This Kinetic Select excerpt from the Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Fourth Edition describes the results from electromyography (EMG) studies on the neural adaptations to anaerobic training.

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 excerpt from Developing Power discusses neuromuscular training for youth athletes.

Learning to lunge correctly can strengthen the lower body musculature, improve core stability and balance, enhance hip flexibility, and increase functionality. There are a plethora of modifications and progressions to consider.

The catecholamines—primarily epinephrine, but also norepinephrine and dopamine—are secreted by the adrenal medulla and are important for the acute expression of strength and power because the hormones act as central motor stimulators and peripheral vascular dilators to enhance enzyme systems and calcium release in muscle.

Research on the benefits of using goals to increase athletic performance has shown that performance generally increases for athletes that use goals consistently. Learn how to move beyond generalities and see how a systematic goal setting approach can be paired with training athletes.

This excerpt from NSCA’s Guide to Sport and Exercise Nutrition briefly analyzes some of the research behind creatine and its application to sport performance.

Growth hormone release is affected by the type of resistance training protocol used, including the duration of rest periods. Short rest period types of workouts result in greater serum concentrations compared to long rest protocols of similar total work; however, at present it is not clear how the various molecular forms or types of growth hormones are affected by rest period duration.

This info-graphic describes research on velocity decrements to increase propulsive and horizontal force applications to increase acceleration kinetics.

This article will highlight recent key dietary practices and provide practical applications for implementing these practices for firefighters.