Players React To New Strength Program

Dr. Rhea and his partner David Ballou were hired at Alabama to revamp the strength program just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pair have been unable to work with and acclimate themselves to their new athletes over the last three months, hindering their vision of restructuring the Crimson Tide strength and conditioning program.

Dr. Matt Rhea sent a short video out on Twitter yesterday in an effort to convey his excitement for today. Today began the "voluntary" offseason workout program for the Alabama Crimson Tide football program.

Rhea and Ballou put groups of players through the workouts throughout the day to honor the social distancing guidelines. One of the first Crimson Tide athletes to react to the exercise program on social media this morning was senior running back, Brian Robinson.

Robinson wrote that today's workout made him remember why he came to Alabama in the first place, perhaps it was particularly grueling or perhaps Robinson felt his workout was more effective than his prior workouts in the program. Either way, Robinson's excitement is fun to see as we anticipate the upcoming season.

Robinson's tweet was responded to by sophomore defensive lineman Byron Young and redshirt freshman defensive lineman Braylen Ingraham.

Young called the two new coaches, "different" after today's workout and Ingraham echoed his sentiments by tweeting a gif with the word, "facts."

Whether the pair is different in a positive or negative way for the Crimson Tide remains to be seen but Coach Nick Saban was amendment about hiring coaches that could take advantage of the new Sports Science building and could train modern athletes effectively.

Dr. Rhea and Ballou reportedly improved the speed on the Indiana Hoosiers football team by an average of three miles per hour per player. Should they bring that level improvement to Tuscaloosa, we could see a new level athlete in Bryant-Denny Stadium