As Florida State's returning football players report back to campus this week and new players arrive for the start of the spring semester, that also means the beginning of the Seminoles' winter conditioning program.

Warchant caught up with FSU director of strength and conditioning Josh Storms on Monday to discuss what the players will be focusing on during the two months leading up to spring practice, what the overall team goals are this offseason from a strength standpoint, how challenging a COVID-interrupted first season was for a new staff, and more.

Here is a transcript of that conversation:

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Q: I wanted to start out by looking back at last year and then move on to what you guys will be focusing on this winter and spring. When we talked during the summer when the players were back home during quarantine, you seemed pleased with the work the guys were putting in on their own. But I'm sure it's not quite the same as if they had been here, working out with you and your staff. I know it was the case for all teams, but looking back, how big of a challenge was that?

A: Our guys did a really good job on their own, and the work is the work. But like you said, it's not the same as being pushed by your teammates or by a coach. Really, the biggest difference -- what we really didn't get out of that setting -- was a lot of things we do to kind of institute the culture of what we do in our program. It's always one of our goals, starting in the wintertime and especially throughout the summertime, is try to identify leaders. And put them in situations to get leadership reps. We also try to identify flaws we have in our team -- either how we communicate or how we respond to certain situations and dynamics. Things like that. We try to expose as much as possible during the offseason to allow us to identify those things and then resolve, get better and then learn from those mistakes. That's the biggest thing we didn't actually get the opportunity to do.

Q: When we spoke with the on-field coaches throughout the season, it sounded like they felt the players were getting a better understanding of what was expected of them and how much effort would be required. It sounded like it was a gradual process and got better later in the fall. Were you seeing that in your workouts as well?

A: Yeah, there's always going to be some adjustments in year one. It's just that -- it's year one. Guys aren't sure ... you can tell them what the standard is all you want. But until you've kind of been through it and experienced it, to understand the way that we're going to practice and the way that we're going to practice consistently throughout the season, there's an adjustment that goes along with that. Not just physically but psychologically as well. And I think that's one thing, as things are going on, that guys kind of wrap their heads around. "OK, this is how we work. This is the way we do things." And as guys start to grab ahold of that and make that their own, that's when you start seeing that gain and that acceleration in the effort, the understanding, the execution of what we're asking those guys to do.