Essentials of Youth Fitness

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) was founded in 1954. It is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organisation in the world. With more than 50,000 members and certified professionals worldwide, ACSM is dedicated to improving health through science, education and medicine. ;;Avery Faigenbaum is a professor at The College of New Jersey. He teaches a range of courses covering health promotion, exercise prescription and clinical exercise physiology. His research interests focus on paediatric exercise science, resistance exercise and preventive medicine. As an active researcher and practitioner, Faigenbaum has co-authored over 240 peer-reviewed publications, 45 book chapters and 10 books including Youth Strength Training, Strength and Power for Young Athletes and Progressive Plyometrics for Kids. Dr Faigenbaum has been the lead or co-author on several position statement papers on youth resistance training. ;;Rhodri Lloyd is a Reader in Paediatric Strength and Conditioning at Cardiff Metropolitan University. His research interests surround the impact of growth and maturation on long-term athletic development and the neuromuscular mechanisms underpinning training adaptations in youth. Lloyd is a senior associate editor of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and an associate editor for the Strength and Conditioning Journal. In 2016, Lloyd received the Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Award for Research and Education from the UKSCA. ;;Jon Oliver is a professor in Applied Paediatric Exercise Science at Cardiff Metropolitan University. His research focuses on youth physical development across performance, injury and health perspectives, often with a focus on the role of strength and conditioning to promote athletic development. Oliver’s research has been influential in information both academics and professionals on the factors relating to the development of physical fitness in young people. His research is supported by a network of research students and is built on collaborations with professional sports organisations and paediatric exercise scientists worldwide. Jon is currently also an adjunct professor at the Sport Performance Research Institute New Zealand (SPRINZ).

• Part I. Fundamental ConceptsChapter 1. Physical Activity and Children’s HealthChapter 2. Principles of Pediatric Exercise ScienceChapter 3. Growth, Maturation, and Physical FitnessChapter 4. Long-Term Athletic DevelopmentChapter 5. Pedagogy for Youth Fitness SpecialistsPart II. Youth Fitness DevelopmentChapter 6. Assessing Youth FitnessChapter 7. Dynamic Warm-Up and FlexibilityChapter 8. Motor Skill TrainingChapter 9. Strength and Power TrainingChapter 10. Speed and Agility TrainingChapter 11. Aerobic and Anaerobic TrainingChapter 12. Integrative Program DesignPart III. Contemporary IssuesChapter 13. Young Athletes and Sport ParticipationChapter 14. Exercise for Overweight and Obese YouthChapter 15. Exercise for Youth With Selected Clinical ConditionsChapter 16. Nutrition for Youth