Brianna Battles believes athleticism does not end when motherhood begins. Frustrated by the lack of resources and support for pregnant and postpartum athletes, she founded Everyday Battles to bridge the gap. Now, she empowers everyone from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters and Olympians to hobbyists to challenge their perceived fragility, navigate body and identity changes, and pursue a lifetime of athleticism. Battles notes how strength and conditioning coaches are uniquely poised to influence communities and train general populations using a top-down coaching philosophy. Conducting needs analyses, she focuses on their athletic history, predispositions, and how they manage breathing, pressure, and tension during movement. By reverse-engineering a proactive return to performance, she helps clients overcome social media glorification and fearmongering to design an athlete-mom life that serves them. Battles discusses tapping into the “athlete brain” that craves routine and buy-in. Her advice? Get curious, practice brave, and embrace entrepreneurship as another form of progressive overload.
Connect with Brianna on Instagram: @brianna.battles and @pregnant.postpartum.athlete or by email at: brianna@briannabattles.com | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs
This episode discusses new CASCE field experience requirements that dictate a minimum of two substantially different work experiences. Learn more about CASCE accreditation at NSCA.com/CASCE.
This article discusses what muscle dysmorphia is, the ways in which adolescents can fall victim to it, and how to intervene when body image becomes distorted.
Personal trainersProgram designBasic Pathophysiology and Science of Health Status or Condition and Disorder or Diseasestrength and conditioningresistance trainingyouth training guidelineshypertrophymuscle dysmorphia
This article argues that strength and conditioning coaches should investigate the subdisciplines of kinesiology as an approach to strength and conditioning for primarily anaerobic sports such as football and volleyball.
CoachesExercise ScienceOrganization and Administrationstrength and conditioning workoutskinesiologystrength and conditioningsport training
This article is the second part of a two-part series that considers the potential role strength and conditioning coaches have in developing student-athlete leadership.
CoachesOrganization and AdministrationProfessional DevelopmentNSCA Coachleadershiprole model
Competence, autonomy, and relatedness are three keys to promoting a more intrinsically motivated athlete. These components can be combined in nearly limitless ways, which is especially important for the long basketball season.
CoachesExercise ScienceProgram designsports psychologytraining for basketballhow to motivate athletesMotivation
Similarities and overlaps exist between the realm of sport psychology and the profession of strength and conditioning coaching. This article provides a basic introduction to sport psychology and provides some guidance for preliminary directions; ideally, it will help strength and conditioning coaches find effective people and resources to help them in their coaching pursuits.
CoachesExercise ScienceNSCA CoachIntroduction to Sport PsychologySport Psychologymental trainingstrength and conditioning
Biofeedback is a tool that not everyone knows about, yet many coaches and athletes could benefit from using it. This article will describe the psychophysiological principle, introduce biofeedback, and provide descriptions of two biofeedback modalities that may be useful for strength and conditioning professionals to improve performance.
CoachesExercise ScienceExercise TechniqueProgram designstrength and conditioningstrength trainingbiofeedback