Sam Melendrez, full-time strength and conditioning coach for Discovery Canyon Campus High School, talks to the NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about the value of strength and conditioning coaches at the high school level. Topics include advice for those who are interested in strength training youth and high school athletes, programming fundamentals, and the value of applying classroom management skills in the weight room. Find Sam on Twitter: @sammelendrez2 | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

The NSCA certification exams are based on the analysis of tasks needed to be competent in a specified job or role. The exams measure a candidate’s knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) compared to a predetermined level of competence. It is not a test that recalls information from a textbook like a college course. Before you start preparing ensure you have chosen the right certification for you.

Personal trainers and strength and conditioning coaches around the world are the frontline and display of any fitness facility. Common issues, such as sales techniques and member interaction/experience, can be qualities that are developed over time through employee education.

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.

This article focuses on providing first-hand insight into the alternative licensure program (ALP) route from a current coach in the field.

The purpose of this article is to identify and discuss the difficulties that can arise when performing physiological-based research with firefighters.

The first in a planned article series to review essential considerations of each Functional Movement Screen (FMS™) pattern, this article will examine the FMS active straight leg raise (ASLR).

The second in a planned series to review essential considerations of each Functional Movement Screen (FMS) pattern, this article will examine the FMS hurdle step pattern in finer detail.

Discover how the NSCA Education Recognition Program (ERP) provides the path from classroom excellence to career success in the strength and conditioning field.

Protect your fitness career with NSCA Certified Professional Liability Insurance (CPI) Membership. Get up to $5M in liability coverage plus NSCA Member benefits.