Are you interested in pursuing a career in strength and conditioning research? Chad Kerksick, Assistant Professor of Exercise Science at the University of New Mexico, provides insight into some of the advantages and disadvantages of a career in academia. Kerksick talks about how to choose a path, and the different types of academic jobs available today.

In this session from the 2015 NSCA National Conference, Nelson Ayotte—the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the St. Louis Blues National Hockey League (NHL) team—explains how to design and implement a specific energy systems program at the elite level. Ayotte demonstrates the characteristics of each of the three energy systems and their trainability, and explores how to understand the energy demands of a sport by analysis of its characteristics, competition intensity, and duration of efforts and recovery periods.

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).

Passion, while imperative to training, must be paired with energy, enthusiasm, intention, and knowledge to truly make a difference and create your “sonic boom.” Being an effective strength and conditioning coach is a lifestyle, not a job, and with continued passion, you can affect many lives positively.

This video demonstrates optimal joint kinematics at the shoulder complex for overhead lifting tasks as well as a screening process to provide coaches with a tool to assess an athlete’s suitability for overhead lifting.

This article describes the transition from the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) to the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), as well as the detailed events that make the ACFT.

This article seeks to explain monitoring body composition, including how to assess it properly for an accurate evaluation to minimize errors in body fat estimation and maximize physical training.

This excerpt from Developing Power explains how to use bands for variable resistance training.

This consensus statement provides specific conditioning recommendations with the intent of ending conditioning-related morbidity and deaths of collegiate athletes.

This article is part of a continuing series of tactical strength and conditioning (TSAC) research reviews. It is designed to bring awareness to new research findings of relevance to tactical strength and conditioning communities.