With more athletes training for specific goals, such as marathons, road races, or peaking at just the right time during the season, coaches with periodization expertise are essential.

To help educate the strength and conditioning practitioner about the theory and practice of periodization, the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) has designed an Advanced Periodization Symposium, August 8-9, 2003 in San Diego, California. Participants will learn how to design a periodized program incorporating different techniques for specific sports' and athletes' individual needs.

Periodization is dividing the training cycle into specific phases to attain the optimal development of an athlete's performance capacities. By better understanding the objectives, tasks, and content contained within each training phase, practitioners will gain knowledge to take the guesswork out of preparing a training program for an entire year, or training cycle.

During the two-day Advanced Periodization Symposium, attendees will learn:

What periodization is and why it is important

What the different phases are, and how to design a program for each phase

If their athletes are over trained

What to do once the competition season is over

How to meet individual athletes' needs without having to rework the entire program

These and other tough questions will be answered during the clinic by a select group of faculty including Michael Stone, PhD, Head of Sports Physiology for the United States Olympic Committee; John Graham, MS, CSCS, *D, Director of the Human Performance Center, Allentown Sports Medicine and Human Performance Center; along with NSCA National Headquarter Education Director, Michael Barnes, MEd, CSCS, *D, NSCA-CPT; and Education Programs Coordinator, Peter Melanson, MS, CSCS.

For more information on symposium registration, hotel accommodations, or continuing education units visit the NSCA at www.nsca-lift.org, or contact the NSCA Conference Department at 1-800-815-6826.