In addition to standard health, fitness, or sport assessment guidelines, several guidelines exist for the fire service. Since each agency is different in its preferences, capabilities, and philosophies, applying a standard recommendation may not be possible. This article introduces basic decision-making considerations for fire service assessment batteries.

Tactical jobs are fast-paced, physically and psychologically intense, and failure can have tragic consequences, making it vital to train tactical athletes to perform better under stress.

This narrative review will focus on the research related to tactical load carriage and on a program recommendation to maximize strength and endurance adaptations in Special Operations Forces (SOF).

The rise of adaptive and Paralympic sports provides an opportunity for strength and conditioning professionals to share their expertise with a wider range of athletes. This article summarizes working with a physical therapist to build an annual training program with a focus on periodization for a Paralympic discus thrower.

This article discusses career development and progression for women in the field of strength and conditioning. Coach Andrea Hudy provides her personal insight as she touches on goal setting, core values, and professionalism.

Get to know the 2024 NSCA Assistant College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year, Kenna Smoak-Minnici. After accepting her award at the 2024 Coaches Conference, she connects with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about the unique coaching rigors at the prestigious military academy, Army West Point. The episode goes beyond the demands of sport-specific training to developing student-athletes and leaders for sustained success in the military. Smoak-Minnici highlights the role of family along her journey as an athlete and strength and conditioning coach, as well as the importance of always pushing yourself to go beyond the norm. Connect with Kenna on Instagram at: @kenna_minnici or LinkedIn: @kenna-smoak-minnici | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs Did you enjoy the episode? Don’t forget to nominate a deserving strength and conditioning coach for an NSCA Coach of the Year Award at NSCA Awards.

This article from Personal Training Quarterly reviews tart cherry supplementation and its role in strength training. Visit NSCA online to read more on athletic performance and sport nutrition.

Ground-based free weight lifts, especially the explosive Olympic-style lifts, are highly recommended for athletic conditioning for the core muscles. They can provide a moderately unstable stimulus to augment activation of the core and limb muscles, while still providing maximal or near maximal strength, velocity, and power output.

This column from TSAC Report 76, examines the performance benefits of supplementing creatine monohydrate for tactical athletes. Visit NSCA online to learn about nutrition, and performance fitness.

This excerpt from NSCA’s Essentials of Sport Science highlights the importance of quantifying training load for both programming and monitoring an athlete’s progression or regression over time.