BECOME A

STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING

COACH
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WHAT IS S&C?
Strength and Conditioning is the physical
development of competitive athletes.

As a strength and conditioning coach, your job

is to design and deliver training that elicits the
greatest performance.

This skillset is essential for elite-level sport,

grassroots players and hobbyists who want to
succeed in sporting and fitness events.

These days, all health and fitness

professionals will benefit greatly from
having S&C Expertise!
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PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE
When it comes to Physical Performance,
there are three things that we need to
consider:

1. What physical actions are required to

complete an activity?

2. What movement and performance

qualities are required to complete
these actions?

3. How can we improve these movement

and performance qualities?
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ASK THE QUESTIONS

The fundamental questions all strength and conditioning coaches should be
asking themselves are:

1. “What does the athlete need?”

2. “What is optimal in the given time and environment?”

There is only so much an athlete can achieve in any given week and unfortunately, the
time allotted for strength and conditioning can be limited. Therefore, it is up to the
strength and conditioning coach to decide on what is the best plan of action.

A plan will never be perfect, but with years of education (read and listen) and practical
experience, you can create programs that maximize results and produce the highest
levels of performance.
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S&C 24: 12 MOVEMENT QUALITIES

Primary Strength Qualities Athletic Qualities

Brace Rotate
Contracting your muscles to stabilize the body and resist and transfer
Rotating/twisting the body – Band Rotations / Russian Twists.
forces – Plank / Pallof Press.

Hinge Gait
Bending at the hips – Deadlift / Good Morning / RDL. Walking, running and loaded carries (acceleration, deceleration).

Squat COD
Bending at the hips and knees – Goblet Squat / Back Squat / Front Change of Direction (acceleration, deceleration and multidirectional
Squat. speed).

Lunge Crawl
Single-leg movements – Lunges / Split Squats. Moving on all fours.

Push Jump
Jumps (two footed take off), bounds (one footed take off – land on
Pushing with the upper body – Push-Up / Bench Press / Strict Press.
opposite foot) and hops (one footed take off – land on same foot).

Pull Throw
Pulling with the upper body – Bent-Over Row / Single-Arm Row. Throws and strikes.
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S&C 24: 12 PERFORMANCE QUALITIES

Health-Related Qualities Skill-Related Qualities

Muscular Strength Agility

The ability to move, change direction and body position quickly and
The ability of a muscle or group of muscles to exert maximal force.
efficiently while maintaining control – often in reaction to a stimulus.

Muscular Endurance Balance (Static & Dynamic)

Static balance is the ability to maintain equilibrium when stationary.
The ability of a muscle or group of muscles to sustain repeated
Dynamic balance is the ability to maintain equilibrium when moving.
contractions.
(Equilibrium – a state in which opposing forces are balanced)
Cardio-Respiratory Endurance Coordination
The ability of the heart, lungs and blood vessels to deliver oxygen to the The ability to move two or more body parts under control, smoothly and
tissues. efficiently.
Mobility / Flexibility Speed
Flexibility is the passive length a muscle can achieve.
The ability to move quickly across the ground or move limbs rapidly.
Mobility is the range of motion a joint can achieve (includes flexibility).
Body Composition Power
The percentage of muscle, fat, bone and water in the human body. The ability to exert high force in minimal time.
Mechanical Strength Reaction Time / Quickness
The amount of force the tissues can handle without breakdown. The ability to respond quickly to a stimulus.
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THE NEEDS ANALYSIS

A strength and conditioning coach must
decide what movement and performance
qualities are the priority, and this is decided
with a Needs Analysis.

The needs analysis is a two-stage process

where we use various means to assess
firstly the sport and secondly the athlete.

We often use a Performance Triangle to

illustrate the requirements of the sport and
the current ability of the athlete.
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THE PERFORMANCE TRIANGLE

We can consider the performance needs of
an activity or sport by placing a mark within
the Performance Triangle.

Following fitness testing, we can also mark

where the athlete would lie within the triangle
with their current strengths and weaknesses.

The 3 Axis of the Performance Triangle:

• Force-Velocity (F-V) Axis.

• Force-Endurance (F-E) Axis.

• Velocity-Endurance (V-E) Axis.

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TESTING, PROFILING, PLANNING

Once the needs analysis is done, we create a battery of
appropriate fitness tests that help us to profile the
athlete, set goals, and inform the training plan, i.e.,
What are their strengths and weaknesses, and how are
they going to improve?

Fitness Test: A test to assess someone's physical fitness

and health – usually designed to test a specific
component of fitness.

Testing can also include resting measures such as health

screening (resting heart rate, blood pressure, etc) and
psychological testing (interviews, questionnaires, etc).

Testing Battery: A set of tests grouped together and

administered over a short period of time – during an
individual session, a couple of days or a week.
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GOAL SETTING
Once testing and analysis of the results (GAP analysis, etc) has been done, it is time to set goals –
these goals need to be SMART.

There are 3 types of goals:

• Outcome Goal(s): The main goal(s) you are working towards and looking to achieve after a
set period of time.

• Performance Goals: These are benchmarks you are looking to achieve on your way to the
main outcome goal(s).

• Process Goals: These are the processes you will take to achieve your outcome goal(s) i.e. I
will train 3x a week.

Goals are classed as Short-Term (0-1 Month), Medium-Term (1-6 Months) and Long-Term (6+
Months).
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SMART GOALS
Acronym Description

Specific The goal must be well defined and clear.

Measurable The goal must be defined in measurable terms / quantifiable / comparable.

Achievable The goal must be realistic and manageable.

Relevant The goal must relate specifically to what you are trying to achieve.

Timed The goal must be time bound.

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PERIODIZATION & PROGRAMMING

The final step in the initial process is taking all the collected data and formulating a plan. This plan is usually in the
form of an annual (year-long) plan which we refer to as a macrocycle.

The plan is then split down into blocks called mesocycles (usually 3-8 weeks), and microcycles which refer to one
week of training – we refer to this process as Periodization.

We also split the plan down into a preparatory phase, pre-competition phase, competition phase, and transition
period. These help us formulate a plan that takes an intelligent, systematic approach to the athlete’s physical
development.

It is key to remember that the annual plan is an overview. It acts as a calendar of all the events the athlete will
be competing at and describes their overall progression leading up to each event. However, as with all things in life,
plans are subject to change. Therefore, throughout the entire process, the strength and conditioning coach is
making evaluations and modifications, collecting data throughout on how the athlete is performing and feeling, both
subjectively (ask them) and objectively (fitness tests).

Most of the modifications will be at the session plan level (individual training sessions/workouts). Session plans
should stick to the training strategy agreed in the annual plan. However, these are a little more dynamic and may
change in accordance with how any training week is panning out. We refer to the development of these training
sessions as Programming.
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TRAINING PRINCIPLES
The table below shows the Training Principles that underpin all physical development.

Training Principle Description

Individuality Everyone responds to training differently. Some need more volume, while others need more intensity.
Any changes or adaptations the body makes will be specific to the stress or stimuli it is exposed to. This is
Specificity often described as the SAID principle (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands).

Over time the body becomes accustomed to the stress or stimuli it is exposed to and, therefore, improves in
several ways (specific to the stress), which is a good thing. However, we must also consider the law of
Adaptability accommodation, which states that our response to a constant stress will decrease over time. Therefore, we
need to ensure our training is progressive and doesn’t plateau (cease improving).

Overload In order to elicit adaptations, the body must be put under additional stress (overloaded).
The additional stress that we put on our bodies to elicit adaptations needs to be progressive and gradually
Progression increased.
The body needs time to repair. We need to overreach where possible to elicit the most results, but if we
Recovery overreach too far and too often, we will overtrain, resulting in injuries and illness, etc.

Reversibility If stressors are taken away, or sufficient recovery isn’t allowed, performance levels can be lost.
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TRAINING VARIABLES
The acronym FITT (Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type) is a useful acronym to describe the Training Variables.
However, these can be broken down further and ordered in a way that will systematically build a program.

Training Variable Description

How often? i.e. How many training sessions can be carried out each day, each week, each month,
Frequency etc.
What mode of training are these sessions going to include? i.e. Strength Training, Metabolic
Exercise Type Conditioning, Speed & Agility.

Exercise Selection What specific exercises will be used? i.e. Back Squat, Rower, Track.

Complexity What is the complexity of the exercise? i.e. Olympic Weightlifting.

Exercise Order What order will the exercises be performed in? (Consider fatigue sensitivity).

Intensity To what intensity are the exercises performed at? i.e. 90% of 1RM / Heart Rate Zone 4 / RPE 8.

Volume How many sets and reps / how long (duration)?

How long are the rest periods? i.e. Volume + Rest Periods = Training Density: 5x5 at 80kg done in
Density 20-Minutes, is less density than 5x5 at 80kg in 15-Minutes.
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THE SUPER 6
At the programming level, we need to consider what methods we are going to use to enhance the
movement and performance qualities: We call them The Super 6

Training Method (Mode) Description

Sprint work and agility drills (change of direction and

Speed and Agility Training multidirectional speed).
Jumps, bounds and hops – emphasis on the stretch-shortening
Plyometric Training cycle.
Loaded Jumps, throws and strikes – emphasis on the continued
Ballistic Training acceleration through the entire concentric phase.
The Olympic snatch and the clean & jerk, and their many
Olympic Weightlifting breakdowns and variations.
Progressively loading movements to build muscular strength
Strength Training and endurance – squat, bench press, deadlift, etc.
Training the energy systems with steady-state work, intervals,
Metabolic Conditioning and circuit training etc.
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STRUCTURING QUALITIES
Fatigue Quality Example

More Fatigue Sensitive Max Speed Sprints

Resisted Sprints / Change of

Acceleration
Direction (COD)

Reactive Strength - SSC Plyometrics

Power Ballistic Training

Resistance Training – Low Volume /

Max Strength
High Intensity
Resistance Training – Moderate
Sub-Max Strength
Volume & Intensity
Resistance Training – High Volume /
Less Fatigue Sensitive Strength + Muscular Endurance
Low Intensity
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STRUCTURING AN S&C SESSION

Phase Example

Warm-Up Raise, Activate & Mobilise, Potentiate / RDP

Speed & Agility / Plyometric & Ballistic Training Sprints & COD / Jumps & Throws / Olympic
/ Complex Lifts Weightlifting

Primary Lifts Compound Lift – of most importance

Assistance / Accessory Lifts Compound Lifts

Auxiliary Lifts Single-Joint / Isolation Exercises

Metabolic Finisher Energy System Development

Cool Down / Mobility Low Intensity Cardio / Rolling & Stretching

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EXERCISE COMPLEXITY
Movement Low Complexity to High Complexity

Bodyweight Hinge – DB/KB Deadlift – Rack Pull – RDL – Hex Bar Deadlift –
Hinge (Lower Pull)
Conventional/Sumo Deadlift – Clean/Snatch Pull.
Bodyweight Box Squat – Climbdown Squat - Bodyweight Squat – Goblet Squat – Back
Squat (Lower Push)
Squat – Front Squat – Overhead Squat – Snatch Balance.
Bodyweight Split Squat – Bodyweight Walking Lunge – Bodyweight RFESS/FFESS –
Lunge (Single-Leg)
Dumbbell Lunge/Split Squat Variations – Barbell Lunge/Split Squat Variations.
Incline Push-Up – Push-Up – Dumbbell Bench Press – Dumbbell Overhead Press –
Upper Push
Barbell Bench Press – Barbell Strict Press – Push Press – Jerks.
Resistance Band Pull – Suspended Row – Single Arm Row – Dumbbell Bent Over
Upper Pull
Row – Barbell Bent Over Row – Upright Row – Pendlay Row – Pull-Up.
Bodyweight Rotations – Resistance Band Rotations – Russian Twists – Landmine
Rotate
Rotations – Torture Twists.
Gait Walk – Run – Sprint – Change of Direction – Multidirectional Speed.
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LIFELONG ACCESS TO OUR ONLINE COURSES

The BIG 8 Pillars of S&C + Multiple Intro Courses – A&P, etc.
https://courses.strengthandconditioningcourse.com/p/home
• Programming & Periodization • Olympic Weightlifting
• Warming Up • Plyometrics
• Strength Training • Speed & Agility
• Ballistic Training • Metabolic Conditioning
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