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
Improve athletic performance
Goal
#1
#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
on:
programs vary depending
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
hired by:
and conditioning coach may be
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
0
