Lecturer    Spartan Complex 170   (408) 924-3010   matt.crockett@sjsu.edu

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Professor Bio

Sport and physical activity is a second language for me. I grew up in the Bay Area playing a variety of sports, eventually settling on swimming and water polo as my main competitive outlet in high school. At UC Davis, I was a founding member of the men’s water polo club team in addition to competing on the university’s triathlon team. With a degree in genetics and a minor in english, I found a job after college as a writer for a small biotech media company called BioCentury Publications, where I eventually became the editor and manager of BioCentury Extra, a daily paper covering the latest biopharma news around the world.

After 5 years at BioCentury, I decided to pursue a career in sport and fitness and enrolled in the SJSU graduate program in Kinesiology. At the same time I became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and completed additional coaching certifications in Olympic weightlifting and Russian kettlebells. During graduate school I served as the head coach of the weightlifting club at VIS Performance in Belmont, where I also trained private clients and taught group fitness classes.

Although my studies in graduate school focused on exercise physiology, I developed a research interest in the social aspects of sport and fitness. My graduate thesis, A Spatial Ethnography of the CrossFit Gym, explored the social significance of CrossFit, a recently popular competitive group fitness regimen that incorporates a variety of different exercise methods. When I’m not teaching, I can be found training clients (and myself, occasionally) out of my garage gym in San Mateo, and spending time with my wife, Laura, and our rambunctious corgi, Pudley, whose adventures you can follow on Instagram @pudleythecuddlycorgi.

 

Education

Master of Arts Degree in Kinesiology, San Jose Staté University, San José, CA

Bachelor of Science Degree in Genetics, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA

 

Expertise, Research & Teaching Interests

My expertise and teaching interests bridge the gap between the “hard” and “soft” sciences. I am interested in the practical application of physiology and biomechanics to increase strength and performance in athletes. However, I am also curious about the social significance of exercise and training in a moment when physical labor has never mattered less.

 

Courses Taught

KIN 100W: Writing Workshop for Kinesiology

KIN 101: Sport in America

KIN 163: Physical Fitness & Nutrition

KIN 169: Diversity, Stress, & Health

G.E. Course Coordinator Kinesiology – KIN 169, Fall 2017 to present

 

Selected Publications

Crockett, M. C. & Butryn, T. M. (2017). Chasing Rx: A spatial ethnography of the CrossFit gym. Sociology of Sport Journal. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.2017-0115

Crockett, M. (2017, November 7). CrossFit: Reimagining the body in a bodiless world [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://thesocietypages.org/engagingsports/2017/11/07/crossfit-reimagining-the-body-in-a-bodiless-world/

 

Professional Affiliations

National Strength & Conditioning Association, Member since 2013

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