NSCA’s Coaching Podcast

Kevin Neeld, Head Performance Coach of the Boston Bruins National Hockey League (NHL) team, joins the NSCA Coaching Podcast to share about strength and conditioning practices in the NHL. Neeld connects with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, on his path to working in professional hockey, the involvement of strength and conditioning at the annual NHL Draft Combine, and the partnership between the Strength and Conditioning Association of Professional Hockey (SCAPH) and the NSCA. The discussion includes perspectives for aspiring coaches about working in professional hockey, on-ice and off-ice training, and the recent growth of performance staffs. Connect with Kevin on Instagram: @kevinneeld or Twitter: @KevinNeeld| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“The shift on off-ice development and preparing for a potential combine battery takes a back seat to making sure that you’re ready to play the next game, as it should. In contrast, we have players that maybe have not played a game in three months. So there’s a lot of context that needs to be considered when interpreting the test results of the players that are at the combine.” 9:08 “What we see in some of these conversations that come up regularly is that a player might be really fast on the ice and really underdeveloped in their speed and power qualities off the ice. To me, that may be a player that you really want to take a strong look at because if they have a four-cylinder engine, and they’re beating eight-cylinder engines in races, then you increase the size of the engine. It’s likely that they’re going to continue to scale up in a positive direction.” 15:35 “It’s more of a three-pronged approach of marrying what literature and research-based evidence says along with the coach’s experience along with the values and preferences of the athlete.” 33:10

This episode of the NSCA Coaching Podcast features Nicole Fowler, the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Phillips Exeter Academy. Fowler connects with the NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Staff, Eric McMahon and Kevin Gregory, about transitioning from collegiate coaching, at Merrimack University and the University of Denver, to now working in a high school. Learn what it means to be “unembarassable” in your coaching and how that helps your strength and conditioning program. The impact of the high school strength and conditioning coach extends far beyond weight room in this episode. Tune in to learn more about programming for high school student-athletes and training insights for youth during the pre-college formative years. Connect with Nicole on Instagram at @nicolesampson104 and @phillips_exeter_strength | Reach out to Eric and Kevin on Instagram at @ericmcmahoncscs and @coachgregorystrengthShow Notes“There's about 1,200 students that are on campus here with us. We have grades 9 through 12, but then students can come and join us as a post-graduate as well. The cool thing about Exeter is that it's an extremely diverse campus. We represent about 33 countries and the school itself offers over 450 courses.” 2:25 “I've tried to narrow it down to two things, but the athletes want to have control or elements of control, and they want to enjoy the process.” 10:20 “He said to be successful in this world you have to be unembarrassable, which is funny, because I didn't put that into perspective. And sometimes the kids are dancing and having a good time or whatever it is. And you have to kind be on board with it to a certain extent. Obviously you have your standards. But you have to enjoy it, because otherwise you're going to pull your hair out trying to get all these kids to do exactly what you want them to do.” 10:55 “But role within the community I think is something that I've really enjoyed in my two years that I've been here. I love to see the other side of whatever the campus is working on.” 23:05 “I was able to create systems at Merrimack and create systems at Denver, and I'm able to use those systems, but just figure out a creative way to make it work in my setting that I'm in. And I can honestly say that I'm having the most fun that I've ever had coaching, being in the setting that I'm in. And I feel like I'm making a really big impact.” 27:30

Legendary strength and conditioning coach Jeff “Maddog” Madden sits down with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, and Gatorade Team Sports Manager, Jon Jost, to share stories and lessons from an over four-decade collegiate coaching career. This Gatorade Performance Partner collaboration episode of the NSCA Coaching Podcast emphasizes the vital role of the strength and conditioning coach as a team builder, leadership developer, and master motivator for student-athletes. Coach Madden takes us on his journey from the early days of being a strength and conditioning coach to today, discussing some major influencers in the profession and training principles that support long-term career success in college athletics. Listen in and be better equipped to face the challenges we experience in our jobs as coaches. You can reach Coach Madden by email at jmaddog59@gmail.com| Email Jon at: jonathan.jost@pepsico.com | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs  To learn more and join the Gatorade Performance Partner Community, visit GatoradePerformancePartner.com.Show Notes“I know you’re the strength and conditioning coach. But you want to work to become an assistant athletic director, or an associate athletic director. You want to be of value to the whole department, not just the football staff. That was money in the bank.” 3:17 “That’s a pretty intense amount of time. That’s several months of training that the coaches don’t even get a chance to see them.” 10:45 “When you have communication, you can work things out. I had communication with our doctors, because I wanted to understand what the doctors were doing and how they did what they did, so I could better do my job.” 14:39 “I had a whole semester where I could go and travel and meet people; go to different clinics, go to the Gatorade clinics or whatever was out there at the given time, and spend time with people. And those people helped build my career, because they gave me solid, sound advice.” 20:20 “You see, because I wanted to let them understand it takes a lot to be a champion, but you got to do the work to be a champion. You don’t just walk out there and become a champion. You know? It’s not easy. Anybody can wear the uniform, but can you perform in that uniform? And will you defend the honor of the name on the front and the name on the back of that uniform?” 31:54

Hear from the widely-respected, Rob Glass, Assistant AD for Athletic Performance at Oklahoma State University (OSU), an influential figure in the success of the OSU and University of Florida athletics programs over his four decades in the strength and conditioning profession. Coach Glass connects with the NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, on the importance of professionalism among strength and conditioning coaches, and specific qualities he looks for in strength and conditioning coaches joining the OSU staff. This episode highlights the importance of history and experience in developing effective training programs for your coaching environment, and how the student-athletes of today benefit more from our improved coaching practices. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear impactful lessons of character and leadership that can help push your career forward. You can connect with Coach Glass by email at rob.glass@okstate.edu| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“It's the ability to teach and communicate, effective lifting techniques, program design, and… you try to do your best.” 6:04 “The professionalism piece speaks to all that. From the time you first start as a graduate assistant or even an intern, if the professionalism piece is there, you're going to get looked at in a much favorable light with people that are decision-makers for your career moving forward.” 12:38 “Write programs backwards. What does the head coach-- where do I need to be when this training cycle ends? And then I'm going to start writing. I actually write it backwards depending on the duration of the training cycle.” 26:40 “It’s still about networking and developing relationships where you can have good dialogue, training dialogue, where you can ask some questions. But you've got to develop that network.” 28:00 “Don’t be afraid to network. Don't be afraid to reach out. Be a sponge, learn as much as you can. Don't think you have all the answers. I mean, probably the biggest turnoff for some guys is when you sit down with somebody and they act like they've got it figured out and everybody else is a ways wrong. There are so many ways to enhance an athlete's performance.” 30:05

Jessica Burke is an experienced collegiate strength and conditioning coach, most recently at Penn State University, as well as a personal trainer. She joins the NSCA Coaching Podcast with a unique perspective on the state of the strength and conditioning profession. Burke shares her professional path with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, including rewarding work as a personal trainer outside of her responsibilities on campus. This episode explores the value of work-life balance across the coaching profession. Should we debunk the “hustle culture” model of the strength and conditioning coach lifestyle? Listen to learn about this topic and more. Other topics covered include strength and conditioning coaches having a presence on social media and training foundations for youth and female athletes. You can follow Jessica on Instagram: @coachjburke and TikTok: @coachjburke | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“I definitely encourage people to work with the sports that they’re passionate about but also keep that door open, because working with them and working with golf, it definitely has made me a more well-rounded coach and given me the ability to just connect with more athletes.” 2:40 “It takes a level of grit to get into this profession and stay with it.” 8:33 “For me, it was making that really in-depth knowledge really accessible for general population and then also providing a really positive message surrounding food, surrounding exercise, things that I really needed to hear when I was in my early 20s and just cutting through the noise of diet culture, because it is really loud.” 10:45 “I think the science and the nitty-gritty is a huge part of our profession, don’t get me wrong, but the ability to connect with broad groups and types of people is the thing that makes coaches effective.” 20:18

Learn about expanding developmental pathways and career opportunities within Major League Soccer (MLS) in this episode of the NSCA Coaching Podcast. The Charlotte FC Head of Performance, Adam Parr, shares his experience with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, including the key relationships between strength and conditioning coaches, sport scientists, and international influences on the growth of soccer within North America. As athletes today become more accustomed to data feedback on their performance, Parr explains the process of effectively embedding technology in the team setting. Listen in to learn more about how you can break into a growing area of the field in professional soccer. You can connect with Adam on Instagram: @aparrfitness or LinkedIn: @adamcparr| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“I really enjoyed and gravitated towards understanding training loads and stimulus and recovery and how it all fit together. And we started putting together pieces of how are the coaches going to plan training based off of the training loads that we’re getting from the heart rate and different drills and things like that.” 25:00 “When we’re able to show them, I think, that we’re individualizing as much as we can, then they understand, OK, like, they’re doing it for my best interest.” 31:55 “They may be running GPS with a few teams, but not necessarily have the time to really sift through the data and make use of it and make it actionable. So is that something that you can craft out for yourself? If that’s something you’re interested in, can you say, hey, you know, like let me figure this out. Let me do this for you. Because you can create an opportunity for yourself to not only learn the tech and learn the procedures and kind of the best practices, but then also become a valuable part of what they’re doing. And you never know what that’s going to turn into, right? It could turn into an employment opportunity or a recommendation or referral to somewhere else when someone asks.” 35:05 “I think the other thing is just being adaptable, you know, like, willing to flex and adapt, not only to jobs and things like that as far as what you’re doing day to day, but situations, circumstances. If you’re very rigid in what you do in your approach, you’re probably not going to succeed in this space.” 37:50

It is time to catch up with 2019 NSCA Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year, Ashley Jackson, on her recent career move from the University of Michigan to Texas A&M, as the Assistant Director of Olympic Strength and Conditioning. Jackson talks with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about leadership pathways for coaches and how to gain professional opportunities, from mentorship to earning promotions and taking the next step in your career. This episode explains the importance of the assistant strength and conditioning coach role, not only as a career stepping-stone, but also as an opportunity to practice being both an effective leader and follower. Tune-in and learn more about how you can gain valuable leadership experience, regardless of your current career stage, through involvement with the NSCA. Use this link to look up NSCA Contributor Opportunities and get involved! You can connect with Ashley on Twitter @txstronger| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“For leadership styles and skills, I'd say make sure and surround yourself with good leaders.” 6:23 “But it was just taking that 30 seconds of being brave and introducing myself to Joe Schmo at University X, and not caring who they were, where they coached. Was it football? Was Olympic sports? Was it a junior college? Was it-- did they work in the private sector? I was able to take knowledge and guidance from any coach that would let me chew their ear.” 12:17 “I wouldn't want to be around anyone that's not an open book and doesn't want to share. So I would say definitely keep that in mind of who you're giving your time and energy to if they're not willing to share everything with you.” 15:38 “There are opportunities around us where we can continue to positively influence what our salaries could and should look like. And like I talked about, having representatives at the highest level of administration within our athletic departments will help show those that have say and those that can change salaries and salary grades, how important and integral we are to the athletic department.” 27:35

In this episode, we hear from Kerry Harbor, the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Winston-Salem State University, on his experience at the 2023 NSCA Coaches Conference. Coach Harbor shares with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, unique aspects of serving student-athletes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II level. The discussion includes Coach Harbor’s early aspiration to become a physical therapist, to how a college football injury introduced him to the coaching profession. From teaching physical education classes to coaching in both high school and college, Coach Harbor reflects on recent growth and areas of opportunity in the strength and conditioning profession. As mentioned during the episode, you can learn more about the results from the 2022 NSCA Strength and Conditioning Salary Survey. Connect with Kerry on Instagram: @harborkerry or Twitter @CoachHarbor | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“The best way I can put it is, I tell people it's like Frosty the Snowman. He was just a regular snowman until he put the hat on. So once I put the whistle on, I knew this was what I should be doing.” 4:54 “I think there's tremendous value in it being able to help someone not be apprehensive when they walk into a gym or not be apprehensive about going outside and get some physical activity.” 13:50 “Even my athletes here, we always talk about, you're only as strong as the weight you can lift correctly.” 22:10 “Sometimes some mental health issues come because some people don't really know how to deal with failure. So for me, even if you aren't really comfortable speaking or delivering a presentation, I think you should do it because of the value that your story has to other people.” 27:50 “I think we should jump at that opportunity at every chance we get to speak, even if you don't feel like you're a polished public speaker, or maybe you're not sure exactly how to do the presentation or exactly what to cover. I would say jump on out there and do it. Jump out there and do it.” 29:55

Meet Tara De Leon, a former collegiate strength and conditioning coach who now works as a personal trainer in Edgewater, MD. De Leon shares insight with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, and episode co-host, NSCA Personal Training Program Manager, Blake Brightwell, on alternate routes for strength and conditioning coaches through personal training, group fitness, and private sector coaching. This episode discusses the “coaching identity” as it exists and impacts coaches’ beliefs across various stages of professional development. With the growth of the strength and conditioning field, De Leon challenges us to expand our thinking and perceptions around personal training, while holding true to our values and expertise as coaches. Regardless of your current role in the profession, learn more about how the NSCA can help you grow your career.   You can connect with Tara on Instagram: @tara_de_leon_fitness or tara@edgewaterfit.com | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“And now as I've gotten more comfortable with who I am as a trainer, I absolutely call myself a personal trainer, and I'm proud of it.” 9:30 “I think the industry is kind of headed towards that where I think one-on-one training will be a really valuable commodity. But the majority will be semi-private and small groups type stuff. I also think there's a huge opportunity in the online space.” 14:43 “Someday, I might get married and have a husband and have a job that can't just pick up and go with me wherever I feel like it. Or if I have a kid, and I want to see them every now and then, strength coaching is not a great career for that. At least not where I was because we were there at 6:00 in the morning, 10:00 at night, weekends. It was all over the place. So I think having a little bit more open mindset for me was important. Because the private sector really offers all that other opportunity.” 19:30 “So having to have that skill set to be able to hear about all their aches and pains and have some sort of answer for how to mitigate them or fix them entirely, mentally, socially, it takes a lot.” 29:16 “So I hope that the coaches out there kind of get inspired to get more involved and maybe serve on a committee or speak at a conference or come on the podcast, try to make it better for all of us.” 33:52

As performance staffs grow and develop, professional athletes today have a broad array of services and expertise available to them in the locker room and around competition. This episode features the Vice President of Health and Performance for the National Basketball Association (NBA) Phoenix Suns, Brady Howe. Howe tells Eric McMahon, the NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, how humble beginnings as an NBA Developmental League athletic trainer contributed to his current performance-first mindset for leading a multifaceted health and performance department. Topics include often misunderstood developmental factors for training elite athletes and advice for how to serve your athletes at the highest level. Connect with Brady on Instagram: @bhowe6 or Twitter: @brady_howe | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs    You can learn more about NBA strength and conditioning from the National Basketball Strength and Conditioning Association (NBSCA), an Official Sport Partner of the NSCA.Show Notes“Sports has always been my medium. I always wanted to be working with athletes, working in sports.” 3:30 “This is the thing for young strength coaches that I learned at a very early age, is you have-- you probably spent all night building this program or tomorrow's workout. This is how it's going to go to a T, to the reps. I can envision it. And they get there, and you do the eye test. And that athlete walks in, and it's just not happening today. So very quickly, can you adjust and adapt? And you changed everything on the fly to get what that athlete needs for today, because again, we've got to remind ourselves, why are we here? Why is everybody here? It's for that athlete to be able to perform at a high level on their sport, right?” 9:55 “You got to meet them. You've got to meet their energy. Meet them where they're at.” 18:10 “You got to find a way to reach these guys and get them to understand that there is value in it, no matter what it is.” 22:05