Strength and Conditioning (Taught)

As a profession, strength and conditioning has seen substantial growth in the past 40 years. Strength and conditioning coaches, in collaboration with athletic trainers, physiotherapists, nutritionists, sport scientists, and other allied professions, are now commonly part of a team that provide
support services to athletes.

The knowledge base that is utilised by strength and conditioning coaches cuts across anatomy, exercise physiology, biomechanics, nutrition, and sport psychology. Developed to reflect the guidelines published by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), key stakeholders from industry have also been consulted to help formulate a needs-led curriculum. You will cover topics including principles and practice of strength and conditioning, nutrition and exercise metabolism, optimising exercise, programme design, motor cognition and performance, applied statistics and conduct a research project.

Employment opportunities for aspiring strength and conditioning coaches exist in government-funded organisations such as schools, colleges, universities, national/state institutes of sport, and privately funded professional organisations and with individual athletes.

(School of Sport lectures and lab work will be delivered on the new and enhanced Belfast campus. Practical sports teaching and activity will continue to be delivered at the Jordanstown Sports Village, where the University’s state of the art sporting facilities and expansive outdoor spaces will be maintained.)