The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) has announced that it is working to elevate and advance the strength and conditioning profession by developing a quality assurance process that ensures all future professionals are capable and well-prepared. This process establishes a qualified workforce that has the professional knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to meet industry standards and be successful in the strength and conditioning industry. To achieve this, the NSCA is taking forward-thinking steps by modifying the requirements to attain the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® (CSCS®) certification. These requirements are targeted to take effect in the year 2030.

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Learn more about the NSCA in the news. From our members to our staff and board of directors, NCSA-affiliated individuals are frequently sought after to weigh in on a wide breadth of health, fitness, and strength and conditioning topics.

NSCA has a network of volunteer leaders who direct NSCA’s efforts at the state and provincial level. NSCA’s North Central Regional Coordinator provides oversight and training to local state and provincial directors. Members in the North Central Region can connect at local and regional events as well as on Facebook to others in this area.

NSCA has a network of volunteer leaders who direct NSCA’s efforts at the state and provincial level. NSCA’s Northwest Regional Coordinator provides oversight and training to local state and provincial directors. Members in the Northwest Region can connect at local and regional events as well as on Facebook to others in this area.

Deloading is a period of reduced training stress where training demand is intentionally reduced to mitigate physiological and psychological fatigue and promote recovery. A deload is commonly implemented to enhance readiness for subsequent training and occurs between or during training phases. During a deload, training is typically modified by reducing the intensity of effort, training volume, duration, or frequency. Adjustments in exercise selection are based on recovery goals and the specific demands of the athlete’s training. Deloads are commonly preplanned and implemented into the training program every 4–8 weeks based on the structure of the training cycle and recovery needs. Alternatively, deloads are sometimes applied reactively using an autoregulatory approach to accommodate unexpected fatigue or performance decrements. While deloading shares conceptual similarities with tapering and training cessation, it should be differentiated based on its objective, structure, and positionality with the overall training program. The purpose of this article is to describe the current research landscape, propose areas for future research, and to provide broad practical recommendations for implementing deloading within the strength and physique sports training program.

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.

Long-Term Athletic Development (LTAD) models have provided a youth sport framework for more than 2 decades, aimed at improving skill progression, training outcomes, and athlete preparation. Although influential, traditional LTAD approaches are limited by their sport-centric orientation, linear design, and focus on elite performance, leaving them less relevant for most youth and adults who do not pursue competitive sport. In response, we propose reframing LTAD as Long-Term Activity Development (LTActD), an accessible and flexible model designed to promote lifelong engagement in physical activity, including recreation, exercise, and sport. LTActD emphasizes 5 dynamic phases—Explore, Develop, Apply, Sustain, and Thrive—that accommodate diverse pathways, periods of inactivity, and opportunities to re-enter active living at any age. Represented as a curvy road, the new model underscores that participation in physical activity is rarely linear, more like a winding journey shaped by health, motivation, environment, and social context. LTActD bridges sport science and public health, positioning physical activity as a lifelong resource for health, independence, and fulfillment. LTActD offers a practical framework to empower individuals of all ages and abilities to discover meaningful ways to move, re-engage, and embrace active living throughout the life course.

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is excited to offer its members a free copy of the Basics of Strength and Conditioning Manual to help them learn the basic principles and movement fundamentals that should be included in every strength and conditioning program.

From the 2021 Personal Training Virtual Conference, Andrea Leonard thoroughly details the impact of various cancer surgeries on muscle balance and range of motion and necessary program considerations. She also discusses the acute and chronic side-effects of cancer treatment and how they may affect exercise programming. Another area that is highlighted is lymphedema. She details the cancer-related risk factors and how it can be prevented and/or managed with proper exercise programming and progression.