Every Sunday, Cal Poly’s Mustang Strength Complex becomes a training hub for local middle school athletes. Here, students are learning the fundamentals of weightlifting, with a focus on safety and technique.
The program, now known as the Stampede Performance Lab, began as a strength-building initiative for a youth football team. It has since expanded into a community program open to students from all athletic backgrounds. Anna Grexton, a kinesiology senior and a Cal Poly Track and Field athlete, is leading the charge.
Grexton has spent nearly four years working in Cal Poly’s athletic training room. Now, she structures each youth training cycle to last three weeks, with one-hour sessions that combine foundational lifts like squats and deadlifts with accessory work aimed at joint health and long-term athletic performance.
“Those are often very big lifts that sports will have people do, but it’s also easy to get hurt if you don’t know what you’re doing,” Grexton said.
A portion of the program’s monthly earnings now supports the university’s weight training and conditioning program, funding equipment repairs and updates, Grexton said.
Additionally, the Stampede Performance Lab recently received permission to begin working with high school students. They are now reaching out to local high school coaches to build partnerships, Grexton explained.
The idea for the program came last fall from Cal Poly track and field coach Les Courtemanche, who co-owns the Stampede Performance Lab and coaches the Pacific Coast Youth Football League. His athletes’ parents wanted to continue training beyond football season, especially to prepare their kids for high school athletics, Courtmanche explained.
To bring the concept to life, Courtemanche reached out to Grexton in August. At the time, she had been working toward getting her strength and conditioning license.
“It was a great opportunity to give back to my own student-athlete and give her a chance to gain experience as a strength coach,” Courtemanche said.
For Grexton, this experience holds personal significance. Following a severe injury last year, she became deeply focused on injury prevention and rehabilitation.
“I broke my ankle pretty badly last year, and the athletic training room, especially, was instrumental in keeping me healthy,” she said. “They were the ones that got me to walk again.”
Grexton said the community aspect of sports continues to draw her in.
“I just love sports and the energy around them, it brings people together. There’s such a community around it,” she said.
Courtemanche, who observes Grexton during sessions, said he is impressed by her growth as a coach.
“She communicates and she’s very detailed with her instruction, which is super important for youngsters that are starting to really get a feel and understanding of their body,” Courtemanche said.
Grexton has seen improvement in her students.
“One of the dads came in today, and he said his son’s squat form is so much better,” she said. “He goes home and practices it, and it looks so much better than it did before.”
Participant TJ Ferrari said the program has taught him not just how to build strength for his athletics, but also how to use proper technique.
“I’ve learned a lot of things about strength,” Ferrari said. “I just want to get stronger, get better and I want to be able to win the football games,” Ferrari said.
For Grexton, that’s exactly the point — providing her students with the tools to succeed athletically and stay healthy physically.
“I don’t want them to go through all these injuries that I’ve seen, like all my teammates have,” Grexton said. “I want these kids to go into high school and college with a really strong base so that they’re able to stay healthy and get to the top of their game.”
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