Herbs, spices, and other whole foods contain bioactive substances that can purportedly improve health and performance in a variety of ways from increased metabolism, antioxidant activity, gastrointestinal health, greater neurotransmitter production, and more. In this session from the NSCA 2015 Personal Trainers Conference, Dr. Carwyn Sharp describes and defines nutraceuticals and functional foods, issues of potency and standardization, their potential uses for health and performance, future directions, and current trending products.

This article provides practical guidelines for limiting high-reward foods and demonstrates why minimizing high-reward foods is a simple and well-supported strategy for long-term adherence to a nutritional approach that emphasizes high-quality, nutrient-dense, lower calorie foods.

This article addresses various aspects of overtraining and overreaching, including the signs and symptoms, preventative supplementation, and the recovery process.

NFL Coach Joe Kenn, MA, CSCS, RSCC, spoke at the NSCA's 2013 Coaches Conference about Micros, Mesos and Macros, and the organization of a training plan.

In this session from the NSCA’s 2016 Personal Trainers Conference, Kamal Patel discusses the difference between food-based and synthetic supplements, as well as the facts and fallacies surrounding them.

This section from the book, Developing Endurance, gives an overview of how to plan and develop a program for endurance athletes by following four steps.

In this video from the NSCA's 2014 National Conference, Brad Schoenfeld and Alan Aragon discuss the evidence behind nutrient timing and exercise, focusing specifically on protein, amino acids and carbohydrate.

The extent to which a special operator’s training schedule can be planned in advance is often limited due to their unpredictable operational demands. However, there may be opportunities to plan for specific training during certain periods.

The purpose of this article is to share the importance of the menstrual cycle’s effects on elite athlete performance, and how these effects should influence the training and recovery of high-performing athletic women.

This article is part of a continuing series on practical, evidence-based approaches to reducing the risk of injury while developing tactical strength and conditioning.