The Soldiers To Sidelines Endurance Sports Coaching Certification Seminar, powered by Vehicles for Veterans, united military service members, veterans, and aspiring coaches from across the country for a week of science-driven instruction, practical application, and personal growth. Hosted by Soldiers To Sidelines (STS), the event offered participants a deep dive into endurance performance, coaching leadership, recovery, and resilience—all through the transformative lens of military values.
This inspiring seminar was made possible through the generous support of Vehicles for Veterans, Wells Fargo, PenFed Foundation, and CVS Health, whose sponsorship ensures that Soldiers To Sidelines can continue to provide free, world-class certification opportunities to members of the military community.
Building an Aerobic Base: Insights from Scott Johnston
The seminar’s first keynote featured Scott Johnston, a former elite alpinist, endurance coach, and co-author of Training for the Uphill Athlete. Johnston’s presentation on Endurance Training and Aerobic Metabolism dissected the science behind sustainable performance.
He explained that any sport lasting beyond two minutes is powered primarily by aerobic metabolism and that developing a strong aerobic base is essential for both recovery and high-intensity output. Johnston urged coaches to adopt a long-term approach centered on gradual adaptation, frequency, and patience, warning against the pitfalls of overemphasizing intensity.
He also drew parallels between endurance athletes and tactical operators, reminding participants that “endurance is a force multiplier”—a skill that enhances not only athletic ability but mission effectiveness.
Coaching for Longevity and Adaptability with Chris Frankel
Chris Frankel, an industry leader in human performance science, delivered two powerful sessions that redefined how attendees viewed coaching and adaptation. In Coaching for Longevity and Adaptability, Frankel dismantled the outdated concept of rigid “energy systems” and encouraged a more fluid, integrated model of training. He challenged participants to move past the notion of the “minimum effective dose” toward what he called the “maximal appropriate dose”—the sweet spot where athletes experience sustainable, long-term improvement. Frankel introduced the concept of a performance span, describing it as the window of capability, adaptability, and resilience that coaches should seek to widen.
In his follow-up talk, Precision Coaching for Performance and Longevity, he unveiled his “Core Four” framework—strength, mobility, speed, and conditioning—a dashboard that helps coaches monitor key performance variables. Frankel emphasized curiosity, humility, and evidence-based experimentation as the hallmarks of effective coaching. His message: precision isn’t rigidity; it’s responsiveness.
The Inverted Pyramid of Coaching Success
Returning to the spotlight, Harrison Bernstein introduced one of the seminar’s cornerstone frameworks—the Inverted Pyramid of Coaching Success. At the foundation lies inspiration, followed by motivation, fitness, technique, and strategy. Bernstein explained that coaching should begin with the “why,” not the “what.” By inspiring athletes through vision and purpose, coaches can ignite intrinsic motivation that fuels consistent effort and long-term growth. He described coaching as “influencing others to do what you want them to do because they want to do it,” emphasizing emotional intelligence, empathy, and authenticity as essential coaching tools. The session closed with an invitation for participants to reflect on their own mentors and strive to “be the coach who once changed your life.”
Redefining Endurance: Time, Space, and Resilience
Nate Palin took the virtual stage to redefine endurance through three interlocking dimensions—time, space, and resilience. He explained how duration, environment, and psychological fortitude shape endurance performance across both individual and team contexts. Palin guided coaches through the balancing act of intensity versus duration, highlighting the importance of pacing, environmental awareness, and mental resilience. Drawing on his background as a performance specialist for tactical athletes, he emphasized that endurance is as much about emotional control and adaptability as it is about heart rate and mileage.
Fueling Performance: Ultra-Endurance Nutrition with Susan Lopez
Nutrition expert Susan Lopez delivered a standout session on Ultra-Endurance Nutrition Coaching Strategies, breaking down complex nutrition science into actionable insights. Lopez stressed that effective fueling is highly individualized—dependent on body composition, training volume, gut tolerance, and environmental conditions. She outlined evidence-based macronutrient guidelines for the training and competition phases, emphasizing carbohydrate management and electrolyte balance as critical determinants of performance. Her practical tips—such as using sour candy to combat palate fatigue or pacing carbohydrate intake throughout long races—gave attendees real-world strategies they could immediately apply. Lopez’s engaging, no-nonsense approach made the session one of the week’s most talked-about presentations.
Data, Testing, and the Science of Endurance with Maury DiMeo
Maury DiMeo, an endurance coach and physiologist, led an enlightening exploration of endurance metrics and testing. In The Limitations of VO₂ Max Testing, DiMeo explained that while VO₂ max provides useful data, its direct correlation with performance is often overstated. He advocated for the use of lactate threshold testing as a more accurate indicator of endurance readiness and training effectiveness. During his session, Lactate Threshold Testing Overview, DiMeo detailed both aerobic drift and anaerobic threshold testing protocols, illustrating how coaches can apply these tools to guide athlete programming. He shared case studies—including one linking endurance fatigue to shooting accuracy among soldiers—to demonstrate the practical implications of his research. DiMeo’s discussion of altitude training, heat adaptation, and nutritional support shed light on advanced strategies for optimizing endurance while preventing overtraining. He also addressed bone density and relative energy deficiency, emphasizing early nutritional interventions for long-term health.
Mental Endurance: The Psychology of Performance with Kathleen Oswald
Kathleen Oswald, a seasoned endurance athlete and mental performance specialist, shifted the focus inward with her session on Endurance Psychology. Drawing from her experiences in ultramarathons, powerlifting, and dog agility, Oswald illuminated the connection between mental and physical stamina. She guided participants through strategies for developing awareness, control, and reflection—three pillars of mental endurance. Through self-talk, mindfulness, and segmented goal-setting, athletes can manage emotions, recover from setbacks, and maintain composure under pressure. Oswald urged coaches to help athletes develop an “inner coach” who can provide encouragement, perspective, and accountability during moments of challenge. Her actionable tools—like establishing key phrases to re-center focus—proved invaluable for coaches working in both athletic and tactical environments.
Tactical Performance and Stepping Outside the Comfort Zone
Brooke McNicholas, founder of ARC Strength and Conditioning, Tactical Games competitor, and former soldier, delivered an energetic presentation titled Stepping Out of Comfort Zones. McNicholas shared how tactical competition—an intense blend of endurance, strength, and marksmanship—mirrors the demands of both sport and service. She highlighted the physical and psychological value of pushing past comfort thresholds, integrating breathing techniques such as box and chimney breathing for arousal control and mental clarity. Her subsequent discussion, Tactical Games Training Plan Overview, outlined a 12-week periodized program emphasizing movement quality, endurance, load tolerance, and skill integration. McNicholas encouraged athletes to cultivate both competence and confidence through deliberate practice, while maintaining balance through community engagement and recovery.
Hybrid Training and the Art of Adaptation with Drew Hammond
In a dynamic shift toward applied performance science, Drew Hammond, hybrid training specialist and strength coach, explored the intersection of strength and endurance in Hybrid Training and Concurrent Principles. Hammond described hybrid training as “the intentional combination of strength and endurance goals,” likening training variables to adjustable volume knobs that allow coaches to fine-tune emphasis without abandoning balance. He introduced the principle of auto-regulation, where athletes adjust load and intensity based on daily readiness, promoting both autonomy and sustainability. Hammond contrasted this flexible, feedback-driven approach with traditional linear periodization, emphasizing that true adaptation emerges from consistent exposure—not rigid progression. He concluded with a reminder that “you can be strong enough, but you can always be more aerobically capable,” reinforcing endurance as the cornerstone of athletic longevity.
From the Field to the Fireline: Work Capacity with Austin Womack
Austin Womack, former professional baseball player turned wildland firefighter and strength coach, presented one of the seminar’s most captivating sessions: Work Capacity for Wildland Firefighting. Womack defined work capacity as “the ability to tolerate load under high metabolic and cardiorespiratory demand.” Drawing on his firsthand firefighting experience, he explained the importance of specificity, movement efficiency, and fatigue resistance when preparing for physically grueling professions. He walked attendees through programming strategies built around five key components—distance, mass, time, force, and displacement—and provided practical examples for both tactical and endurance athletes. His insights bridged the gap between sport performance and operational readiness, illustrating the universality of endurance as a human skill. Harrison Bernstein concluded the session by recognizing Wells Fargo for its continued investment in military and veteran career development.
The Science of Recovery and Resilience
The seminar’s final day emphasized the often-overlooked art of recovery. Nate Palin led two sessions on Recovery and Resilience, reframing recovery as both rest and repair—a dynamic process requiring stress to exist in the first place.
He reviewed foundational training principles—overload, progression, individuality, specificity, and reversibility—and demonstrated how recovery integrates with each. Palin emphasized prioritizing sleep, nutrition, stress management, and mindfulness before turning to secondary tools like supplements or wearables.
Gratitude and Looking Ahead
The 2025 Soldiers To Sidelines Endurance Sports Coaching Certification Seminar, powered by Vehicles for Veterans, succeeded in blending cutting-edge science with timeless principles of service, leadership, and endurance. Through the expertise of presenters including Scott Johnston, Chris Frankel, Maury DiMeo, Kathleen Oswald, Brooke McNicholas, Drew Hammond, and Austin Womack, participants walked away not only as better coaches but as stronger, more self-aware leaders.
Soldiers To Sidelines extends heartfelt thanks to Vehicles for Veterans, Wells Fargo, PenFed Foundation, and CVS Health for sponsoring the event and empowering military veterans to channel their service into sport. Together, they are building a nationwide community of endurance coaches who lead with purpose, resilience, and heart—on the field, on the course, and beyond.
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