How do you build a sustainable high-performance culture despite yearly assistant coach rotations and demanding schedules? Alice Read, Assistant Athletic Director for Sport Performance at Vassar College, shares expertise from managing 29 teams and 600 student-athletes while continuously "riding the rollercoaster" of Division III scheduling. Read explores strategies for maintaining program continuity, including matching assistant coaches to sports based on strengths and growth areas. She emphasizes advocating for daily staff lifts to test and refine programs firsthand. In a full-circle moment, Read, once an NSCA Foundation Assistantship Recipient, now serves on the committee awarding these opportunities, demonstrating the value of early professional involvement. She also discusses collaborative problem solving within the Liberty League Strength and Conditioning Committee and explains how the College Coaches Professional Development Group (PDG) provided boots-on-the-ground guidance for the 2024 NSCA Strategic Plan. Tune in for actionable insights on mentorship, collaboration, and longevity in collegiate strength and conditioning.
Connect with Alice via email at aread@vassar.edu and on Instagram: @ajpr3 and @vassar_strong | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs
The purpose of this article is to present a sample injury prevention program with a specific emphasis on lower body posterior chain development throughout competitive and non-competitive college lacrosse seasons.
Consumption of dietary protein by athletes is a common intervention to maximize gains in muscle and strength, and to improve body composition. The purpose of this article is to analyze the current research on the optimal amount of dietary protein for resistance training athletes.
This PTQ article shares strategies for personal trainers about the treatment and prevention of the female athlete triad. Visit NSCA online to read more on youth fitness and health news.
Personal trainersExercise ScienceNutritionTesting and EvaluationClient Consultation|AssessmentBasic Pathophysiology and Science of Health Status or Condition, Disorder, or DiseaseProfessional Development
Kayleigh Fournier, now Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning at Dartmouth College, talks to the former NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about her journey from unpaid intern to head strength coach. Topics under discussion include work ethic as a young professional getting into the field, programming for unconventional sports, and diversifying your network of support.
Connect with Kayleigh through email: kayleigh.fournier@dartmouth.edu
As rotation, power, and rotational power are all common pieces of everyday life, it is important to train for efficiency in the movements. This article addresses the specific approaches rotational training can have in an individual’s strength program to address core integrity, synergistic muscular systems, and overall athletic capabilities as it relates to aging.
Personal trainersCoachesExercise TechniqueProgram design
Read a step-by-step description of how to perform the two-arm kettlebell swing, in this exclusive excerpt from the book Exercise Technique Manual for Resistance Training-3rd Edition With Online Video, published by Human Kinetics.
Dr. Lonnie Lowery spoke at the NSCA's 2012 National Conference about the value of incorporating omega-3 fatty acids into the nutrition of youth athletes.
Tactical facilitators are especially well-positioned to integrate mental skills training that may develop more complete tactical athletes who are prepared for dangerous environments. This article offers recommendations for mental skills training based on reported views from a tactical population.