John Mata writes about his experience as a Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator® (TSAC-F®) and his opportunity to be part of a pilot program directed by United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM).

The purpose of this article is to identify considerations that are to be taken into account when designing and implementing an annual training program for firefighters, as well as to discuss strategies for implementation.

The purpose of this article is to review various gravitational running (GR) techniques from an evidence-based approach, then recommend whether to include GR techniques in the training of tactical athletes.

Assessing clients is a vital component of the personal training experience. This article gives an overview of breathing mechanics and how to apply proper breathing exercises into a client’s assessment and program.

This column reviews recent literature that investigated the appropriateness of a commonly utilized on-duty exercise training modality for firefighters and describes the occupational demands of specialist tactical police officers.

Take a deep dive into force plate research and trends with “Force Plate Coach”, Dr. John McMahon from the University of Salford in England. In this episode, John discusses his path from Royal Marine Commando into strength and conditioning and biomechanics teaching and research. Listen in as John connects with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, on the past, present, and future of force plates in sport and the ways we can improve our testing and evaluation of athletes. This episode mentions the following paper from NSCA’s Strength and Conditioning Journal: McMahon, JJ, Suchomel, TJ; Lake, JP, and Comfort, P. Understanding the Key Phases of the Countermovement Jump Force-Time Curve, Strength and Conditioning Journal 40(4): 96-106, 2018 Find John on Instagram: @forceplatecoach, on Twitter: @ForcePlateCoach, and on YouTube: @ForcePlateCoach| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

Knowledge of metabolic rate can help athletes as well as health-conscious people improve their exercise performance or obtain the fat-to-lean-mass ratio optimal for their personal situations. Two examples of how this works follow.

Mandy Nice explains the benefits and need of expanding health and fitness programs into military and law enforcement agencies, and offers strategies for the common obstacles preventing implementation of these programs.

Some positions within the fitness industry can be tricky to classify. This article helps businesses decipher the difference between a hired employee and an independent contracted position.

This article shares various options for integrating mental skills training into existing strength and conditioning programs. Such simultaneous, dual-training approaches may better prepare officers for the realities of occupational performance.