Strength and Conditioning Coaches: Simply a Support Staff Member?

The general concept of lifting weights is nothing new. There is a great documentary on Netflix detailing how the efforts of Arnold Schwarzenegger and others alike helped morph the practice into sport through bodybuilding. The imposing physiques created though bodybuilding inspired athletes to begin lifting weights with intent of improving in their sport. It’s laughable that there was actually a point in time when coaches thought that lifting weights was detrimental to athletic performance.1

Boyd Epley (Photo Courtesy of Volt Athletics)

Then came Boyd Epley. Those of us in the profession of strength and conditioning know that we owe a lot to Epley and his efforts to establish and progress the profession to where it now stands today. In the early days, coaches did not have access to the technology that now allows us to analyze nearly every factor that goes into an athlete’s training and every benefit that results. Since Epley founded the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) in 19811, knowledge behind practices and available technology have progressed alongside the profession at a rapid rate. As a result, almost anyone wanting to work with elite athletes in a professional setting is required to have one of two internationally recognized certifications: either the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist issued by the NSCA, or the Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC) issued by the Certified Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa).

Both of the certifications mentioned above require its applicants to show proficiency in a number of scientific and practical disciplines such as exercise physiology, anatomy, biomechanics, physics, exercise programming, therapeutic exercise, performance nutrition, facility management & organization, and safety standards.2 Members on the Boards of Directors for these two organizations are continuously researching theories and practices relating to these disciplines in order to educate its members and remain at the cutting edge of athletic performance. Despite incredible advancements in technology and the demand for coaches to continually educate themselves, there is still debate concerning the true value of a strength and conditioning coach to an athletic program.

Let me be clear, I am not about to lecture you on the plight of a strength coach and why they could or should be the most important coach to a team, or that they should be the highest paid, or placed under a brighter spotlight. I’ve said before that coaches are not in it solely for the money or credibility (or at least they shouldn’t be). However, I would like to point out that there are probably still some sport coaches out there that consider strength coaches as nothing more than “support staff.” To them, athletic performance training may not be necessary for their athletes' to improve performance. These are the types of coaches at whom you could throw all the evidence in the world and they would not budge on their opinion because they have always done things “a certain way.” Perhaps their way has won them a championship or two...perhaps not.

In all reality, strength and conditioning coaches do exist to support and enhance athletes’ performance on the field via training done in the weight room and on the field. At the same time, they serve so many more roles to the individual athlete and the entire athletic organization. It begs the question, “How should a strength and conditioning coach be valued?” I think more often than not, those that operate in the realm of athletics would agree that a strength coach provides tremendous value to a team for many reasons.

I can personally attest to the difference our strength coach made in our football team from my sophomore year to my junior year of college. We hired a coach who held both his CSCS and SCCC certifications and had experience working at the NCAA Division I and NFL levels. His credentials alone created excitement among the team simply because we knew we were getting someone who knew what he was doing and was going to make us better, and that is exactly what happened. Am I saying that our success was directly caused by hiring a certified coach? No, but there was a noticeable difference in our team’s physique, strength gains, resilience to fatigue and injury, and mentality from before he arrived to after.

In high school, I had a strength coach who was crowned America’s Strongest Man in 1999 and took 3rd in the World’s Strongest Man competition that same year. Just watch him deadlift this Toyota Camry back in the day! I owe a lot to this man for revealing a passion in me for strength and conditioning. We didn’t win every game, nor did we have the purest of athletes, however I do remember consistently winning weightlifting competitions against rival high schools and outlasting teams through the 4th quarter because we were more conditioned and perhaps a little stronger mentally.

I am just scratching the surface regarding the value of a strength coach. This debate is ongoing among athletic administrators, leaders within professional organizations, and sport coaches--and certainly to my satisfaction--more attention is being brought to the profession. I want people to know the details of what I and so many others do because I think it has the power to impact and teach all people regardless of their athletic prowess. Next week, I will go into detail about a few reasons why I think strength and conditioning coaches are of great value to a team or organization and how that value is steadily increasing.

References:

1. Shurley, J. (2012). The Strength of Nebraska: Boyd Epley, Husker Power, and the formation of the strength coaching profession. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(12), 3177-3188.
2. Martinez, D. M. (2004). Study of the key determining factors for the division I head strength and conditioning coach. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 18(1), 5-18.