Shane Nelson is on a mission to elevate athletic performance at Portage (Ind.) High School. Nelson, a seasoned strength and conditioning coach with over 15 years of experience, has taken on the challenge of building a cutting-edge strength and conditioning program from the ground up at Portage. After years of honing his craft at neighboring Chesterton (Ind.) High School, he has developed an approach that blends tried-and-true training methods with the latest technology, all while fostering a culture of accountability and growth among student-athletes.
Coach Nelson’s journey into strength and conditioning began unexpectedly. After graduating from Valparaiso University and earning a Master’s degree in sports science from the United States Sports Academy, he found himself at Chesterton High School, where he initially filled a non-sports-related role as attendance officer. It wasn’t long before his passion for fitness led him to take on the responsibility of a strength and conditioning program for the students of Chesterton, first for individual sports teams and eventually for the entire athletic department.
“During the summer we opened the weight room to the public,” Coach Nelson says. ” I was kind of an avid lifter, so I supervised the weight room. One day, I remember, I had a couple of people ask me if I was a personal trainer. I said, ‘No, I’ve never really even considered it. I just like to lift on my own.’ But a couple more people asked, a couple more people asked, and I remember going home and telling my wife one day, ‘Man, a lot of people ask me about personal training. Maybe there’s something to this. Maybe this is something I should consider.'”
After 18 years at Chesterton, 15 of them spent building a successful strength training program, Coach Nelson moved to Portage High School, where he, again, began working as the attendance officer. He also coached the boy’s baseball team, along with their strength and conditioning training. After 3 years, his reputation and expertise as a strength and conditioning professional soon caught the attention of the school’s athletic department. Now, Coach Nelson is leading the charge to bring a structured and effective strength program to Portage’s student-athletes. With over 2,200 students, Portage holds their own in competing with the top schools in Indiana. Coach Nelson hopes to propel Portage athletics to a new level with this new strength program.
“Going back to my days at Chesterton, I can’t tell you how many freshmen would come into the building who couldn’t even do a body weight squat, let alone put any kind of external load on their backs trying to squat,” says Coach Nelson. “So it’ll be huge getting the freshmen in there. Hopefully, it trickles down to the middle schools as well.”
Building a Program from the Ground Up
Coach Nelson’s philosophy centers on long-term athletic development, a concept that guides all aspects of his training regimen. Rather than focusing on sport-specific exercises, he emphasizes the importance of foundational movement patterns that benefit athletes across all disciplines. These fundamental movements include upper body pushes and pulls, squats, hinges, lunges, loaded carries, and core exercises.
“75, 80% of what we do in the weight room is good for all athletes,” Coach Nelson says. “My goal is long term athletic development. Do I want to develop you as a basketball player? Of course. But first and foremost, I want you to be an athlete.”
His approach is designed to ensure all athletes, regardless of their sport, build the strength and mobility necessary to perform at their best. Coach Nelson’s program begins with teaching these basics, gradually incorporating more complex exercises as students progress.
To manage the diverse needs of Portage’s 22 varsity sports teams, Coach Nelson has turned to technology. He uses TeamBuildr, a digital platform that allows coaches and athletes to track workouts, monitor progress, and set goals. Each sport has its own customized program within the platform, but the foundation remains consistent across the board.
It’s been so easy to manage,” Coach Nelson says. “What I really like about Teambuildr is, you’ve got the leaderboards, you’ve got when PRs are set every day. I show that to the kids. Right now it’s just on my laptop, but we’re hopefully gonna get a couple of big TV screen monitors in there, so that the kids are really buying in.”
Fostering a Culture of Accountability
At the heart of Coach Nelson’s program is a simple yet powerful mantra: “No Regret.” This philosophy encourages athletes to give their all in every workout, leaving no room for dissatisfaction or low effort. Coach Nelson believes that by instilling this mindset, athletes will not only improve physically but also develop the mental toughness needed to succeed in competition and life outside of sports.
“We break huddles in the weight room,” Coach Nelson says. “I said, ‘When your season ends or when your career ends, don’t have any regret. If a team’s better than us and they beat us, and we’ve done every possible thing we can do to prepare, we just tip our cap and say, “Hey, you beat us.” But don’t have that regret of, “Man, if I wouldn’t have missed weights that one day,” or “If I only would have done what Coach asked.”‘ So I try to motivate them that way. I think the kids really took that in and are really thinking in those terms now.”
To reinforce this message, Coach Nelson plans to install a “No Regret” sign above the weight room entrance, which athletes will touch as they enter and leave each session. Coach Nelson expects this daily reminder to serve as both a motivator and a benchmark for the effort and dedication expected of every athlete in the program.
Embracing Challenges and Opportunities
Coach Nelson acknowledges that building a program of this magnitude comes with its challenges. Scaling the program to accommodate all athletes, managing recovery to prevent overtraining, and ensuring consistent engagement from students and coaches are all hurdles that Coach Nelson is determined to overcome. His solution lies in a combination of strategic planning, ongoing education, and a commitment to fostering a supportive and competitive environment.
“A lot of what I’m finding, and we had this at Chesterton too, lot of kids wanna do too much,” Coach Nelson says. “They’ll lift with us during the day, and then they’re going to the local gym at night. While I appreciate them wanting to do that and get better, at the same time you have to let them know, ‘Hey, you know our gains are in the rest and the recovery. That’s when we’re rebuilding the muscle tissue.'”
Looking ahead, Coach Nelson has ambitious plans to expand the strength and conditioning program. Starting in the 2025-26 school year, he hopes to offer strength training as part of the school curriculum. This would allow student-athletes to complete their workouts during the school day, freeing up time for skill work during practice and helping them manage their academic and athletic commitments more effectively.
“Athletics at Portage has fallen over these last 25 or so years,” Coach Nelson says. “Everybody is just really excited to build this thing back up and get us back to where we once were, and I’m very humbled and excited to be a part of it. The thought that I was even asked to to take this on from ground zero is really exciting.”
As Shane Nelson continues to develop and refine the strength and conditioning program at Portage High School, one thing is clear: he is committed to building a legacy of athletic excellence and personal growth for every student who steps into his weight room. With his experience, passion, and dedicated approach, Coach Nelson is poised to transform Portage into a strong contender in high school athletics.
Learn More About Teambuildr
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Whether you are programming phys ed, weights classes, or sport-specific workouts, students and athletes can input workout data via their mobile devices or by using our weight room view tablet feature. This feature allows 4-8 athletes to receive their individualized workouts, including prescribed loads and intensities, using tablets in the weight room. Our reporting features help coaches view student progress over time, identify strengths and weaknesses, and visualize the effectiveness of the strength and conditioning program.
