Weight training for adolescent girls

I agree with you that one programme does not fit all. Issues are as you stated injury due to poor technique and not the physical ability to control the loading. Extreme loadings can cause growth problems although not all loadings will do this.

A sprinter will potentially develop 3-10 x body weight of force per stance leg while sprinting. This force is going to be bigger than an additional load of body weight on a bar while squatting. So potentially a young athlete maybe able to control the load. But of course technique and previous preparation of training is key to ensure that the athlete can get to that point without breaking down. If the athletes have poor technique, mechanics, young training ages, then this is unnacceptable. The idea of strength training is to overload the body for positive adaptations. These adaptations do not necessarily mean increasing strength through cellular changes but through neuromuscular - more efficient and coordinated with the movement.

A general programme of progression is more realistic where an athlete moves on to the next progression/level/instruction on an exercise once they are mastered previous steps. Each athlete develops at different times so the development may be longer/shorter for some athletes.

Istvan Bayli talks about Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD). Within his model, athletes or various ages and gender will need to develop different skills and fitness parameters depending on PHV (Peak Height Velocity). What a 13 year old needs to develop to ensure athletic mastery is different for a 18 year old (12-16 years old is the window of optimal trainabilty). So potentially a 13 year old does not need to be lifting weights but working or the ABC's (Agility, Balance and Coordination) of physical mastery. This is a very general example. If you can get hold of Ian Staffords Book on LTAD or any of Bayli's work, they will give you an excellent understanding of maturation and physical developments. Also the book by Malina on maturation and growth.

As for base line testing at a young age, I dont personally see the advantage of it. Movement assessments are completed but why would you want to load a 13 year old up in a back squat who has never squatted before. You already know they have never completed the exercise and are going to be very unconditioned for it. And potentially it is an injury risk too. Plus most athletes at this age are no where near fulfilling their motor potential- in fact many athletes I work with who have over 5-6 years of strength training history are not close to reaching a full motor potential in weight lifting unless they are weight lifters.

So the programming for young training ages does not have to be as regumented as someone who has 10-15 years of strength training history. These guys programmes will then need to be adapted and 'tweaked' to get the progression they need as they can not have more lifting sessions during the week and have an almost full motor potential. This is where programming is more important

For a young athlete, you are looking for progress, whether it is the ability to perform a lift with technical mastery with some additional loading or once the athlete is technically proficient, increase in volume, volume load or intensity. Obviously you want some monitoring to ensure that they are not over training but I dont think you need to create a detailed physical preparation plan stating every weekly progression - I would go to enough detail to state what you are looking to develop over a given time frame.

Alex, Thankyou for your extensive reply. This confirms my thoughts entirely, and is also supported by other colleagues here in Australia I have spoken to (track coaches, physiotherapists and S&C scientists) The person who has designed these programs for this group is setting most up for serious injury. The group is a national U/19 squad in women's lacrosse.

I was aghast when I saw this program - eg:
Bench press: 8x30kg; 6x35; 4x40kg. The squats are just as poor. And this for 13 year olds (who weigh around 40 kgs) to 18 year olds (most are 15/16) with no to minimal training age and no supervision at all during exercise.
They also have an unattainable running program.
During a recent competition, the recovey session in the pool included lactate work at the end ... again, I would have thought recovery was more about clearing lactate than producing it.

Anyway, again thanks. I'll be carefully writing to the head coach, as I can see many girls not being able to achieve their potential, risk injury etc through this programming.

It seems the S&C guy may need to have a serious look at what he is doing with his athletes. It sounds like some of the sessions are dangerous and some of it is not designed for the purpose of the goal - lactate development in a lactate flush out session?!?!? Maybe he has never been corrected and has always been left to his own devises. As for not supervising the athletes at such a young age, he is also setting himself up for a serious litigation process if someone does injure themself on his programme.

Hope all goes well.