Paul Comfort, program leader for the Master’s degree in Strength and Conditioning at the University of Salford, talks to the NSCA Coaching Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about his desire to continuously learn through practical application and research in the field. Topics under discussion include creating the post graduate program for the University of Salford, being a founding member of the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA), and the complexities of technology in the weight room. Find Paul on Twitter: @PaulComfort1975 or Instagram: @PaulComfort1975 | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

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 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.

This excerpt from NSCA’s Essentials of Sport Science briefly explains workload and injury risk factors.

This article discusses the possible benefits of creatine supplementation for tactical athletes and their cognitive function.

This excerpt from Developing the Core explains core exercises unique to baseball and softball.

This excerpt from Strength Training, Second Edition provides insight into how resistance bands and cords can be used for a variety of training methods.

This article is part of a continuing series on practical, evidence-based approaches to reducing the risk of injury while developing tactical strength and conditioning.

This article reviews the basics of the Olympic lifts, including strength base, skill transfer, snatch progressions, and clean and jerk progressions. This article also covers several suggested practices for strength and conditioning coaches to fine-tune and progress learning and coaching of the lifts.

Research shows that the appropriate integration of resistance training into the endurance athlete’s training can result in significantly better performance when compared to classic endurance training plans that focus only on aerobic endurance.