This article addresses three main areas of resistance exercise that best prepares tactical personnel for load carriage.

Mentorship isn’t flawless — and that’s where its power lies. Erik Hernandez, Associate Director for Sports Performance – Olympic Sports at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, has built his career on turning imperfect scenarios into lasting lessons for athletes and young coaches alike. For over 14 years at UNC, he has guided lacrosse, volleyball, and golf, adapting his voice to each culture while holding firm to shared standards of accountability and growth. Hernandez streamlines training into a three-phase model — explosive, strength, and remedial — yet emphasizes that delivery and communication matter more than complexity. He reminds athletes, “modifications are part of progress,” linking health, recovery, and seasonal demands to long-term development. For interns and early-career coaches, his advice is clear: earn mentors by serving others, and learn from every scenario, even the imperfect ones. Hear how mentorship, adaptability, and athlete health point the way forward for stronger teams and longer careers. Reach out to Coach Hernandez on Instagram: @hernandezstrength or by email: ehhernan@email.unc.edu | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs Answer Bryan Mann’s “call to arms!” Many volunteer applications are open now through December 15. Step up and give back to your strength and conditioning community at NSCA.com/Volunteer.

The purpose of this article is to examine which foot placement (staggered or parallel) provides better trunk stability when performing the barbell biceps curl exercise.

This article provides an understanding of the role the core plays during execution of athletic movements, as well as provides evidence-based concepts that help to strengthen the core and maximize movement performance.

This article seeks to explain the differences between males and females in training and adaptations, as well as provide actionable guidelines to improve performance.

This article will present exercise programming considerations for seniors who use a walker and provide an example client profile to demonstrate how these considerations can be applied to clients using a walker.

This article will review available information about pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy and practical applications that could be adopted by strength and conditioning coaches.

Protein is a staple in the diet of resistance training individuals looking to maximize strength and hypertrophy adaptations. This article reviews the quality of plant-based and animal-based proteins, and what proteins are right on an individual basis.

This article explains the connections between the upper and lower body and their influence on performance and recovery strategies in sprinting.