Strength and Conditioning

Strength and Conditioning is a strand of sport science with its foundations grounded in physiology, biomechanics, nutrition and coaching sciences. Practitioners within strength and conditioning are guided by evidence-based practice and their practice is associated with the physical and physiological preparation of athletes for sporting performance and improved health outcomes within clinical and general populations.

This programme is accredited by International Universities Strength and Conditioning Association (IUSCA)

Course Aims

• Engage you academically, practically and professionally within the core disciplines of strength and conditioning, exercise physiology, biomechanics and their impact upon sport performance, health and fitness.

• Develop you into a critically informed, reflective and adaptable graduate.

• Ensure you are capable of contributing to rising demand of employment, innovation and practice within the strength and conditioning sector.

• Ensure you can demonstrate a knowledge and critical understanding of core elements of strength and conditioning science and the application to improve sporting performance.

• Help you to be aware of the wider applications and impact of strength training and conditioning sciences within the wider sport, health and exercise science settings.

• Teach you to maintain an evidence-based approach to enhancement of sporting performance or health through critical analysis of empirical scientific data.

• Ensure you are critically aware of the collection and analysis of data, including recording, presentation and evaluation methods.

• Make sure you are capable of communicating effectively with colleagues, clients or members of an interdisciplinary team.

• Help you to manage and reflect on your own personal development and continued learning.

• Ensure you can demonstrate, supervise and coach practical activities using appropriate laboratory, field-based and experimental skills.

• Develop your ability to plan, prepare, implement and evaluate advanced goal-orientated training programmes.

Learning and Teaching Approach
This programme is delivered with a variety of learning and teaching approaches. For all modules, theory lectures are delivered that aim to deliver the core content and provide the underpinning knowledge. To complement the theory lectures, students have group seminars/practical sessions that are used to reinforce concepts delivered theoretically. The teaching methods focus on facilitating a student-centred approach to enhance the independent learning that takes place outside of the classroom.

Contact Time
Contact time includes approximately 12-16 hours a week to include lectures, seminars, practicals and tutorials. Students are also expected to carry out a significant amount of independent study in addition to contact time (approximately 25-30 hours a week). Independent study includes reading around the subject, preparing for tutorials and seminars, preparing for, and completing, module assessments and revision for examinations; forming an essential part of a student’s learning journey.

You can expect to receive your timetable during induction week.

Progression

The programme is designed to enable you to progress to postgraduate study in a range of areas related to Strength and Conditioning or Sport and Exercise Science.

Career Opportunities
Students graduating from this programme could follow careers as a S&C coach, sports club fitness coach, health and fitness specialist, physiological development coach, rehabilitation assistant or into further postgraduate study.

What you will study

Year 1

• Academic, Employment and Professional Skills

• Functional Anatomy and Biomechanics

• Fundamentals of Sport and Exercise Psychology

• Fundamentals of Strength and Conditioning

• Introduction to Diet and Nutrition

• Introduction to Research Skills

• Physiology of Sport Performance

Year 2

• Applied Sport and Movement Analysis

• Nutrition for Exercise and Sports Performance

• Practical Strength and Conditioning

• Professional Practice and Development

• Programming and Monitoring Athletic Development

• Research Methods

Year 3

• Advanced Strength and Conditioning

• Conditioning Youth Athletes

• Dissertation

• Sports Injury: Prevention and Rehabilitation

• Supervised Experience

https://www.bishopburton.ac.uk/degree-level-courses

Assessment includes written assignments, seminars, poster presentations, practical coaching or role-plays, reports, portfolios, case studies and presentations. Some elements may be assessed by formal examination. Opportunities for feedback on assessments are available prior to the final submission to support your development and achievement. Staff aim to return assessed work within a 20 working day timeframe (not including holidays) so that you can most benefit from the feedback.