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What is a strength and conditioning coach and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

A strength and conditioning coach is responsible for developing and implementing strength and conditioning programs for athletes. He/she applies scientific principles and creates individualized training plans aimed at helping athletes attain optimum performance. Their main objectives are to improve an athlete's fitness and understanding and teach them lifelong fitness skills.

A strength and conditioning coach usually works with individual athletes, but he/she can also work with all team members. They also work very closely with the head coach to devise a strength and conditioning program. A successful strength and conditioning coach should have considerable strength and conditioning experience, first aid certification, leadership skills, and interpersonal skills.

Strength and conditioning coaches mostly work in high schools and universities. Some of them work with professional and semi-professional athletes. They often work long hours depending on the athletes' availability.

ScoreStrength And Conditioning CoachUS Average
Salary
3.9

Avg. Salary $49,382

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.0

Growth rate 20%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.8
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.22%

Asian 5.40%

Black or African American 8.73%

Hispanic or Latino 13.02%

Unknown 5.72%

White 66.91%

Gender

female 16.51%

male 83.49%

Age - 34
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 34
Stress level
8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
7.3

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Strength and conditioning coach career paths

Key steps to become a strength and conditioning coach

  1. Explore strength and conditioning coach education requirements

    Most common strength and conditioning coach degrees

    Bachelor's

    75.9 %

    Master's

    14.1 %

    Associate

    6.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific strength and conditioning coach skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Student Athletes36.35%
    NCAA4.28%
    Weight Room4.01%
    Soccer3.84%
    Softball3.79%
  3. Complete relevant strength and conditioning coach training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New strength and conditioning coaches learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a strength and conditioning coach based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real strength and conditioning coach resumes.
  4. Research strength and conditioning coach duties and responsibilities

    • Create and manage practice plans for volleyball program to ensure team building and improvement in all areas of volleyball.
    • Perform additional responsibilities as deemed appropriate by school and district supervisors such as organizing and managing elementary school mathematics information nights.
    • Help coach triple jump, long jump and javelin (boys and girls).
    • Train and certify for CPR and a.
  5. Prepare your strength and conditioning coach resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your strength and conditioning coach resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a strength and conditioning coach resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable strength and conditioning coach resume templates

    Build a professional strength and conditioning coach resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your strength and conditioning coach resume.
    Strength And Conditioning Coach Resume
    Strength And Conditioning Coach Resume
    Strength And Conditioning Coach Resume
    Strength And Conditioning Coach Resume
    Strength And Conditioning Coach Resume
    Strength And Conditioning Coach Resume
    Strength And Conditioning Coach Resume
    Strength And Conditioning Coach Resume
    Strength And Conditioning Coach Resume
    Strength And Conditioning Coach Resume
    Strength And Conditioning Coach Resume
    Strength And Conditioning Coach Resume
    Strength And Conditioning Coach Resume
    Strength And Conditioning Coach Resume
    Strength And Conditioning Coach Resume
    Strength And Conditioning Coach Resume
  6. Apply for strength and conditioning coach jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a strength and conditioning coach job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first strength and conditioning coach job

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Average strength and conditioning coach salary

The average strength and conditioning coach salary in the United States is $49,382 per year or $24 per hour. Strength and conditioning coach salaries range between $29,000 and $81,000 per year.

Average strength and conditioning coach salary
$49,382 Yearly
$23.74 hourly

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How do strength and conditioning coaches rate their job?

4.5/5

Based on 2 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Strength and conditioning coach reviews

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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019
Pros

What I like the most is the fact that the S&C coach can have the experience and knowledge to teach a human being of any age and any level of performance how to get better, I love that I have the ability to tell a person more about his/her body, how does it move & how we can get it better. We have 7 billion people on earth and each person is a case study and a new experience to teach and learn from. It's amazing what this position can do to human in terms of spiritual, physiological & psychological growth. It's a life , it's more than a job for me.

Cons

I realize that there are some disadvantages and pains that I personally have suffered from, working with athletes & clients all day long can be hectic especially when you put full effort in day in and day out & the constant demand of growing your knowledge, then finding the right position that pays well and puts you in an organization to grow with...etc. these are all things that almost every S&C coach pass through, but these as well are what makes us grow as human beings & evolve around the field to make better decisions for us, our athletes and other trainers who want to set foot in this industry.


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4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019
Pros

Helping athletes become better

Cons

The lack of support the state shows for football


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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Pros

Teaching college kids how to juggle sports school life and work. And every day is a new challenge. We are a family not just a team.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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