Category: Featured Articles

How one coach turned limited resources into a program that embodies resilience, performance, and humility.

STOP-X: Protect Knees By Improving Deceleration

by Paul Sapienza | May 28, 2025 | Best Practices, Drills, Exercises, Featured Articles, Plyometrics, Programming, Safety, Warm Ups

Developed by the German Knee Society, STOP-X is a research-backed system designed to reduce knee injuries—particularly ACL tears—by targeting dynamic knee valgus and improving neuromuscular control.

Force Plates For High School Strength Programs

by Paul Sapienza | May 13, 2025 | Best Practices, Featured Articles, How To, Plyometrics

Force plate technology makes a huge impact on how strength coaches track progress, respond to injuries, and coach.

Hydration and Recovery in the Heat

by Paul Sapienza | May 13, 2025 | Best Practices, Featured Articles, Nutrition

A strength coach, sports dietitian, and firefighting-endurance athlete illustrate the benefits of hydration when the heat rises.

Recognizing over-coaching in the weight room

by Paul Sapienza | Apr 30, 2025 | Best Practices, Coaching Philosophy, Featured Articles, How To

Build strength, resilience, and independence by giving athletes room to self-adjust.

Are Warm-Ups Holding You Back?

by Paul Sapienza | Apr 28, 2025 | Best Practices, Drills, Featured Articles

Warm-ups easily become mundane, but making them purposeful improves engagement, performance, and mobility.

End-Of-Year Checklist For High School Strength Coaches

by Paul Sapienza | Apr 16, 2025 | Best Practices, Featured Articles, How To

Prepare for a smooth summer transition with this end-of-year checklist.

Periodization — Adjusting Training Plans

by Paul Sapienza | Apr 15, 2025 | Best Practices, Exercises, Featured Articles, Programming

Periodization gives coaches structure, but knowing when to adjust keeps athletes progressing and protected.

Should High Schools Be Teaching Olympic Lifts?

by Paul Sapienza | Mar 31, 2025 | Drills, Exercises, Featured Articles, How To, Physical Education (PE)

Explore the benefits and challenges of incorporating Olympic weightlifting into high school strength programs.

Rob Glass Redefines Athletic Performance at Oklahoma State

by Paul Sapienza | Mar 27, 2025 | Best Practices, Coaching Philosophy, Coaching Profiles, Featured Articles

Look inside the methods, mindset, and message of Rob Glass, one of college football’s most respected performance coaches.

How to Modify Weight Training Due to Shoulder Pain

by Prep Strength Coach | Mar 18, 2025 | Best Practices, Featured Articles, How To

This excerpt from Rock Solid Resilience by Dean Robert Somerset & Daniel Pope provides tips for reducing shoulder pain during exercise.

Strength, Mobility, and Endurance: Finding The Right Balance

by Paul Sapienza | Mar 18, 2025 | Athlete Assessment, Best Practices, Featured Articles, How To, Programming

Consider the following strategies for strength, mobility, and endurance training to support well-rounded athletic development.

ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE SUPPLIERS WHO CAN HELP

Human Kinetics

http://www.hkusa.com

customersupport@hkusa.com

800-747-4457

Human Kinetics leads the world in providing information related to physical activity. That information takes many forms: textbooks, books for consumers, instructor support materials, journals, online courses, video, digital products, and more.

Logan University

https://www.logan.edu/academics/master-of-science-in-strength-and-conditioning/

Admissions@logan.edu

800-782-3344

High-performing athletes deserve the most qualified, well-rounded athletic performance coaches. Meet this demand with Logan University's science-based, evidence-informed curriculum.

Matrix Fitness

https://www.matrixfitness.com/

info@matrixfitness.com

866-693-4863

Matrix Fitness is dedicated to serving fitness facilities of all kinds with complete, forward-thinking solutions, setting them apart in exciting ways. Our internationally celebrated designs have been recognized around the world for their dynamic performance, exceptional comfort, approachable aesthetic and unmatched durability.

Mondo

http://www.mondoworldwide.com

mondo@mondousa.com

800-361-3747

Thousands of athletes train and compete on Mondo surfaces and weight room flooring, achieving outstanding results, breaking world records and overcoming their own limits. It is thanks to their help and constant feedback that Mondo has redefined the standards of sports flooring, setting the benchmark for new achievements to come.

Royal Basket Trucks

https://www.royal-basket.com/

sales@royal-basket.com

(800) 426-6447

Royal Basket Trucks, Inc. is a leading producer of carts, trucks and containers used in facilities throughout the United States. The Royal brand is recognizable in markets such as material handling, hospitality, healthcare, commercial laundry, education, recycling, athletics, property management, retail, warehousing and distribution.

Speedster Athletics

www.Speedster.com

1-800-538-7786

Speedster has been providing athletes with Safe Professional Grade Training Equipment since 1990. We have designed athletic training equipment that can be used by coaches anywhere, including in your weight room. Because we pay close attention to performance, safety and quality of every product, you can be assured you are getting the best speed, agility and sport specific training equipment you can buy in today’s market.

TeamBuildr

www.teambuildr.com

info@teambuildr.com

(240) 415-8326

TeamBuildr is the #1 performance platform for strength coaches that schools are using all around the world. Our powerhouse platform provides coaches and teachers with an elevated experience when it comes to program development, data tracking, and staying connected with student-athletes, especially during the summer months.

The Right Stuff

http://www.TheRightStuff-USA.com

custsvc@wellness-brands.com

720-684-6584

Serious hydration for serious athletes from NASA. The Right Stuff is liquid electrolyte packets that optimize athletes’ performance & recovery.

Matt Holt On Translating Strength Training To Sport

by Prep Strength Coach | Dec 19, 2022 | Athlete Engagement, Featured Videos

UWM-Athletics Director of Strength and Conditioning, Matt Holt, talks about being transparent with his athletes about how strength training translates to their sport.

Gary Schofield’s Guide For Developing Passion

by Paul Sapienza | Jan 17, 2024 | Coaching Philosophy, Featured Videos

Gary Schofield, Athletic Director and Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at Strong Rock Christian School, shares his insights for living a life of excellence.

How To Hydrate High Schoolers With The Right Stuff

by Paul Sapienza | Jul 26, 2024 | Featured Videos, How To Videos, Nutrition

Learn how Dietician and Strength and Conditioning Coach, Allison Maurer, determines how much hydration her athletes need.

Inside Logan University’s Master Of Science In Strength & Conditioning Program With Dr. Chris Fahs

by Paul Sapienza | Mar 24, 2025 | Career Development, Featured Videos

From biomechanics and movement analysis to hands-on field experience, this program is designed for both aspiring and experienced coaches looking to elevate their knowledge and career.

Why Hire A Dedicated High School Strength Coach?

by Paul Markgraff | Mar 14, 2023 | Career Development, Coaching Philosophy, Featured Videos

Amanda Berg explains why high schools must hire a dedicated strength and conditioning coach to oversee athletic performance operations. Berg is Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Dassel-Cokato High School (MN). She is also a member of the executive council of the National High School Strength Coaches Association (NHSSCA) and a co-host of the Big Time Strength podcast.

Unlocking Determination From Competition

by Paul Sapienza | Mar 6, 2024 | Athlete Engagement, Featured Videos

Listen to Logan Jackson’s story about a young wrestler who, after experiencing an eye-opening defeat, discovered his own motivation for weightlifting.