PORT ADELAIDE welcomed world-class strength and conditioning coach Brett Bartholomew to Alberton today to provide the playing group with a different perspective on their pre-season training.

Bartholomew and Port Adelaide’s Head of High Performance Ian McKeown struck up a strong relationship in Phoenix, where the pair met many years ago at a strength and conditioning conference.

The two have been in regular contact throughout the years, and the American strength and conditioning guru said he was excited to be involved with the Power for a day, in their open environment.

“A lot of times in high performance it is heavily siloed but here it speaks to Ian McKeown and the Port Adelaide Football Club– there are no secrets, it’s an open door,” Bartholomew told portadelaidefc.com.au.

“It’s not just about what they do but how they do it.

“That is perhaps how they separate themselves from any other sporting culture or organisation that I have seen.”

Bartholomew was blown away by the strength and power of the playing group, combined with their ‘elite’ aerobic endurance.

“When watching these guys take everything in their stride – their engine is inexorable,” he said.

“The endurance and the qualities that come with that, and the level of resilience they have speaks to the culture and values at Port Adelaide.”

McKeown was equally as thrilled to have Bartholomew join the football department for the day, and said it is great to have someone with Bartholomew’s experience bringing a fresh set of eyes to the group.

 “He is very much an expert in his field. He is an internationally renowned strength coach, adjunct professor, and he’s also an acclaimed author,” McKeown said.

“It’s great to get that lateral or left-of-field opinion of what we are doing, and it also keeps us on our toes as well.

“We want to be seen as one of the best programs in the world, and there is no better marker than getting information from Brett.”

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