Access the video collection for the 2018 Hammer Strength West Regional Clinic.

Early sport specialization involves physically immature children participating in intensive year-round training and/or competition for a single sport. The lack of sport exposure and diversification during the developmental years may underlie the increased risk of overuse injuries, blunting of motor skill development, psychosocial issues, overtraining syndrome, burnout, and potential dropout from sport. With increasing number of youth choosing, or being encouraged, to specialize at an early age, we aim to provide evidence based recommendations for the integration of strength and conditioning into the development programs of young athletes who participate in sports with a culture of early specialization. In addition to the principles of programming, strategies are provided relative to monitoring of growth, maturation, and training load to illustrate the potential complexities of attempting to optimize long-term athletic development in early specializing athletes.

Hybrid fitness competitions such as HYROX have rapidly gained popularity, blending aerobic endurance running with a variety of high-intensity resistance and ergometer-based stations in a globally standardized format. The sport’s unique structure, comprising eight 1-kilometer runs interspersed with diverse workload stations, presents distinct physiologic, biomechanical, and technical demands. This review synthesizes existing research on hybrid fitness events to identify the key determinants of HYROX performance, emphasizing aerobic capacity, anaerobic power, local muscular endurance, and maximal strength. The aerobic system is foundational, enabling recovery between high-intensity efforts and sustaining performance during the event’s prolonged duration. Conversely, anaerobic capacity is critical for executing the high-intensity efforts demanded by each fitness station. Local muscular endurance supports repeated submaximal contractions, while strength and power underpin performance in movements such as sled pushes and running economy. Technical proficiency and injury prevention strategies are also discussed, alongside targeted programming recommendations, including high-intensity interval training, circuit training, and blood flow restriction methods. Despite its growing popularity, limited sport-specific research exists, necessitating further investigation to refine training and performance strategies. This review provides a comprehensive framework for athletes and coaches to optimize preparation and performance in HYROX, contributing to the broader understanding of hybrid fitness competitions.

Castle View High School Strength and Conditioning Coach says science is leading to safer training methods being used in high school weight rooms.

NSCA's Education Content, Including Articles from the TSAC Report, Personal Training Quarterly and NSCA Coach.

This is the NSCA’s Coaching Podcast, where strength and conditioning coaches share their experience, lessons learned, and advice about how to thrive in a highly competitive profession.