Episode #164: Tanner Kolb

Tanner Kolb is the Associate Director of Strength & Conditioning for Olympics Sports at West Virginia University. Kolb joined the Mountaineer athletic staff in 2012 and was promoted to his current position in 2017, where he handles the strength and conditioning responsibilities for the rifle, men’s soccer and wrestling programs. Prior to WVU, Kolb was an assistant coach at East Carolina University for one year where he designed and implemented programs for baseball, volleyball and tennis, as well as assisting with football. Prior to his tenure at ECU, Kolb spent three years as the head strength coach and adjunct professor at Waynesburg University. There he designed and implemented programs for all varsity sports in addition to teaching four classes. Kolb spent three years as a fitness specialist at the Stillwater Medical Center and Total Health in Oklahoma teaching Olympic lifting techniques, instructing group exercise classes, supervising and judging the weightlifting portion of the Pioneer Senior Olympics. Kolb began his career in 2003 as a volunteer coach at Oklahoma State, where he assisted primarily with football, wrestling, softball and the equestrian programs. Additionally, he spent two stints as a prep strength and conditioning coach first at Perry High in Oklahoma during the summer of 2004 as well as both at Petoskey High and Charlevoix High in Michigan from 2006-2008. While there he contributed time at Northern Michigan Sports Medicine while lecturing and directing powerlifting and strongman competitions.

Coach Kolb is a Master Strength & Conditioning Coach through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association earning the highest honor in the profession in 2021. His work has been published in numerous industry-associated publications, including The Sport Journal, Journal of Applied Ergonomics and Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

A former college wrestler at Messiah College, Kolb has competed both single and multiply geared powerlifting. He is still active himself in the weight room in addition to getting outside the weight room to enjoy rock climbing and white water kayaking in his free time.