The purpose of this article is to discuss creatine supplementation for athletes by addressing supplementation for athletic performance, recovery, cognition, brain function, safety, contraindications, and other special considerations.
This is the second part of a two-part series that investigates the effects of dietary carbohydrate availability on exercise performance and how specifically timed restriction of carbohydrates may also paradoxically enhance exercise performance in the medium and long term.
This article from Personal Training Quarterly reviews tart cherry supplementation and its role in strength training. Visit NSCA online to read more on athletic performance and sport nutrition.
Personal trainersExercise ScienceNutritionProgram designTesting and EvaluationClient Consultation|AssessmentBasic Pathophysiology and Science of Health Status or Condition, Disorder, or DiseaseProfessional Development
May 30, 2025by Juan Gonzalez, PhD, CSCS, Jung-Il Oh, PhD, Sofia Alvarado-Valdez, Brianna Villarreal, Edgar De La Cruz, Daniela Barrera, and Nicole Trevino
The purpose of this article is to provide fitness professionals with best practices on creating a program that uses red light therapy to aid in weight loss and weight management.
Personal trainersExercise ScienceNutritionProgram design
This article discusses using the principle of specificity as an important component in tactical training programs to enhance performance, decrease injuries, and improve functional longevity of a tactical athlete.
Nutrition plays a crucial role in athletic performance. The purpose of this article is to discuss the landscape of nutrition in collegiate and professional football. It will address the following areas: 1) the current landscape, 2) current practices, 3) opportunities, and 4) challenges faced in collegiate and professional football.
This episode of the NSCA Coaching Podcast presents drug testing and anti-doping initiatives in elite sport. Team USA 2008 Olympian, Carissa Gump, discusses how her journey as an international level weightlifter led to her becoming an ambassador for fair competition. Gump shares lessons from overcoming a career-threatening injury prior to the 2008 Olympics, with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, and how a passion for supporting athletes has fueled her career as a sport business executive. Learn about opportunities that the NSCA Foundation has for aspiring strength and conditioning professionals, and how the NSCA Foundation serves to promote the philanthropy of the coaching profession.
Learn more about clean sport and anti-doping by taking the USADA Coach’s Advantage Course for 0.2 NSCA CEUs.
Check out NSCA Foundation resources to discover grants and scholarships available for strength and conditioning professionals.
More episode links:
USADA – U.S. Anti-Doping Agency
TrueSport – Education for Coaches, Athletes, and Parents
NSF for Sport – NSF Certified Nutritional Products Listing
Global DRO – Drug Reference Online
Drug Free Sport – Anti-Doping Services and Education
Email Carissa at carissa.gump@nsca.com| Connect with Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs
Athletes have sought out intermittent fasting as a strategy to optimize performance. However, it is important to critically evaluate the research available in order to establish specific recommendations and determine if intermittent fasting is safe or effective.
Hear from the 2023 NSCA Assistant College Coach of the Year, Gary Calcagno, from Oklahoma State University. In this episode, Calcagno shares highlights from a more than 30-year strength and conditioning career and how being resourceful as a once aspiring coach prepared him for lasting professional success with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon. Calcagno also discusses his long history with the NSCA, recent areas of progress across the profession, and the role of quality leadership in managing a successful strength and conditioning program.
You can reach Gary by email at gary.calcagno@okstate.edu | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs