Listen: Justus Galac (10/2)

a review. Rate us. Thank you that that's what I'm looking for. All right, Justice, I feel like we can talk about a thousand things here, but for fans that don't know and a couple of sentences, it's gonna seem like a loaded question. But how would you describe your role and how it changes in season and off season for the team? Uh? Yeah, my role? Well, thanks first and foremost for having me on here. I appreciate it. Guys. Um, my role is always evolving. I guess there's always a

lot of things to go into it. Obviously, you know strength, condition, so give it the player strong, trying to get him in shape. Um, you know those are the givings. But there's also the recovery methods. The nutrition is part of what our our staff does down there. Um, you know, pre and post game. There's a lot of also just you know, talking to the players, were around the players. UM, they come to us for different things. So you know, our job is very multiple. We have we have a

lot of things that we cover. UM. Again, I always go back the strength and conditioning are the ones that you expect to happen. UM. But and and then you talk about you know, out of season, we obviously have um a lot more freedom because there's no game, so you know, when they're not playing a game, we can

do a lot more. We can, um maybe push them a little bit more throughout the whole week, where when we get to end season, a lot of our pushing is gonna be done Monday through Wednesday and then kind of shut it down where the valve. So we know practice, you know it's gonna be tough um or a little bit more that day on a Wednesday or Thursday, Friday. However coach structures it. You know, we know we have to turn it down a little bit and really take care of the players and realize like it's time to

play football. It's not about training, but at the same time, we have certain things that we have to do on a weekly basis to make sure these guys are prepared to play. Um, you know, there's always injuries in this game. That's part of this sport. So we have to work through that. Just because a guy, you know, maybe has a risk or a shoulder something going on, we have

to find a way to help him get better. We can't just say, well, we're not gonna do the right arm because there's something wrong with that, because more than likely he's gonna play that week. Um. You know, in every situation is different. So even a guy that's out for a period of time in season, our job is to prep him and get him ready to go for Sunday. And we every week we assume that player is gonna play Sunday. You know, we don't control that part of it. So, um,

there's a lot of different roles we take. It's always funny sometimes you know, we talk more about Sometimes it's a counseling thing where they can talk to us in between a set and you know we can you know, maybe help the feel better by the time they leave in a mental capacity that maybe they can't talk to other people about So that's part of our role. UM. You know, we love that part of it. How have you been able to stick here for through three coaching staffs?

You came on board Rex Ryan, then you know there's an uncertainty. A new guy comes in as Todd Bulls now the Jets making other move this offseason, and Adam Gaze is the new leader of the Green and White. That says something about you that not only have you been the head strength and conditioning coach of the New York Jets, but you've done it for three different people. I'm very fortunate one and I don't know how that's happened, you know, UM, I'm very thankful for it. And I

think part of it is working for good people. You know, all three of the coaches I've worked for, UM, the general managers i've worked for, have let me do my job and and you know, do what I needed to do to take care of the players. And I'm very appreciative to that and all the guys I've worked for. UM.

But to your question, I don't know. I don't know how I've been here, and uh, you know, across the league it's not common, UM, you know, and I always come back to I try to treat the players with respect, and I try to listen to what their concerns are and I and I'm a hundred percent loyal to the coaches and the players at all times. That's that's my job. And I try to be brutally honest, whether guys like it or not. And some of the feedback we get

as a staff as guys like that. You know, we'll tell you if we think you need to do something. We're not just gonna say kind of going back to the you know, if a guy's heart, well, you gotta do this. Still, you can't just stop. It's not gonna work, you know. So we try to be brutally honest with the players, uh, and be a percent loyal to our

coaches and our management. And you know, I think that's what's helped me and what put you down this track that you said however many years ago, this is something that I aspire to be. This is what I want to do, This is how I want to help players. Yeah, I kind of fell into it. Um. I was a football coach. Um until I got here. I coached football until I got to the New York Jets. I worked

with the defensive line. At Lenova, I signaled the defensive calls on game day, and when I got to the Jets that I was an assistant in two thousand and twelve, and that was the first time I didn't actually coaching on field position. UM always been in the training since I was thirteen. Bigger, faster, stronger, and and going through programs in high school and then going into college. All my buddies UM are either football coaches or strength coaches

from the Brockport Sunny Brockport where I went UM. All of us were all in the business and somehow a football UM. And then at Villanova there was an opportunity to getting shrank conditioning and I took it and I loved it. I just love working with the players a hundred all the time. UM. You know, we're in in coaching football. Sometimes there's a lot of film work and you're on the road recruiting and all that. I just like being in there and coaching guys, and that's something

I've always loved. So it matched up well coaching people, teaching people, mentoring people, and then training. I love training. I love being in the weight with myself. It's it's an addictive thing to be in there. You know. Um my wife often tells me to take the day off or something like that, but you know, I just love being in there. So I think that's really what led

me to it. And I think again, players feel that because we are we're always trying stuff, my staff, myself, you know, I'm not the athlete my players are, but we try everything. We'll we'll go through the grind and do everything and then go, well, that didn't work or that worked really well for us, you know, so imagine what it's gonna do for you know, C. J. Moseley. If that worked for me, this is gonna be awesome

for him. So we always try to find those things and and try to you know, implement stuff we do with the players. So I think that's, you know, basically what led me to this point. Justice. You played at Sunny Brockport. You wear a nose guards at two pounds you wait, two hundred pounds now, we'll get to that later. But you did not have a strength coach when you were playing College Baul, did you correct? Yeah, we didn't

have anybody the entire time I was there. Um our head coach and our offensive line coach kind of ran the program that we trained in UM. And the interesting thing is we UM there was a group of us and we started to explore other opportunities and we started to look at different ways of training and training methods. UM A couple of guys, Nate Harvey that that works for elite fts as a he's a powerlifter. He was

a strength coach for a long time. He he kind of started us on the conjugate method and west Side barbell. He introduced us to that and he now ironically works with a bunch of guys that training that facet. UM Edges Skulski who was with me up there as a strength coach at at sunny Brockport track coach. We all kind of got into this, UM, you know, finding ways

to make ourselves better. You know, we were a Division three athletes UM that you know, really wanted to succeed and get as strong as we could and as big as Both of those guys powerlifted and and have huge numbers and powerlifting and and their own right. I just never got into powerlifting. I got into coaching right away

and kind of you know, went more of the football route. UM. But that's really where you know, I think it all comes from we we kind of just started to explore things and it's really never left me of looking for better ways to improve all the time. One of your new bosses, Gum, Joe Douglass, was three fifteen pounds in eighth grade. He was a power So the first question is, is Joe down there a lot been banging the weights around? And how much do you guys talk shop because this

is right up his alley. Yeah, he loves he loves the weight room and he appreciates what it can do for guys. Um, you know, and he he loves to get down there. He trains, he gets after it, and he still has it. He's still very strong. H. So he'll pick my brain, um, you know about what I think about certain things, and he he knows a lot. He knows a lot about what we do. He understands

how to get stronger. UM. So you know that that helps me out that he that he appreciates the weight room and he has a love for it, I think as much as I do. UM. You know, obviously for him, you know, being a former offensive lineman. Offensive lineman love the weight room and then the powerlifting background, you know, all that kind of comes together, and that's that's a

huge thing for me. Um, you know that that. I love that he knows what we're doing and he'll ask questions about how guys are doing in certain lifts and when I tell him, he he understands it, you know. And he understands, you know, if a certain guys doing a lot of weight or pound for pound, he understands what that means, you know, And I don't really have to explain it. He he gets it. You know. He told me if Philly had a lifting group, does he have a lifting group with the Jets and where I

think he's still trying to grow it right now. He's looking for those guys, um, but I'm trying to help him in every way to create that group. So um, he definitely has a program that he uses that he follows, and um, you know he's looking for that group though, I think. So you know, you mentioned that Joe picked your braindon got me thinking, does he ever get annoying if you're at like a family event. I understand that, Well, you're in football, you work with the players, you're here

a lot. But if you're at a family event, how many people come up to you whether it's around the time of the new year, and they're like, hey, like, what do you think about this? And does it ever get annoying or is it not annoying because as you like it so much, what are you putting me on blast a little bit? I mean, I don't think he gets annoying. Um, I liked I like talking about and

I like to try to help people. So I think at the end of the day that this is this is just funny because my brother in law I coached. So I coached him at Villanova University and he's my brother in law. Now our wife's their sisters. So Steve Pim he's a he's a cop in Upper Dublin down in outside of Philadelphia. Um, he comes to me probably at least every other day with questions about training, and

he is but I've coached. I coached him for four years of college and then we've you know, now we're family, which is funny. So I get questions NonStop at any family holiday thing. And then another guy who's like a brother to me, film a tous is uh the topic as donant Ohao State football. So he's in the he's in the business too. So if we're all together. It's it's NonStop training talk anyways, and then we all go work out together and um, so it's it's really uh,

I don't mind it at all. I enjoy helping well. All my cousins that are back up in Western New York where I'm from, they all, you know, text me about certain things or you know, supplements, stuff like that. So I love being able to help out everybody you know, and and uh give my advice. You know, the only person you know that doesn't really ask me a ton of my wife, you know, we don't talk a ton

about training. But you know, other than that, you know, if it's my parents or anything like that, brother in law's it's my brother, any of those people. So, but how much information is free flowing because this is a small fraternity still in terms of strength and conditioning coaches in the National Football League and at colleges. And one of the things that's always struck me about you is that you go out and travel to other places and talk about, hey, what do you guys doing, And you

also exchange information, of course what you're trying here. There's a lot of give and take, it seems like, yeah, depending on who you are some people, you know, believe, um they're reinventing the wheel and that they have all the answers. And that's fine, that's just not how I operate, operate in the the way that no matter what I do, and if I told you everything I do, you won't be able to duplicate what I do because it's me. It's coming from me in the way I sell it.

So I can give you all the X and os. But until I until you see me, or until you can do exactly what I do, I'm not worried about you. Still in what I can do, I want to I want to maximize everything for our player, So if you have a better way to do it, well I'm gonna. I'm gonna give you my information, so I know your information advice. You know. I want to collect as much data as I can, and sometimes that's trained it off. And you know, by no means do I believe that

I have all the answers. But there's people out there that do have the answer to what I'm looking for. So I always try to, you know, get out there and see what what information I can collect, you know, and there's different areas and different people in the country that I'll go pick their brain or call them and say, hey, what do you think about this? What what do you think? And uh, you know, I don't think there's any problem with that. And I protect you know, the Jets logo

and the Jets brand at all time. Is when I go out there, UM, I'm not giving away you know, any deep secrets of what you know. Um, Coach Gaze you know is doing e anything. But I'm gonna go, you know, share like this is how we do this exercise, and these are the sets we do, and this is how I talk to our players, um to get feedback from other other people. And if if you're not willing to share information, then I'm probably not gonna be out there talking to you either, you know. And I feel

like we have to ask. This is gonna come up at some point. But in your time here, who's on the shortlist of biggest freaks in the weight room or people that just love to be there as much as you? Yeah, I mean my staff number one, Maybe we're not freaks. But with you know, you know, you got Joe Jacobe, Uh, we're always finest New Jersey guy played at Rutgers, you know as a walk on or in a scholarship down there,

Aaron mclauren. He has been with me for six years. Um, you know, it was with the Vikings, he was at Michigan State coal Gate, he went to Hampton and then uh J. T. Hawhey who came to us this year. He's our intern down there from Ohio State. Um, he's from out near Cleveland and he did an internship at Ohio State with Phil who who I coached and is like a brother to me. So you know, he was

a good recommendation. And then the guy that's bringing up the height on our staff is uh the Brickishaw Ferguson, who's our seasonal intern this year. Um. So you know with the tallest guy down there's Joe at about six foot. He'll stay six too. But then then we got brick you know, and the Brickishaw is down there with us. Now, Um, you know when he's one of those guys to me, that was a freak as a player. Um, there's a reason he missed I think one play over the course

of his career and made every practice. He won't ever say it, but I'll say it for him because he worked his butt off the entire time. He never missed a day in the weight room. He was there, you know, all the time, trying to better himself and you know, dedicated himself to his craft for ten years. Um, you know. And that's why when he, uh, you know, come to me with the I kind of it was kind of mutual. We kind of came to each other with the opportunity.

I said, if you want to be an intern, you can't. He's like really, and he's like probably that night, I think he texted me back, Hey, I want to do it. Um. So he's interning for us for the whole year and it's a good way for him to kind of see the coaches side of what he did as a player, you know. And I think he'd be the first to tell you, like, it's it's different on our side and he's seeing things maybe a little bit different way. But

the unique thing about him that I can't offer. I didn't play in the NFL for ten years at a high level, you know, at an elite level like he did. He can go to players and have a different conversation than me or my staff can. And that's why I love having him there. And he knows that, um, you know, he can go talking not just offensive lineman, but any guy that's kind of looking, uh for a little bit advice. And I and I'm telling you, and I introduced him

multiple times, you know of who he is. I'm telling you, some of these players don't know who he is. You know, they don't know, and they're gonna, you know, and they're gonna see, you know, highlights of him at at the stadium and they're gonna be like, oh, is that the guy in the weight room because you know, he's fifty pounds lighter, and you know, everybody thinks he looks different, but it's still brick um. But he's he's a huge

addition into our staff. So you said you got great belief in the staff, believe you got the best staff in the country. But following up on what Green's asked you, and I interrupted because I wanted to make sure you've got those names in there, other players over the years that you've really enjoyed coaching up in the weight room. Yeah. I mean there's a lot of players that I've been fortunate to be around. Um, you know, I'm just I'm

looking just thinking off the top of my head. You got Nick Mangold, who was in there all the time. Dave Harris was a weight room warrior. You know, he he lived in there with us. Uh. Calvin Pace another guy. You know, he was back here for a training camp and he still he still looks like he could play. Um. You know, Antonio Crimardi. Um, trying to think there's a there's just so many guys when I look back at my time here, you know that have got in there

and they appreciated the weight room and they worked every day. Um. And you're talking about guys on the team now that you know you have to kick out of the weight room like a John Harrison, Calvin Beach Um. Um, people are gonna get mad if I don't say their name. But there's so I mean, Steve mcclennan, uh Tkowski, all these guys. You know, you gotta you gotta boot him on the way from Jamal Adams is at the door at you know, usually around five five thirty am, waiting

for me. Yeah yeah, oh yeah, he's here. Uh. And he doesn't live around the corner either. I think he lives closer now. He lives closer now, but he you know, he's he is in there waiting for me to to take him through in the mornings. UM, But you've got so many, so many guys that on this team right now that are putting in the work. UM. You know that the players on this team are are dedicated workers in the weight room, practice, They're running everything we do.

You know, so easy with this group, there's I'm not chasing anybody around. Maybe you know the way I had to um in different years. Every year is different, obviously, you know, UM, but we have a lot of guys here that are just hungry. You know, how was the program? How was your program changed over the years, Because I know you're adapting all the time and that's part of the industry. But maybe look back and say, well, this

is where it was the first year here. And maybe it's just not to say how your program has changed, but maybe how the whole industry has changed is we've progressed. I mean, I think my bread and butter is always going to be what I believe in. You know, the heart and soul of what I believe in is UM. You know, staying balanced is an athlete. They have to

be balanced. We we sometimes think so much about you know, even with kids, you think about all we gotta do positions specific and we can only do this one thing. He has to play baseball year round. And it's that's not how this works, you know, no one is. Our players aren't set up like that. Go back to the bricker Shaw. He was doing things in the offseason. No one was doing mixed martial arts, hockey, different things. He would swimming like and that guy played an elite level.

So that's a prime example. Like you need to get out there. You need to have you know, total uh, you know, be aware of your athletic ability, learned to move, increase mobility, uh, basic things, UM No, I think is what really helps players. So you know, we we talk about, you know, evolving the program. It's small things. It's really small things that we feel. We feel like mobility, prehab, things that can help them stay healthy. Is what we

really try to focus on on the change. Um. And it's always a battle because you're going to see something new every year, you know, um, no matter what, no matter what you do. All right. One of the most important questions in the weight room Greens is who's controlling the music and what are we listening to now? In two uh. The runners of the radio currently are Brian Winners below Powell are the two most veteran players on this team, so they longest tenure jets, so they're they're

in full control. That's how that works. Yeah, so longest tenure jets who we give control to. And if they're not in there, if say they're in a different lifting group, then it goes to the next guy down the line. So I just have to do some math. Sometimes usually it's the oldest guy in the room though, no matter what, even if they've been here for a year, you know,

they control it a lot of times. To be honest with you, I'll put something on until they complain, so I kind of know what they like to listen to. So I put on what I think they'll like, try to set the mood with it. Um, I'm pretty successful. I'm pretty successful. So again I will go back to the guy that gives me the most um feedback on the music is probably jamal time any skip songs, you'll tell me he likes it. Him and Marcus and the

whole just the DBS in general, I guess. But uh, that's when I know if I'm doing a good job or not on the music. The DJ, so I run it. I run it most of the time. Jamal dance between sets sometimes sometimes, Um, it depends on where we're at, if it's uh if he really likes the song, or it depends on the exercise we're doing too. If we're doing like big squats and contrast exercises, we might get

them dancing a little bit between but uh. Um. During training camp, there was some good moments with the defense, especially um when after a lift they would just kind of just have fun and dance and it's such a it's a fun group. Um. You know, the defense is definitely always a different animal. So um, yeah, it just depends on the day. Usually if they're dancing, I know, we got good energy and they you know, they're working hard, so I'll take it every day of the week. What

about McClendon, who's like the philosopher on this team. He's seen a lot of football. Thirty three, you got him, You've helped him in terms of being in great shape. He doesn't play like a thirty three year old. I can't imagine he's got too many musical requests. No, he does well, Yeah he does sometimes Yeah, and he you know, and to Steve's credit, like he's he he always says you know, his big his big thing to say is the gym is always open. You know, So there you go.

I mean, so you know, for me, like that guy is a work you know, he's a workaholic. He he's opening a gym back home. He's building this gym and uh, he loves what we do. He'll be a strength coach when he's done. Our personal trend. He's into this um. But as far as music, he likes some you know, some Southern throwbacks, some Little John some he said, with some stuff like you know from the mid two thousands. Some you know, some crunk music. That's what he gets into.

He'll get into that, you know, but he likes it all. He'll ask for that every now and then. Because Steve's probably, um, the strongest guy on her team. Uh squat bench pull up, you know he damn it. Yeah, uh, you know he's The way he does is incredible. But he uh, he gets what. He gets what he wants when he's ready for it. You know, he doesn't ask for it often, but he when he does, he gets it. I feel

like winners controlling the ax cord. He he I know he's a big country guy, but does he bump country while lifting. Only if it's like me and him every once in a while, I mean he's he likes little Wayne, he likes he likes a little bit everything. Um, you know,

he'll ask for for some rock every now and then. Um, we've we been on a big kick in the weight room of like rap rock from the mid two thousands, which is you know, that's that's my age right there, like the lip Biscuit and corn and Roach Disturbed some stuff like that. Some of those the old lineman will get it. They'll get it that going when we go in there. So you know, I appreciate the guys that like all the music because you know, um, it makes

it fun and we could change it up. We have on Friday's, uh, we have gap band Fridays, so which is like kind of like motown type music. That's Calvin Beacham Day. So that stays on all day, that music doesn't that's our Armed Farm day. So everybody that comes in we listen to the gap band station. You might get some Michael Jackson and stuff like that on them Armed Farm well, that's where we're growing arms. You know, that's our TV day. We gotta make their arms look good.

So that's not a mandatory day. That's definitely. Uh, the defensive line, our linebackers, offensive line, they get in there and do it so. Um. You know it's mostly arms some course's arm farm throughout the National Football League on Fridays. Yeah, I would say so in the programs that are doing it right. Yeah, definitely are definitely doing that well. Play you know. You know who I remember back in the day with Thomas Jones always rocking and rolling there on Friday,

and he had quite possibly the biggest arms. Yeah. I never I never coached him, but I saw him on TV and that Yeah, he did it right. I don't know what he did, but he did it right. They they were going, you know, but you know, you get some of those guys like John Harrison and uh Bronson KFUSI. Those guys get in there and get it going. You know, they get it going. And beach Him's in there. Beach Ums usually the first guy on Friday's used around six

six fifteen and they're kicking off arm farm. Um. Leonard Williams. You know, some of those guys getting in there, so you know, it's it's a good group coming in there. What's the biggest misconception of dudes at home. We're like, I took the words right out of my mind thirty five, forty years old, and I just wanted to get back into shape and get in the weight room. What's the biggest misconception out there that you can out train a

bad diet. So, no matter what you're doing in the weight room, if you're if you're eating poorly and you know, you know, doing the wrong things, you're not, it's not gonna happen, you know, Like that's the first step, you know, even if it's you know, we talked about it with our players, if it's you don't have to be right all the time. You don't have to like get crazy, but you know, clean it up, you know, do do some things right that will take care of it because

you don't have to do as much. You don't have to. You don't have to crush yourself in the gym, you know, to get a result, just start eating better. You'll lose weight, right. We know that if you eat less calories, you'll lose weight. If I eat more calories, I'll gain weight, you know, So if you're eating less calories and you're working out, it's pretty easy. How militant Are you in terms of not only physical regiment because we've covered that, but your diet?

Please look at you man. People. Uh, I don't know if they've fouled your evolution, the gallic evolution. Probably not. You are laying in mean two wander pounder. You look like you are ready to take care of some business right now. Yeah? Yeah, I mean I think and again it goes back to the training. If I um to answer your question, I'm I'm pretty militant on eating. Again. My wife is the one that tells me to to just relax, But um, I try to be Milton. I

try to be very restricted and regimented one right. I show the picture when I was a nose tackle like, I look completely different, you know. Um my daughter is the only one that recognizes me and my parents. That's about it. My wife, doesn't you know? I look completely different? Um? And I say, as you know, as I get older, I gotta be smarter with certain things. But I try to be very diligent when I do something, and when I commit to something, I'm pretty good about sticking to it. Um,

you know, wholeheartedly, whether it's right or wrong. Um. You know I've tried everything, paleo, keto, carb cycling, um, the Dolce diet. Anything I I do, I get hard onto it, you know, I get hard into what I'm trying to do and and stick it out. And my players, I think, appreciate ate that, you know, especially the guys that are into it and they're trying to find ways and that way. If a guy brings up something, you know, it's always the you know, well, uh, you know I only do

Olympic lifting or only do power lifting. Well, that that doesn't make sense. I can't say that unless I've tried, you know, it wholeheartedly and put my time into it. Or I don't eat carbohydrates, or I only eat carba, you know, like I'm vegan or I'm you know, uh, you know whatever, you want to be vegetarian. I have to experience those things in order to really comment on them. What's your favorite cheap meal aside from him stealing all

my good questions? Maybe maybe aside from having a beverage, Yeah, that's that's that's always a good one. But but I mean pizza. I'm a big pizza guy. Um, so you know, I'm a pizza connoisseur. I like to believe. So we'd like to try all different pizza, and being here in Jersey, there's a lot of good pizza that we will try out. You know, Pizza Friday is a big thing in my household,

and uh so that's usually a cheap day. Usually make sure I train real hard on uh on my Friday, and then uh, you know, be good on the weekend for Saturdays and game days. Same crusts are thick crust you know. Um, I'm a in between guy. I'm like that in between um e aken, you know knows the pizza that that we grew up on. I'm still a fan of that. I don't say that where it's from, but it's, uh, you know, I'm still a fan of that. I like Detroit style pizza. If you ever had that,

that's very good. It's very good. It's it's uh. People don't know about it, and I didn't until like probably last year we went up there and I tried it. But uh, I like that medium, you know, like good pepperoni and oh yeah, you gotta get you gotta get all that, you know. Yeah, and you're a hockey fan too, I'm a hockey fan. Yeah, I do enjoy hockey. Um, you know, born and raised around it, so um you know, I know you are too. Yeah. Well, our roots go

back to the pills. Everybody Buffalo sabers. So if you used to see me in Justice wearing a buffalo h hat, you gotta say, right, yeah, yeah, all right. Well that's all we have here on the Official Jets podcast Justice. Thanks for coming to the play MGM Studios again, New York Jets dot Com, YouTube, Apple podcast, SoundCloud, Google play rate US review us let us know how we're doing Justice. Thanks again, Joy some pizza, Thanks for having me. Guys,