Episode

CHRISTINA BERNAL - S&C COACH @ U of PENN #116

Podcast
PA CHALK UP
Published
Dec 8, 2025
Duration seconds
5676
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pa-chalk-up/episodes/CHRISTINA-BERNAL---SC-COACH--U-of-PENN-116-e3c0nb7
Audio
https://anchor.fm/s/e8409bcc/podcast/play/112270119/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-11-7%2F413919235-44100-2-42bb5713a6614.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/pa-chalk-up-6728503/episodes/christina-bernal-s-c-coach-u-of-penn-116
Markdown
/podcast/pa-chalk-up-6728503/christina-bernal-s-c-coach-u-of-penn-116.md

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Summary

Christina Bernal (Penn S&C) sits down for a raw, no-BS deep dive on building buy-in in the Ivy League, coaching rowers and jumpers in the same room, and why the team-around-the-team matters most when athletes get hurt. We get into contrast training you’re probably not using yet, the micro calls she makes between practice and lift , and coaching the human first—data, nuance, and a little Nickelback for good measure. Steal-this-playbook: Contrast beyond “just load.” ROM contrasts, uni ↔ bi, assisted ↔ resisted, pins/quarter squats for sprinters & jumpers, plus how she stacks plyos (POGOs → depth drop to box jump) with cleans—and why heavy lives Monday while neuro-prep and “feel fast” work land late-week. Rowing realities, solved. Long warm-ups after class, CNS “wake-ups,” keeping rib-stress and lat fatigue from nuking the session (trap bar → belt squat/leg press swaps) while protecting water time through daily AT collaboration. Coach’s eye + simple data. Weekly RSI/CMJ to catch midterm dips, Perch for athlete ownership, and the 15–30 minute window she uses to rewrite a lift after watching practice. Culture that sticks. Buy-in without scholarships, pairing leaders & followers on racks, non-negotiable standards (clean the room, raise the bar), coffee check-ins, and using music requests as a sneaky intent switch. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TeamBuildr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ : Coaches, revolutionise your training programs with their cutting-edge platform. Create and customised workouts, track progress, communicate effortlessly, and analyse performance data-all in one place. Take advantage of our 30-day free trial and see how TeamBuildr can elevate your team's performance. Head over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.teambuildr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code "PACHALK…