This article explains how having the right systems in place (such as accounting, training, and marketing) can help a personal trainer take his or her business to the next level.

Building athletes who are strong, healthy, and resilient requires more than sets and reps, starting with a shift in mindset. Christi Edson, Head of Performance for the Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), shares how she integrates strength and conditioning with sport science to sustain athlete health and performance. She reflects on the field’s evolution from the well-known “Bigger, Faster, Stronger” program to a training culture emphasizing resilience, active recovery, and durability. Drawing from her experience coaching high school athletes to NWSL professionals, Edson highlights the adaptability and creativity coaches need. Those qualities help her to develop athletes who can thrive through a demanding 11-month season. She details how tools like GPS, force plates, and velocity-based training sharpen communication and reshape expectations in the gym. Her story points coaches toward the future of athlete development: collaboration, precise load management, and long-term health as the foundation of strength. Connect with Christi on Instagram: @christiedson and LinkedIn: @christiana-edson | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs Read the article, “A Creative Mind in the Professional Development of a Strength and Conditioning Coach,” from NSCA Coach, 11(1), February 2024 — referenced in this episode’s return-to-play discussion. NSCA Members enjoy full publication access. Interested in bridging coaching and sport science? The Certified Performance and Sport Scientist (CPSS) credential can help you expand your qualifications, open new career paths, and strengthen cross-department collaboration.

Learn from a coach who took his career from working with Winter Olympic and professional sport athletes to success in the private sector. In this episode, Bret Kelly of Exos and formerly United States Ski and Snowboard, shares about his journey and the need for coaches to remain versatile in growing their professional skills in the field. Tune in as Kelly connects with Eric McMahon, the NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, on seeking out opportunities to work in niche Olympic sports, the growing uses of performance technology, and the value of building a strong support staff. Find Bret on Instagram: @bk_strengthcoach and on Twitter: @bret_kelly_ | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

In this session from the 2020 NSCA Coaches Conference, Matt Nein, Coordinator of Sports Performance at Salisbury University, discusses his fluid periodization model for coaches to use to easily adapt to the changing situations on a week-to-week (or even day-to-day) basis, and still optimize training for the athletes.

How do you find your coaching voice? Michelle Pifer, Associate Director of Strength and Conditioning at Rutgers University, shares how mentorship and professional communication helped her establish an authentic coaching identity. Reflecting on her extensive intern journey across Ivy League and Division III athletics, Pifer highlights key milestones that shaped her coaching approach. These include observing experienced coaches, applying constructive feedback, and effectively navigating challenging athlete personalities. She offers practical strategies, such as structured time-blocking and maintaining clear boundaries, to accommodate athlete accessibility, in-season travel, and work-life balance. Pifer discusses how coaches must adapt to evolving roles, like managing and interpreting athlete monitoring technology. She also addresses common coaching pitfalls, including inappropriate language during presentations, stressing that coaches can be both authentic and relatable without sacrificing professionalism. Tune in to clarify your coaching identity, enhance your professional skillset, and maximize your impact in the strength and conditioning profession. Connect with Michelle via email at mpifer@scarletknights.com, on Instagram: @coach_pifer, and on Twitter/X: @coach_mpifer | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs

This PTQ article discusses a Mini Quality System (MQS), an ISO 9001-inspired framework designed to help small and growing fitness centers establish better operational control. Visit NSCA online to read more on fitness management.

The purpose of this article is to briefly identify the expectation dynamic for strength and conditioning practitioners and to provide a practical mode for operational thought.

Football requires very fast, high-intensity, and high-impact movement patterns with each position requiring various movements and speeds. This article reviews how coaches are currently observing movement, and offers a framework on how to identify and improve movement in each player without over-coaching movement patterns.

Hear from strength and conditioning coach, Tim Caron, on his path from collegiate strength and conditioning into a unique private sector business model in the Los Angeles, CA area. Caron connects with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, to discuss the potential role of sport science in the private sector with general population clients. This episode is full of training insights for coaches to re-engage their thought process around working with groups and teams. In addition, Caron shares the origins of his new book, Strength Deficit, on considerations for concentric and eccentric strength training. You can reach Tim on Instagram at @coachtimcaron or Twitter at @coachtimcaron | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

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.