Our Team

Exercise physiology, skeletal muscle health, sports nutrition, visual-cognitive performance, thermoregulation, and fatigue prediction in military and tactical populations.

Dr. Steven E. Riechman is a Professor at Texas A&M University and Director of the Performance & Fatigue Laboratory, where he leads an integrated research program focused on optimizing human performance through advanced measurement, modeling, and training strategies. His work centers on understanding neuromuscular fatigue, performance variability, and recovery using AI-driven analytics, wearable technologies, and multimodal physiological data.

Trained in exercise physiology, epidemiology, and molecular biology, Dr. Riechman brings a multidisciplinary approach to solving complex performance challenges. He has led and collaborated on large-scale, data-intensive projects—including DARPA-funded research on fatigue phenotyping—integrating machine learning, biomechanics, and environmental physiology.

His research is designed not only to advance scientific understanding, but to produce practical tools for athletes, tactical populations, and high-performance practitioners seeking to monitor, predict, and optimize performance in real-world environments.

Velocity-based training (VBT), sprint momentum and power, force-velocity profiling, load-velocity profiling, and the application of training science to clinical populations including individuals with Parkinson's disease.

Dr. J. Bryan Mann is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management at Texas A&M University, where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses and serves as Program Director for Exercise Physiology. He holds a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Kinesiology and has spent over two decades working at the intersection of applied strength and conditioning and academic research. Prior to joining Texas A&M, he served as Director of Sports Science for Olympic Sports at the University of Miami and held strength and conditioning roles at the University of Missouri, where he worked with Division I athletes across multiple sports. He is a Fellow of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and holds the Master International Strength and Conditioning Practitioner (mISCP) designation from the International Universities Strength and Conditioning Association — the highest distinction in the field.

Dr. Mann is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of velocity-based training (VBT), a methodology he helped define and popularize that has transformed how strength and conditioning professionals prescribe and monitor resistance training intensity worldwide. His research spans VBT, sprint momentum and power, force-velocity profiling, and the application of training science to clinical populations including individuals with Parkinson's disease. He is the author or co-author of five books, including two editions of Powerlifting published by Human Kinetics, and has contributed to more than 30 peer-reviewed journal articles accumulating over 2,400 citations. His work has been featured in more than 50 podcast episodes and he has delivered invited presentations on six continents, including keynote addresses at the NSCA National Conference and the NSCA Japan Conference.

At Texas A&M, Dr. Mann is committed to developing the next generation of strength and conditioning professionals and exercise scientists. He has mentored more than 20 graduate students at the master's and doctoral levels and maintains an active research program with collaborators across the United States, Australia, and Japan. His work bridges the gap between laboratory science and real-world application — a philosophy reflected equally in his teaching, his writing, and his sustained engagement with practitioners through clinics, workshops, and professional organizations.

Muscular physiological health and performance outcomes in athletes; athlete performance development and well-being; applied strength and performance training.

Dr. Bryan Crutcher holds a Bachelor's of Science in Kinesiology, two Master's degrees in Human Sport Performance and Sport Psychology, and a Doctoral degree in Kinesiology. He additionally holds certifications as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and Certified Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-EP) through the American College of Sports Medicine. Dr. Crutcher is passionate about translating research and applied insights into the classroom, where he engages students in evidence-based practices and prepares them to become skilled practitioners. Having published in peer-reviewed journals, his early research focused on concussion and sleep quality in collegiate student-athletes. He is now transcending into examining muscular physiological health and performance outcomes in athletes. Drawing from the fields of Strength and Conditioning and Exercise Physiology, he seeks to investigate key factors that influence athlete performance development and well-being. Dr. Crutcher also continues to work with current and former athletes in an applied strength and performance training context.

Cardiovascular disease risk and health promotion in first responders; para-athletics training and performance optimization.

Dr. Lisa Cooper Colvin is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology & Sport Management at Texas A&M University. Dr. Colvin received her B.S. in Health & Physical Education/Teacher Education and M.Ed. in Physical Education from The University of Louisiana at Monroe. She completed her Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology at The University of Southern Mississippi. Her work experience includes cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation as well as non-invasive cardiovascular stress testing. Her primary research focus is cardiovascular disease risk and health promotion in first responders. Her research interests also include para-athletics training and performance optimization. Dr. Colvin is an ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist and ACSM Board of Trustees representative for basic and applied sciences, and a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. She is a high-performance coach for USA Track & Field, USA Triathlon, USA Cycling and USA Swimming, and a USATF master official, World Athletics National Technical Official (NTO) and World Para Athletics NTO.

Applied strength and conditioning program design; elite athlete performance development across Olympic, professional, and collegiate sport; high-performance organizational systems; facility design; and interdisciplinary performance modeling.

Bo Sandoval is a Professor of the Practice in the Department of Kinesiology & Sport Management at Texas A&M University, where he teaches across the Masters Strength & Conditioning program, including KINE 683 (Masters Practicum I), KINE 631 (Special Topics in Strength & Conditioning), and KINE 460 (Undergraduate Pre-Internship). He holds an M.S. in Sports Administration/Exercise Science from the University of Southern Mississippi and carries credentials as a Registered Strength & Conditioning Coach Emeritus (RSCC*E), Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Strength & Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC), and USA Weightlifting Level 2 National Coach. In 2024 he was appointed to the NSCA Foundation Board of Directors.

Prior to joining TAMU's academic faculty, Sandoval served as Assistant Athletics Director for Strength & Conditioning at Texas A&M Athletics (2021–2025), directing performance operations across 15 NCAA Division I sports programs and leading a staff of 13. Before that, he was Director of Strength & Conditioning at the UFC Performance Institute (2017–2021), overseeing global high-performance strategy for 680+ rostered athletes and co-authoring the two-volume UFCPI Scientific Journal series on UFC athlete performance. He also spent eight years at the University of Michigan in Olympic Sports S&C leadership roles, contributing to the design of the $30M Stephen Ross South Athletic Campus Performance Center. Earlier in his career he served at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, programming for athletes in wrestling, judo, fencing, taekwondo, figure skating, and para-sport.

In April 2016, Sandoval served as USA Weightlifting Men's Head Coach at the Rio Olympic Test Event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where Team USA returned with medal performances across three weight classes. He is a nationally recognized speaker with more than 50 invited presentations and podcast appearances spanning six continents, covering topics from MMA athlete programming and combat sports conditioning to S&C leadership and coach development. He is also the founder of Summit Performance Solutions LLC, providing sports performance consulting and facility design services to organizations including Tarleton State University and SPARC DMV.