NSCA's Guide to Program Design Print CE Course Without Book

Course components are delivered as printed products:

• Study guide

• Continuing education exam

• NOTE: The text NSCA’s Guide to Program Design is required for successful completion of this course but is not included in this version. Purchase this version only if you already own the text or e-book.

Learning Objectives

• Understand all aspects of a needs analysis and its implications to training.

• Implement assessment programs to evaluate the effectiveness of training programs.

• Understand the influence of dynamic warm-up protocols on injury risk.

• Apply the concepts of progressive overload, specificity, and variation to resistance training programs.

• Manipulate training variables and select optimal exercises to match the goals of the program and avoid training plateaus.

• Identify the differences between aerobic and anaerobic-based sports and the training needs of each.

• Identify the metabolic demands of a sport and understand how metabolic adaptations to training can affect performance.

• Understand when to implement balance, stability, speed, and agility training in overall program design.

• Understand the theories behind various principles of periodization and program design.

• Utilize different training phases to optimize performance.

NSCA's Guide to Program Design Print CE Course offers current information, guidance, and protocols from respected scientists and practitioners with expertise in strength and conditioning program design. Developed by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), this course offers strength and conditioning professionals a scientific basis for developing training programs for specific athletes at specific times of year.

Straightforward and accessible, NSCA’s Guide to Program Design Print CE Course presents a detailed examination of considerations and challenges in developing a program for each key fitness component and fitness performance goal. This authoritative course moves beyond the simple template presentation of program design to help professionals grasp the reasons and procedures for sequencing training in a safe, sport-specific manner. The companion text offers sample workouts or training plans for athletes in a variety of sports, technique photos and instructions for select drills, and a sample annual training plan that shows how to assemble all the pieces previously presented. Plus, extensive references offer starting points for continued study and professional enrichment.

NSCA’s Guide to Program Design Print CE Course progresses sequentially through the program design process. It begins by examining the process of athlete needs assessment as well as performance testing considerations and selection. Next, professionals will get performance-related information on dynamic warm-up and static stretching and learn dynamic warm-up protocols and exercises. Professionals will find evidence-based information on program development, including considerations and adaptations as well as methods and strategies for resistance, power, anaerobic, endurance, agility, speed, and balance and stability training. Finally, professionals will explore training integration, periodization, and implementation.

The companion study guide includes a course syllabus, course instructions, learning objectives, and a referenced answer key to help individuals focus on course content. It emphasizes key concepts of the corresponding text to prepare individuals for the exam (composed of 100 multiple-choice questions) at the completion of the course. Upon passing the exam, individuals may print out and submit a certificate for continuing education credit.

The fitness, safety, and performance of athletes reflect the importance of continued education in the science of strength and conditioning. NSCA’s Guide to Program Design Print CE Course diminishes the gap between scientist and practitioner by equipping professionals with evidence-based information and applications.

About the NSCA

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is the world’s leading organization in the field of sport conditioning. Drawing on the resources and expertise of the most recognized professionals in strength training and conditioning, sport science, performance research, education, and sports medicine, the NSCA is the world’s trusted source of knowledge and training guidelines for coaches, athletes, and tactical operators. The NSCA provides the crucial link between the lab and the field.

About the Editor

Jay Hoffman, PhD, CSCS,*D, FNSCA, is a professor of exercise science at the University of Central Florida and coordinator of their sport and exercise science program. Long recognized as an expert in the field of exercise physiology, Hoffman has more than 150 publications to his credit in refereed journals, book chapters, and books, and he has lectured at more than 300 national and international conferences and meetings. He also has more than 17 years of experience coaching at the collegiate and professional levels. This combination of the practical and the theoretical provides him with a unique perspective on writing for both coaches and academic faculty.

Hoffman was elected president of the National Strength and Conditioning Association in 2009. He was awarded the 2005 Outstanding Kinesiological Professional Award by the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut and was named the 2007 Outstanding Sport Scientist of the Year by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He also was awarded the 2000 Outstanding Junior Investigator Award by the NSCA. He is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and serves on the board of directors of the USA Bobsled and Skeleton Federation. He is the author of Physiological Aspects of Sport Training and Performance (Human Kinetics, 2002) and Norms for Fitness, Performance, and Health (Human Kinetics, 2006).