Read the NSCA’s commitment to safer youth sports as we endorse Project Play’s ACL Pledge, advancing evidence-based education and training to reduce injury risk.

Athletes engage in training programs that develop physical and physiological attributes to improve performance over time. However, ensuring athletes are optimally prepared just before competition is also of utmost importance. Indeed, such approaches may often adopt 1 or more strategies in the days, hours, and minutes preceding competition, including exercise priming, active warmup, and/or postactivation performance enhancing (PAPE) activities. Despite a plethora of discrete research, such information seems poorly synthesized, making it difficult for coaches and athletes to implement optimal evidence based physical preparation approaches in many sporting contexts. This article aims to provide a scoping overview of evidence, facilitate discussion, and where possible, propose practical exercise based recommendations that may be useful leading up to (~48 hours–~1 minute) tasks with a short or prolonged endurance component or requiring repeated intermittent efforts (e.g., team based field sports). Well-timed and –designed activities can facilitate several aspects of physical performance, potentially improve athletes’ psychological state(s) and mental preparedness. The benefits of a warm-up are most well documented, but priming and PAPE strategies also warrant consideration. It is intended that the evidence and suggestions presented will be useful for strength and conditioning professionals preparing athletes for competition.

The NSCA Foundation is proud to announce the recipients of the 2018 Coaching Advancement Grant, Nicholas Cuthrell, and Eleiko Equipment Grant, North High School.

NSCA has a network of volunteer leaders who direct NSCA’s efforts at the state level. NSCA’s Southeast Regional Coordinator provides oversight and training to local state directors. Members in the Southeast Region can connect at local and regional events as well as on Facebook to others in this area.

Unite with our strength and conditioning community at the 2026 NSCA National Conference in New Orleans. Learn hands-on, apply new science, + earn up to 3.0 CEUs

The steps on this page will help you select the right certification that fits your career goals.

Congratulations to the 2020 NSCA Award Winners!