The NSCA certification exams are based on the analysis of tasks needed to be competent in a specified job or role. The exams measure a candidate’s knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) compared to a predetermined level of competence. It is not a test that recalls information from a textbook like a college course. Before you start preparing ensure you have chosen the right certification for you.

Your start in strength and conditioning starts with the NSCA's comprehensive Career Guide. Packed with advice and guidance from industry leaders, you'll get a head start on taking the next step as a strength coach, fitness professional, researcher, educator and beyond.

The NSCA-CPT examination reflects the most current and accepted KSA standards within the health and fitness industries. Further, the examinations may be developed from references that may be in addition to resources listed below. NSCA materials survey important content area, but are not a comprehensive study of the Exercise Sciences.

Certified Special Population Specialists® (CSPS®) are fitness professionals who, using an individualized approach, assess, motivate, educate, and train special population clients, including those with chronic and temporary health conditions. Become a certified personal trainer, then pursue this advanced personal trainer certification. CSPS® individuals train clients with medical conditions such as metabolic disease, autoimmune disorders, cancer and cardiac arrest, and address the needs of prenatal and postpartum personal training clients.

Blood pressure changes acutely during resistance exercise. Continuous, beat-by-beat assessment provides detailed temporal resolution of blood pressure profiles, through techniques including intra-arterial catheterization, photoplethysmography, or applanation tonometry. However, noncontinuous measurements may be conducted before and after resistance exercise through auscultatory sphygmomanometry or oscillometry. Blood pressures tend to increase across repetitions within sets, influenced by load magnitude, repetitions and sets performed, muscle mass recruited, and rest periods; the highest pressures result from multi-joint, large muscle group exercises. Evaluation of such factors may facilitate better understanding of blood pressure responses to acute resistance exercise and influence program design considerations relative to anticipated hemodynamic changes.

The TSAC-F examination reflects the most current and accepted KSA standards within the health and fitness industries. Further, the examinations may be developed from references that may be in addition to resources listed below. NSCA materials survey important content area, but are not a comprehensive study of the Exercise Sciences.

Colorado Springs, CO – Strength and conditioning and tactical professionals from across the nation will converge on the NSCA’s TSAC Annual Training April 2-5, 2018 in Norfolk, VA to discover cutting-edge research and practical applications in strength and conditioning, presented by the industry’s most elite and respected experts.

An individual’s training status is a key factor used to determine the volume, the intensity, and the selection of exercises for resistance training prescription. Interestingly, there are no objective parameters to assess training status, so there is ambiguity in determining the appropriate volume and other resistance training variables in this regard. Thus, the objective of this study was to propose a strategy for classification and determination of resistance training status. The following five parameters were identified and used: (a) current uninterrupted training time, (b) time of detraining, (c) previous training experience, (d) exercise technique, and (e) strength level. Moreover, 4 classification levels are proposed: beginner, intermediate, advanced, and highly advanced, which are determined by the mean score of the parameters used. The proposed model represents an important advancement in training status classification and can be used as a valid tool for training prescription and for researchers to better characterize a sample and reproduce results under the same conditions in future studies.

Maximal force can be expressed across a range of conditions influenced by the external load and the time available to express force. As a result, several distinct and specific strength qualities exist. Conversely, some expressions of maximal force are similar and can be categorized as a single quality. Therefore, strength assessment systems must be sophisticated enough to isolate and measure each quality while minimizing redundant information. This article presents a contemporary, evidence-based and practical framework that reduces the many strength and speed-strength metrics into 5 distinct qualities. Alongside this, we present case examples of the application of strength diagnosis.