Brianna Battles believes athleticism does not end when motherhood begins. Frustrated by the lack of resources and support for pregnant and postpartum athletes, she founded Everyday Battles to bridge the gap. Now, she empowers everyone from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters and Olympians to hobbyists to challenge their perceived fragility, navigate body and identity changes, and pursue a lifetime of athleticism. Battles notes how strength and conditioning coaches are uniquely poised to influence communities and train general populations using a top-down coaching philosophy. Conducting needs analyses, she focuses on their athletic history, predispositions, and how they manage breathing, pressure, and tension during movement. By reverse-engineering a proactive return to performance, she helps clients overcome social media glorification and fearmongering to design an athlete-mom life that serves them. Battles discusses tapping into the “athlete brain” that craves routine and buy-in. Her advice? Get curious, practice brave, and embrace entrepreneurship as another form of progressive overload.
Connect with Brianna on Instagram: @brianna.battles and @pregnant.postpartum.athlete or by email at: brianna@briannabattles.com | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs
This episode discusses new CASCE field experience requirements that dictate a minimum of two substantially different work experiences. Learn more about CASCE accreditation at NSCA.com/CASCE.
Deceleration in court and field sports, such as football and soccer, is an important component of speed and agility. This book excerpt looks at how to train for effective deceleration.
CoachesExercise ScienceExercise TechniqueDeceleration techniquespeed trainingspeed training drillsfootball speed trainingsoccer speed training
This excerpt from Developing Speed demonstrates a fun drill aimed to develop the ability to make a cut step in response to a stimulus and to accelerate from this direction change.
CoachesExercise TechniqueProgram designAccelerationChange of DirectionForceCut Step
This book excerpt explains how to perform the box step-off landing assessment, which is used to determine an athlete’s readiness before beginning a program in agility and quickness.
CoachesExercise TechniqueTesting and EvaluationSpeedagilitybox testagility and quicknessmovement assessmentexercsie assessment
CoachesExercise TechniqueProgram designtraining with a barbelltraining with dumbbellsdumbbells trainingmodified trainingtravel workoutstraining while traveling
A vast majority of athletes you coach will not become professional athletes, but the major components of Achievement Goal Theory (AGT) carryover outside of sport into any achievement-based setting. It can be argued that coaches helping athletes adopt a more productive set of achievement orientations is the single greatest contribution that coaches can make to the athletes’ lives.
CoachesExercise ScienceProgram designstrength and conditioningsport psychologygoal theory
With the need to be ready under any circumstances from operational missions to physical training, understanding how the adrenal gland functions is important for any tactical athlete. The adrenal gland mediates performance and can have a negative effect on the body’s physiology when exhausted. It is vital to understand the interventions needed to obviate the negative effects and enhance the positive aspects of such physiological function. This session from the 2015 TSAC Annual Training sheds light on this important physiological system that impacts both physical health and functional performance.
TSAC FacilitatorsExercise TechniqueProgram designBasic Pathophysiology and Science of Health Status or Condition and Disorder or DiseaseAdrenal glandphysiologyfunctional performancetactical fitness
The purpose of this article is to describe the cause of hamstring injuries in sprinters and present a biomechanical intervention, or drill, that can be used to prevent hamstring injuries while transitioning sprint athletes toward the utilization of frontside mechanics.
An appropriately designed program with elements of safe resistance training that focuses on the upper back and external shoulder rotators and open agility technique training may improve agility on the pickleball court, decrease the injury risk of older pickleball players, and increase the self-confidence of these individuals on the court and in daily life.
Personal trainersExercise TechniqueProgram designelderlyolder adultspickleball
This article provides an overview of the sporting demands of the bobsled competition in the Sochi Olympic Games, and how the theoretical basis of training attempted to meet these requirements.
CoachesExercise TechniqueProgram designstrength training for bobsledpush athletesstrength and conditioning for bobsledsliding sport trainingBobsled training