Planning and designing training programs for a new group of athletes (e.g., a new recruiting class or a new coaching job) can be problematic without a base level understanding of the athletes’ current skill levels. This article describes one system that can be used to determine an athlete's self-confidence on different exercises.

From the 2019 Tactical Annual Training, Matt Thompson, explains the principles that have helped guide his program design process and how coaches can utilize similar principles to help filter systems and methods to create a more effective training program.

This article seeks to provide personal trainers with eight brief modifications that clients can benefit from if they suffer from both acute and chronic lower back pain (LBP).

This article proposes that all resistance training exercises can be classified as either “specific” or “general.” How to classify each exercise type and the unique benefits they offer is explained.

From the 2021 NSCA’s Coaches Conference, Matthew Ibrahim, Co-Owner, Director of Strength and Conditioning, and Internship Coordinator at TD Athletes Edge, discusses how to help athletes develop the skills necessary to build the brakes in the athletic development process. Other topics covered include how to create a better understanding of the transfer from training in the weight room to sport performance.

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

Brett Bartholomew talks about the risks posed to athletes who are partaking in randomized and unstructured training practices often supervised by non-certified professionals. This session from the NSCA’s 2017 Coaches Conference will help you identify ways in which a “skills not drills” approach towards movement training design can not only lead to enhanced transfer of training to the competitive environment, but also better retention on behalf of the athlete as they progress through future training.

Framing of the personal trainer-client relationship sets the stage for future success, and it all starts with the personal trainer’s approach. Learn how to give clients the right information at the right time, and in a way that will resonate with them.

This PTQ article discusses a Mini Quality System (MQS), an ISO 9001-inspired framework designed to help small and growing fitness centers establish better operational control. Visit NSCA online to read more on fitness management.

This article highlights four non-traditional calf exercises that can immediately be used in strength programs for improving calf strength while also increasing ankle dorsiflexion mobility.