Personal trainers should be aware of the physiological changes during pregnancy for each trimester in order to provide appropriate exercise modifications and alternatives for their prenatal clients, to positively influence overall health.

Discover salary trends and average earnings for strength and conditioning coaches and sport scientists in the 2025 NSCA Salary Survey. Get your free summary now.

This book excerpt from Developing Agility and Quickness describes the windows of opportunity in youth athletes to time progressions in speed and agility training with their biological and chronological development.

Every fitness professional should strive to become a leader in the fitness industry. This will ensure continuity across the field of fitness and assist in the establishment of standards of professionalism.

If manipulation of the training variables is not tailored correctly to the desired adaptations and specific training goals, an athlete can experience symptoms of nonfunctional overreach. If this process continues, the athlete can develop overtraining syndrome.

Cal Dietz, Head Olympic Strength and Conditioning Coach for the University of Minnesota, explains how training is a process that takes time. He shares his insight into the most applicable adaptation and the most effective applications for tactical performance at the 2019 NSCA Tactical Annual Training.

Castle View High School Strength and Conditioning Coach says science is leading to safer training methods being used in high school weight rooms.

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.

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