Level 4 Certificate in Strength and Conditioning

The aim of this qualification is to provide learners with the knowledge and skills to be able to plan, prepare, deliver and review strength and conditioning programmes that will help athletes to achieve their performance goals.

The qualification is divided into two key units:

1. Performance analysis of the activity and the athlete
2. Plan, deliver and evaluate periodised performance-related strength and conditioning programmes

• The role of a strength and conditioning coach as part of an athlete’s support team
• Methods of carrying out performance-related needs analysis, measurements and assessments
• Strategies to analyse and evaluate assessment findings in order to be able to develop and agree short, medium and long-term performance goals
• Planning, delivering and evaluating periodised, performance-related strength and conditioning programmes

Blended Learning Course: This course at level 4 specifically includes a strong element of self-guided study and research. You can start your  online theory on demand and will be supported by our course tutor via structured webinars followed by 2 live 2-day workshops and ongoing assessment. The course duration is around 24 weeks.  Assessment are: casework/project, a Portfolio of Evidence, Practical Demonstration/Assignment/Assessment via video.

NEXT START DATE: Online study at anytime 

Workshop Dates Throughout the year: 2 x 2 day workshops -arranged direct with your tutor 

In order to achieve your qualification, you will be required to complete various assessment and casework this includes:

1. You will need to produce a professional proposal to promote the benefits of strength and conditioning coaching to prospective clients this a written/ produced presentation format:

• PowerPoint / Keynote / Prezi or similar (client-friendly and part of normal practice)
• Videos, images, audio recording
• Web pages. Handouts or leaflets
• Any other format which is suitable for a professional presentation to a prospective client
• The core proposal should be an appropriate length for presentation to a prospective client
• You include a reference list showing the sources of information used to develop the proposal
• You will also briefly explain why you felt the sources used were credible and what made you discount the non-credible sources

• A performance-related warmup
• A speed and agility drill
• A plyometric drill
• Facilitated safe/effective cooldown

3. You will be required to study, practice and demonstrate full competence of key lifts:

• High bar back squat
• Clean & Jerk
• Snatch

For this, you will need to practice a lot to bring your technical competency up to a required standard. You will also be required to film these lifts showing progression and give a technical breakdown of the required phases of each lift from differing profiles. (These are also to be weighted lift not empty bar).

4. Case study. Presentation & Viva You will be required to have coached your athlete for a minimum period of 12 weeks. During this time, you will have devised and utilised various testing methods, proforma, session plans etc that you have designed for your s and c coaching delivery to your athlete. Everything you do must be documented as evidence toward your case study.

Once this is complete you will then present a prepared case presentation to your tutor giving justification and evaluation of what you have achieved with your athlete. Following this will be a viva session where you will be asked further questions pertaining to your case and presentation. This will be held live with your tutor at a scheduled time.  

At level 4 there is a STRONG FOCUS ON SELF-GUIDED LEARNING – you should be comfortable undertaking scientific research reviews and finding scientific evidence-based knowledge to support your case and learning. This will require significant time and research to find and evaluate scientific journals related to your athlete practice and sport.

You will work with a REAL COMPETITIVE ATHLETE face to face for a minimum timescale of 12 weeks in a training and competitive sporting environment: this can include any team sport athlete or individual athlete of a cyclical type sport that has a competitive season with regular competition throughout the year and the athlete is in actively competing. It is your responsibility to source an appropriate athlete and put an agreement in place for at least a 12-week period.

As the course is online and offline computer literacy is a must with availability and use of equipment and facility to carry out your own lifting practice, training of your athlete and ability to film each of these scenarios on multiple occasions where you will edit, package and send your videos for review.

There are strong planning and organisation elements to this course to achieve all in the suggested timescales. Please note this takes time and is a significant amount of work at this study level. Please be prepared to allocate several hours a week to achieve this and also any time required for the coaching of your athlete.

• Active IQ Level 4 Certificate in Strength & Conditioning
• CIMSPA Training Provider Partner

Learners must hold either:

• Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training (or equivalent)
• Level 3 Coaching qualification (or equivalent)
• Level 3 Strength and Conditioning qualification (or equivalent)

Are you leaving the forces and looking to retrain within the fitness industry? You can use the Enhanced Learning Credits to fund our Level 3 and 4 courses including Strength and Conditioning. If you need the entry requirement qualification. 

Help and advice is available on our ELCAS info page

Check out our Level 3 Diploma in Gym Instructing and Personal Training course to get started on your strength and conditioning coaching journey. 

Contact us for more information.

ELCAS Approved Provider ID: 9004