Strength and fitness trainers have two main objectives:. The first is to improve athletic performance, which generally means improving the speed, strength and power of athletes (although the details vary by athlete and sport). Conditioning coaches develop systematic training programs for both teams and individual athletes, often working in close partnership with coaches. This generally includes teaching proper lifting techniques, supervising and motivating athletes while exercising, and evaluating their performance before and after the program.
The nature of the conditioning program will vary depending on whether the sport is seasonal or not. During the off-season, conditioning programs can be quite rigorous. During the season, conditioning programs tend to focus more on maintaining athlete conditioning rather than improving it. Conditioning programs also vary by sport and even by position within the sport.
A Marine Corps strength and fitness trainer (S%26C) is a physical performance professional who uses exercise prescription to improve performance, decrease injury potential, and educate to create a holistic healthy lifestyle. Decrease Injury Potential The most important aspect of physical training (PT) is to lower the chances of a Marine being injured. Improve combat-specific and work-related athletic performance Whether daily PT sessions are held at a unit-specific HITT or PT center on the field, S%26C coaches use physical fitness to improve Marines' combat capabilities and their specific tasks for the job. Create a Holistic Healthy Lifestyle Fitness in its truest form isn't just about getting fit and strong.
To really improve performance and lower the potential for injury, a Marine must make the connection, there are 24 hours in a day and only 1 or 2 of them are dedicated to doing PT. What you do in the other 22 hours will have a dramatic impact on the two hours you spend doing PT. Unlike a sports coach, a strength and fitness coach focuses primarily on athletic performance. The coach helps athletes prevent injuries, by strengthening and training the mechanics of movement within a sport.
While a personal trainer can work with people of all fitness levels and focus on health or fitness, strength and fitness coaches focus on competitive athletes and improving performance in a specific sport. Qualifications for the three professions are not interchangeable, and both strength and conditioning coaches and sports coaches have stricter educational requirements than personal trainers. A strength and conditioning coach designs, implements and supervises strength and conditioning programs for multiple sports programs. Coaches focus on improving athletes' performance and skills by conducting training sessions, coordinating practice exercises, and providing guidance.
Other certification programs, such as the Performance Improvement Specialist (PES) certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, the Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach (SCCC) Certification from the Association of University Strength and Conditioning Coaches, and the ISSA certification of conditioning coach (SSC) of the International Association of Sports Sciences, are also available. With the advice of a coach or instructor, an athlete undergoes rigorous training and practice, even as professionals in the league, to develop and maintain their skills. Just like a personal trainer, a conditioning coach should be a good teacher because they will try to educate athletes on how to properly execute weightlifting and other exercises. Beyond the intensive training session, a great S%26C coach must stay open to new learning opportunities and be constantly evolving.
By using techniques such as speed-based training and plyometrics in some high-powered athletes and sport-specific movements in others, strength trainers can improve physical function and athletic performance while reducing the risk of some sports injuries. Alex is a sports performance coach at Landow Performance in Centennial, Colorado and co-owner of Building a Fighter, an online training resource for mixed martial arts artists. Typically, the job tasks of a strength and fitness coach include working with a head coach to design a strength and conditioning program, leading training sessions for the entire team, and in some cases, working one-on-one with individual athletes. Strength and fitness coaches have the option of specializing in a particular sports team, type of performance, type of training, training philosophy, or working at the college level, where they are assigned a sport.
This certification is known as Strength %26 Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC) and requires a 640-hour undergraduate degree and internship in addition to passing the certification exam. The Collegiate Strength %26 Conditioning Coaches partnership also offers exclusive certification for the collegiate and professional level strength and conditioning coach. If you work with an injured athlete participating in rehabilitation, conditioning coaches will also consult with sports medicine or sports training staff to make sure they don't ask the injured athlete to do anything inappropriate at the conditioning center. Andrew Moser, strength coach at Iowa State University, agrees, saying: Student-athletes can have an excellent training plan that improves their speed, agility, strength, explosiveness, etc.
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