This excerpt from NSCA’s Guide to Sport and Exercise Nutrition discusses carbohydrate loading strategies for athletes to achieve optimal athletic performance.

What's behind enduring success at the highest level of college athletics? Kate Smith, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Michigan, shares insights from nearly 14 years of experience coaching multiple sports in a competitive collegiate environment. Smith emphasizes sustained excellence through adaptability, genuine curiosity, and openness to opportunities — even outside of athletics. Drawing on her private-sector experiences, she explains how diverse roles helped shape her flexible, athlete-centered philosophy. Smith candidly addresses current collegiate challenges, including navigating Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) distractions and adjusting motivational strategies across team cultures and generations. As a Certified Performance and Sport Scientist® (CPSS®), Smith highlights how integrating data-driven insights helps her create a more effective training environment. This expertise uniquely positions her to bridge athletics with academics, deepening collaboration on campus-wide performance initiatives. Learn how to implement practical strategies for keeping athletes engaged amidst external pressures, leverage performance data meaningfully, and continually refresh your coaching approach. Connect with Kate via email at kannehay@umich.edu and on Instagram: @katehaycock | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs

Andy Galpin, Associate Professor and Co-Director of Center for Sports Performance at Cal State Fullerton, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about the roles of science and technology in sport.

This article reviews the use of heart rate as a way to program cardiovascular exercise.

Eleiko becomes an Official Sponsor and Performance Center Supplier and Announces the Eleiko Equipment Grant for Inner City School’s Weightlifting Clubs

This article discusses how first responder organizations can optimize their training programs through scientific techniques, including the measurement of training load.

This article provides a first-hand account of the usage and benefits of dumbbell training programs with athletes.

Sled exercises provide a training stimulus that closely mimics real-world physical demands of sports. This article provides examples of how to implement sled training into a program.

Position statements are official statements of the NSCA on topics related to strength and conditioning and exercise science. All NSCA Position Statements are published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research® and free to the public.

All fitness components depend on body composition to some extent, and the demands of many sports require that athletes maintain standard levels of body composition.