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On the first floor of the Norville Center, where the barbells clank and the speakers thump, Dave Vitel feels right at home. As 黑料门University Chicago鈥檚 assistant athletics director for sports performance, it鈥檚 his responsibility to prepare the Ramblers for the physical demands of NCAA competition. Energetic and impressively bearded, Vitel takes a professional and holistic approach to collegiate training, having honed his craft during a five-year stint in the NBA, working as the strength and conditioning coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about lifting anymore,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the nutrition, it鈥檚 the recovery, it鈥檚 doing the right conditioning work for your sport.鈥�

According to Vitel, there鈥檚 no one-size-fits-all rubric for successful exercising. Watching a stray YouTube video or chatting with a friend can only get you so far. Each athlete needs his or her own 鈥渆xercise prescription鈥濃�斺�淛ust because LeBron does it,鈥� Vitel cautioned, 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 mean that we should.鈥�

Below, he offered up some useful tips for both the weekend warrior and the novice who just bought track pants:

Establish a baseline

With any new athlete at Loyola, Vitel鈥檚 first step is measuring performance numbers: running, jumping, lifting. Then he鈥檒l look under the metaphorical hood. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to delve in-depth into the body鈥攍ooking at the ankles, knees, hips, core, shoulders, back. We鈥檒l look for deficiencies that we can correct. We start at Ground Zero.鈥� A personal trainer, even in one appointment, can do a similar analysis and offer detailed observations from which to work.

Set goals

Working out consistently requires commitment. Be clear with yourself about your motivations. Vitel鈥檚 advice: 鈥淭hink to yourself: What do I want to get out of this? Having it laid out, having a plan, will definitely keep you more accountable.鈥�

Keep it simple, stupid

Vitel doesn鈥檛 see any reason to complicate matters, especially early on. 鈥淎 lot of times, coaches get too complex. We want athletes to do the basics correctly, and then we build off that. There鈥檚 a progression.鈥�