I don't know if there was personnel changeover in the strength/conditioning program between 2004 and now, but Taliek, Ben and Emeka were weight room all-stars. When Ben went to the combines, there was a comment from someone that "his muscles have muscles".
The trick to hoops is you are trying to add stength/muscle while also improving your quickness and vertical - so some fast twitch muscle work and flexibility is needed too, and not always just bulk. I mentioned him before, but a guy like Gavin was stronger in the upper body when he graduated, but also infinitely "springier" than when he came in. I never thought he'd be a shot blocker when he started, but he went from being a below-average athlete (I thought) to a guy who could make plays above the rim.
Pitt has had an impressive track record of breeding quality beef. Winning big games not so much. That doesn't necessarily prove annything - our 2004 team is a good counterpoint of a team of musclemen just destroying teams. But then again, two of our string beaniest guys have rings on their beany fingers, and we won five games in five days with a team that didn't have a lot of bulk.