For over 40 years, Rob Glass has been at the forefront of human performance — shaping elite athletes, guiding coaches, and redefining what it means to succeed in athletics. Now in his 30th year at Oklahoma State University, he serves as Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Performance, overseeing a comprehensive department while contributing hands-on to football. The reason for Glass’ longevity and consistency is his constant evolution. From cutting-edge training philosophies and sports science knowledge to his attention to speed development and communication, he continues to innovate without losing sight of the fundamentals.
“What drives the athletes is much different today than it was 30 years ago or 25 years ago,” Glass says. “Methodologies, they actually come full circle. We give them new names, but the training principles and methods cycle back around. We know a lot more about the human body and how it responds to training now. And I think we’re much smarter today in how we approach the athletes.”
Glass’ Journey From Basics to Big Picture
What started as a strict focus on strength has turned into a multidisciplinary approach that involves speed development, injury reduction, rehabilitation, regeneration, mental resilience, sports science, and more. Still, amidst all the tech and science, Glass relies on the simplest of all coaching tools: the eyes.
“Your eyes are really your greatest tool, because you can see how the athlete responds,” Glass says. “Even when they’re recovering before they get under the bar again. What does that look like? There’s so much that you can do with your eyes to accelerate that process. Especially when I need to progress them as quickly as I can, but I have a fifth year senior in college and a high school senior in the same group.”
Athlete Mobility and Challenging Timelines
According to Glass, one of the biggest shifts in recent years is the rise of athlete migration. With the transfer portal in college athletics and even high school students moving between schools, coaches have less time than ever with each athlete. These compressed timeframes force hard decisions. Olympic lifts and technical movements may not be practical when time is of the essence. In these cases, Glass emphasizes simplicity, efficiency, and building fundamental movement patterns.
“If I have an eight-week training cycle, and I’m only going to have him for thirty-two, thirty-six training sessions, do I want to burn ten of them just trying to cue proper technique?” Glass asks. “Or do I find an alternative exercise that’s a little bit easier to coach and learn and pick up, so I can get a greater overload on their body a little quicker?”
The Power Behind Speed
One hallmark of Glass’s program is his emphasis on speed development — an area he sharpened during his time at the University of Florida.
“My big exposure to overall team speed was when I went to the University of Florida and saw the impact of having a team that can run and run fast,” Glass says. “You had a chance to be in every game, and you had a chance to be very, very successful.”
Instead of specific conditioning blocks, Glass lets conditioning become a byproduct of structured sprint work. His system includes two dedicated speed days per week, with resisted sprints, flying 30s, acceleration mechanics, and foot ladder drills.
Vision Training and Cognitive Performance
Even in more experimental areas like vision training, Glass takes a practical, performance-driven approach. Years ago, he piloted a peripheral visual acuity program originally developed for fighter pilots. Glass used the program with quarterbacks, goalkeepers, and hitters — any position that requires high-level reaction and recognition. The results were eye-opening, especially when athletes like Dez Bryant participated.
“When Dez was here, fantastic athlete, but you start to learn why certain athletes can perform at an even higher level than everybody else,” Glass says. “It starts with two numbers. And as you progress, it goes up to to seven numbers in this random pattern. But I’ll be darned if he couldn’t recall all those numbers. And it might be up there for three tenths of a second, and it’s gone.”
Regeneration, Not Just Recovery
Another unique part of Glass’s program is the distinction between recovery and regeneration. Glass distinguishes recovery as the body repairing itself and regeneration as anything to facilitate recovery. At Oklahoma State, regeneration includes post-workout nutrition, hydrotherapy, force plate measurements, sleep tracking, and heart rate variability. Glass’s meticulous approach allows him to spot signs of overtraining and even detect potential health issues before they become bigger setbacks.
“The force plate scanning, sleep, and the heart rate, we look at that every morning. We can see if somebody’s got an elevated heart rate from their norm. So then we have a discussion with them. ‘Hey, how are you feeling?’ Sometimes they may be getting ready to catch a cold. Maybe a virus is coming on board and their bodies are starting to fight it. So maybe we can get them to the doctors a little quicker. Get some medicine on board a little quicker and try to diffuse that before it becomes a bigger issue.”
A New Facility, A Bigger Mission
Another testament to Oklahoma State’s commitment to staying ahead of the curve is the Boone Pickens Human Performance and Innovation Complex, a project Glass played a large part in. The two-phased initiative included research projects and making health information more accessible, including free Zoom calls for high school coaches across the state and sports science support for athletes and citizens alike.
“Our President at that time, Dr. Kayse Shrum, approached me about putting in a Human Performance Institute,” Glass says. “Because, unfortunately, the State of Oklahoma is one of the least healthy states in the United States. We’ve got some diabetes issues, some obesity issues. She said she’d really like to try to help the state and couple that with the athletic side to make this a cooperative effort. And she even asked me if I would run it.”
The facility is outfitted with the best equipment money can buy. One of the best examples being their Mondo flooring, which has stood the test of time for over twenty years.
“My first exposure to Mondo was at the University of Florida,” Glass says. “We were redoing the the weight room there in the South end zone and it was fantastic. I’ve just been a fan ever since. In our world, recruiting and being a showplace is important too. So from that perspective, it cleans up well, it looks good, we run our machines over it, and it looks like it’s brand new even when it’s 15 years old.”
Glass’ Advice for High School Strength Coaches
Rob Glass isn’t looking for big numbers from the high school athletes walking into his program. He sees too many young athletes with low back issues, spine, or disc problems — often from rushing into heavy loads without a strong foundation. His advice is to focus on technique, movement quality, and long-term development. And as for overtraining — something Glass admits he’s learned the hard way — his message is clear:
“These kids didn’t sign up to be weightlifters,” Glass says. “They play a sport. We’re here to support their performance for their sport. So we want to make sure we’re not detracting from their ability to perform in that sport. So there’s a balance there.”
What Drives Today’s Athletes
Glass sees a mindset shift in modern athletes. They’re more inquisitive, more analytical, and less likely to do something just because coach said so. Today’s athletes want explanations from coaches who connect the dots between effort and outcome.
“We have athletes that want instant gratification. They may not want to do a twelve-week training cycle to gain two inches on their vertical leap,” says Glass. “As a coach, I think you have to be a little bit more deliberate in explaining why we’re doing what we’re doing and what we believe the benefits will be for you as an athlete.”
Takeaways From Coach Glass
Whether coaching high school athletes or managing a college performance program, Rob Glass offers a model worth studying. Blending science with simplicity, valuing first-hand observations as much as tracked data. Because it’s about more than squats or sprints. It’s about developing people who are ready to learn, grow, and succeed.
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Mondo is an industry leader in sport flooring with millions of square feet of its high-performance athletic surfaces installed worldwide. Mondo offers extra strong and durable sports surfaces with customizable design for weightlifting areas.
