Webber International University’s Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Stephen Rassel, presents a six-part Career Development Series on “Creating a Strength and Conditioning Program for Your High School or College.”

The purpose of this article is to provide the strength and conditioning coach with a template on how to integrate the clean and power clean into athletic training programs.

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

The NSCA has ten committees, each of which was established by the Board of Directors to meet the needs of the NSCA. Learn more about how our committees serve Certification, Conferences, Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Finance, Membership, Nominations*, Research, State/Provincial Directors, and Women.

The purpose of this article is to help provide recommendations of overall recovery modalities for tactical athletes.

There can be no doubt that protein is important and this article reviews the current research to help further understand the recommendations for protein intake.

This short excerpt from Developing the Core details the importance of training the core musculature in tennis athletes.

This excerpt from Developing the Core briefly defines closed- and open-chain exercises and their respective roles in training.

This Kinetic Select from Developing the Core reviews the effects of muscle activity when performing exercises on unstable surfaces.

This excerpt from Exercise Technique Manual for Resistance Training, Third Edition goes over the technique and execution in each phase of the push jerk.