The path to the top is not always linear. For Jill Costanza, it included returning to school and stops in collegiate and military performance before becoming Director of Sport Science and Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach with the National Football League (NFL) Detroit Lions. Costanza describes today’s sport science landscape as a “Wild West,” where definitions differ by perspective. Her focus centers on assessing the athlete and program effectiveness against the demands of the game to identify holistic interventions. She outlines how intentional systems, a clear communication funnel, and data visualizations help athletes and stakeholders understand the “why,” build buy-in, and tap into competitiveness. Addressing common misconceptions, Costanza clarifies that elite athletes can still have foundational qualities that need rewiring. She emphasizes movement quality, proprioception, and breathing while adapting for individual needs and neurological fatigue. Learn how to build sport science systems, turn insights into action, and keep progressing on your professional path. Reach out to Jill by email at: jill.costanza@lions.nfl.net | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs Join the NSCA Football Special Interest Group (SIG) and explore 24 other specialized communities designed to support your development on the Special Interest Groups page.

Bobby Smith, Owner and Director of Sports Performance at Reach Your Potential Training (RYPT), explains his systematic approach to writing a warm-up by implementing mobility, stability, activation, and injury prevention in this session from the NSCA’s 2018 National Conference.

In this hands-on lecture from the NSCA's 2014 Personal Training Conference, Nick Tumminello demonstrates his Top 20 mobility and activation exercises and explains why they are in his toolbox. Nick talks about how it is important for trainers to sort through the hundreds of available exercises to better serve their clients.

With almost one million people in the United States living with multiple sclerosis, this article aims to provide personal trainers with ideas for exercises to meet the needs of these individuals.

Join Loren Landow as he talks about barefoot training during the NSCA's 2014 National Conference. Drawing on his personal experience with fascial injury, Landow demonstrates mobility and activation exercises designed to help build ankle and foot strength.

Static and dynamic conditioning of the core musculature is important in activities of daily living and in sport. This book excerpt includes sample static exercises to strengthen the core muscles responsible for stabilization against, or movement through, the four basic movement patterns.

Kelly Dormandy, Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Performance at Loyola Marymount University and Head Strength Coach for the Los Angeles Sparks Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) team, talks to the NSCA Coaching Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about championship culture. Topics under discussion include constantly seeking new challenges, training WNBA athletes, and being proactive about networking in the field. Find Kelly on Instagram: @kdormandy | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

In this hands-on session from the 2018 NSCA’s Personal Training Conference, Brian Nguyen explains motor control with an emphasis on conscious breathing. Nguyen also demonstrates exercises and cues to improve overall stability, mobility, strength, and kinesthetic awareness for clients.

NATCON 2022

Nearly all fitness professionals are forced to address low back pain (LBP) to some extent, regardless of the age or population with which they work. The purpose of this article is to shed light on contemporary research surrounding LBP.