This article introduces a periodization model designed for beginner to elite perinatal athletes, emphasizing trimester-phased training aligning with gestation, delivery, and postpartum needs. Amid progressing global recommendations on perinatal exercise and increasing female participation in high-intensity and strength training, the primary aim is to propose an evidence-based, structured approach to training that consolidates these trends. The physical and psychological demands of labor mirrors that of an athletic endeavor. As such, this article explores emerging evidence supporting maternal and fetal safety and benefit of high-intensity training, allowing pregnant individuals to prepare in accordance with the task ahead. Training phases parallel to preseason, in-season, peaking, and recovery shift in focus based on the physiological need and biomechanical necessity within the pregnancy timeline. This translation of science to practice underscores the potential for tailored training programs to positively impact maternal, fetal, and neonatal health, urging further research and unified guidelines in this evolving field.

This article explains the use of structured functional fitness programs for injury prevention and enhanced job performance in fire service personnel.

This is the highest award presented by the NSCA for Career Legacy in the field of strength and Conditioning. This esteemed award is given to an individual, whose career achievements have made a clear and lasting legacy on the practice, scientific understanding, or methodologies of strength and conditioning. The NSCA Board of Directors carefully deliberates to select the recipient of this prestigious award.

This article will highlight recent key dietary practices and provide practical applications for implementing these practices for firefighters.

NSCA’s Essentials of Tactical Strength and Conditioning is a NSCA resource developed for those seeking the TSAC-F certification and for strength and conditioning coaches or personal trainers who work with tactical populations such as military, law enforcement, and fire and rescue personnel.

Colin Wilborn and Bret Contreras are elected to the NSCA Board of Directors. Joining the Nomination Committee are Shawn Arent and Jenevieve Roper.

This article outlines a potential learning course intended for students in undergraduate criminal justice and homeland security majors to improve their physical health literacy and health-related behaviors.

This excerpt from NSCA’s Essentials of Sport Science briefly explains workload and injury risk factors.

Developing safe and effective exercise training programs requires the application of abundant training variables and the implementation of appropriate progression for each variable. Importantly, the outcomes of each training program are the product of these variables and their progression, so practitioners are keen to select methodologies and overload strategies that effectively support their target training outcomes. One such training variable is mechanical loading, which describes the forces of gravity, resistance, and muscle contraction and how these forces affect musculoskeletal adaptations. Numerous research articles and texts have been published regarding mechanical loading and its effects on exercise adaptations; however, these findings can be arduous to organize, which requires additional time investment by professionals. Developing a succinct system is critical because practitioners face clients and patients with a wide range of physical skills and challenges, and having an easily referenced loading guide may assist them in designing appropriate strength and conditioning or rehabilitation programs. Thus, the purpose of this review is to define and describe the mechanical loading continuum and its individual components to better assist the practitioner in identifying appropriate exercise modes and progression strategies.

This article from Developing Agility briefly discusses the importance of age-appropriate speed and agility drills.