NSCA’s Coaching Podcast

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

In this episode, we catch up with 2014 NSCA Assistant College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year, Caitlin Quinn, about her current position at Toyota Racing. Quinn shares her path from working for over a decade in collegiate athletics at Florida State University to taking a leap into unfamiliar territory in National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon. Learn about her needs analysis for working with youth developmental drivers, as well as physiological, behavioral, and nutritional factors that impact racing performance. This episode shares an alternative view on strength and conditioning culture and the expectations that we place on ourselves as coaches. Quinn opens up about creating harmony between professional and personal lives, as well as seeking out the best environment to continue development as strength and conditioning professionals.   You can connect with Caitlin on Instagram: @thequinn.44 | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“I think understanding your athlete and what motivates them, what drives them, what do they get excited about is really important in designing a program that they can execute successfully no matter what your goal is.” 14:45 “I think probably year seven or eight, I realized holy moly, there's a huge benefit to having stayed somewhere so long if you continue to try to grow.” 18:47 “Part of that was being really eyes open, committed to taking care of me a little bit better so that I could take care of everybody that I was coaching I'm working with.” 21:00 “Can we do both those things together, where we're creating strong work ethic in people, but also making them feel empowered, authentic human beings that can take care of themselves also.” 21:17

Veteran Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Bill Foran, joins the NSCA Coaching Podcast and reflects on a more than four-decade coaching career. Foran discusses his early beginnings teaching elementary school physical education, with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager Eric McMahon, and what led him towards pursuing collegiate and professional sports strength and conditioning. Foran shares stories of resourcefulness from the early days, before the strength and conditioning field was formally defined, up to more recent years using sport science technology and foundational core principles to inform training practices for elite NBA players, such as Lebron James and Shaquille O’Neal. This episode is informative for strength and conditioning coaches at any level, emphasizing the importance of building lasting relationships with athletes and head coaches, as well as taking advantage of all that the NSCA has to offer. Reach out to Coach Foran at by email at bforan@heat.com | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs   Learn more about NBA strength and conditioning with the National Basketball Strength and Conditioning Association (NBSCA), an Official Sport Partner of the NSCA.Show Notes“And I learned right then I enjoyed developing athletes a lot more than the Xs and Os of the game.” 3:05 “I was trying to get across the importance of leg, hip, core strength, but we didn't have the testing, how to test for power back then. We didn't have that. So I came up with a quotient called the power quotient, and it was just the square root of their vertical jump in inches times the square root of their body weight in pounds. And basically it was just a number where I could rank people.” 9:43 “You get your degree, you get your certifications, get as much experience as possible either as a GA, an intern, or work for free, whatever it is. You need that experience, and then you need to network, network, network.” 23:15 “But the big thing is, you've got to show the athletes you care. Connect with them at the personal level, but when they know you care and you're willing to work, that's the other thing, outwork everybody. If you show them you care and outwork everybody, you're on your way.” 23:33

Coaching careers have chapters. Whether moving from one position to the next, or one area of the profession to another, veteran strength and conditioning coach, Matt Krause, understands this journey well. Krause was the 2018 NSCA Professional Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year with an over 20-year career working in Major League Baseball. He shares his path from professional sports to today, working as the Health and Performance Manager in the Pasco County Sheriff’s Department, with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon. This episode includes insights for developing effective strength and conditioning programs across sport and law enforcement. The value of engaging with and learning from multiple areas of the profession is paramount throughout this episode, highlighting the value of leadership and versatility in an expanding profession.      Connect with Matt on Instagram at @mck_inc or by email at info.pbsccs@gmail.com | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs     Follow-up on this conversation and learn more about strength and conditioning initiatives at the Florida’s Institute for Research, Security, and Tactics (F1RST) and in the Professional Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society (PBSCCS).Show NotesShow Notes Coming Soon!

Hear from strength and conditioning coach, Tim Caron, on his path from collegiate strength and conditioning into a unique private sector business model in the Los Angeles, CA area. Caron connects with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, to discuss the potential role of sport science in the private sector with general population clients. This episode is full of training insights for coaches to re-engage their thought process around working with groups and teams. In addition, Caron shares the origins of his new book, Strength Deficit, on considerations for concentric and eccentric strength training.      You can reach Tim on Instagram at @coachtimcaron or Twitter at @coachtimcaron | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow NotesShow Notes Coming Soon!

Hear from the 2023 NSCA Assistant College Coach of the Year, Gary Calcagno, from Oklahoma State University. In this episode, Calcagno shares highlights from a more than 30-year strength and conditioning career and how being resourceful as a once aspiring coach prepared him for lasting professional success with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon. Calcagno also discusses his long history with the NSCA, recent areas of progress across the profession, and the role of quality leadership in managing a successful strength and conditioning program.     You can reach Gary by email at gary.calcagno@okstate.edu | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“And I said, well Coach, just judge me on what I do moving forward. I don't-- I'm not going to try to act like a wrestling aficionado, but I do know about the human body and how to make guys more explosive and more powerful. And that, to me, is what your sport's all about.” 8:30 “I really think that I would start with the professionalism piece. I mean, you've got to comport yourself in a manner to make people follow you and want to follow you, not because you've got a title, but because you carry yourself the way you should, and that you've got knowledge that can help them, or help their team, or help their organization.” 32:52 “I also think you better know how to reach all kinds of kids. Part of our job is just so much involved into you're kind of part sports psychologist. So get to know your student-athletes. And it can be a day where, if you know them, you know they're not ready for you to jump down their throat.” 36:08

Learn about a unique path into strength and conditioning from J. Aggabao, the Associate Athletic Director of Sports Performance at Santa Clara University (SCU). Aggabao shares insights on coaching pathways and hiring, with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, that includes service in the United States Navy, working in the National Football League (NFL), and progressing into a department leadership role at SCU. From networking in the strength and conditioning field to beyond the campus and athletic communities, this episode speaks to various career stages, from aspiring strength and conditioning coaches seeking their first jobs, to experienced professionals aiming to become effective leaders.       Reach out to Coach Aggabao on Instagram: @j.aggabao, or by email at jaggabao@scu.edu | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“The big thing with that, for me, is that in the long run, when they start going to other positions, one, they have the title, and they have a salary benchmark that they are going to be able to use as they negotiate or try to progress in their career.” 5:25 “In talking to tactical strength coaches these days, I mean, just the vast knowledge that they bring to the table and are able to present to our service members is where the value lies.” 13:55 “Be the best version of yourself wherever you're at in your current situation. People will notice, people will remember, because once again, we're in the athletic world. Coaches will move on, but if you make an impression, they're going to remember that.” 19:20 “Now I've shifted my goals to perhaps becoming an executive member of an athletic department, or becoming an AD one day. And so those are the things that now, as I progress in my career, I'm trying to take those steps.” 25:05