This article features the recharge skate—an in-season hockey conditioning drill, designed by the authors, to maintain hockey-specific energy system fitness throughout the competitive season.

The purpose of this article is to discuss the health and occupational implications of firefighters not currently meeting the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) aerobic capacity recommendations.

This article is part of a continuing series of tactical strength and conditioning (TSAC) research reviews. It is designed to bring awareness to new research findings of relevance to tactical strength and conditioning communities.

This article explains Fartlek training as well as how it can be programmed and individualized for different clients.

Learn how diet and strength training in the absence of aerobic exercise can be used to improve body composition through simultaneous fat loss and muscle gain. In this session from the NSCA’s 2016 Personal Trainers Conference, Todd Miller demonstrates how to use body composition and metabolism measurements along with popular food tracking apps and activity monitors to design individualized diet and exercise strategies. CEUs available.

This excerpt briefly discusses components of interval workouts, including recommended volume and intensity, to increase overall endurance in athletes.

Oxygen uptake (or consumption) is a measure of a person’s ability to take in oxygen and deliver it to the working tissues, and the ability of working tissues to use oxygen. During low-intensity exercise with a constant power output, oxygen uptake increases for the first few minutes until a steady state of uptake is reached.

The VO2max test is the most effective measurement of the body’s ability to deliver and use oxygen for producing energy that can be used by the muscles. VO2max (i.e., maximum aerobic power) simply stands for the maximal volume of oxygen that can be used.

Learn practical drills, exercises, and how to properly implement conditioning protocols into a team setting. Ron McKeefery explains the scientific rational behind anaerobic and aerobic conditioning methods and how to use a systematic approach to build a successful conditioning program. In this session from the NSCA’s 2018 Coaches Conference, McKeefery also provides examples of fun, safe, and effective routines.

This article, tailored to individuals who do not have access to traditional equipment, will explore the exercise methods that less-impacted populations utilize during the shutdowns, and examine how those training effects can benefit strength-, power-, and hypertrophy-minded athletes.