Are you too easy or too hard on yourself? Are you loving or hateful? How do those around you influence these conversations?

The arm is just another part of the body that can be trained like the legs or the biceps if you know how to do it correctly.

Let’s honor those who came before us. Who gave you a better chance to succeed as you started your new role?

The journey of being a strength and conditioning coach is different for everyone. However, there’s something to be gained from sharing what you’ve learned along the way.

As I start up my new job, I wanted to give younger strength and conditioning coaches some advice: Don’t be afraid to spread your wings and fly out of your comfort zone. Be bold and be brave. It will pay off at some point.

For those new to the game and for seasoned vets alike who’ll be attending the CSSCa National Conference, here are some do’s and don’t’s that will make your annual trip a success — both in terms of enjoyment and employment.

Head’s up: If you’re looking for reps, sets, or percentages, you might want to look elsewhere on this website. Or take the time to make a sweet gesture for your significant other today, just like I’m about to do for my wonderful wife in this article.

Reading Al Miller’s “The System” made me think about my most successful program. I’ve dubbed this hodgepodge of six years in strength and conditioning “Performance Drive Response,” which is a culmination of a bunch of different systems I’ve used, seen, and been in or part of.

This episode’s guest is Georgia Southern University’s sports psychologist Dr. Brandon Harris. He explains what exactly he does and what his job entails while giving listeners a deeper insight into sports psychology.

I’ve been really blessed to be around some great leaders who taught me these lessons. I wouldn’t be the man and coach I am today without them.

This episode covers a variety of in-depth training and coaching topics (injury reports, physical preparation, sports specificity, junk volume, culture), along with the current state of Cleveland sports and the return of LeBron James to Cleveland in 2022.

Our first-ever guest is David Kitchen, who serves as the Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning for the UNLV Rebels football team. Kitchen talks about everything from his life journey to discipline and even the different sociology principles he’s studied in an attempt to better his athletes.

Each of these men are great attributes not only to the field of strength and conditioning but also to the development of future generations of men. In this introductory interview, we discuss philosophy, programming, and summer training.

College athletics may be a giant machine, but the humans run it. We need to understand that the athletes, just like us as coaches, have good days and bad days, and instilling good character should always be number one.

I have found there are two main types of leaders in the industry of strength and conditioning. There are those who inspire others and there are those who dictate.

Our job is to be better than those coaches who let the kids believe football is life. Our job is to make sure these athletes leave us better than when they arrived.

You want the short route to constructing the perfect program? Here it is, summed up in two variables.

We are the most egotistical profession in the nation, right next to actors and those people who work at Baywatch (a documentary I’m definitely about to see). Let me break it down for you.

There are a lot of people that hold positions of power, but that does not mean they are true mentors. What does?

Things aren’t all sunshine and rainbows in this field, and even when you’re winning, sometimes it doesn’t feel like you’re winning. Can you handle it?

Because I grew up in Akron, Ohio, I’ll never forget the impact LeBron James has had on my life. But it’s not the championships or the records that I admire him for most.

In this video, Don walks through his growth as a strength and conditioning coach. He discusses lessons from each of the positions he has held and shares the names of several of the most influential people that have helped him in his career.

This article was conducted in collaboration with David Kitchen (Bloomsburg University), Matt Clapp (University of Indiana), Ryan Nosak (UNC Charlotte), and Parker Showers (University of Cincinnati).

When an argument comes up about training women and the differences, I have a perspective that many of my male colleagues do not: there is no difference.

There are three types of people in the world of strength and conditioning — which one are you?

It’s not all smiles and pep talks. There will be broom duty, but kindness should always be somewhere in the mix.

Your relationship with your athletes is fundamental to helping them improve. It’s also fragile. Don’t risk compromising your role as a leader and your job as a coach.

Through a recent trip, I had the privilege of seeking guidance from two coaches I admire and whose knowledge can benefit any young strength coach looking to make their mark in this industry.