By Steve Martorana
National Strength &
Conditioning Association
(NSCA)
 Founded in 1978
 Started with 76 coaches
 Network, collaborate and unify strength &
conditioning
 Currently over 30,000 members in 72
countries
Strength & Conditioning
 Similar to personal trainers and Group
exercise instructors
 Differ in one important way
 Improve performance or skill in sports
 Work primarily with athletes
Two Main Goals
 Goal #1
 Improve athletic performance
 Goal #2
 Reduce athletic injuries
Improving Athletic
Performance
 Improving athletes’ speed, strength, and
power
 Work closely with coaches
 Teaches proper lifting techniques
 Supervising/ motivating athletes during
training
 Access performance before/after
program
IMPROPER
Improving Athletic
Performance (cont.)
 Conditioning programs vary depending
on:
 If sport is in season or not
 The specific sport itself
 The position in each sport
Off-Season vs. In season
 Off-Season
 Training is more
rigorous
 Focus on
improving:
 Speed, strength,
agility, flexibility,
explosive strength,
confidence
 In Season
 Focus on
maintaining
condition rather
than improvement
 Injury prevention
Reducing Athletic Injuries
 Programs designed to
strengthen body parts
prone to injury
 Proper training
techniques
 Monitor athletes overall
health
 Give nutritional advice or
refer to dietitian
Ouch!!!
Dealing with Injuries
 Work with athletic training and sports
medicine staff
 Devise a program that corresponds with
athlete’s injury
 Often work with parents if they have
younger clients (such as in high school)
Personal Skills & Abilities
 Strength and conditioning coaches should
be:
Good motivators
Organized
A good teacher
Perceptive
Good with people
Let’s go! One
more rep!
Push yourself!!
Education and Certifications
 Required BA degree
 Major in kinesiology
 Master’s degree required for college-level
 Required strength and conditioning
certification:
 CSCS: Certified Strength & Conditioning
Specialist
Aspiring Strength &
Conditioning Courses
 The following classes are in the coursework of
most programs:
 Nutrition science
 Anatomy
 Physiology
 Kinesiology
 Exercise science
 Communication
 Psychology
 Professional ethics
CSCS Certification
 NCSA administered
 Required CPR (cardiopulmonary
resuscitation) certified
 Required AED (automated external
defibrillator) certified
 3 hour test
 65.5% pass rate
Experience
 Most important aspect when looking for a
job
 Assistant, intern, or volunteer during
college
 Working in fitness center
 Mentoring of a skilled strength and
conditioning coach
Future Opportunities
 Significant competition for jobs
 Have to have a good pedigree
 Hard to succeed with no experience
 Growing industry
 Strength-experts among top 5 most
promising employment trend (study by
ACSM)
Place of Employment
 Strength and conditioning coach may be
hired by:
 High schools
 Fitness centers
 Physical therapy clinics
 Universities
 Professional sport teams
Different levels of coaching
 Collegiate
 Depends of the size and level of
competition
 Iowa State(D1): 4 coaches to 450 athletes
 Central College (D3): 1 coach to 450 athletes
 Professional
 More coaches working with fewer athletes
 SA Spurs: 1 coach to 15 athletes
Salary
 Vary depending on experience and
qualifications
 Typically $40,000-$60,000 annually
 Rare cases make over $200,000
 Professionals make more than colligate
level
 Usually up to $100,000
Put your name out there
 Professional social websites can be very
beneficial
 Ex. LinkedIn, Monster
 Intern with well-known coaches
 Coaches are willing to let younger people
shadow them to get started
“It’s not what you know, it’s who
you know.”
-Proverb
Strength & Conditioning
program
 Example of program with video:
 Boise State Football:
 http://www.boisestatefootball.com/video/pr
ogram/strength-conditioning-0