Start with the qualities, not the exercises
A young athlete needs a small number of physical qualities: the ability to produce force (strength), to produce it quickly (power and speed), to absorb it safely (landing and deceleration), to repeat it (conditioning), and to control their body in space (coordination and balance).
Almost every good youth programme is a way of developing those qualities. The specific exercises matter far less than making sure all of them are present.
A realistic training week
Notice how little of that is new activity. For most young athletes the strength sessions are the only genuine addition; everything else is a better version of what they already do.
- 2–4 sport sessions, including matches.
- 2 strength sessions of 20–40 minutes on non-consecutive days.
- A structured warm-up before every session, including hops, landings and change of direction.
- Short speed exposure once or twice a week, quality over quantity.
- One full day off organised sport.
- 8–10 hours of sleep a night.
The strength session template
- Warm-up: 5–8 minutes of movement prep, hops and single-leg control.
- Main lower body: a squat pattern and a hinge pattern, 2–3 sets of 8–12.
- Single leg: split squats, step-downs or lunges, 2–3 sets of 8–10 each side.
- Upper body: a push and a pull, 2–3 sets of 8–12.
- Calves and trunk: calf raises plus anti-rotation or anti-extension trunk work.
- Finish: 5 minutes of jumping, landing or med-ball throws.
How to progress
Progression follows a sequence: first make the movement better, then make the range fuller, then slow the tempo down, then add load, then add speed. Most young athletes are moved to heavier weights long before they have exhausted the easier and safer options.
As a rule of thumb, change one variable at a time and hold it for two to three weeks. If technique degrades, step back a level rather than pushing through.
How it changes with maturity
- Pre-puberty: motor skills, bodyweight competence, jumping and landing, lots of variety and play.
- Around the growth spurt: hold volume steady, emphasise strength and control, expect a temporary dip in coordination.
- Post-spurt: add load and intensity more aggressively; hypertrophy and heavier strength work become productive.
- Throughout: keep speed and jumping in the programme year-round.
What to avoid
- Adult programmes copied wholesale onto a 13-year-old.
- Maximal testing and heavy overhead lifting without a long technical foundation.
- Conditioning used as punishment, which reliably damages long-term engagement.
- Adding a strength session on top of an already excessive sport week without removing anything.
- Progressing volume during a rapid growth phase.
The measure that matters
The best indicator that a young athlete's training is right is not how much they lift or how fast they run. It is whether they are consistently available to play, improving over months, and still enjoying it in two years' time. Programmes that optimise for this season and ignore that question are the ones that produce burnt-out fifteen-year-olds.