a young woman wearing black athletic apparel performs an overhead press with a barbell in a gym — The Strength and Conditioning ECHO line provides expert knowledge of best practices in strength and conditioning to coaches and athletic trainers during each one hour session.

OSU launches one-of-a-kind Strength and Conditioning ECHO

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Media Contact: Cody Cramer | The Innovation Foundation at OSU | 405-613-2838 | ccramer@okstate.edu

Coaches and trainers gain access to expert resources to enhance strength and conditioning through virtual teaching program

Oklahoma State University is raising the bar for strength and conditioning.

The OSU Human Performance and Nutrition Research Institute and OSU Center for Health Sciences collaborated to launch the Strength and Conditioning ECHO line on Jan. 15.

This new HPNRI Extension for Community Health Outcomes line will reach athletic trainers, practitioners and coaches of all levels by providing expert knowledge of best practices in strength and conditioning. It will ensure participants have the skills and knowledge necessary to enhance athletic performance, reduce injury rates and improve their athletes’ overall health.

“Coaches and trainers across Oklahoma have voiced a clear need for greater access to evidence-based practices and resources,” said Lance Walker, HPNRI Rick and Gail Muncrief executive director. “This ECHO line is a direct response to that call, helping to bridge the gap for professionals who face barriers like cost, time and accessibility. By providing high-quality, ongoing education, we’re equipping strength and conditioning professionals with the tools and knowledge they need to enhance athlete performance and safety, especially in underserved areas."

This is one of several ECHO lines developed by HPNRI — a part of The Innovation Foundation at OSU — that provide practical, cross-disciplinary, research-supported solutions to benefit athletic trainers, sports medicine professionals and the people they serve.

The Strength and Conditioning ECHO will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Each session will address a different topic, ranging from foundations of strength and conditioning to sports nutrition and even mental conditioning, followed by real-time clinical review of cases as well as participant-submitted questions.

“We continue to build on our collaboration with HPNRI, developing another first-of-its-kind ECHO line,” said Dr. Tara Jackson, Project ECHO director. “Working with this group of highly talented and experienced experts in the strength and conditioning field enables us to bring up-to-date best practices to this community to support athletes of all ages. ECHO and HPNRI are providing a network in which experts come together to improve the health of Oklahomans across our state.”

For this ECHO line, HPNRI has partnered with the National Strength and Conditioning Association to provide continuing education credits to participants.

Project ECHO delivers best practices, research and education to providers, with a focus on rural and underserved communities where access to specialists is limited. Using an "all teach, all learn" hub-and-spoke telementoring model, Project ECHO shares knowledge, connecting local providers to expertise. This approach equips providers to deliver high-quality, specialized care directly within their communities.

“The Strength and Conditioning ECHO line bridges the gap in knowledge and resources, empowering professionals to enhance athlete performance and well-being,” said Dr. Jay Dawes, hub team member and OSU professor of applied exercise science. “I hope this initiative fosters collaboration and drives lasting improvements in resilience and success across all levels of sport, especially in the state of Oklahoma.”