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SSE 257: Optimizing Athlete Performance and Safety: Special Considerations for Individuals with Sickle Cell Trait

Athletes with sickle cell trait deserve special attention to optimize performance and prevent a medical emergency due to the complex nature of the condition. Sickle cell trait is considered benign at rest yet dangerous during exercise. During exertional activities, athletes with sickle cell trait have a reduced oxygen carrying capacity, possibly leading to lactic acid buildup causing red blood cells to sickle. The practitioner should implement pre-calculated work-to-rest ratios or allow athletes to self-pace. Low atmospheric pressure at high altitudes lowers oxygen saturation levels, increasing the risk of red blood cells sickling. If travel to high-altitude areas is necessary for athletes with sickle cell trait, stakeholders (including coaching staff) will need to be educated on the risks, modify activities and set restrictions based on symptoms. Exercising in warm to hot environments raises core body temperature, potentially causing red blood cells to sickle as warmed blood moves from the core of the body to the working muscles. Practitioners should monitor environmental conditions using wet bulb globe temperature and modify activities based on established heat risk zones along with the utilization of heat acclimatization guidelines to promote beneficial adaptations.

Reference Article

SSE 257: Optimizing Athlete Performance and Safety: Special Considerations for Individuals with Sickle Cell Trait

Course Objectives

  • Explain the underlying mechanisms of RBC sickling in athletes with SCT and how it impacts performance
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of different prevention strategies for reducing SCT-related health complications
  • Formulate a policy for sports teams on how to manage athletes with SCT while ensuring their safety during training and competition

Course

Credits

Course Expiration

ACSM

1

02/28/2028

BOC

1

02/28/2028

Commission on Dietetic Registration

1

03/06/2028

CSCCa

1

02/28/2028

Reference Article

https://www.gssiweb.org/docs/default-source/sse-docs/sse_257.pdf?sfvrsn=2

SSE 247: No Guarantees! Supporting Athletes to Reduce the Risk of Unintentional Doping from Supplement Use

Athletes’ use of supplements is highly prevalent across sport and competitive levels. High prevalence is combined with indiscriminate use. This remains a concern in sport as it can lead to negative health effects and the risk of committing an anti-doping rule violation. Consequences of committing an anti-doping rule violation through supplement use are significant for competitive athletes due to the principle of strict liability. The principle of strict liability interacts with a growing and professionally marketed industry that is poorly regulated. Consequently, competitive athletes can find themselves in a vulnerable and risky position when it comes to consuming supplements. Dr Susan Backhouse discusses adopting a behavioral approach and adherence to RMSUG to help identify what needs to change to protect athletes from unintentionally doping through indiscriminate supplement use.

Reference Article

SSE 247: No Guarantees! Supporting Athletes to Reduce the Risk of Unintentional Doping from Supplement Use

Course Objectives

  • Define RMSUG and COM-B in relation to sport.
  • Identify the six steps taken to monitor supplement use.
  • Describe the factors involved in athlete risky supplement use behavior diagram.

Course

Credits

Course Expiration

ACSM

1

12/27/2027

BOC

1

12/27/2027

Commission on Dietetic Registration

0.75

01/03/2028

CSCCa

1

12/27/2027

Reference Article

https://www.gssiweb.org/docs/default-source/sse-docs/sse_247.pdf?sfvrsn=2

SSE 246: The Healthy Youth Athlete- Reinforcing the Role of Hydration 

Daily hydration management for a youth athlete extends beyond just sport performance to also facilitating academic achievement and overall health. Establishing sensible hydration behaviors as a youth athlete can be instrumental in underpinning healthy hydration habits as an adult that enable wellness and help to maintain long-term health. As youth develop and advance through sport, they need to develop personal initiative and autonomy to make healthy and ethical decisions about their involvement in sport, including managing their own hydration needs and strategies. Dr Michael Bergeron discusses contemporary approaches utilizing multi-domain, complex systems, and state-of-the-art tools and methods instrumental in fully recognizing the wide-ranging role and contribution of hydration to youth athletes’ health and sustainable sport participation and performance.

Reference Article

SSE 246: The Healthy Youth Athlete- Reinforcing the Role of Hydration 

Course Objectives

  • Define the fundamental roles hydration plays in and out of sport.
  • Identify tools and applications utilized to monitor hydration status in sport.
  • Describe all three domains integral to the hydration-based paradigm for youth athletes.

Course

Credits

Course Expiration

ACSM

1

12/17/2027

BOC

1

12/17/2027

Commission on Dietetic Registration

0.75

12/12/2027

CSCCa

1

12/17/2027

Reference Article

https://www.gssiweb.org/docs/default-source/sse-docs/sse_246.pdf?sfvrsn=2

SSE 244: The Fluid Replacement Process: Principles of Beverage Formulation for Athletes

Substantial volumes of fluid can be lost during intense or prolonged exercise as a consequence of thermoregulatory sweating. In these situations, athletes need to drink during and after exercise to replace fluids lost to avoid potential negative effects of dehydration. Fluid replacement is a multi-step process involving a number of physiological systems including fluid intake, fluid delivery to the bloodstream, distribution within the body fluid compartments, and whole-body fluid retention. Adequate fluid replacement is influenced by beverage composition, as certain ingredients can facilitate or hinder one or more steps in the rehydration process. Dr Lindsay Baker reviews the scientific principles of fluid replacement and role of beverage formulation on the rehydration process for athletes.

Reference Article

SSE 244: The Fluid Replacement Process: Principles of Beverage Formulation for Athletes

Course Objectives

  • Define the physiological systems involved in the fluid replacement process.
  • Identify factors influencing fluid intake, delivery, distribution, and retention.
  • Describe the differences in rehydration needs before, during, and after exercise.

Course

Credits

Course Expiration

ACSM

1

11/12/2027

BOC

1

11/12/2027

Commission on Dietetic Registration

1

12/03/2027

CSCCa

1

11/12/2027

Reference Article

https://www.gssiweb.org/docs/default-source/sse-docs/sse_244.pdf?sfvrsn=4

SSE 237: Hydration in Physically Active Women

A significant amount of research has been conducted to understand body water regulation and the effects of hypohydration on thermoregulation, cardiovascular function, and performance during exercise in heat. However, women have been underrepresented in hydration research, accounting for less than ~30% of subjects tested in recent studies. Women have lower whole body sweating rate (WBSR) and sweat sodium concentrations as a population than men, but in most environments these differences are attributed to lower absolute workloads. Dr Lindsay Baker reviews the state of the literature, the impact of the menstrual cycle on hydration and how hypohydration (≥ 2% body mass loss) can adversely affect athletic performance in women.

Reference Article

SSE 237: Hydration in Physically Active Women

Course Objectives

  • Identify differences in sweating rate and composition between men and women 
  • Describe the impact of different phases in the menstrual cycle on thirst and fluid retention 
  • Define the physiological responses to dehydration during exercise in women

Course

Credits

Course Expiration

BOC

1

11/21/2026

CSCCa

1

11/21/2026

Reference Article

https://www.gssiweb.org/docs/default-source/sse-docs/sse_237_004.pdf?sfvrsn=2

SSE 226: Sweat Biomarkers for Sports Science Applications

There has been considerable interest recently in the concept of sweat biomarkers, which is generally defined as the use of sweat as a non-invasive alternative to blood analysis to provide insights into human physiology, health, and performance. Despite recent technological advances in wearable devices the application of sweat diagnostics in sports science has been limited to date. This course will discuss the challenges of utilizing sweat biomarkers and wearable technologies as well as where future work is needed.

Reference Article

SSE 226: Sweat Biomarkers for Sports Science Applications

Course Objectives

  • Define the different types of sweat glands and which is most relevant to sweat biomarker analysis. 
  • Identify the electrolytes, trace minerals and vitamins, metabolites, nitrogenous waste, stress and immune markers found in sweat and discuss their evidence as a biomarker. 
  • Describe the roles of wearable technologies in sweat biomarker analysis and where additional research is needed.

Course

Credits

Course Expiration

ACSM

1

02/06/2026

BOC

1

02/06/2026

CSCCa

1

02/06/2026

Reference Article

https://www.gssiweb.org/docs/default-source/sse-docs/sse_226_007.pdf?sfvrsn=2