The purposes of assessment are to gather baseline data and to provide a basis for developing goals and effective exercise programs. Gathering and evaluating the various pieces of information give the personal trainer a broader perspective of the client. The process and the data collected assist the trainer in identifying potential areas of injury and reasonable starting points for recommended intensities and volumes of exercise based on the goals and fitness outcomes.

This article presents information about assessing speed and agility in a controlled environment with a test that is similar to the actual demands of a specific sport.

This article explores the concept of how lifestyle behaviors encouraged at the high school-level could affect fitness during adulthood, with a focus on both sport and strength and conditioning participation.

This excerpt from NSCA's Guide to Tests and Assessments briefly discusses the method behind a lactate threshold test and the pretest considerations one might take prior to this test.

This article shares various options for integrating mental skills training into existing strength and conditioning programs. Such simultaneous, dual-training approaches may better prepare officers for the realities of occupational performance.

This second article of a two-part series continues the discussion of long-term athletic development (LTAD). This article provides practical application of the LTAD principles by examining two sample programs.

Law enforcement and correctional officers have the potential to be in a physically demanding situation at any time. This article is an overview of a conditioning program that can be used in physical training for recruits in the academy.

Learn to identify and combat risk factors among high stress tactical personnel; how they affect performance, sleep, and recovery; and how to begin managing stress. In this session from the 2016 TSAC Annual Training, Jeff Nichols explains how to lay out a clear and concise process to evaluate stress and create a plan specific to each individual to combat the negative side effects of stress.

Most law enforcement officers are physically taxed, mentally exhausted, and emotionally overwhelmed. As such, a complexity exists with a requirement to match the need for physical fitness in a demographic that lives their lives in a potential state of general exhaustion.