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

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.

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.

Research shows that the appropriate integration of resistance training into the endurance athlete’s training can result in significantly better performance when compared to classic endurance training plans that focus only on aerobic endurance.

Through a well-designed resistance training program, firefighter recruits can gain the movement skills, confidence to exercise, and foundational strength/physiological adaptations that they need for a long and healthy career.

The purpose of this article is to compare and contrast popular methods used to reduce muscle soreness. The article looks at caffeine, cold water therapy, BCAAs and aerobic exercise and briefly examines their efficacy in treating DOMS.

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.

Early-career coaches have to learn fast, adapt faster, and still earn trust. Sammi Ryan, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Boston University, shares how seeking golden opportunities led her across the country and into unfamiliar sports. After an early training experience deterred her from the field, Ryan found her way in through graduate experience and a support system she still maintains today. When coaching sports she has not played, Ryan starts with research, trusted peers, and relationships with sport coaches. She stresses that coaches cannot “copy and paste” what worked at a previous stop because every team, athlete, and setting is different. For Ryan, athlete questions are a chance to clarify the plan or change course. She also discusses staff coverage and sport science integration at Boston University. Ryan reflects on helping college athletes grow and develop as humans, not just athletes. Listen to learn how to strengthen your support system, adapt across teams, and guide athletes beyond sport. Connect with Sammi on Instagram: @sammiryann or by email: sryan95@bu.edu | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs Join the NSCA College Coaches Professional Development Group (PDG) to build your network, share ideas, and navigate challenges in college strength and conditioning.