As Director of Sport Science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Heather Farmer spearheads comprehensive integration efforts. This includes ensuring every stakeholder, from sport performance staff to academic advisors, has a seat at the table. Farmer also outlines developing an internship and graduate assistantship program to meet staffing needs and offer opportunities for practical experience. She recounts how leveraging relationships — not data — has been her key to scalability. Additionally, Farmer recognizes that to make an impact, she must meet athletes and sport coaches where they are, which she uncovers through “highlights” and “hurdles.” She suggests that sport scientists with strength and conditioning backgrounds, like herself, are uniquely equipped to excel due to their communication skills. Farmer and McMahon also discuss avoiding “analysis paralysis” and how to incorporate data to elevate the student-athlete experience — an unignorable factor as athletes bring an element of “self” in the age of name, image and likeness (NIL). Reach out to Heather by email at: heather.farmer@unlv.edu | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs

This career series article focuses on the calling of the tactical strength and conditioning facilitator. It touches on the drive, commitment, and dedication necessary to work with tactical populations.

Mike Hill, Associate Athletics Director of Sports Performance at Georgetown University, talks to the former NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about his journey from volunteer intern to director at Georgetown. Topics under discussion include being an integral, “off the bench” part of a team, what he looks for in new interns or new hires, and continuing education through reading and being a part of the NSCA’s Exam Development Committee. Find Mike on Instagram: @license_2_hill

Lifestyle modification, including exercise, is important for both preventing and treating hypertension. More recent guidelines for treating hypertension have increased emphasis on lifestyle factors, such as exercise. As fitness professionals, it is important to educate and encourage clients with hypertension on the importance of exercise in their overall health.

Boyd Epley, founder of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and one of the most decorated strength coaches of all time, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about how the NSCA was founded, how Coach Epley talked Nebraska into letting him weight train all football athletes (most of whom never lifted before), and growing the profession for female strength and conditioning coaches.

Matthew Van Dyke, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Denver, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about professional development, working as part of a comprehensive sports performance team, and developing additional knowledge in the field.

The National Strength and Conditioning Association is dedicated to ensuring the safety of young athletes through the education and promotion of best-practices when training on the field and in the weight room. The Strength of America Award™ honors schools that exhibit the highest standards in the safety and success of young athletes.

In this session from the NSCA’s 2017 National Conference, Shawn Arent and David DiFabio summarize the capabilities of various wearable sports performance tracking devices and explain how devices are being used to reduce risk of overtraining, facilitate recovery, and improve performance

In this session from the NSCA’s 2018 Coaches Conference, Bryan Mann discusses the latest research presentations from the NSCA National Conference that have immediate implications for the strength and conditioning coach.

If the strength and conditioning field largely keeps to itself, or the knowledge base is not seen to transcend the training facility, it seems reasonable to think that this will present a problem for strength and conditioning coaches. This article examines some actions strength and conditioning coaches can take to increase the awareness of the good work they do on a daily basis.