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Young Athlete Program

At Sydney West Sports Medicine, we offer Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) program consisting of group Strength and Conditioning (S&C) classes for ages 12-17 years in a gym-based setting Strength training is a safe and effective for children and adolescents when appropriately designed and delivered by strength & conditioning coaches and Accredited Exercise Physiologists

It is commonly stated that “children are not mini adults” Children and adolescents do not develop at the same rate. Males and females of the same age will have varying rates of growth, physical fitness and psychosocial maturation. The LTAD program uses a holistic approach that considers mental, cognitive and emotional development of the athlete mixed with their physical development, ensuring each athlete meets their own individual needs as they develop into adolescents

Due to this individualised nature of growth and development, every child/adolescent will respond differently to a training stimulus, and therefore training programs should be specific to that athlete where possible This ensures that youth development is specific to the athlete, whilst reducing injury risk

The purpose of the LTAD program is to support and invest in athletes at all stages of their Athletic Development pathway Not only are we supporting top elite performance but we are also supporting the growth and participation rate of the sport Strength training is a supplementary to an athletes current training to enhance performance, health and longevity Implementing regular S&C sessions will assist with improving power, speed, strength, injury risk and performance in the athletes chosen sport

Strength and Conditioning coaches are qualified to provide safe, supervised, developmentally appropriate strength and conditioning programs for youth of all ages and abilities. They follow the ASCA guidelines on “Resistance Training for Children and Youth” and apply an LTAD model to youth athlete programs. Strength and Conditioning programs are reviewed on whether they enhance performance for the short-term or promote longterm, elite athletic development This will ensure a healthy and positive experience with strength and fitness that will benefit young athletes with developing their sporting career and promoting a positive attitude towards health and fitness long-term