Nicole Rodriguez always knew she wanted to pursue strength and conditioning, but the extent of her journey — spanning 44 countries and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games — is nothing short of inspiring. During her time at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning, Rodriguez recognized the value of experience and environment, later joining the EXOS International Program to coach globally. Eager to test her skills and help standardize coaching education, she sought out developing countries to advance their sport infrastructure. Rodriguez outlines key differences between U.S. and European approaches: while the U.S. excels in strength methodology, Europe enhances sport-specific application through tactical periodization. Additionally, she highlights Europe’s emphasis on rehabilitation and an “inverse relationship” between time in the weight room versus pitch-side with sport coaches. Rodriguez also describes her work with Poland’s Ministry of Sport and Tourism to pursue NSCA Global Chapter status, aligning with her passion for improving strength and conditioning education and implementation worldwide. Connect with Nicole by email: nicole@coachnicolerodriguez.com and online at: coachnicolerodriguez.com | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs Learn more about NSCA international programs mentioned in the episode at NSCA.com/Global.

TAT22

Tactical 2019

The purpose of this article is to define the roles of personal trainers and physical therapists and to learn how their combined expertise can influence long-term physical health improvements for their clients.

Job descriptions, schedules, personal responsibilities, and physical training experience are all factors that should be taken into account when designing a unique and specialized training program for tactical athletes.

Neil Baumgartner, PhD, speaks at the 2013 TSAC Conference on the science and rationale behind the Air Force Fitness Test.

TAT22

Behavioral Changes and Physical Activity: Progressive Program Design

Obstacle course training can offer variety to any physical readiness training program. Properly conducted obstacle course training may be a useful method to train strength, endurance, and mobility simultaneously.

A physical assessment continues to be one of the best ways to evaluate and measure physical preparedness and readiness of a military unit for job-related tasks and future missions. Tactical facilitators must consider multiple factors when developing testing protocols and programs, including leadership support, limited resources, and training cycle time constraints.