The newest face in Arcadia’s Fitness and Commons Sports Training Center is Todd Barnes, the Strength and Conditioning Coach/Fitness Director of the Athletics and Recreation Department. Having spent his first few days on the campus becoming familiar with the new community, facilities and equipment, Barnes explains this position isn’t just a job: it’s a way of life.

He is eager to explore and define his role as the strength and conditioning coach to the student-athletes and overall fitness director.  One of Barnes’ primary goals is to expand campus fitness programs. He hopes to offer introductory classes in strength and conditioning and generalized fitness training, which will include basic tutorials on all of Arcadia’s new fitness equipment.  Constantly collaborating with members of the community, Barnes doesn’t define it as work at all, simply an extension of himself.

“He comes with incredible credentials and received our student-evaluators’ highest reviews,” says President Carl (Tobey) Oxholm III. “Having a strength and conditioning coach is rare in Division III schools, and it’s a sign of our commitment to our intercollegiate teams, whose coaches strongly recommended this new hire.”

“It’s a brand new position for the school,” says Barners. “It is very exciting to be able to be the first guy to develop a program for the University and by doing that, helping the athletes perform and the students, faculty and staff reach their fitness goals.”

Previously the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, Pa., Barnes brings with him more than 10 years of experience in the field. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from West Chester University in 2000 and a master’s degree in Exercise Science from California University of Pennsylvania in 2006. Born and raised in Conshohocken, Pa., Barnes has always been very active in sports. He was a member of the football, wrestling and track teams at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School and went on to play rugby in college.

He plans to address conditioning for all of Arcadia’s 14 athletics teams by drawing directly from his experience in the field. “When you’re looking at sports, whether you’re going up for a rebound in basketball or a header in soccer, vertical performance is vertical performance. It’s my job to the train the movement.”

When he’s not in the gym, Barnes can be found on the slopes snowboarding or in the stands supporting his favorite Philadelphia sports teams. Though he’s only been a part of the staff for a few days, he happily notes that the transition has been smooth so far. “Everyone has been very friendly and helpful, two things that I have always heard about Arcadia—definitely one of the reasons I was drawn to this University. I can already tell that it’s going to be a fun and exciting time here.”

Photo by Josh Blustein