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.

Early sport specialization involves physically immature children participating in intensive year-round training and/or competition for a single sport. The lack of sport exposure and diversification during the developmental years may underlie the increased risk of overuse injuries, blunting of motor skill development, psychosocial issues, overtraining syndrome, burnout, and potential dropout from sport. With increasing number of youth choosing, or being encouraged, to specialize at an early age, we aim to provide evidence based recommendations for the integration of strength and conditioning into the development programs of young athletes who participate in sports with a culture of early specialization. In addition to the principles of programming, strategies are provided relative to monitoring of growth, maturation, and training load to illustrate the potential complexities of attempting to optimize long-term athletic development in early specializing athletes.

There are five ways that a strength and conditioning position is typically structured in a high school. Each position structure has its own pros and cons that should be evaluated for your specific situation.

This continuing education opportunity explores a variety of topics as they pertain to nutrition and supplement information. Articles 1) Betaine Supplementation: A Critical Review of Its Efficacy for Improving Muscle Strength, Power, and Body Composition 2) Energy and Macronutrient Considerations for Young Athletes 3) Evidence-Based Nutritional Strategies to Enhance Athletic Performance 4) Green Tea and Black Tea for Exercise Recovery: A Systematic Review 5) Understanding the Scientific Evidence and Regulatory State of the U.S. Dietary Supplement Industry: Considerations for Health and Fitness Practitioners

The countermovement jump (CMJ) is one of the most used performance assessments in strength and conditioning. Although numerous studies discuss the usability of different metrics in this test, this is often performed within the context of a specific aim. However, to our knowledge, no information currently exists providing practitioners with some over-arching recommendations on which metrics to choose when the purpose of using the test differs. This article discusses how the metrics selected to monitor during CMJ testing may differ when aiming to use it as a proxy for athletic performance, as part of neuromuscular fatigue monitoring, or as part of a test battery for return to performance in injured athletes.

The Strength and Conditioning Journal is the professional journal for strength coaches, personal trainers, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and other health professionals working in the strength and conditioning field. The journal's mission is to publish articles that report both the practical applications of research findings and the knowledge gained by experienced professionals.

This article introduces a periodization model designed for beginner to elite perinatal athletes, emphasizing trimester-phased training aligning with gestation, delivery, and postpartum needs. Amid progressing global recommendations on perinatal exercise and increasing female participation in high-intensity and strength training, the primary aim is to propose an evidence-based, structured approach to training that consolidates these trends. The physical and psychological demands of labor mirrors that of an athletic endeavor. As such, this article explores emerging evidence supporting maternal and fetal safety and benefit of high-intensity training, allowing pregnant individuals to prepare in accordance with the task ahead. Training phases parallel to preseason, in-season, peaking, and recovery shift in focus based on the physiological need and biomechanical necessity within the pregnancy timeline. This translation of science to practice underscores the potential for tailored training programs to positively impact maternal, fetal, and neonatal health, urging further research and unified guidelines in this evolving field.

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This is Season 9 of the NSCA’s Coaching Podcast, where strength and conditioning coaches share their experience, lessons learned, and advice about how to thrive in a highly competitive profession.

Learn, participate and network with colleagues at (location) while earning CEUs. Hosted by the state, provincial and regional directors, this local event brings cutting-edge research and application to your backyard.