Strength and Conditioning for Young Athletes

Strength and Conditioning for Young Athletes: Science and Application offers an evidence-based introduction to the theory and practice of strength and conditioning for young athletes. This new revised and updated third edition builds on the success of the first two editions and draws on leading research to offer a holistic approach to training centred on the concept of long-term athletic development and the welfare of the young athlete. Written by a team of leading international strength and conditioning experts and paediatric sport scientists, this book includes expanded practical guidelines in every chapter to show how the latest scientific research can be applied by coaches to optimise young athletic potential. Including sample training programmes and exercises throughout, the third edition of Strength and Conditioning for Young Athletes explores a wide range of topic areas linked to long-term athletic development such as growth and maturation, talent identification and development, methods of developing different components of fitness, and programme design. This edition also introduces new topics including monitoring and managing training load, the impact of growth and maturation on psychosocial development, creating appropriate training environments, and applied chapters devoted to integrating strength and conditioning into schools, early specialisation sports, and sporting academies. This book is an essential resource for all students of strength and conditioning or paediatric exercise science, as well as coaches, athletic trainers, or physicians working with children and young people and their parents.

Rhodri Lloyd, PhD, is a Professor of Paediatric Strength and Conditioning and co-founder of the Youth Physical Development Centre at Cardiff Metropolitan University, which offers after-school strength and conditioning provision to around 200 young athletes. His research interests surround the impact of growth and maturation on long-term athletic development and the neuromuscular mechanisms underpinning training adaptations and injury risk in youth. Rhodri has published more than 190 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 40 book chapters, and 4 textbooks on the topics of paediatric strength and conditioning and long-term athletic development, including the ACSM Essentials of Youth Fitness. He is a Fellow of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and has been recognised both nationally and internationally for his contributions to research and education, including the 2024 William J. Kraemer Outstanding Sport Scientist Award from the NSCA. Jon Oliver, PhD, is a Professor of Applied Paediatric Exercise Science, Associate Dean Research, and co-founder of the Youth Physical Development Centre at Cardiff Metropolitan University. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand and Strength and Conditioning Research Lead for the Welsh Institute of Performance Science. He has been at the forefront of leading research and informing practice on the long-term athletic development of youth. This has been supported by experimental research examining how growth and maturation interact with the development of physical fitness, responsiveness to training, injury risk, overtraining, and the health and well-being of young athletes. Professor Oliver has collaborated with many schools and professional organisations nationally and internationally in a variety of youth sports, working with populations from grassroots to the elite level.

Section I: Foundations of Long-Term Athletic Development. 1. The Impact of Growth and Maturation on Physical Performance. 2. The Impact of Growth and Maturation upon Psychosocial Development in Young Athletes. 3. Talent Identification and Development. 4. Monitoring and Managing Load in Young Athletes. 5. Coaching Young Athletes. Section II: Developing Physical Fitness in Young Athletes. 6. Developing Athletic Motor Skill Competencies in Young Athletes. 7. Strength and Power Training for Young Athletes. 8. Weightlifting for Young Athletes. 9. Plyometric Training for Young Athletes. 10. Speed Development in Young Athletes. 11. Agility Training for Young Athletes. 12. Aerobic and Anaerobic Fitness Training for Youth Athletes. 13. Mobility and Flexibility Development for Young Athletes. 14. Balance Training for Young Athletes. Section III: Holistic Development for Young Athletes. 15. Periodisation Strategies for Young Athletes. 16. Reducing Injury Risk in Young Athletes. 17. Nutritional Strategies for Young Athletes. 18. Creating Appropriate Training Environments for Young Athletes. Section IV: Long-Term Athletic Development in Action. 19. Integrating Strength and Conditioning into Schools. 20. Integrating Strength and Conditioning for Specialised Young Athletes. 21. Integrating Strength and Conditioning into Sporting Academies.