wide ranges of training ages, large groups, tight schedules, and the reality that everything you do must show up when the lights come on Friday night.

He made a statement early that resonated with everyone in the room. Every system works perfectly on paper until it meets constraints. That is the reality of coaching. What separates good coaches from great ones is not what they know, it is what they can apply when things are not perfect.

What I appreciated most was his ability to filter, not follow. Leo does not run one system. He takes what is useful from multiple systems and applies it where it fits. You could see pieces of 5/3/1 in his submaximal loading approach, the Tier System in how he organizes training flow and manages large groups, conjugate principles in his use of variation, and velocity-based training as a way to auto regulate intensity. That is coaching. That is ownership.

He presented a great visual of multiple systems feeding into one funnel. The message was simple. We do not run systems. We filter them. That is something every young coach in that room needed to hear.

From there he moved into how he provides structure without overcomplicating the process. He talked about guardrails. Not rigid prescriptions, but boundaries that keep athletes moving in the right direction. Rep ranges tied to intent, velocity cutoffs to manage fatigue, and a strong emphasis on training until technical failure. Not chasing numbers. Not chasing exhaustion. Executing at a high level until the quality drops. That is where development happens.

One of the cleanest parts of the presentation was how he addressed real world problems. Mixed training ages, hectic class schedules, large groups, and managing intensity without burning athletes out. Every one of those constraints was matched with a clear solution. Submaximal loading. Tier organization. Station based training. Auto regulation. No fluff. Just answers.

He brought it back to what matters with a message that every coach should keep front of mind. Anyone can make an athlete tired. Many can make an athlete stronger. Some will get an athlete hurt. But very few can actually make an athlete better. That is the job.

Leo closed with his mission. Build a program that is structurally sound in its principles, driven by results in its strategies, and supported by evidence in its methods. Then he drove home the ultimate metric. Transfer. If what you are doing does not show up on Friday night, it does not matter. That is the standard.

The biggest takeaway from his presentation was not the system itself. It was the process. Start simple. Solve immediate problems. Layer complexity only when it is earned. Let feedback drive decisions. Build something that fits your environment instead of forcing your environment to fit something you saw online.

That is real coaching.

Next up, the CSCCa National Convention. DFS will be on site in the exhibit hall with Yox, myself, Steve Gortmaker, and Alyssa Taran on site.