Nicole Rodriguez always knew she wanted to pursue strength and conditioning, but the extent of her journey — spanning 44 countries and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games — is nothing short of inspiring. During her time at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning, Rodriguez recognized the value of experience and environment, later joining the EXOS International Program to coach globally. Eager to test her skills and help standardize coaching education, she sought out developing countries to advance their sport infrastructure. Rodriguez outlines key differences between U.S. and European approaches: while the U.S. excels in strength methodology, Europe enhances sport-specific application through tactical periodization. Additionally, she highlights Europe’s emphasis on rehabilitation and an “inverse relationship” between time in the weight room versus pitch-side with sport coaches. Rodriguez also describes her work with Poland’s Ministry of Sport and Tourism to pursue NSCA Global Chapter status, aligning with her passion for improving strength and conditioning education and implementation worldwide. Connect with Nicole by email: nicole@coachnicolerodriguez.com and online at: coachnicolerodriguez.com | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs Learn more about NSCA international programs mentioned in the episode at NSCA.com/Global.

In this session from the 2015 NSCA Personal Trainers Conference, Diane Vives demonstrates key sequences of progressive and regressive tactics that build functional strength for primary lower body exercises. Learn to coach effectively in order to prompt the best execution and to identify common barriers of better movement to determine the best choices for progression and regression tactics for these movements.

In this session from the 2015 TSAC Conference, Nick Barringer explores the roles of n-3 fatty acids and vitamin D in the body, and how insufficient levels of either can negatively affect performance.

This article discusses the importance of upper body power training for protective security personnel and its potential for an occupational performance marker.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of two different durations of training cessation on upper and lower body maximal strength performance, and to investigate the mechanisms underlying performance changes following short-term training cessation.

Growth hormone release is affected by the type of resistance training protocol used, including the duration of rest periods. Short rest period types of workouts result in greater serum concentrations compared to long rest protocols of similar total work; however, at present it is not clear how the various molecular forms or types of growth hormones are affected by rest period duration.

This excerpt from Strength Training briefly describes the benefits of suspension training.

This book excerpt provides a step-by-step breakdown of the movements of the power snatch, from the starting position to the downward movement.

Learn how to increase the body’s use of fat as a fuel without compromising the use of carbohydrates for higher-intensity training. Mike Nelson, PhD, explains how combining specific nutrition and exercise together affects the use of fat as a fuel, in this session from the NSCA’s 2017 Personal Trainers Conference.

The purpose of this article is to justify the importance and advantage to properly incorporate upper body power (UBP) training in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes.