Issue link: http://tcnj.uberflip.com/i/1480622
16 The College of New Jersey Magazine P R A I R I E S P O R T S > I am half meathead, half exercise scientist. I like to lift big, but I also want to do it the right way so that I don't burn myself or my athletes out. > I was always a big kid. As a high school freshman, I was 225 pounds, and by my senior year, I was almost 275 pounds. But I wasn't a very good athlete, so I stayed in the weight room to get bigger, faster, and stronger for football. > Once I started seeing the results from strength training, I thought, "Wow, this is fun." I started coaching my teammates in the gym at 15 years old. > I thought about a career as a physical education teacher and a weight training coach. I wanted to be able to teach kids and have the proper education to also strength train them in sports. But ultimately, I shifted my focus toward weightlifting and coaching full time. > Unfortunately, you can't always avoid injuries in this field. In 2011, I tore my pectoral muscles. My orthopedic doctor told me this type of injury can make even doing pushups difficult. > Thankfully, I was able to overcome the setback because of smarter training: I hit my weak points How I Got Here ADDISON SAVELA At the intersection of brains and brawn is TCNJ's strength and conditioning coach.