In order to ensure consistent and accurate results, coaches must take certain steps to ensure proper data collection. It is also important to establish sound protocols prior to testing.

The purpose of this article is to provide clarity and give an overview of sports burnout as it pertains to both athletes and coaches.

This article serves to educate strength and conditioning coaches on the influence exercise can have on the various hormonal pathways that are impacted by polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), including insulin resistance, cortisol, testosterone, follicle-stimulating, and luteinizing hormones.

Learn why the NSCA has joined the Smart Heart Sports Coalition to advance emergency action plans, AED access, and CPR training that save young athletes’ lives.

Read the NSCA’s commitment to safer youth sports as we endorse Project Play’s ACL Pledge, advancing evidence-based education and training to reduce injury risk.

Considering that the term "power" typically evokes the perception of high-speed movement, many people are inclined to take the tenets of specificity to literally mean “train fast, be fast.” However, to create the most strategic methods of training and adaptation, it is vital to compartmentalize power into the primary testable and trainable elements.

This article aims to share practical application strategies that strength and conditioning coaches can use in fostering a positive change in their athlete’s performance by understanding intrinsic and extrinsic performance motivation and how to adopt an autonomy-supportive coaching style.

Learn about a unique path into strength and conditioning from J. Aggabao, the Associate Athletic Director of Sports Performance at Santa Clara University (SCU). Aggabao shares insights on coaching pathways and hiring, with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, that includes service in the United States Navy, working in the National Football League (NFL), and progressing into a department leadership role at SCU. From networking in the strength and conditioning field to beyond the campus and athletic communities, this episode speaks to various career stages, from aspiring strength and conditioning coaches seeking their first jobs, to experienced professionals aiming to become effective leaders. Reach out to Coach Aggabao on Instagram: @j.aggabao, or by email at jaggabao@scu.edu | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

A substantial body of literature has focused on weightlifting derivative lifts, primarily emphasizing the second pull phase because of its greater expression of force, velocity, and power output. The biomechanical resemblance of this phase to various athletic movements underscores the relevance of these derivatives in physical preparation across multiple sports. However, although the findings of these studies greatly enhance our understanding of their effectiveness in enhancing neuromuscular qualities, there remains a noticeable gap in the literature regarding the importance of the first pull phase, specifically within the sport of weightlifting. The aim of this review was to elucidate the relative importance of the first pull phase in snatch and clean & jerk performance and to explore the selection of specific pull derivative exercises that target the strength development of this phase of the lifts.