Challenges facing the strength and conditioning professional
Dr. Lorenzo Guess has dedicated 12 years of his career to Michigan State University, where he holds the prestigious position of Director of Athletic Performance. Dr. Guess's responsibilities include overseeing a team of highly skilled Athletic Performance professionals who are committed to delivering optimal results for the Olympic sports program. Additionally, Dr. Guess is the Director of Strength & Conditioning for men's basketball, where he implements his vast knowledge and experience to keep the players in top physical condition. Dr. Guess's unwavering dedication and expertise have made him an invaluable asset to MSU's athletic community. Dr. Guess was named the basketball program’s Director of Strength & Conditioning in August 2022 and reunites with his former head basketball coach, Tom Izzo. Guess now trains at the state-of-the-art Draymond Green Strength & Conditioning Center. MSU's men's basketball program uses Catapult, Vald, and Eliteform technologies to enhance player performance. Dr. Guess completed his doctoral program with the United States Sports Academy in the summer of 2021. His research involves The Perception of Educational Barriers in Transition of African American Male Student-Athletes. Dr. Guess was named a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach (MSCC) by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches association (CSCCa) in May 2020, the highest honor given in the strength and conditioning coaching profession. Guess is also a certified strength and conditioning coach (SCCC) by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa) and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He is also a certified Functional Range Mobility Specialist (FRCms). Guess was inducted into the Wayne Memorial High School Hall of Fame and the University of Cincinnati’s Hall of Fame in 2019. Guess previously held the position of Director of Player Enrichment from 2012 until June 2022. As part of this role, he supervised the "Overtime" player development program and coordinated it closely with Darien Harris, the Director of Player Engagement. Together, they oversaw all aspects of the player development programming for football. Dr. Guess also taught a Student Leadership class at MSU for three years. A former Spartan safety, Guess returned to East Lansing in 2012 to work with former longtime MSU head strength and conditioning coach Ken Mannie and former head football coach Mark Dantonio for eight seasons (2012-19). He brings 18 years of experience as a strength and conditioning coach at the collegiate level. Since Dr. Guess’ arrival as a full-time staff member, the Spartans have won two Big Ten Championships (2013, 2015) and played in eight bowl games, including four BCS/New Year’s Six bowls (2014 Rose, 2015 Cotton, 2015 CFP Semifinal at Cotton Bowl, 2021 Peach). A native of Wayne, Michigan, Dr. Guess spent two seasons (2010-11) as an assistant director of strength and conditioning at Notre Dame while working with head coach Brian Kelly. Dr. Guess also worked with Kelly for one season at Cincinnati as a tight ends coach, helping the Bearcats to a 12-1 record in 2009 and an appearance in the Sugar Bowl following UC’s second straight BIG EAST Championship. He helped mentor Super Bowl Champion Travis Kelce at UC, who has earned first-team All-Pro accolades four times and Pro Bowl honors eight times as a tight end during his career with the Kansas City Chiefs. Prior to coaching at Cincinnati, Dr. Guess worked on the strength and conditioning staff at South Florida (2009), Alcorn State (2008), Kentucky State (2007), Cincinnati (2006) and Tiffin (2005). Guess served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at South Florida while working with the men’s basketball team for one season and was the Head strength and conditioning coach at Alcorn State. In 2007, Guess was the secondary coach at Kentucky State and doubled as the Head football strength and conditioning coach. He held the same positions in 2005 at Tiffin. Dr. Guess earned a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State in 2002 and graduated from Tiffin University in 2007 with a master’s degree in business administration. He was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in 1998. While at Michigan State, Dr. Guess was a four-year letterwinner in football (1998-2001) and also earned two letters with the basketball team. As a safety, Dr. Guess helped Michigan State defeat Florida in the 2000 Citrus Bowl and Fresno State in the 2001 Silicon Valley Bowl. He was part of two Big Ten titles and an NCAA Final Four appearance (1999) with the Spartan basketball team. Dr. Guess, who played in 45 career games and recorded 111 tackles, tallied a career-high 47 tackles, six pass break-ups, and four interceptions as a senior in 2001. In 1999, Dr. Guess was one of the components on a defense that ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten in rushing defense, and during the 2000 season, MSU led the conference in both total defense and pass defense.
