CurrentCPT, Personal trainerCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialist
Strength and conditioning specialist
What it is
Commonly works on
- Strength and power
- Conditioning
- Long-term athletic development
Typical settings
- Colleges and high schools
- Professional sport
- Private facilities
- Military
Strength and conditioning specialists design and run training programs to improve athletic performance and reduce injury risk, working in schools and colleges, professional teams, tactical settings, health care and private facilities. The CSCS, from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, is the credential most often preferred or required for strength coach roles.
The CSCS was the first strength and conditioning coach certification to earn accreditation from the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, which accredits voluntary certification programs across many fields. It is a certification, not a license: no state board issues it, and it is the same requirement in every state.
To sit the exam, candidates currently need a bachelor's degree, or to be in their final college year, and current CPR and AED certification. That changes on January 1, 2030, when US candidates will need a bachelor's degree from a program accredited by CASCE, the NSCA's accreditor for strength and conditioning education; candidates with degrees from outside the US are unaffected until January 2036.
Sources
A general description of the profession. It does not say what you may do under your license; for that, see the scope statuses below and your state board.
How it is regulated
National certification
One national body issues the credential and sets its renewal rules. No state board licenses it, so the requirement does not change when you move. Employers and the field, rather than state law, decide where it is expected.
- CSCS
- National certification
- Around 4 years, being the degree
- NSCA
Licensure
No state licenses strength and conditioning. The credential is the certification, which is why it is the same requirement in every state — and why nobody can practice 'without a license' here in the way they can in the other professions on this site.
Scope at a glance
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Bodies and guidance
Bodies
- NSCACertifying bodyNational Strength and Conditioning AssociationCertifies strength and conditioning specialists and personal trainers; publishes position statements.
- ACSMProfessional associationAmerican College of Sports MedicineSports medicine and exercise science organization; publishes position stands.
- IOCInternational organizationInternational Olympic CommitteeThe governing body of the Olympic movement; its Medical and Scientific Commission publishes consensus statements on athlete health, from training load to mental health.
- NCCAProgram accreditorNational Commission for Certifying AgenciesThe accreditation body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence; accredits professional certification programs, including many fitness certifications, against its Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs.
Guidance
CurrentAT, Athletic trainerPT, Physical therapistCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialist
Mental health in elite athletes: International Olympic Committee consensus statement (2026)
CurrentPT, Physical therapistAT, Athletic trainerCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialist
Exercise-based knee and anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention
CurrentCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialistCPT, Personal trainer
National Strength and Conditioning Association Position Statement on Weightlifting for Sports Performance
CurrentAT, Athletic trainerCPT, Personal trainerCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialist
ACSM Expert Consensus Statement on Exertional Heat Illness: Recognition, Management, and Return to Activity
CurrentAT, Athletic trainerPT, Physical therapistCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialist
2023 International Olympic Committee's (IOC) consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs)
CurrentCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialistCPT, Personal trainer
WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour
CurrentAT, Athletic trainerPT, Physical therapistCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialist
International Olympic Committee consensus statement: methods for recording and reporting of epidemiological data on injury and illness in sport 2020 (including STROBE Extension for Sport Injury and Illness Surveillance (STROBE-SIIS))
CurrentCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialistCPT, Personal trainer
Resistance Training for Older Adults: Position Statement From the National Strength and Conditioning Association
SupersededAT, Athletic trainerPT, Physical therapistCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialist
Mental health in elite athletes: International Olympic Committee consensus statement (2019)
CurrentAT, Athletic trainerPT, Physical therapistCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialist
IOC consensus statement: dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete
CurrentCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialist
National Strength and Conditioning Association position statement on long-term athletic development
CurrentAT, Athletic trainerPT, Physical therapistCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialist
How much is too much? (Part 1) International Olympic Committee consensus statement on load in sport and risk of injury
CurrentAT, Athletic trainerPT, Physical therapistCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialist
How much is too much? (Part 2) International Olympic Committee consensus statement on load in sport and risk of illness
CurrentAT, Athletic trainerPT, Physical therapistCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialist
International Olympic Committee consensus statement on youth athletic development
CurrentAT, Athletic trainerCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialist
International Olympic Committee consensus statement on thermoregulatory and altitude challenges for high-level athletes
CurrentCPT, Personal trainerCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialist
Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: guidance for prescribing exercise
CurrentCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialistCPT, Personal trainer
Youth resistance training: updated position statement paper from the National Strength and Conditioning Association
CurrentCPT, Personal trainerCSCS, Strength and conditioning specialistAT, Athletic trainer
American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Exercise and fluid replacement
Overlap with other professions
- CSCS, Strength and conditioning specialistAT, Athletic trainerCompare with athletic trainersEducation, exams, regulation and scope side by side
- CSCS, Strength and conditioning specialistCPT, Personal trainerCompare with personal trainersEducation, exams, regulation and scope side by side
- CSCS, Strength and conditioning specialistPT, Physical therapistPhysical therapistComparison not published yet; open the profession hub
How to become a strength and conditioning specialist
- Step 1
Hold a bachelor's degree, or be in your final year
- Step 2
Hold current CPR and AED certification
- Step 3
Pass the CSCS examination
Where to get licensed
Each step in full, with the board for every state and the compacts that apply.
Get licensed as a strength and conditioning specialistCareer path
Education routes, settings and how the profession is changing.