The 3-minute all-out exercise test (3MT) was developed over a decade ago and enables the estimation of time for onset of momentary fatigue for a given speed or power output exceeding critical speed (CS) or critical power (CP), respectively. The 3MT has been validated for conducting high-intensity interval training, used with load carriage prediction and prescription, and validated for shuttle running. These prescriptions are novel because they allow for standardizing exercise intensities relative to metabolic parameters as opposed to a percentage of a given maximum or reserve. Research was identified using leading search engines (e.g., PubMed, Google Scholar, and Research Gate) and citations to similar articles. The objective of this review article was to summarize research that emerged on the CS/CP concept with emphasis on applications since the advent of the 3MT. The review concludes with application of the CS/CP concept to the frequency, intensity, time, and type of exercise for exercise prescription.

The purpose of this article is to provide personal trainers reading the strength and conditioning research the knowledge necessary to better understand the statistical data commonly reported in research manuscripts.

This excerpt from Developing Agility and Quickness provides a needs analysis for field hockey and possible program design options for optimal performance outcomes.

This NSCA Coach article focuses on the in-season resistance training and mobility exercises designed for the 100-m sprint track and field high school athlete.

Concurrent training (CT), which combines resistance exercise and energy systems conditioning, is the default approach to preparation in high-intensity intermittent (“stop and go”) team sports. This review provides an overview of CT, emphasizing its complexities and challenges in managing fatigue and optimizing performance. These complexities are specifically compounded by the variability in game demands across the season, where the presence of intensified and nonintensified competition periods necessitates a flexible and adaptive training approach. In this context, there are essential training variables to consider, including intensity, volume, session order, and recovery intervals between sessions. In addition, nontraining variables such as travel, sleep, and nutrition play a role in the fatigue experienced while training and competing. These variables interact to influence acute performance and training adaptations and can be strategically adjusted by strength and conditioning practitioners. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive understanding of fatigue management for practitioners in team sports, emphasizing the complexities and challenges of CT and offering simplified practical recommendations for adjusting training variables within any given microcycle.

In this hands-on session from the 2019 NSCA Coaches Conference, Scott Charland, Manager of Human Performance for Parkview Health Sports Medicine, introduces his “recipe” for movement patterns that focus on speed development. This can easily be placed into a warm-up session prior to a conditioning workout or sport practice.

This article discusses the influence of lower-body power on soccer performance in collegiate female soccer players. It also covers testing for muscular power qualities, different training modalities to use, and sample training programs as examples.

This infographic briefly reviews the differences in sprint velocity and technique, including stride length and hip, knee, and ankle flexion during a 20-meter resisted sprint.

This NSCA Coach article provides a proposes a framework for standardizing SEB resistance training based on principles of kinetic and potential energy. Visit NSCA online to read more on exercise science and sport performance.

Traditional lower-body resistance exercise alone may not be an optimal means of developing agility. Further, the effectiveness of straight-sprint training on agility performance has not been well established. In contrast, jump training, including loaded jump squats and horizontal and lateral jumps, holds promise.