So You Have Your CSCS

What does it mean to be a Strength and Conditioning Coach?

This blog is not meant to disparage another profession, belittle the knowledge and experience of my colleagues, or look down on weekend warriors. I am a proud member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and holder of the title of Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).(1) I have been a personal trainer and group exercise instructor, worked in physical therapy and chiropractic offices as well as athletic training facilities, coached at every level, and have been a strength and conditioning coach. I have a great deal of appreciation for each of these professions, but there are distinctions, and they should be respected.

The CSCS, along with the Strength and Conditioning Coach Certifications (SCCC) offered by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (2) and the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (3), are distinctions that allow an individual to work in the specific field of strength and conditioning coaching at the NCAA level, and should be standards of entry for other levels of strength and conditioning coaching as well. However, these are barriers to entry and should not stand alone when considering the overall qualifications of a strength and conditioning coach. This is not to say that additional certification or education make one more qualified to be a strength and conditioning coach either. While those in many related professions may hold such certifications, and may learn a great deal from them, the job of a strength and conditioning coach is quite different than that of a personal trainer, group exercise instructor, physical therapist, chiropractor, athletic trainer, or athletics coach.

In a traditional sense practicing strength and conditioning coaches primarily work with competitive athletes, a fairly specific population. This profession is about preventing injury and enhancing the performance of competitive athletes who spend a significant amount of time training/practicing in their specific athletic discipline. Strength and conditioning coaching can often require working with large and quite diverse groups of athletes, or working one on one with an athlete to meet a specific goal. Being a strength and conditioning coach often requires collaboration with most, if not all, of the professions listed above in order to facilitate the best possible outcome for the athlete. Strength and conditioning coaches, like coaches, write specific and detailed training/practice plans that often extend through training cycles and competitive calendars that can last years in order to achieve a specific goal. This type of planning, the associated performance outcome goals, and population specifics are rarely, if ever, the primary domains of personal trainers, group exercise instructors, physical therapists, athletic trainers, or chiropractors. It should also be noted that just because a sport specific coach has a profound understanding of how to train an athlete or group of athletes for a specific sport related outcome, even in training based sports such as track and field, swimming, rowing, etc., does not necessarily mean that they are qualified to function as strength and conditioning coaches. Being a strength and conditioning coach requires a specific knowledge and educational baseline, a certification process, and practicing as a strength and conditioning coach within the professional parameters of planning/programming, associated performance outcome goals, and population specifics. Without any one of these, something else is happening all together.

Can I fill multiple roles based on my education, training, and experience?

Absolutely, I would be a hypocrite if I said anything different as I am also a practicing ATC. If you are a sport coach, personal trainer, physical therapist, chiropractor, athletic trainer, etc., you can certainly also be a strength and conditioning coach, in fact, such education and experience should enhance your experience, knowledge, and scope. However, it is the understanding that strength and conditioning coaching is separated from other professions by planning/programming, associated performance outcome goals, and population specifics that is crucial.

Do you want to be a Strength and Conditioning Coach?

From the outside looking in becoming a practicing strength and conditioning coach can be a difficult task. Here are some ideas for how to get involved and grow within the profession:

Volunteer:

Whether it is at the collegiate level (almost a requirement), at a secondary school, with a club, or at the highest levels of professional or Olympic development sports, it can take time to establish yourself, however, you also develop professional relationships and experience, and your network along the way.

Become a Graduate Assistant:

Becoming a graduate assistant will accomplish all of the goals of volunteering with the added bonus of helping you to significantly expand your knowledge academically. Developing an academic understanding of your field, particularly while gaining practical experience and mentorship, is one of the most valuable experiences in the young career of a strength and conditioning coach.

Expand via diverse continuing education:

In order to maintain certification as a strength and conditioning coach continuing education is required, and there are many of ways to acquire ‘con-ed units’. State, regional, and national conferences are common places for many professionals to gain continuing education and can be quite valuable. Many organizations develop online course work, host workshops, and provide their own certifications that provide continuing education units. Taking college and university courses may count, while authoring and publishing articles, abstracts, and research can provide units as well. Expert speaking or panel member engagements are also often acceptable forms of continuing education. What is important to remember is that just going to your annual conference for the social engagement, signing your name, and reporting your con-ed, is not going to make you a better strength and conditioning coach. In order to progress, develop, advance, and continue to improve, even the most seasoned veterans must mix it up. Trust me, you don’t know everything, and you never will.

The moral of the story

Never stop learning and respect your profession and the professions of your colleagues. Just because you took a yoga class once does not make you a yoga teacher, giving a massage does not make you a massage therapist, playing in the NBA does not make you a basketball coach, and teaching grandpa to do a hip hinge, while extremely valuable and rewarding for both parties, even if you have your CSCS or SCCC, does not make you a strength and conditioning coach. Misrepresenting your education, qualifications, personal experience, and/or professional experience is harmful to your profession, and the professions of your colleagues, but most of all to your patients/clients/athletes.

Appendix

According to the NSCA a Strength and Conditioning Coach is: (4)
“Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists (CSCS) are professionals who apply scientific knowledge to train athletes for the primary goal of improving athletic performance. They conduct sport-specific testing sessions, design and implement safe and effective strength training and conditioning programs and provide guidance regarding nutrition and injury prevention. Recognizing that their area of expertise is separate and distinct, CSCSs consult with and refer athletes to other professionals when appropriate.“

According to the NFPT a Personal Trainer is: (5)
“Personal trainers possess the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to design safe and effective fitness programs. They instruct and assist people in reaching personal health and fitness goals.“

Interestingly this organization immediately follows this definition with 7 bullet points outlining the ‘Scope of Practice of Personal Trainers’ and perhaps more importantly 6 bullet points under the heading “What Personal Trainers Should NOT Do”.

According to the NATA an Athletic Trainer is: (6)
“Athletic training encompasses the prevention, examination, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of emergent, acute or chronic injuries and medical conditions. Athletic training is recognized by the American Medical Association (AMA), Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as an allied healthcare profession.”

According to the APTA a Physical Therapist is: (7)
“Physical therapists (PTs) are highly-educated, licensed health care professionals who can help patients reduce pain and improve or restore mobility – in many cases without expensive surgery and often reducing the need for long-term use of prescription medications and their side effects.”

“Physical therapists can teach patients how to prevent or manage their condition so that they will achieve long-term health benefits. PTs examine each individual and develop a plan, using treatment techniques to promote the ability to move, reduce pain, restore function, and prevent disability. In addition, PTs work with individuals to prevent the loss of mobility before it occurs by developing fitness and wellness-oriented programs for healthier and more active lifestyles.”

“Physical therapists provide care for people in a variety of settings, including hospitals, private practices, outpatient clinics, home health agencies, schools, sports and fitness facilities, work settings, and nursing homes. State licensure is required in each state in which a physical therapist practices.”

According to the ACA a Chiropractor is: (8)
“Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health. These disorders include, but are not limited to: back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches. Doctors of chiropractic (DCs) practice a conservative approach to health care that includes patient examination, diagnosis and treatment. DCs have broad diagnostic skills and are also trained to recommend therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises, as well as to provide nutritional, lifestyle and dietary counseling.“