Jan 29, 2015A Strong Showing
By Jeffrey A. Segal
Jeffrey A. Segal, CPTS, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, CPR/AED, is President of Balanced Personal Training, Inc., based in Boca Raton, Fla. He filed this report after attending the 2007 National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) National Conference and Exhibition.
The 2007 National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) National Conference and Exhibition was a true success and firmly supported the organization’s mission statement. As the worldwide authority on strength and conditioning, we support and disseminate research-based knowledge and its practical application to improve athletic performance and fitness. One of many important topics covered at the conference was youth fitness. Some of the most highly regarded minds in the field, such as Juan Carlos Santana, Avery Faigenbaum, Patrick Mediate, N. Travis Triplett, and Clive Brewer gave great lectures on this topic with evidence and literature that backed up their claims.
Other interesting presentations focused on injury prevention, Olympic lifting movements, and power specificity. There were also a number of different lectures on undulating periodization, which provided the audience with a variety of perspectives on a much-discussed topic. The last lecture, Speed, Power and Agility Training for Athletic Performance by John Graham, may have been one of the best. Many of the speakers referred to research studies conducted by well-known attendees, including Steven Fleck and William Kraemer.
The award ceremony was also great. New board members were introduced and much-deserved acknowledgements were given to legends in the field, such as Thomas Baechle, a prominent educator in strength and conditioning and an original member of the NSCA.
Other popular conference activities included an impressive exhibition of the most current and state-of-the-art strength and conditioning equipment. All the vendors were very knowledgeable about the products they had to offer and gave demonstrations throughout the expo.
Overall, the conference was nothing short of spectacular. It was well organized and the topics covered were exactly what the members wanted to see. The NSCA staff worked hard to accommodate the attendees and deserve many thanks and much praise for putting on such a great event. I’m already looking forward to next year’s conference.
