Give your athletes that competitive edge with the 2021 Professional Baseball Strength & Conditioning Coaches Society’s (PBSCCS) Virtual Clinic powered by the NSCA. Identify strength training, conditioning and wellness best practices for the baseball player.

Submit your social media content to the NSCA. Share strength and conditioning insights, photos, or and videos for potential feature on NSCA social media channels.

From the 2023 NSCA Tactical Annual Training, Lee Margolis discusses the physiological outcomes of the body during periods of low glycogen availability in regard to military operations.

Colorado Springs, CO – As it celebrates its 10th anniversary, the National Strength and Conditioning Association Foundation (NSCAF) is proud to announce several new grants and scholarship that will be available to NSCA members for the 2017-2018 grant and scholarship cycles.

Join the 2026 NSCA Personal Trainers Virtual Conference (PTCon) online October 27–30 for flexible continuing education, evidence-based strategies, and 2.0 CEUs.

Read the latest happenings with the NSCA. Stay up-to-date on the latest announcements and developments with the NSCA by browsing our recent press releases and archives.

This article provides the first academic history of the barbell back squat and its evolution from a bodyweight exercise in the 19th century to a loaded exercise used for a variety of purposes in the present age. In doing so, the article highlights three key drivers in the evolution of the back squat—changes in equipment, the diversification of strength sports, and scientific communication concerning the safety and efficacy of the movement. The goal of this article was not to provide a dry and irrelevant history but rather to stress the complexity of the squat’s prominence within fitness programs and the need to hold a nuanced view toward the “optimal” way to approach this movement. It examines how the movement evolved from being primarily done on the tips of one’s toes, to a loaded movement on tippy toes, to a flat-footed movement. By contextualizing the back squat’s history, this article challenges rigid notions of “correct” squatting technique and encourages a more nuanced understanding of exercise selection in strength and conditioning practice. It concludes by highlighting the importance of critically examining the social construction of knowledge in fitness and sport, and the value of historical perspective in informing contemporary training practices

Access the video collection for the 2018 Coaches Conference High School Track Live Stream sponsored by Gatorade.