By Andrew Preston
Matt Grimm begins his mornings with a 5 a.m. alarm everyday so he can be ready for his appointments with Trevecca athletes throughout the day.
Everyday between the hours of 6 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. you can find Grimm, Trevecca’s first strength and conditioning coach, either training athletes, teaching classes or with his personal clients.
Grimm was hired in April to monitor the individual and team workouts of the Trevecca athletic teams, something recently required per NCAA law. He is responsible for being present when the teams are in the weight room, assisting and guiding athletes in their workout and assigning team specific workouts.
Mark Elliott, director of athletics at Trevecca, said he brought in Grimm as a way to help athletes get stronger and avoid injury.
“Gone are the days of let’s just go do a bunch of bench-presses and squats and then run a mile,” said Elliott.
Elliott added that coaches just don’t have the time or the special knowledge necessary to help their players improve in the weight room. For athletes to really grow and develop, a strength and conditioning coach must be present.
“Matt is an unbelievably well-certified strength and conditioning specialist, and that’s why we brought him in,” said Elliot.“He has a mission fit for the school, [and he’s] a great Christian guy who loves the Lord and understands what he is doing.”
Trevecca’s full time head athletic trainer, Stephanie Scott, assists with athletes primarily when an injury has occurred. Grimm’s main focus is helping athletes avoid injury.
“I would prefer to call Stephanie Scott and her staff sports medicine personnel, rather than athletic trainers. They are trained in a different area than Matt is—more in rehab, acute injury prevention, diagnosis and treatment of athletic injuries,” said Elliott.
Grimm is originally from New Orleans where he played basketball for the University of New Orleans for two years.
After graduation, Grimm worked for his alma mater for three years as a personal trainer. He went on to work in the private sector for an additional three years in personal strength and conditioning before he took a job assisting in the Lipscomb University athletic department.
“What’s cool about being strength coach is I don’t pick who plays. I’m just trying to help them. They don’t look at me as a person to hold their breath when I’m around. They are generally excited to see me,” said Grimm.
Grimm sees his job title as that of a middle man. If he is doing his job correctly, the student-athlete should succeed on the field, not ever having to see the athletic trainers for injuries.
“The way I can help people is by preventing injuries. That’s a big thing for me,” said Grimm. “I want to help their performance on the field, help them get stronger, prevent injuries, help them get a little faster, jump harder, throw harder.”
Grimm loves working with student-athletes for this very reason. He isn’t involved in the amount of minutes the student-athlete plays, but does take pride in knowing them personally.
“Matt has not only helped me get stronger, but he has also helped me become a more mobile runner,” said Brandon Wynsma, a junior on the track and cross country teams. “He is always willing to provide individualized training.”
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