Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning

In this revised and expanded second edition of Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, now with over 300 color photographs, leading exercise science professionals explore the scientific principles, concepts, and theories of strength training and conditioning as well as their practical applications to athletic performance.

Students, coaches, strength and conditioning specialists, personal trainers, athletic trainers, and other sport science professionals will find state-of-the-art, comprehensive information on structure and function of body systems, training adaptations, testing and evaluation,exercise techniques, program design (aerobic and anaerobic) and training facility organization and administration.

Edited by Thomas R. Baechle and Roger W. Earle, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Second Edition, is an excellent text for students preparing for careers in strength training and conditioning. It is the most comprehensive reference available for strength and conditioning professionals and sports medicine specialists. For people preparing to take the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist examination, it is the primary preparation resource. Those preparing to take the NSCA Certified Personal Trainer examination will also find it to be a valuable resource. The NSCA Certification Commission, the certifying body of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, has developed this text.

Each of the book's 26 chapters provides an overview of an important aspect of strength and conditioning and includes chapter objectives, application boxes, key points, key terms, study questions, and questions requiring practical application of key concepts.

In Section 1 of Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Second Edition, experts in exercise physiology, biochemistry, anatomy, biomechanics, endocrinology, sports nutrition, and sport psychology discuss the principles of their respective areas of expertise and how they apply in designing safe, effective strength and conditioning programs.

Section 2 discusses the selection, administration, scoring, and the interpretation of testing results. Section 3 provides information regarding the correction and execution of stretching, warm-up, and resistance training exercises.

Section 4 applies information from the first three sections to the design of effective strength training and conditioning programs, both aerobic and anaerobic. The three parts of Section 4 address anaerobic exercise prescription, aerobic endurance exercise prescription, and periodization and rehabilitation. The anaerobic prescription section provides guidelines for resistance and plyometric training as well as for speed, agility, and speed endurance programs. Step-by-step guidelines are given for designing strength and conditioning programs, and application boxes illustrate how each variable applies to athletes with different training goals. A unique feature of this edition is the use of scenarios to illustrate how the guidelines presented for each of the program design variables are applied to attain the different training scores.

Section 5 addresses facility design, scheduling, policies and procedures, maintenance, and risk management concerns.

Thomas R. Baechle, EdD, CSCS, *D; NSCA-CPT, *D is the executive director of the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists Agency, the certifying body for the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He has been a state and regional director of the organization, was president from 1983 to 1985, and served as its director of education from 1985 to 1990. He is an associate editor for NSCA's two periodicals—the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and Strength and Conditioning. In addition, he serves on NSCA's Tests and Measurements Committee, Research Committee, and Past President's Committee. Dr. Baechle has received various honors and awards from the NSCA, including the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Outstanding Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year in 1985. He is also a professor and chair of the Department of Exercise Sciences at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

For 20 years Dr. Baechle competed successfully in weightlifting and powerlifting, setting various Midwest records. For more than 20 years he has been involved in the strength training and conditioning of college athletes. Dr. Baechle is certified as a Level I weightlifting coach by the United States Weightlifting Federation, as a Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the NSCA, and as an Exercise Test Technologist and Exercise Specialist by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). He has written numerous articles and is the author of several popular texts on strength training. He has held various offices at the state and regional level in the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance and is a member of NSCA, ACSM, National Association for Physical Education in Higher Education, and the National Organization for Competency Assurance.

Roger W. Earle, MA, CSCS,*D, NSCA-CPT,*D, earned his master's degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in exercise science. In 2008, he became the Professional Education division director at Human Kinetics. Previously, Earle was the associate executive director for National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Certification, where he was responsible for developing the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and the NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT) certification exams. He also previously served as the head strength and conditioning coach and a faculty member of the exercise science and athletic training department at Creighton University in Omaha.

Earle has over 25 years of experience as a personal fitness trainer for people of all age and fitness levels, and he frequently gives lectures at national and international conferences about designing personalized exercise and training programs. He coauthored the first and second editions of Fitness Weight Training and coedited both the NSCA's Essentials of Personal Training and the first and second editions of Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning.