Throughout preseason football camp, GSEagles.com will take you on a behind-the-scenes look at different aspects of the football program that go beyond the practice field. In today's installment, we check in with the Strength & Conditioning Staff.

A rarity for this time of year, things down in the football weight room are calm and quiet. With their busy season behind them, director of strength & conditioning for football Matt Greenhalgh and his staff are in cruise control. After a grueling summer program, the strength staff is working hard to enjoy this lighter schedule. That doesn't mean they're not working, it's just their focus has shifted.

Wrapping up the hectic summer schedule just over two weeks ago, camp days are a breeze for the football strength staff, made up of two full-time coaches, Greenhalgh and Don Day, as well as a few GAs.  The players lifted the first day of camp just to get them back into the swing of things since they had about a week off before camp began. Greenhalgh really praised the work of quarterback Shai Werts, running back Wesley Fields and safety Joshua Moon for their work this offseason, setting the example day in and day out.

Outside of the weight room, the staff helps the injured players get back to playing shape, assisting with agility drills and things of that nature. The staff is in the office all day and will head out to practice, warm the guys up and help them stretch. If a players are in a yellow or gray jersey for practice they will head to the strength staff during contact time for some supplemental workouts as they work back from injury. You'll also see them providing extra "motivation" to players who don't finish a play or drill with maximum effort.

Greenhalgh and his staff arrive every morning at 5 a.m. to set up the breakfast spread for the players so it's waiting for them when they walk through the door. Bagels, yogurt and fruit are popular items before practice with smoothies and shakes being in high demand after.

Now that they're in-season, Greenhalgh keeps alluding to "body armor" so that can stay healthy for the long season. He also emphasizes conditioning so the Eagles can put teams away in the fourth quarter.

Luckier than most surrounding Southern's football team, the strength & conditioning staff's hardest days are behind them. It's no vacation for the staff these days, but the more relaxed days of August are exactly what these coaches look forward to after grinding through the hot summer days of Statesboro.

5 Questions With Matt Greenhalgh

1. How did your first seven months here in Statesboro go?

The first seven months have been great. The coaching staff has been welcoming and the kids have really bought in. The hardest thing when coming into a program is getting the kids to understand and buy into what we are preaching. They have bought in 110 percent and I tell them it is easy to work hard one hour or two hours a day, but it is those other 22 to 23 hours a day.

2. During the summer lifting sessions can you tell us who really excelled in the weight room and were in your eyes summer standouts?

Summer standouts are really across the board, because we have had people hit PR's all summer long. Shai Werts has been phenomenal just trying to change his body and put on some, what we like to call, body armor. Wesley Fields has also been amazing in the weight room changing his body and recovering from everything that he has been dealing with. Joshua Moon is another guy that has really brought it this summer, trying to get a different appearance and adding some body armor.

3. How do things change from a lifting perspective heading into the season?

Heading into the season things change a bit. In our true offseason months we are increasing our size and hitting maximal strength gains. In season we are trying to move weight faster and transition that into field work. Our main goal for that is to be a phenomenally conditioned team and outlast people in the fourth. Lifting doesn't take a back seat during the season by any means, but it generates into staying fast and healthy in the season.

4. When the guys step into the weight room, what is one thing that you try to preach each day?

First and foremost, Coach Lunsford and I like to preach the "five minute rule." This means that they are five minutes early. The second thing we preach is treat your body like a professional. A lot of these guys want to go onto the next level and so we are trying to get them to be comfortable rolling out, stretching, getting a snack, sleeping, staying healthy and being active.

5. What are you most looking forward to this upcoming season both in the weight room and on the field?

In the weight room we've had our newcomers for seven weeks and its been an awesome seven weeks. I am really excited to get to work with them and see them continue to grow in the weight room and on the field. On the field, the environment of Paulson Stadium is second to none. I am extremely excited to experience that this season.

Georgia Southern Preseason Football Schedule
Date (Time, Location)
Tues., Aug. 7 (8:30-10:30 AM, Eagle Creek)
Wed., Aug. 8 No Practice
Thurs., Aug. 9 (8:30-10:30 AM, Eagle Creek)
Fri., Aug. 10 (8:30-10:30 AM, Eagle Creek; Eagle Creek Baptism; Operation Move-In)
Sat., Aug. 11 (6 PM, Paulson - Scrimmage #1; Fan Fest)
Sun., Aug. 12 (8:15-9:45 AM, Paulson)
Mon., Aug. 13 No Practice
Tues., Aug. 14 (4:30-6:30 PM; Eagle Creek)
Wed., Aug. 15 (4:30-6:30 PM; Eagle Creek)
Thurs., Aug. 16 (4:30-6:30 PM; Eagle Creek)
Fri., Aug. 17 (4:30-6:30 PM, Paulson - Scrimmage #2)
Sat., Aug. 18 (TBD, TBD)
Sun., Aug. 19 (7 PM, Paulson)
Mon., Aug. 20 No Practice
Tues., Aug. 21 (4:30-6:30 PM; Paulson)
Wed., Aug. 22 (4:30-6:30 PM; Paulson)
Thurs., Aug. 23 (4:30-6:30 PM; Paulson)
Fri., Aug. 24 (6-8 PM, Fan Fest to follow, Armstrong Campus - Savannah)
Sat., Aug. 25 (TBD, TBD)

Times and locations subject to change