Tom Kelso

Tom Kelso is currently the Coordinator of Strength and Conditioning at Saint Louis University. Now in his 21st year at the collegiate level, he also served as the Head Coach for Strength and Conditioning at the University of Illinois at Chicago from 2001 to 2004, Southeast Missouri State University from 1991-2001, and the University of Florida from 1988 to 1990. He first started in the strength and conditioning field as an Assistant Strength Coach at Florida in 1984, where he was also a weight-training instructor for the Department of Physical Education from 1985 to 1988.

Kelso received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Iowa in 1981 and his Master's Degree in Physical Education from Western Illinois University in 1984. He was a member of the Track and Field team at Iowa and served as a Graduate Assistant Track & Field Coach while at Western Illinois. He holds SCCC and CSCS certifications with the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches association, and the National Strength and Conditioning Association, respectively. In 1999, Kelso was named NSCA Ohio Valley Conference Strength and Conditioning Professional of the year. In 2001, he received an honorary certification from the International Association of Resistance Trainers (I.A.R.T.).

Kelso has not only worked with college athletes, but also with athletes on the olympic and professional levels. He has presented at various clinics and athletic-related camps. A strong advocate of safe, practical and time-efficient training, he has published several periodical articles and book chapters promoting such. His latest solo project – the publishing of the Interval Training Manual – is an unprecedented collection of over 520 interval running workouts. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the I.A.R.T.