About Ryan

Who in the world is Ryan Rizor and why should I care??

Are his programs really the best choice for MAKING ATHLETES BETTER ATHLETES??

Is he the real deal?

From the desk of Ryan Rizor gsp-people-001

Professional Strength & Conditioning Coach

Master of Influence

Hard Working Type A Obsessive Who’s On a Mission

(a good guy who probably cares more about your success than you do)

12:26am

Hey Gang..

Ryan Rizor here – nice to meet you too. If you’re surfing this website chances are you’ve heard about me and FOCUS. If not – no biggie. I’ve been flying under the radar for several years but I must admit word is spreading about my highly successful Athlete Development Programs. The attention FOCUS has been getting the last couple months… it’s been a little uncomfortable but pretty cool at the same time.

Writing personal bios are never easy. So much to say and so many ways to say it. If I write conversational then I’m unprofessional. If I stick to scientific academia then I’m stuffy and boring. My goal is to marry the two – write like I talk while showing I have a brain in my head.

To be honest I don’t know the exact reason you’re visiting my website. If I had to guess I’d say you’re either a coach, parent, or high school athlete looking for that one program that will answer all your prayers. I don’t claim to work miracles but I do guarantee I’ll find ways to squeeze every ounce of athleticism out of you and your program.

Maybe it matters.. maybe it doesn’t but at some point you’re going to ask who I am and what I’ve done. Bare with me, I’m going to take you on a quick journey that will explain exactly why it’s a good idea to listen to what I have to say. One thing I can state without hesitation is that I am one of a select few that has experience coaching at all levels of performance enhancement: high school, collegiate, amateur, professional, and Olympic.

HIGH SCHOOL: West Greene High School, home of the Pioneers. Single A athletics, 86 students in my graduating class, 50 minute one way bus ride. Never hear of it? Before you go cracking jokes – just know that this is home for me and always will be. My parents still live on the same 230 acre farm I grew up on. I’ve learned more life lessons on this property than any other real estate. Grew up a wrestler and played football in 11th and 12th grade. Should have continued wrestling in college but had this crazy idea that football was for me. .

COLLEGE: Honors graduate with a degree in Exercise Science from Slippery Rock University. SRU is known nationally for it’s Exercise Science program and I’m lucky enough to be on the Advisory Board for the major. Played football and was exposed to a lot of success (worked my tail off for four seasons- had to because it was the only way I saw the field). I was a true nerd when it came to academics. College is where I really came into my own and realized the true power of learning.

OLYMPICS: What an experience! Working as a strength coach at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New York opened my eyes to complete athlete development. Walk down the hallway and you’re in world renown exercise physiology lab. Up the ramp to a gymnasium the size of four basketball courts. Step into the weight room and see junior nation teams in action. Walk back to the living quarters and pass a couple current gold medalists. This is where I got a full taste of physical competition at the world level. I was able to learn and understand how to piece together training programs that accounted for everything (strength, conditioning, sleep, nutrition, metal focus, etc).

UNIVERSITY of PITTSBURGH: My first walk on the dark side. OK I’ll admit, coming from the Olympics I thought I knew it all.. only to be humbled the first day in the Pitt weight room. I was welcomed to: “Your the olympic guy right? Let’s get one thing straight – that S%$! doesn’t mean anything in here.” I spent time with Pitt football learning other methods of sport performance. While some are just now realizing the power of chains, bands, dynamic, repetition,and max effort methods, I’ve been muscle deep since 2001. These methods created a whole new respect and still drive my approach to training. As an Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach for four sports (men’s soccer, women’s soccer, gymnastics, tennis) my job hinged on making my athletes better. My sole purpose was to design and coach programs for athletes – nothing else.

UNIVERSITY of PITTSBURGH MEDICAL CENTER: As the Director of Sports Performance for UPMC I was exposed to the medical side of athletics. I could literally walk down the hall and talk with an orthopedic surgeon, go downstairs and meet with a nutritionists, step into the lab for research, or get some physical therapy treatment. This is where I met a lot of professionals who serve on my advisory team. With the UPMC reputation doors opened and I met with many high school administrators. I got a taste of offering programs as a business rather than being paid to coach.

Print My goal was to be a business owner at the age of 25 (missed it by 1 year). I had tons of training experience and liked the idea earning income doing what I was born to do – develop high school athletes. I had an idea of designing a athlete development program, the way I wanted, and offer the service to high school athletes in the greater Pittsburgh area. It wasn’t until the summer until 2004 when I decided to turn my intentions into actions. FOCUS Human Performance Programs, LLC was born and I’ve never looked back.

5 Random Things You Probably Don’t Know About Me:

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1. My two favorite hobbies are running my skid loader on my parents farm and riding motocross. These are my escapes from reality.

2. My wife (Kelly) and I have been together for over 10 years! Kel is the one special person who keeps me grounded and realizes there is more to life.

3. I have the best friends – bar none. I still hang out with the same buddies

I did since grade school, and the same guys from college.

4. I’m a self help junkie. I don’t watch TV or listen to the radio.

5. I don’t follow sports. The only time I pay attention is if my athletes are involved.