Episode 33: Season 7, Episode 1: Chase Campbell- "Keep The Love For It"

Season seven of the Central Virginia Sport Performance Podcast 0pens with return of my good friend Chase Campbell, who joins from South Florida after a unique path through college basketball and IndyCar. The conversation centers on how Chase’s background has shaped his coaching, how the transfer era has changed the way strength programs are built, and why connection and mentorship matter just as much as sets and reps.Chase walks through how he ended up in South Florida after working with ECR and Ed Carpenter in IndyCar, where he trained both drivers and pit crews. That experience reinforced how important it is to tailor training to different demands, different bodies, and different levels of readiness. From there, the discussion shifts into the reality of modern college basketball, where rosters can turn over quickly and coaches have far less time to build athletes up the old way.A major theme in the episode is adaptability. Chase explains how having 15 new players from 15 different places forces him to be more efficient, more thoughtful, and more open to using tools and methods he may have resisted earlier in his career. He talks about changing his mind on machines, especially as a way to create a high training stimulus in a shorter amount of time, and how the current landscape has pushed him to sharpen his programming rather than rely on old habits.The episode also goes deep on mentorship. Chase shares what it means to move into a more direct teaching role with GAs and interns, how his own early career was shaped by trial and error, and why he wants the next generation to be more prepared than he was. He and Jay compare old-school graduate assistant experiences, the value of being challenged, and the difference between productive struggle and being left without enough guidance.Another strong thread is the importance of keeping the environment enjoyable. Chase reflects on the mentors who made the weight room somewhere he wanted to be every day, and he says that same kind of culture is what he wants to create now. Even as the profession gets more complicated, he emphasizes staying connected, staying curious, and keeping the love for the work alive.

Key topics

• Chase explains how he got to South Florida after working in IndyCar with ECR and Ed Carpenter.
• He describes how racing showed him the importance of fitness, recovery, and individualized training.
• Jay and Chase discuss how college basketball has changed, especially with heavy roster turnover.
• Chase says the staff’s goal is to become the most connected team in the country.
• He explains why current roster turnover requires faster, more efficient training progressions.
• Chase shares how his views on machines have changed and why he now sees them as high-value tools.
• The conversation explores how limited time changes programming and forces coaches to be more intentional.
• Chase talks about stepping into a mentor role with GAs and interns.
• He reflects on being underprepared when he entered his first full-time job and how that affects how he teaches now.
• Jay and Chase compare older GA environments to more focused modern mentorship.
• Chase explains why he wants his staff and interns to genuinely enjoy coming to work.
• The episode closes with a discussion about learning from others, staying humble, and keeping the profession connected.