A 15-Year-Old Sprinter with a Growth Spurt
Evan is a 15-year-old male football and track athlete who grew 3 inches in the past six months and now stands 6 ft 0 in at 150 lb. He runs 11.8 s for 100 m and wants to add 10 lb of muscle before next season. He has no structured strength history, trains in a school gym with a rack, bars, dumbbells, and a turf area, and can attend two or three 50-minute sessions weekly for eight weeks. On video, his knees collapse inward during landing from a 12-inch box, and he reports lower-back tightness after deadlifting with a rounded back. He has hamstring cramping late in sprint sessions. He is not in pain at rest and has no radiating symptoms. Build a safe progression that addresses his speed and size goals without simply adding maximal lifting.
1. What youth-training and assessment considerations should guide the plan?
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Treat him as a developing athlete, not a small adult. During a growth spurt, limb length changes quickly and coordination, landing control, and relative strength may lag. Strength training is appropriate with supervision, but the priority is technique, moderate loads, and gradual progression rather than maximal lifting or a 1RM test.
Assess squat and hip-hinge technique, landing knee alignment, ankle dorsiflexion, single-leg control, and hamstring strength. The valgus landing and rounded-back deadlift are movement-quality issues to coach, not labels. The back tightness is a warning to reduce load and improve hinge mechanics; if it persists, radiates, or worsens, refer. For size, emphasize consistent eating, sleep, and progressive strength rather than high-volume training. Speed work should remain short and technically focused, especially with late-session hamstring cramping.
2. Outline the eight-week progression and explain how it addresses speed, size, and movement quality.
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Weeks 1–2: movement foundation. Goblet squats to a box, dowel hip hinges, split squats, push-ups, inverted rows, band lateral walks, calf raises, and landing practice from a low box. Sprint drills: 3–4 × 20 m at 80–90% with full recovery. Keep strength at 2–3 × 8–10 at RPE 6–7.
Weeks 3–5: add load. Trap-bar deadlift or Romanian deadlift for 3 × 6–8 with perfect hinge, split squat, bench press or dumbbell press, row, and hamstring curls. Add low-amplitude pogo hops and medicine-ball throws. Weeks 6–8: convert strength to power with med-ball throws, box jumps only if landings are clean, short accelerations, and a small reduction in strength volume before the season. Two sessions weekly is sufficient if recovery is poor; three is acceptable if sleep and school load allow. This sequence builds technique and muscle gradually without relying on maximal loads.
3. How would you manage the back tightness, landing valgus, and hamstring cramping?
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For the back: stop the deadlift when the spine rounds, reduce load, and coach a braced neutral hinge with a dowel or wall drill. Use Romanian deadlifts and hip thrusts as alternatives while technique improves. If tightness persists beyond a week, radiates, or limits daily activity, refer rather than train through it.
For landing valgus: coach 'knees over toes' with mini-band walks, split squats, and box landings; use video feedback and slow eccentric landings before adding height. For hamstring cramping: reduce sprint volume, ensure adequate hydration and fueling, build hamstring strength with curls and hip hinges, and progress sprint exposures gradually. Do not rely on static stretching alone. Reassess landing and sprint tolerance every two weeks, and keep the plan conservative if school sport load rises.