International Certification in Strength and Conditioning

The Academy’s Sports Strength & Conditioning Certification (SSCC) Program prepares qualified strength and conditioning coaches to work with athletes, teams, coaches, and administrators, both to create better performing athletes and to develop a large strength and conditioning community in their own localities.  The SSCC Program can also serve as a preparatory tool for other strength and conditioning certification examinations. For example, the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) recognizes the United States Sports Academy through their Education Recognition Program (ERP) as a school with standardized, approved strength and conditioning curricula designed to prepare students for the NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists® (CSCS®) Exam.

The SSCC Program is composed of 9 educational courses offer a foundational knowledge of strength training, conditioning, nutrition, exercise techniques, and fitness program design; along with a tenth course designed as an integrative summary.  Those students who successfully complete the ten modules of instruction become eligible to sit for a comprehensive examination.  The comprehensive examination has both a written component and a practical component.  For a student to become certified, they must pass both components of the comprehensive examination. 

Program Courses

CSC 520 Exercise Science: Foundations of Strength Training and Conditioning
This course addresses the scientific foundations of strength and conditioning essential for coaches to provide the best training programs for their athletes and to maximize their performance including the modern principles of adaptation, functional anatomy/kinesiology, physiology, biomechanics, motor learning, and bioenergetics. We will also explain the Testing and Training Model we have created based on each athlete’s physiologic individuality as measured serially over time in the Human Performance Lab pre- and post-training to determine individual responses and dictate training and nutrition modifications needed.

CSC 521 Sports Nutrition and Performance Enhancing Substances
In this course, we provide guidelines for how to use nutrition to maximize body composition – increasing LBM and decreasing body fat – discuss pre-, post- and during competition nutrition recommendations for various sports; discuss the pros and cons of nutritional supplements and performance enhancing substance both legal and illegal.

CSC 522 Aerobic Endurance Exercise Training and Program Design
This course discusses the general principles of program design as they apply to aerobic endurance training and a stepwise approach to designing a safe and effective training program. Improvements in aerobic endurance performance can be derived only when sound training principles are applied. In the first unit we will discuss the science behind training for aerobic endurance fitness including the interaction of the cardiovascular, pulmonary and muscle metabolic system in supplying and using oxygen. We will also look at the training variables and how to manipulate them to achieve desired results for a specific sport and athlete as well as advanced training techniques and risks of overtraining for competitive aerobic endurance athletes. Finally, we explore the acute responses of these systems to aerobic exercise as well as the chronic adaptations over time.

CSC 523 Resistance Exercise Technique I
The warmup and flexibility training are critical components of athletic performance and training for peak performance. In this course we will address: the physiological effect of a warmup and its importance for injury prevention and performance improvement, discuss factors that affect flexibility and different types of stretching techniques including static, dynamic and Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) training and when and how to use them for peak performance.

CSC 524 Resistance Exercise Technique II
In this course we will discuss alternative training methods such as bodyweight training, core stability and balance training, balance boards, strength ball training and sport specific modalities. All these techniques are becoming increasing popular in the strength and conditioning arena and so require some specific guidelines to maximize safety and effectiveness. We describe the myofascia and its relationship with movement control, mobility and musculoskeletal health and the use of foam rollers for enhanced myofascial recovery.

CSC 525 Strength Training Program Design
This course will focus on the physiological adaptations from resistance/strength exercise, designing strength training programs, acute program training variable (for each session), and training and testing for local muscular endurance. We will then explore the chronic training program variables or periodization involving the manipulation of the volume and intensity of training with skill technique over time to peak for competitive performance in sport.

CSC 526 Program Design for Plyometrics, Speed, and Agility Training
This course addresses the development of speed, change of direction and agility abilities critical to performance in many sports. We will discuss the physiologic basis and mechanics of proper sprint technique, the importance of over-speed and resisted sprint training on speed development, identify drills which can improve an athlete’s technique, speed, quickness, agility and reactive ability, and speed endurance.

CSC 527 Individual Differences for Sports and Exercise
In this course we discuss the gender related differences in muscle function, anatomy and physiology and their implications for females; evaluate the safety and effectiveness of strength training for young adults and children; describe the effects of aging on musculoskeletal health and trainability of the senior athlete and explain program design and adaptation differences between these three populations.

CSC 528 Testing and Evaluation
In the first part of this course, we address the preliminary testing and assessment needs of the athlete. First a preliminary health- fitness assessment is performed to ensure the safety of exercise and sport participation. Following that a needs analysis is completed to address the specific needs of the athlete for their sport – using both an analysis of their sport and the athlete biomechanically and physiologically. It is imperative that the strength and conditioning coach become adept at all aspects of testing and assessment to ensure the safety of sport participation, identify individual differences, strengths and weaknesses in order to maximize performance of each athlete. The needs analysis will evaluate the needs of each athletes’ sport as well as the athlete themselves including a movement analysis, injury analysis and a physiologic analysis. We will also discuss the principles of test selection and administration as well as how to evaluate, interpret and perform selected tests.

CSC 529 Integrative Summary and Certification Exam Prep
In this final course, we bring all of this together, summarize the most important points of each section, practice testing and training techniques, create an athletic profile, review periodization and nutrition strategies, and demonstrate how to use the results of pre- and post-testing to individualize programs for each athlete to maximize their performance.