NSCA Member Spotlight: Meredith Butulis shares how the CSCS helped bridge physical therapy, strength and conditioning, and athletic confidence. Read her story.

This excerpt briefly explains the steps to create a resistance training plan for endurance athletes.

The “five Ss” of trainability and performance are critical periods of development that all youth strength and conditioning coaches should consider when creating a training program. Coaches should take advantage of each window to maximize a youth athlete’s potential and help ensure a long athletic career.

Supplements that claim to boost nitric oxide have not been proven to be all that effective since the actual conversion in the blood cell is rather complicated and requires oxygen, which is usually in short supply during exercise or at high altitude. So how does an athlete boost their nitric oxide production?

This excerpt from Developing Endurance goes over tapering and peaking in aerobic training for competition.

Micah Kurtz, Director of Strength and Conditioning at AC Flora High School talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about high school strength and conditioning, and how to break into the field.

This excerpt from Developing Speed discusses the various start patterns that exist and how to include them in a speed development program.

Learn the basics of conducting a needs analysis for tactical athletes based on the athlete’s goals and desired outcomes, assessments, limitations on workout frequency and duration, equipment availability, health and injury status, and occupational physiological demands.

Dr. Allison Randall, Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Vanderbilt University Women’s Basketball Program, talks to the NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about how her path to the 2012 London Olympic Games as an athlete led her to pursue the strength and conditioning profession. Topics include the use of appropriate cueing strategies to optimize work with young athletes, differences with team versus individual sports, and the importance of education for coaches. Find Dr. Randall on Twitter: @AllisonVRandall or Instagram: @allisonvrandall | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

Managing workload and optimizing athlete performance while promoting injury-free participation is simplified using the eight tips in this article.