You don’t have to love the weight room, but you can’t last without it. Champ Bailey, a National Football League (NFL) Hall of Famer, admits he never enjoyed lifting, but says respecting the work gave him the edge to sustain 15 seasons at the highest level. Hear how his preparation evolved from traditional lifts to readiness routines — core, mobility, warm-ups, and recovery — that kept him fresh through the NFL grind. Bailey emphasizes that strength and conditioning coaches are undervalued leaders who “see you at all levels,” guide comebacks, and build buy-in with simple numbers. He recalls how a failed conditioning test led to one of his best seasons, and how weight room leadership left no cracks to ensure buy-in from everyone. Bailey continues his impact through the Positive Athlete initiative, using sport as a platform for growth. Gain practical ways to tailor training by role, earn athlete respect, and build a winning culture. Connect with Champ via email at: ChampBailey@positiveathlete.org | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs Answer the call to give back and lead the profession. Applications for the NSCA and NSCA Foundation Boards of Directors are now open, with more volunteer positions available October 1. See if you qualify and apply at NSCA.com/Volunteer.

This article will provide some conditions and standards with specific tools personal trainers may consider using in their initial interview with potential clients.

While a basic fitness assessment will always be a part of a comprehensive client assessment, there is an array of more sophisticated tests and measures that are available to the personal trainer today.

Feeling uneasy about asking for a raise? Discover practical strategies to showcase your worth in strength & conditioning and build a solid case for better pay.

Before implementing an agility training program, baseline measures of change of direction ability should be assessed. This article presents norms for three tests that can be used to assess change of direction ability.

Learn how the use of force plates can provide daily insights in the training process, and how to adapt these principles for other methods that do not involve force plates. In this session from the NSCA’s 2018 Coaches Conference, Cory Kennedy also discusses the prerequisites for developing a coaching “intuition.”

By implementing a fitness assessment, a law enforcement agency can assess its officers and gather important data. As long as there are support mechanisms in place to assist the “at risk” officers—such as access to physical training instructors, occupational health professionals, or dietitians—the organization can ensure that its officers move towards becoming a healthier and more resilient workforce.

Learn about the emerging field of biomechanics in professional baseball from Georgia Giblin, the Director of Performance Science for the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Giblin shares her professional journey with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, from working with Olympic athletes in Australia to educating coaches on emerging technology tools within MLB. This episode features discussion on the recent growth of athletic performance departments, the current state of sport science in the United States, and the helpful role of strength and conditioning coaches in supporting sport science initiatives. Connect with Georgia on Twitter: @GeorgiaGiblin| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

This article presents information about assessing speed and agility in a controlled environment with a test that is similar to the actual demands of a specific sport.

This article aims to bring awareness to the importance of sleep and recovery for first responders, as well as providing strategies to optimize sleep specific to their occupational demands.