NSCA’s Guide to High School Strength and Conditioning

Patrick McHenry, MA, CSCS,*D, RSCC, earned a master’s degree in physical education from University of Northern Colorado and a bachelors in elementary education. He has been a frequent presenter at local, state, national, and international conferences, including the national conference of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). McHenry was the American Football Monthly Regional Strength Coach of the Year in 2004, NSCA’s High School Coach of the Year in 2005, and recipient of the Strength and Conditioning Journal Editorial Excellence Award in 2006. He also received the Strength of America Award from the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition and was named Colorado High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year in 2012.Mike Nitka, MS, CSCS,*D, RSCC*E, FNSCA*E, played football and earned a bachelor of science degree and master of science degree in health and physical education from the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse. He taught freshman physical education and junior health education at Muskego High School in Wisconsin for 38 years and coached football and wrestling, winning every level of championship Wisconsin offered (conference, regional, sectional, and state). Nitka became an NSCA member in 1985 and, over time, earned the credentials of CSCS,*D, RSCC*E, and FNSCA*E. He presented at the 1992 NSCA national conference and discussed the concept of weight training as a unit within a high school’s physical education curriculum. He served as chair of what would eventually become the NSCA’s High School Special Interest Group and as a member of the NSCA Conference Committee. He was the “Coaches Corner” column editor for the NSCA’s Strength and Conditioning Journal, with the vision to reach out to high school coaches across the country to ask them to share what they were doing in their PE classes. Nitka was selected as the NSCA’s High School Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year in 1994 and represented the NSCA in China and Australia as a member of the NSCA’s board of directors. He contributed expertise and feedback for NSCA’s informational brochure for high schools (“What’s Missing? Why You Need a Qualified Strength and Conditioning Coach in Your School”) and currently serves as an adjunct professor of exercise science at Carroll University.

NSCA’s Guide to High School Strength and Conditioning equips you to deliver the highest-quality strength and conditioning program in the high school setting—whether you are a strength and conditioning professional, physical education teacher, sport coach, or administrator.

PrefaceRick Howard, Patrick McHenry, and Mike NitkaIntroduction. Strength and Conditioning-Related Professionals in the High School SettingEdwin C. Jones and Shawn L. JenkinsChapter 1. Curriculum and Class Structure and GuidelinesAnthony S. Smith and Bruce R. HarbachChapter 2. Class Scheduling, Planning, and AssessmentsGary S. McChalicher and Brandon PeiferChapter 3. Strength and Conditioning-Related Resources for Teachers and ProfessionalsPatrick Mediate and Mike NitkaChapter 4. Resistance Training ExercisesScott SahliChapter 5. Bodyweight ExercisesJim DavisChapter 6. Core ExercisesJoe LopezChapter 7. Warm-UpDarnell K. ClarkChapter 8. Resistance TrainingShana McKeever and Rick HowardChapter 9. Plyometric TrainingSamuel MelendrezChapter 10. Speed and Agility TrainingPhil Tran and Ray KarvisChapter 11. Individual and Group ActivitiesDaniel FlahieAppendix. NSCA Strength and Conditioning Professional Standards and Guidelines