{"id":4653,"date":"2021-06-10T11:58:19","date_gmt":"2021-06-10T17:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/strengthsenseiinc.com\/?p=4653"},"modified":"2021-08-31T14:45:21","modified_gmt":"2021-08-31T20:45:21","slug":"strength-sensei-bookshelf-nscas-guide-to-program-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/strengthsenseiinc.com\/2021\/06\/10\/strength-sensei-bookshelf-nscas-guide-to-program-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Strength Sensei Bookshelf: NSCA\u2019s Guide to Program Design"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
NSCA\u2019s Guide to Program Design<\/span><\/i><\/b> Insight into current approaches to writing workouts<\/span><\/i><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
One of the essential skills of a strength coach is designing workouts. Charles Poliquin always started his courses discussing loading parameters such as reps, sets, and tempo. This <\/span>NSCA\u2019s Guide to Program Design<\/em> is more of a resource for a coach who already understands these basics and is looking to explore mainstream material on training athletes.<\/span><\/p>
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Authored by Jay R. Hoffman, this book is a collection of independent articles by many of the most notable sports scientists and today\u2019s athletic fitness experts. The chapters are written independently of one another, such that the reader will have no trouble going directly to the chapter(s) that interest them. Be warned, however, that the reading level varies from simple\/practical to hardcore\/theory.<\/p>
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If you are interested in learning how to set up dynamic stretching, Chapter 3 is an easy-to-read chapter that discusses the advantages of this type of warm-up and provides photos and descriptions of several exercises. However, if you want an intense discussion about endurance training, sit down in a quiet room with a pot of coffee and enjoy the science provided in Chapter 7.<\/p>
Because the NSCA has a large percentage of members with college degrees in the fields of exercise science, it\u2019s no surprise that there is a heavy emphasis on athletic assessments and performance testing. Chapters 1 and 2 cover the basics, but you\u2019ll find an emphasis on testing throughout the book. For example, the chapter on agility training begins with several pages on assessing agility and provides norms to help the coach determine which specific agility qualities need extra work.<\/p>
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Although there is a chapter on resistance training and another on power training, these chapters focus more on general guidelines. For example, these two chapters discuss the intensity levels most effective for developing strength and the best exercises (such as the snatch and plyometrics) for developing power. What you won\u2019t find is an extensive review of various set\/rep\/rest programs that Coach Poliquin has promoted in his writing.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t