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.

Not all diets are appropriate for every population and this is especially true of an athlete who is expected to train and perform at a high level. Learn about the negatives of fad diets, potential pitfalls, and realistic dietary guidelines for athletes.

Do you understand the youth athlete? In order to train youth athletes effectively, coaches must have an understanding of how to motivate youth athletes. This article will explain how to do just that, as well as how to use age-appropriate developmental cues for this population.

Integrating weight room cues that are more consistent with those used to reinforce safer tackling techniques on the field may help with athlete retention and buy-in, and prevent potential confusion.

There is no argument that periodization is successful, and that different models can be applied with success in different fashions. The question of how shift work really affects a periodized program—more specifically firefighter shift work—is less clear.

This article considers some of the main differences between the training of Olympic weightlifters and the use of Olympic weightlifting exercises in strength training for sport.

This article provides a discussion around the evidence on creatine timing and supplementation.

In this episode, we learn from Emily Schilling, an Associate Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Illinois Fighting Illini Volleyball team. She shares her needs analysis for the growing sport of volleyball with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, including thoughts for training team sports, different positions on the court, and the progression from first-year students through graduation. Another important topic covered is the professional pathways strength and conditioning coaches take to gain meaningful early-career coaching experiences and pursue higher-level director roles. Hear about beyond the weightroom demands placed on college student-athletes today, and how National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) “Name, Image, Likeness” (NIL) policies are a topic that strength and conditioning coaches should learn about. You can connect with Emily via email at esselman@illinois.edu | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

This article focuses on providing first-hand insight into the alternative licensure program (ALP) route from a current coach in the field.

Nearly all fitness professionals are forced to address low back pain (LBP) to some extent, regardless of the age or population with which they work. The purpose of this article is to shed light on contemporary research surrounding LBP.