After going to a conference, networking, and returning to your normal schedule and location with all the new ideas, tips, and tricks, what happens then? The purpose of this article is to show how using questions and reflecting can help turn professional development activities into actionable improvements in your coaching practice.

Learn 7 ways that strength & conditioning professionals can recognize mental health concerns, respond effectively, & provide support while staying within scope.

CASCE accreditation is designed to help your program recruit more high-caliber students and prepare them for fulfilling careers in the strength and conditioning industry.

While a basic fitness assessment will always be a part of a comprehensive client assessment, there is an array of more sophisticated tests and measures that are available to the personal trainer today.

In this video from the NSCA's Personal Trainers Conference 2013, Brad Schoenfeld, MSc, CSCS, CSPS, FNSCA, discusses the benefits and mechanics of squats.

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

Brian Buck, Director of Sports at Sparta Science, talks to the NSCA Coaching Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about the new roles that data and technology are playing in the weight room. Topics under discussion include what young coaches should know getting into the field of strength and conditioning and the importance of building relationships and developing people. Find Brian on Twitter: @brianbuck6 | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

In support of your professional growth, the NSCA provides members evidenced-based tools and resources. Stay ahead of the rest and promote best practices through these carefully-selected resources.

This article encompasses some of the necessary experience, education, certifications, and personal development needed to become a strength and conditioning coach.