Sport practice develops sporting skill. Strength training develops some of the physical capacities that let an athlete express that skill: force, control, muscular endurance and the ability to tolerate repeated work.
Train the athlete, not a collection of sport-looking exercises
An exercise does not have to resemble a serve, kick or sprint to be useful. Squat, hinge, push, pull, lunge, carry and trunk-control patterns can build general capacity; sport practice teaches where and when to use it.
The programme should begin with an assessment. If an athlete cannot control a landing or hinge, adding speed does not solve the missing base.
Strength before plyometrics is not an either-or rule
Jump training can support power and change-of-direction ability in young female athletes. But jumping alone does not establish all the strength, muscular endurance or limb control needed to land repeatedly.
Strength and plyometric work should be progressed together from the athlete’s actual capacity.
PRIME helps the coach observe Posture and Range, Identify the limiter, Measure performance and then Evaluate and Evolve. RPE keeps the work challenging without treating every set as a competition.
Manage the week, not just the gym session
Training load includes sport practices, games, school and gym work. The heaviest gym session should not be placed blindly beside the most demanding competition.
Evolved’s Performance Warm-Up introduces 20% of the intended working load for 12 repetitions, 60% for 6, then one acclimation repetition at 100% to test readiness before working sets. Across a 13-week block, load generally rises as repetitions fall, followed by a reduced-load and testing week.
For a teen athlete, those phases must be coordinated with the sport calendar and adjusted conservatively.
The goal is not to win today’s workout. It is to build an athlete who can practise, compete and keep developing.
Start with the complete teenage strength-training guide →
Research behind this guide
- Meta-analysis of resistance training in female youth
- 2025 systematic review of strength and plyometric training in adolescent female athletes
- 2025 trial of complex training in adolescent female badminton athletes
- Trial of strength training and landing mechanics in young female athletes
Youth training should be age-appropriate and supervised. Pain, injury, medical conditions and eating or body-image concerns may require qualified individual care.
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