The purpose of this article is to present the reader with the prescription of a daily specific stretching routine that can help athletes avoid the onset of injuries and chronic pain in muscle-tendon structures of the lower extremities.

Knowledge of metabolic rate can help athletes as well as health-conscious people improve their exercise performance or obtain the fat-to-lean-mass ratio optimal for their personal situations. Two examples of how this works follow.

High chronic workloads have been shown to be associated with a reduced risk of non-contact, soft tissue injuries, while large spikes in acute training loads have been associated with an increased risk of these types of injury. Analyzing the acute:chronic workload ratio allows a coach to optimize training for the athlete and to continue in advancing fitness goals without overtraining.

This episode unites strength and conditioning perspectives across three continents. David Joyce and Dan Lewindon, the co-editors of High-Performance Training for Sports, discuss their new book, including the high-caliber list of expert contributors from around the world. Discussion centers on the expansion of performance environments to include new perspectives, and the increased need for professional collaboration to deliver maximally effective training programs. Learn about “Zombie Killers,” as Joyce and Lewindon share with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, in an episode that provides insight into everyday coaching practices. Find David on Twitter: @DavidGJoyce | Find Dan on Twitter: @DanLewindon | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

The Strength and Conditioning Editorial Excellence Award is given to members of the SCJ Editorial Board in recognition of their service to the NSCA.

While no recruitment process will ever be perfect, it is time to address the “legal defensibility” of physical employment standards as the primary consideration in developing recruitment guidelines that are concurrently designed to increase workplace diversity.

This excerpt from Developing the Core gives a quick look into why a stable trunk is so important for swimming athletes.

To be eligible to take the CSCS® examination, candidates must fulfill certain criteria. Candidates must hold at least a bachelor's degree or currently be enrolled as a college senior at an accredited institution. Learn more about the prerequisites to sit for the CSCS® exam.

This article briefly reviews the importance of the stretch-shortening cycle in power production.

This article in NSCA Coach shares a research-driven framework for dryland training in competitive swimming. Visit us online to learn more on sport performance and exercise science.