Bobby Smith, Owner and Director of Sports Performance at Reach Your Potential Training (RYPT), explains his systematic approach to writing a warm-up by implementing mobility, stability, activation, and injury prevention in this session from the NSCA’s 2018 National Conference.

World renowned Olympic training coach, Dan Pfaff, discusses how coaches can become a better performance supplier when managing athletic injuries. Pfaff also explains how to reduce lost time in practice and competitions, as well as how to reduce acute and chronic injury factors.

The following information provides an overview of what microdosing (MD) is, the limitations in utilizing it as a programming method, and the structure of an MD training session along with examples of in-season and off-season training microcycles.

This infographic reviews the current research of both complex and contrast training methods and their effect on performance measures.

Considering the great popularity of eccentric-based training, the purpose of this review is to first provide the scientific rationale for its use; second, summarize the eccentric-based training modalities that can be used; and finally, offer practical recommendations on how to implement eccentricbased modalities to enhance sports performance. The molecular and neural mechanisms underlying eccentric actions are partially distinct from those of concentric and isometric actions. During eccentric actions, theories suggest a strain-induced modulation of actin-myosin interactions at the crossbridge level, activation of structural protein titin, and winding of titin on actin. Eccentric acute physiological responses differ from concentric exercise responses, including variations in neuromuscular, metabolic, hormonal, and anabolic signaling. Eccentric training elicits greater improvements in muscle strength, power, and stretch-shortening cycle function compared with concentric-only or traditional resistance training. Therefore, eccentric-based training can lead to unique neuromuscular (e.g., improved coordination of motor units) and morphological (e.g., increased muscle fascicle length and enhanced distal cross-sectional area) adaptations that could play a key role in sport performance. Practitioners may implement eccentric exercises with external loads, fully eccentric-based exercises (e.g., Nordic hamstring curl), accentuated eccentric loading, flywheel resistance exercise, and plyometrics to develop specific physical adaptations in line with their goals. Eccentric work (e.g., for hamstrings) can be obtained during other exercises such as downhill running tasks, decelerations, and sprinting activities. Practitioners need to be aware that no single “silver bullet” training modality exists; consequently, practitioners should use a combination of eccentric-based training approaches with their athletes to obtain the desired adaptations.

The NSCA has built a collection of resources to help our community of strength and conditioning professionals and athletes safely return to training and adapt to the new challenges created by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

Athletes in field and court sports require reactive agility—they must accelerate, decelerate, and change direction in a constantly changing environment. These requirements result in technical differences between sprinting in a field or court sport and sprinting the 100-m.

All sports nutrition professionals should be able to answer basic nutrition questions. However, athletes with complex nutrition issues should be referred to the appropriate resource as explained in this book excerpt.

Historically, patients who undergo reverse total shoulder arthroplasty/ replacement (rTSA) procedures receive much stricter activity limitations for sports and resistance training endeavors in comparison to the traditional total shoulder arthroplasty/replacement. This may cause confusion amongst personal trainers about safety as it relates to designing resistance training programs for these patients.

The importance of sprinting in many sports has resulted in the search for the most appropriate training methods to improve sprint performance. Authors of recent reviews conclude that resistance training is an effective means to improve sprint performance. Others, however, have reported that resistance training is not as effective as simply engaging in sprint training.