SCOTT LEECH TRAINING

Episode 22 · June 19, 2026

Build the Dogs: Why Football Conditioning Is NOT Just Running | Coach Tyler Franklin

Gridiron Warrior Podcast 40:49 Run Time

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EPISODE 22 · June 19, 2026 · 40:49

The Notes

What's In It

Most coaches still think conditioning means running kids into the ground. Coach Tyler Franklin says that is the lie that has your players breaking down by week three.

In this episode of the Gridiron Warrior Podcast, Scott Leech sits down with Coach Tyler Franklin, strength and conditioning coach at Murray High School in Kentucky and the NHSSCA 2023 Coach of the Year. Tyler is the author of "Build the Dogs," and he breaks down a smarter way to think about conditioning and capacity for football and strength coaches at every level.

This one is a clinic. Here is what we get into:

- Why conditioning is not just running, and the mindset shift most coaches have to make

- The 5 Levels of Capacity: structural integrity, aerobic base, repeat power, mechanical breakdown, and the mental side

- The Capacity Test that shows you the real limiter holding an athlete back

- The 5 Types of Dogs on every roster: Stable, Power, Engine, Chaos, and Silent, and how to coach each one

- A simple 4-phase build: Build the Frame, Build the Engine, Build the Bite, and Govern the Chaos

- The coaching language that builds athletes up instead of breaking them down

- The honest truth about using AI to organize your own coaching knowledge into a product

If you coach high school football, run a weight room on your own, or train athletes in the private sector, you will walk away with something you can use this summer.

⏱ CHAPTERS

00:00 Sponsors (TrainHeroic + PlyoMat) , interview starts at 3:07

03:07 Meet Coach Tyler Franklin (Murray HS, KY | NHSSCA 2023 Coach of the Year)

03:58 From college grad assistant to building a high school strength program

05:58 "Build the Dogs" vs. "Feed the Cats": why capacity keeps you in the fight

07:56 Why he wrote the book (and how he used AI to organize it)

11:22 The mindset shift: conditioning is NOT just running

11:37 The 5 Levels of Capacity, broken down on a live client

15:47 The "Patriot Test": continuous running he borrowed from the Patriots

18:07 Finding the limiter: the coordination leak nobody talks about

20:56 Sponsor: Enduraphin

21:48 Limiters by position: big guys vs. skill guys

22:24 The 5 Types of Dogs: Stable, Power, Engine, Chaos, Silent

25:35 How a D1 stud turns into a "Chaos Dog" under fatigue

26:24 The 4-phase build: Frame, Engine, Bite, Govern the Chaos

31:52 Coaching language: cue what you want, kill "don't get sloppy"

36:04 Why he coaches: "You can't cheat the weight room"

38:36 Where to find Coach Franklin and grab the book

39:13 Wrap-up

39:32 Join Gridiron Warrior Insiders

🐶 GET COACH FRANKLIN'S BOOK + FOLLOW HIM

Instagram: @TFranklinPerformance

Book "Build the Dogs": [https://buy.stripe.com/5kQ28teu3brO1Huf4Z2go00?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGnjG10g8On3chZ-t423OERy7l87UjLvzkQ8i9V9aUpXE9ReyyRtwYoCTxeKs8_aem_YWdncwBwlc1lfNMuu6SfHpnz1fiI&brid=YWdncwES50_3iIyp8XObjNIjG8DN]

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🎙 SUPPORT THE SHOW (and our partners)

TrainHeroic: 90-day free trial at trainheroic.com/gridironwarrior, plus two free 12-week programs (reply to your welcome email to claim them)

PlyoMat: jump and speed feedback you can use every day

Enduraphin: performance nutrition, team pricing available

📩 The Leech Letters (weekly email for coaches): scottleechtraining.com

Keep the Fire Burning,

Leech

#footballcoach #strengthandconditioning #gridironwarrior

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