All fitness components depend on body composition to some extent, and the demands of many sports require that athletes maintain standard levels of body composition.

Listen in as Angelo Gingerelli, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coordinator at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, tells the NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about his journey in the strength and conditioning profession. Topics include working collaboratively as a strength and conditioning staff, positive social media practices, taking on additional staff responsibilities as an adjunct professor, and working with endurance athletes. You can reach out to Coach Gingerelli on Instagram: @finish_strong_book| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

This NSCA Coach article offers a brief description on the various methods for setting resistance training loads. Visit NSCA online to read more on strength training and program development.

When isolating aerobic capacity as a determinant of performance, traditional interventions have focused on increasing an individual’s VO2max. Based on the large acute improvements from a single positive psychology research study, investigations into the application of integrated psychophysiological strategies to optimize performance should be explored.

This article reviews the use of heart rate as a way to program cardiovascular exercise.

This article explores evidence-based nutrition practices for youth athletes, emphasizing hydration, dietary quality, and breakfast consumption to support long-term athletic development. Visit NSCA online to read more about sports nutrition and athletic development.

As a Strength and Conditioning Coach with the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), Jared Siegmund prepares athletes for the apex of achievement and perseverance. Siegmund shares that, contrary to public belief, the Olympic competition cycle is not every four years — Team USA athletes face fierce competition in World Series events along the way to qualify. He also speaks to the creativity required to coach Paralympic athletes, where missing limbs create unique biomechanics and hearing or visual impairments impact cueing. Siegmund touches on his principles-based programming architecture, sample adaptations, and USOPC’s interdisciplinary support team. Additionally, Siegmund and McMahon discuss the new generation of modern athletes who are more in tune with data and can control their preparation experience. The discussion concludes with the importance of a growth mindset and getting out of your comfort zone, as well as opportunities to enter elite sport. Connect with Jared on Instagram at: @jaredsiegmund_ or LinkedIn: @jared-siegmund | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs

Hybrid fitness competitions such as HYROX have rapidly gained popularity, blending aerobic endurance running with a variety of high-intensity resistance and ergometer-based stations in a globally standardized format. The sport’s unique structure, comprising eight 1-kilometer runs interspersed with diverse workload stations, presents distinct physiologic, biomechanical, and technical demands. This review synthesizes existing research on hybrid fitness events to identify the key determinants of HYROX performance, emphasizing aerobic capacity, anaerobic power, local muscular endurance, and maximal strength. The aerobic system is foundational, enabling recovery between high-intensity efforts and sustaining performance during the event’s prolonged duration. Conversely, anaerobic capacity is critical for executing the high-intensity efforts demanded by each fitness station. Local muscular endurance supports repeated submaximal contractions, while strength and power underpin performance in movements such as sled pushes and running economy. Technical proficiency and injury prevention strategies are also discussed, alongside targeted programming recommendations, including high-intensity interval training, circuit training, and blood flow restriction methods. Despite its growing popularity, limited sport-specific research exists, necessitating further investigation to refine training and performance strategies. This review provides a comprehensive framework for athletes and coaches to optimize preparation and performance in HYROX, contributing to the broader understanding of hybrid fitness competitions.

Elite sport often gets more attention, but youth training gives strength and conditioning coaches an earlier chance to build athletes’ competence and confidence. Kelli Brightwell specializes in youth development and brings more than a decade of sports training experience, including four years at Michael Johnson Performance. Brightwell defines peak height velocity as the period during which height increases fastest. She then explains why its timing can differ among teammates of the same age. So what should strength coaches test, and what do the results mean? The answer changes with each athlete’s maturity and training experience. Brightwell addresses the growth-spurt “awkward phase,” when familiar movement patterns can break down as an athlete adjusts to a changing body. She also considers how sport sampling can expand children’s range of physical skills and help them discover what they enjoy. Learn how maturation can affect movement, testing, and programming — and why young athletes need foundations before specialization.

Between the physiological, cognitive, and tactical skill demands, this article explains why fighter pilots should be considered tactical athletes and have access to resources like a professional sport athlete.