Due to the high contact and intensity of football, injuries to the players are inevitable. Strength and conditioning coaches play a vital role in the athlete’s process of return to sport. This article is a detailed outline of the solutions that are involved with transitioning a football player from rehabilitation to strength and conditioning back to the field.
CoachesProgram designSafetyBasic Pathophysiology and Science of Health Status or Condition and Disorder or DiseaseFootballReturn to SportInjury RehabilitationInjury in Sport
Tex McQuilkin, Director of Training and Education at Power Athlete talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about Coach McQuilkin’s work at power athlete, his athletic background, and his start into Strength and Conditioning. Topics under discussion include: Power Athletes education program, Coach McQuilkin’s experiences working with athletes, his GA position,
CoachesOrganization and AdministrationProfessional Development
Cory Kennedy, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Institut National du Sport du Québec in Montreal, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about the importance of monitoring athletes and the equipment used to keep track of their well-being.
This article seeks to provide insight on a training method based around prescribing small amounts of training to achieve a large amount of physical improvements.
CoachesProgram designTesting and EvaluationNeeds AnalysisTestingBasketball
Dietary fat has both long-term and short-term effects on an athlete and athletic performance. “Fat loading” as a strategy to improve athletic performance remains unproven.
Nicole Rodriguez always knew she wanted to pursue strength and conditioning, but the extent of her journey — spanning 44 countries and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games — is nothing short of inspiring. During her time at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning, Rodriguez recognized the value of experience and environment, later joining the EXOS International Program to coach globally. Eager to test her skills and help standardize coaching education, she sought out developing countries to advance their sport infrastructure. Rodriguez outlines key differences between U.S. and European approaches: while the U.S. excels in strength methodology, Europe enhances sport-specific application through tactical periodization. Additionally, she highlights Europe’s emphasis on rehabilitation and an “inverse relationship” between time in the weight room versus pitch-side with sport coaches. Rodriguez also describes her work with Poland’s Ministry of Sport and Tourism to pursue NSCA Global Chapter status, aligning with her passion for improving strength and conditioning education and implementation worldwide.
Connect with Nicole by email: nicole@coachnicolerodriguez.com and online at: coachnicolerodriguez.com | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs
Learn more about NSCA international programs mentioned in the episode at NSCA.com/Global.
The NSCA is proud to recognize the outstanding work of our professionals around the world. Please take time to nominate your peers when you see excellence that deserves recognition.
High school coaching is a rapidly-growing area of strength and conditioning, and can be an exciting career choice for strength and conditioning professionals who want to have a lifelong positive impact on young people.
Knowledge of metabolic rate can help athletes as well as health-conscious people improve their exercise performance or obtain the fat-to-lean-mass ratio optimal for their personal situations. Two examples of how this works follow.
CoachesExercise ScienceNutritionmetabolic ratefitness teststrength and conditioningweight loss