By John Mahoney

When it comes to being a strength and conditioning coach, no one does it better than Collegiate’s Justin Brown. Since 2021, Brown has been helping Cougars of all ages achieve their potential in the weight room.

Brown spent four years at VCU as a student and a member of the club rugby team. While at VCU, Brown initially wanted to study a pre-med track, but during his sophomore year, he realized it was not for him. After not liking his classes and not performing so well academically, he wanted to change his major. Initially, he did not know which direction to go, but then Brown remembered the weightlifting class that he took in high school. Brown never considered himself “athletic or strong,” but with this interest in mind, he searched for majors that involved weightlifting. After some searching, he found HPEX: Health, Physical Education, and Exercise Sciences. HPEX allowed Brown to take what he learned in the classroom and use it in his everyday life. After graduating, he landed the job at Collegiate.

The weight room.

As the strength and conditioning coach, most of his role is in the weight room, working with Upper Schoolers, Middle Schoolers, and some Lower Schoolers. In addition, he is part of the Middle School PE faculty team, a faculty co-sponsor of the Upper School Black student affinity group USB (United Sisters and Brothers), and he helps run the Sports Performance program. 

Brown said one of the things he loves most about his job is how rewarding it is “to see your chance to grow physically, mentally, and emotionally, from 3rd all the way to 12th Grade.” What he really likes are the small interactions, from saying hello to students during school to congratulating them during the weight room for hitting a PR (personal record). Brown explained that even though it might sound “cheesy,… being a part of the community” is why he loves his days at Collegiate.

Brown’s daily schedule is pretty consistent. It is full of meetings, organizing, writing down lifts, and teaching Middle School PE. One thing that may be surprising about his daily routine is the time he spends at the Lower School. Brown teaches PE with 7th Grade boys and 8th Grade girls most days, but the days that he does not teach them both, he goes down to the Lower School gym and teaches a 4th Grade class. With his 4th Graders, he goes over basics that will be the building blocks for Middle School PE, which will prepare them even more for lifts as an Upper Schooler. 

Brown working with student athletes.

The busiest part of Brown’s day begins once athletic practices start. After school, he is in the weight room helping JV and varsity teams with lifts. Most of the time, when he is not overseeing a lift, he watches practices and helps out in any way he can, from warming up the lacrosse goalies to encouraging people during track practice. If he is not doing that, you can normally find him chatting with students about all sorts of things.

When I asked Brown about coaching Middle versus Upper Schoolers, he explained that “Middle School can be challenging. Their mindset fluctuates. Sometimes you got to teach differently than you were expected to.” He also explained that you have to teach at a slower pace, because younger students take longer to understand concepts, such as proper form. 

Brown also stated that “Sometimes everyone can be locked in, and you can speed up the workout.” With coaching, you have to be flexible, because athletes, especially Middle Schoolers, tend to learn differently. Brown explained that “Some people are good at listening, and some people benefit from either visual instructions or spoken instructions.” This process is challenging but rewarding once they get to Upper School, because they can do the lifts effectively, and it benefits them more. The goal for Middle School lifts during PE is to get them ready for JV and varsity sports once they get to high school.

As for similarities, Brown explained that “the training for Middle Schoolers and Upper Schoolers is mostly the same. The only difference with the training is the intensity. “The training looks similar, but the intensity is a lot higher for Upper Schoolers.” Since the Upper Schoolers have more experience in the weight room, there is more motivation and drive, and less teaching.

Like so many people in the Collegiate community, I have gotten to know Brown very well. And at the same time, he has gotten to know many of us at a personal level as well, and not just what he sees in the weight room. During my Sophomore year, when I would talk to Brown about my progression through the Boy Scouts. Interactions like these show how Brown really cares about everybody in the community, inside and outside of the weight room.

Photos courtesy of Collegiate School.