Dr. Shawn Thistle Chiropractor, Conditioning Specialist, ART® Provider & Acupuncture SHAPE Toronto - Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)

ABOUT THE NSCA:

The National Strength and Conditioning Association is an international, nonprofit, educational association founded in 1978. Evolving from a membership of 76, the association now serves nearly 30,000 members in 52 countries. Drawing on its vast network of members, the association develops and presents the most advanced information regarding strength training and conditioning practices, injury prevention, and research findings. Unlike any other organization, the NSCA brings together a diverse group of professionals from the sport science, athletic, allied health and fitness professions. These individuals are all in pursuit of achieving a common goal - utilizing proper strength training and conditioning practices to improve athletic performance and fitness.

CSCS certification is one of the highest and longest-running distinctions in personal training. It is widely accepted and respected in the world of competitive athletics and general fitness. Over twenty years ago, the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) created this certification program to identify exercise professionals who meet stringent educational and performance standards.

CSCS certification program was initiated in 1985 to identify individuals possessing the knowledge and skills to design and implement safe and effective Strength & Conditioning programs. This certification program encourages a higher level of competence among practitioners, raising the quality of strength training and conditioning programs to athletes by those who are CSCS certified.

CSCS educates and trains primarily athletes in proper strength training and conditioning practices. These professionals are a diverse group, however, the primary "players" are Strength & Conditioning coaches, athletic trainers, and physical therapists. CSCS professionals work in a variety of environments, including high school, college, university and professional institutions, Sports Medicine clinics, health and fitness clubs, corporate wellness centers, and in professional sports.

Competencies assessed in the four-hour CSCS examination were determined via a national task analysis conducted by an independent professional examination service. Thus, Strength & Conditioning professionals identified the competency areas. Every step in the process leading to the development of valid certification exams met the NCCA's stringent guidelines. Pass/fail rates and reliability statistics are published annually.

The NSCA CERTIFICATION COMMISSION is the only fitness-related certification program to provide public disclosure of this information.

Writers of the exams include renowned practitioners, researchers, educators, and psychometricians. While there are many certification programs associated with physical training, the CSCS certification examination program is the only one that has been specifically designed to assess the competencies of those who strength train and condition athletes.

ACCREDITATION:

In 1993 the NSCA CERTIFICATION COMMISSION certification program became the first-and is still the only-fitness-related certification accredited by the esteemed NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR CERTIFYING AGENCIES. The rigorous CSCS and NSCA Certified Personal Trainer® (NSCA-CPT) examinations are the most challenging in the industry.

NOTE: The NCCA is the accreditation body of the NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR COMPETENCY ASSURANCE, a non-profit non-government agency that promotes excellence in competency assurance for practitioners in all occupations and professions. The NCCA measures the ability of certifying organizations in any industry to accurately discriminate between qualified and unqualified professionals. To earn NCCA recognition, a credentialing body must demonstrate an ability to develop and administer psychometrically sound examinations that effectively discriminate between qualified and unqualified professionals through a series of criteria, including:

The certifying organization is nonprofit; and is responsible for all decisions pertaining to certification and recertification (including, but not limited to, examination content, eligibility requirements, grievance and disciplinary policies, setting fees, program operation, etc.) without being subject to approval by any other body
The examination is developed from job analysis data gathered from a national study
Pass/fail rates and reliability statistics are a matter of public record
Examination development involves qualified professionals, such as content experts and psychometricians with expertise in exam development

CSCS EXAMINATION FORMAT:

To earn the CSCS credential, candidates must pass a rigorous four-hour examination that consists of two sections. A candidate must pass both sections to be CSCS certified (and may retake any section not passed). The first section, referred to as "Scientific Foundations", consists of 100 multiple-choice questions in the areas of:

Exercise Sciences (Anatomy, Exercise Physiology, Biomechanics)
Nutrition

The second section, "Practical/Applied", consists of 90 multiple-choice questions-30 of which involve viewing a videotape and answering questions associated with the exercises, muscles and/or joints shown. The areas covered include:

Basic & Advanced Program Design
Exercise Technique
Organization & Administration
Testing & Evaluation

CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM:

The purpose of having continuing education as part of a certification program is to encourage certificants to stay abreast of evolving knowledge and skills in the profession, and, in doing so, to promote the ongoing competency of those who are certified. In order to remain certified, the Executive Council of the NSCA CERTIFICATION COMMISSION requires each certificant to do the following to remain certified:

Complete six (6.0) CEUs or a prorated amount of CEUs if certified within the three-year reporting period
Submit a completed CEU Reporting Form and recertification fee
Maintain documentation of activities listed on the CEU Reporting Form

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