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.

Brian Buck, Director of Sports at Sparta Science, talks to the NSCA Coaching Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about the new roles that data and technology are playing in the weight room. Topics under discussion include what young coaches should know getting into the field of strength and conditioning and the importance of building relationships and developing people. Find Brian on Twitter: @brianbuck6 | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

Drew Hammond, Army Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) Program Director at Fort Bragg, talks to the NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about differences between tactical and collegiate strength and conditioning. Topics include the Army H2F Program, tactical athlete programming, and how to pursue military strength and conditioning positions. Find Drew on LinkedIn: Drew Hammond | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

This article builds upon a previous article on the potential benefits personal trainers can offer clients by combining both cognitive and physical training.

Dietary fat has both long-term and short-term effects on an athlete and athletic performance. “Fat loading” as a strategy to improve athletic performance remains unproven.

This excerpt from the Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning outlines what training typically looks like in the preparatory period, or off-season.

Dr. Allison Randall, Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Vanderbilt University Women’s Basketball Program, talks to the NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about how her path to the 2012 London Olympic Games as an athlete led her to pursue the strength and conditioning profession. Topics include the use of appropriate cueing strategies to optimize work with young athletes, differences with team versus individual sports, and the importance of education for coaches. Find Dr. Randall on Twitter: @AllisonVRandall or Instagram: @allisonvrandall | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

This excerpt from NSCA’s Essentials of Sport Science briefly explains the force-velocity-power profile and how it can give strength and conditioning coaches a more holistic view of athletes.

The purpose of this article is to identify and discuss the difficulties that can arise when performing physiological-based research with firefighters.