Strength & Conditioning

Welcome to Strength and Conditioning Insights, a comprehensive resource for coaches, athletes, and sports science students. This category is dedicated to providing in-depth information, research-backed advice, and practical tips on strength and conditioning principles, training methodologies, and exercise techniques. Our goal is to empower you with the knowledge and tools necessary to optimize athletic performance, prevent injuries, and promote long-term health and wellness.

Explore our extensive collection of articles, covering a wide range of topics such as periodization, functional training, mobility and flexibility, sport-specific conditioning, injury prevention, and recovery strategies. Whether you’re a seasoned coach looking for advanced techniques or an aspiring athlete seeking foundational knowledge, our content is designed to cater to all levels of experience and expertise.

What Muscles Do Face Pulls Work?

What muscles do face pulls work?

Face pulls are a great exercise to improve shoulder health and scapular stability to prevent injuries for athletes of all levels. Here, we will focus on what muscles face pulls work, along with benefits and our top tips.  What muscles do face pulls work? Face pulls work the muscles at the back of the shoulders, … Read more

How To Do Dumbbell Deadlifts, Muscles Worked & Benefits

How To Dumbbell Deadlift

Deadlifts are a core exercise in any athletic training programme, with wide-ranging benefits including enhancing lower body strength, power and offering a learning platform for learning more complex weightlifting movements like the barbell deadlift.

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The 13 Best Deadlift Variations & Benefits Of Each

deadlift variations header

In this article, we’re going to take a deep dive into deadlift variations you can add into your training programs. For each deadlift variation, we’ll cover what it is, why/when to use it, and the specific gain you’ll see.

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What Muscles Do Deadlifts Work?

Deadlifts Muscles Worked header

Deadlifts are a great way to develop lower body strength and generate muscle growth (hypertrophy). With some adaptations, deadlifts can be used to help athletes generate power too. Here we cover what muscles traditional deadlifts work, along with how to adapt the exercise to fit your training needs.

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How to Trap Bar Deadlift – Benefits & Muscles Worked 

Trap Bar Deadlift

In this article, we will explore what the trap bar deadlift is, the benefits and the muscles worked during this exercise. We will also discuss how to perform the trap bar deadlift correctly, including proper form and technique. 

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The Long-Term Athletic Development (LTAD) Model 

Long Term Athletic Development Model (Balyi, 2002)

Long-term athletic development (LTAD) can be used as a framework for practitioners, researchers, coaches and parents aiming to support the long-term development of athletes and increase lifelong participation in sport and physical activity. This article will identify what the LTAD model is, outline the different stages of LTAD and discuss why it is important. It … Read more

Decline Bench Press Vs Flat – Muscles Worked, Pros & Cons

Bench Press

The decline and flat bench press are both classic exercises for building upper body strength and size, but how do they differ? And which one should you be doing?  In this decline bench press vs flat bench press article, we’re going to cover exactly that. Decline bench Press vs flat The main difference between decline … Read more

Split Squat Vs Lunge – Pros, Cons & The best Option For You

Split Squat Vs Lunge

The split squat and lunge are both popular assistance exercises for lower body strength and size.  But how are they actually different?  And which option is right for YOU?  In this split squat vs lunge article that’s exactly what we’ll be covering. Split Squat Vs Lunge The main difference between split squat and lunges are … Read more

Trap Bar Deadlift Vs Squat – A Scientific Guide

Trap bar deadlift vs squat

The trap bar (or hex bar) deadlift and squat are both exercises that can be used to build lower body strength. But which one is better for you? In this article, we’ll take a look at both exercises, which muscles they work, and considerations for each, so you can decide which one is best for you. 

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Hack Squat vs Leg Press – Optimise Your Training

Hack Squat vs Leg Press

The main difference between hack squats and leg press is the set-up. Hack squats have you stood about 30 degrees beyond upright with the load placed across your shoulders, whereas leg presses have you seated, with the load supported by your legs at around a 45 degree angle. This creates some unique differences in training stimulus.