Minnesota Vikings assistant strength coach and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)
Marquis Johnson, CSCS, is an assistant strength coach with the Minnesota Vikings, where he enters his sixth season on the strength and conditioning staff in 2026 and his eighth year in the NFL. He is certified as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. The Vikings strength staff graded out as the highest-ranked staff in the league, earning an A, in the NFL Players Association's 2024 free-agency report cards, and ranked second among all 32 teams in 2025.
Johnson spent two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers before being named coordinator of strength and performance at the University of Houston in February 2019. He worked as an assistant strength coach at the University of Tennessee in 2016 and spent six years as a head high school strength coach in Texas.
A Houston native, Johnson played tight end and defensive end at Prairie View A&M and holds a master's degree from Eastern Michigan University.
Pull-ups, barbell RDLs, and bench press get the attention — but the exercises that surround them are what clean up the weak links compound lifts don't fully address. This guide covers what accessory work is, why it matters for high school athletes, and the two categories coaches consistently use.
Sep 1, 2026
Hypertrophy training for teen athletes means building muscle through structured programming instead of guesswork. This guide covers the three stimuli that drive muscle growth, NSCA-based programming guidelines, the role of compound lifts, and what has to happen outside the weight room.
Sep 1, 2026
Power in sport is strength expressed quickly — and medicine ball throws train it in a way most barbell exercises don't fully replicate. This guide covers the core throw categories, how to structure medicine ball work in a session, and how to match throws to your athlete's sport.
Sep 1, 2026
In-season and off-season strength training are not the same program at a different frequency. This guide covers why the off-season is built for strength gains, what changes once games start, and how to plan a teen athlete's training year — including when the season never really ends.
Sep 1, 2026
The power clean is one of the most debated exercises in high school strength training. This guide covers what the AAP and NSCA actually say about Olympic lifting for youth athletes, the PVC-to-barbell progression that keeps it safe, and the two questions parents should ask a coach.
Sep 1, 2026