Meet Tara De Leon, a former collegiate strength and conditioning coach who now works as a personal trainer in Edgewater, MD. De Leon shares insight with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, and episode co-host, NSCA Personal Training Program Manager, Blake Brightwell, on alternate routes for strength and conditioning coaches through personal training, group fitness, and private sector coaching. This episode discusses the “coaching identity” as it exists and impacts coaches’ beliefs across various stages of professional development. With the growth of the strength and conditioning field, De Leon challenges us to expand our thinking and perceptions around personal training, while holding true to our values and expertise as coaches. Regardless of your current role in the profession, learn more about how the NSCA can help you grow your career. You can connect with Tara on Instagram: @tara_de_leon_fitness or tara@edgewaterfit.com | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

“Five basic training techniques have been producing great results for our clients,” says Mike Bracko in this session from the 2015 NSCA Personal Trainers Conference. Learn how you can help your clients add these five easy performance enhancers to their lives.

Learn how to increase the body’s use of fat as a fuel without compromising the use of carbohydrates for higher-intensity training. Mike Nelson, PhD, explains how combining specific nutrition and exercise together affects the use of fat as a fuel, in this session from the NSCA’s 2017 Personal Trainers Conference.

In this article, three outstanding fitness professionals share their thoughts and experiences on the importance of communication in the personal training field.

This article discusses how personal trainers can utilize the strength zone training system in order to develop true full range of motion strength, and thus help clients perform better and further reduce injury risk.

Developing a truly successful program involves several layers that the personal trainer must address with time, competence, and critical thinking. A thorough and complete initial consultation can ensure that the personal trainer has all the data that they need to design a program that is time-efficient and successful.

This article will review the latest evidence regarding optimal rest intervals, and the science behind them.

Nick Clayton, Personal Training Manager at the NSCA, shows key coaching points and progressions for single-leg squat and lunge movements.

This article addresses various aspects of overtraining and overreaching, including the signs and symptoms, preventative supplementation, and the recovery process.

This article discusses the ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) scales and how to educate older clients to utilize them, as well as how to monitor and safely progress their training intensity.