In the first three parts of this series, I discussed the current failings of the strength and conditioning fields. In this fourth and final installment, I’ll try my best to solve some of these problems — something that could very well take decades but needs to be done.
Previously, I’ve discussed relationships with sports coaches and administrators. In Part 3 of this series, I’ll cover some of the biggest issues and names in our field: certification, qualifications, the NCAA, NSCA, and CSCCa.
In Part 1, I covered problems strength and conditioning coaches deal with when it comes to sports coaches, whom we work with on a regular basis. Now, I’ll go over a group we don’t deal with every day but impact everything we do: the administrators.
In this four-part series of articles, I’ll explain why strength and conditioning is a failing field and how we can improve our line of work. This first article covers the problems that we often face with sports coaches.
With all the knowledge we have available to us, you would think that we have gotten past the idea that distance running will get an athlete in shape for any sport. So how should we program for athletes? Sport-specific? Sort of. In order to approach something that is actually sport-specific, we must take into account the actual demands of the sport.
There is actually a history here, and something I think young coaches getting into the profession need to think about.
Your resume is your written presentation of you. If you have a bad presentation, it can be assumed that you will not be a good hire. Don’t let this happen.
Use the art of coaching to determine where you stand as a facilitator of strength and conditioning. Are you where you ought to be?
In the strength and conditioning industry, the unpaid internship is a necessary evil.
Coaching, training, planning…it is all in a days work.
It’s incredible what you can learn under the bar, especially as a strength coach.
I didn’t have any idea that there was such a thing as a strength and conditioning coach.
As far as relating to the athletes, I think that because you are around them every day, you will pick up on the current trends.
If you understand simple physics, anatomy, and biomechanics, you can understand movement better.
There are so many people who say they want to become strength coaches but are unwilling or do not know how to take advantage of all the learning opportunities available to them.
It is imperative that we don’t become narrow-minded and biased when choosing how we train our athletes.
One thing I’ve learned in the past couple years is that all of those set and rep tables that students have to memorize in their exercise science classes should be thrown in the trash can.
Having a base level of aerobic fitness can be highly beneficial for a powerlifter.
Having worked my way through the ranks to be a collegiate strength coach, I’ve picked up a few things that other coaches can use to improve their own careers.
The bridge (aka plank) is a very simple exercise that has managed to accomplish the feat of being both loved by many and also hated by many.
There are two major areas that have made a profound difference in my training—proper starting position and sound programming.
Why do people want to be strength coaches?
After competing in the Iron House Classic this past spring, I wanted to turn my attention to developing my raw strength. Based on some reading and videos I had seen, I made some unique adjustments to my dynamic effort bench training. These changes helped improve my raw (sushi) bench by 40 lbs in only 14 weeks.