The purpose of this article is to help disseminate information on the thermal environment during track meets, risk management, and thermal reducing approaches coaches, athletes, and sports medicine personnel can employ for improved athletic performance in a hot environment.

Athletes in field and court sports require reactive agility—they must accelerate, decelerate, and change direction in a constantly changing environment. These requirements result in technical differences between sprinting in a field or court sport and sprinting the 100-m.

This NSCA Coach article examines strength and conditioning strategies for collegiate distance runners to build performance for outdoor competition. Visit NSCA online to read about sport science.

The use of exercise interventions to maximize athletes’ performance is a common practice in competitions. This systematic review aimed to compile research that explored the effectiveness of priming strategies to maximize physical performance in track and field. The literature search was conducted from PubMed and Scopus. One hundred eighty-two studies were assessed against the inclusion criteria: (a) minimum 1-year participation/competition experience; (b) randomized controlled trials with pre-post intervention outcomes; and (c) studies involving exercise interventions applied #6 hours before outcome measures were collected. Fifteen studies satisfied the criteria and were categorized according to the exercise interventions used (i.e., resistance training, plyometric/ ballistic training, resisted sprints, and modified warm-ups). Heavy-loaded resistance training (i.e., .85% 1 repetition maximum) and resisted sprints increased subsequent sprint performance. Plyometrics/ballistic training also positively impacted subsequent jumping (i.e., long jump) and throwing performance (i.e., shot put). Modified warm-ups (i.e., high-intensity sprints and heavier throwing implements) also improved subsequent running and throwing performance. Overall, exercise interventions performed at high intensity and low volume augment subsequent physical performance as close to 4 minutes before the event. However, a sufficient recovery interval must be considered for a positive performance response.

Meet the 2026 NSCA Career Awards recipients and learn about their leadership, service, and contributions, which will be honored at the NSCA National Conference.

Join the 2026 NSCA Youth Strength & Conditioning Summit in St. Paul, MN, Sept. 26. Build movement skills, training systems, and lifelong strength. Earn 0.8 CEUs

Join 2026 APTA & NSCA Return to Play Performance Summit in Washington, D.C., Sept. 26, for physical therapy & strength and conditioning education. Earn 0.8 CEUs

Join the 2026 NSCA Coaching for Impact Sports Performance Summit in Columbia, SC, Sept. 26. Build athlete readiness with recovery + sport science. Earn 0.8 CEUs

Join the 2026 NSCA Athleticism for Life Summit in Eugene, OR, on March 28. Explore athletic development for lasting performance, learn hands-on, + earn 0.8 CEUs

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