Programming for a younger roster, intent-driven training, and building resilience with Jason Martinez

Jason Martinez joins Jay DeMayo to break down how he approaches programming for a new roster at West Virginia Men’s Basketball, especially when turnover is high and last year’s results can’t be copied over. The conversation focuses on evaluating what this team needs now, not punishing them for what previous teams did, and how to build conditioning, movement quality, and buy-in through intentional daily exposures.Jason also shares a broader coaching philosophy around intent, movement variability, and using training as an assessment tool. This episode is especially useful for strength coaches, performance staff, and anyone working with athletes in constantly changing environments.

Key topics

• Jason shares how he approaches each new roster as a clean slate, rather than letting last year’s team dictate this year’s programming.
• In this episode, he explains why high roster turnover forces coaches to re-evaluate everything from training stress to meal compliance to daily structure.
• Jason discusses removing the traditional hard Friday “bury them” session and replacing it with smaller, more frequent exposures across the week.
• We discuss how a younger team often needs broader movement exposure, not just more intensity.
• Jason breaks down his idea of a “well-rounded training program” through categories like single-leg work, rotation, anti-rotation, flexion, and anti-flexion.
• He explains how spreading conditioning across the week made the work more digestible, improved outputs, and created better enthusiasm.
• The conversation digs into intent as a coaching principle, not just bar speed or load, but also range of motion, control, rest, and recovery.
• Jason shares how different athletes can show intent in different ways and why that matters more than chasing one universal standard.
• We discuss eccentric control and movement variability as the two biggest limiting factors he prioritized in the summer.
• Jason explains how small changes like tempo, balance, and implement choice can create major adaptations without constantly changing the entire program.
• He describes how training now doubles as an assessment tool, helping staff see which athletes are progressing well and which may need a different stimulus.
• The episode closes on the importance of asking questions instead of questioning athletes, and understanding that pain or improvement can come from many different causes outside the weight room.

Timestamps

(00:00) Opening and introducing Jason Martinez
(01:24) Jason’s background, travels, and coaching identity
(02:42) Why every new roster demands a fresh evaluation
(03:21) You can’t punish this team for last year’s team
(04:21) Using red card compliance as an example of better process
(05:49) Why that message matters to coaches too
(07:26) Replacing the brutal Friday session with weekly exposure
(08:53) What “well-rounded training” really means for younger athletes
(09:52) Daily hard exposures instead of one giant beatdown
(10:50) “Little system checks” and the value of short conditioning doses
(11:48) The hypocrisy of saving athletes on court but burying them after practice
(13:04) Did the shorter doses improve buy-in and outputs?
(14:21) Intent in warmups, rest, and challenge work
(15:19) Conditioning as an assessment tool, not just a test
(17:01) Intent is more than speed and load
(17:28) Intent looks different for every athlete
(19:19) Summer priorities heading into preseason and season
(20:27) Building movement variability through progression
(21:53) Giving athletes autonomy in loading choices
(23:26) Preparing them for the game by making training less novel
(24:38) Variability without constantly changing exercises
(26:32) Jason’s shift away from program boredom
(27:08) Athletes want to feel good and feel confident
(28:01) Asking questions instead of questioning athletes
(29:28) Environment changes that can affect pain and performance
(33:05) Why clamshells and bridges are not the whole answer
(33:53) Evaluating what is actually beneficial
(36:08) The importance of tracking loads, intensity, and progressions
(37:29) Jason’s podcast recommendations: Ryan Horn and Hunter
(39:33) Closing thoughts and signing off

Notable quotes

“You can’t make the team that you have this year pay for the transgressions of the team of last year.”

“Intent looks a lot of different ways.”