What Is A Strength And Conditioning Coach?

I've been toying with the idea of posting mildly edgy meme's to my Instagram account like the one below for a while, and I finally grew a pair this week. But I though it was important to follow it up with some context on my actual thoughts on this topic, and why I made the mildly edgy meme's in the first place. My aim is to explain what an S&C Coach does, and bring clarity to a service which is becoming less clear. . The Basics Let's start with the basics of what Strength and Conditioning (S&C) is. In industry terms, it's a qualification or professional accreditation that you can obtain as a fitness professional, with a view to working with amateur or professional athletes. The two main providers of education and accreditation/certification in the UK are the UK Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA), and Strength and Conditioning Education (S&CE). You can also study the topic at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The UKSCA provide four optional 2-day workshops covering applied coaching science, weightlifting for sports performance, plyometrics, agility and speed, and planning effective programmes to prepare you for an assessment day to assess your abilities on those topics. They currently suggest a 50% pass rate on the theory aspects, and a 25% pass rate on the practical. Rightly or wrongly, it's not an easy accreditation to get. S&CE provide a 2 day practical weekend covering weightlifting, plyometrics, agility and speed and some coaching science/programming, with the rest being delivered through an online portal. Rightly or wrongly, it's a more accessible qualification, but as a result it's not held in as high regard as the UKSCA Accreditation in the industry. Degree courses are 3-4 years at undergraduate and 1-2 years at postgraduate levels. They will often work towards competency in line with the UKSCA in the BSc, and beyond in the MSc. Once you have one of these qualifications, you are deemed to have the basic skillset required to work with an athlete, assess the specific needs of the athlete, sport and position, write an effective strength and conditioning program, and deliver that program to a good standard to improve athletic performance. The Reality The reality is that while these specific qualifications and accreditations exist, the title "Strength and Conditioning Coach", is not a protected title. If you want to work and promote yourself as say a physiotherapist, chiropractor or dietician for example, you can only legally do so if have completed a formal education in that field. In contrast, anyone can call themselves a strength and conditioning coach regardless of qualifications/accreditations. This is where the problem lies and the memes arise. I have noticed an increase in fitness professionals calling themselves a strength and conditioning coach, or claiming to offer strength and conditioning services without holding a relevant qualification. I'm not alone in this observation. It's fine and legal to do so, but is it right or wrong? As all S&C coaches love to say... it depends... Coach Education I have a pretty good understanding of coach education in the UK. I have taught many Level 2 Gym, Level 3 PT qualifications, and Level 4 S&C qualifications. I've been an accredited S&C coach (ASCC) with the UKSCA for almost 10 years. I have a BSc and have an MSc. I've previously been offered but declined an S&C lecturing role at a top 2 UK sports science university. That's not to brag, it's just context just to show that I've got a good handle on what's included in these courses and where they are pitched. To be insured to work with people in a gym in the UK, you'll need an official qualification to insure against. These will most likely be a Level 2 Gym Instructor or a Level 3 Personal Trainer. The CrossFit certifications are also gaining traction in this area. A Level 2 Gym Instructor qualification will teach you how to teach basic safe exercise, and deliver a single session to an individual and a gym induction to a small group. A Level 3 PT qualification will layer on top some more "advanced" training techniques (supersets, dropsets, pyramids, intervals, etc), basic nutrition, and the some basic progressive programming (12 weeks).

A CrossFit Level 1 will teach you the basics of the CrossFit methodology and the initial movements they value (for transparency I have never done the course, but the course handbook is available here). The UKSCA also offer a Foundation Workshop aimed at those looking to take their first step into S&C coaching. In their own words it is not indicative of a coaches ability to work independently and not a qualification of full professional competency. This is not to criticise these courses in any way. Learners absolutely NEED to start with the basics and learn on the job (safely). It's more to highlight that these qualifications alone do not prepare someone to write and deliver safe and effective S&C programming. They do not cover in anatomy and physiology beyond A-Level standard. They do not cover in depth screenings and needs analysis. They do not cover anything to do with speed, agility or plyometrics. They do not teach kinetics, kinematics and biomechanics. They do not teach programming beyond the scope of a basic 12 week progression. Applied S&C coaching requires these things. So What? Does this mean coaches can't learn these topics elsewhere? Absolutely not. But how do we know they have, and why should we care? It isn't a problem from me. It doesn't take food off my table. I'm just a coach who cares about the industry. It isn't a problem for sports teams/bodies/institutions as you simply won't get an interview for jobs without your UKSCA Accreditation and a specific degree minimum. But it does create a problem for the individual client who cares about their progress. The client who needs and S&C coach with specific knowledge to help them achieve a specific goal. The general population client who's interests are more performance based than health or aesthetics. The amateur athlete looking for coaching not provided by their team/governing body/institution to help them progress. The professional athlete looking for off-season development or help with a specific need. How can they tell who has the knowledge and ability to deliver what they need, and to deliver effective programming safely, when everyone is claiming to have that ability? The truth is they'll have to look beyond the Instagram Bio and check for qualifications and accreditations. If the coach doesn't have them, look really deeply into what work and studying they have actually done. Because until "Strength and Conditioning Coach" becomes a protected title, (it won't), S&C risks gradually going the same way as other parts of the fitness industry because of coaches not being honest with clients. Performance focussed clients deserve effective performance programs. Performance focussed coaches should be willing to invest in their ability to deliver those. Ian.