Is strength and speed training safe for a young, growing athlete?

Yes. When it is properly coached and matched to the athlete, resistance and speed training is one of the safest, most beneficial things a young athlete can do. What matters is good technique, sensible loading, and a coach who adjusts to where the athlete is in their growth.

What does bio-banding mean?

It means matching training to an athlete's biological maturity. Two 14-year-olds can be at very different points in their growth spurt; training that fits the stage is safer and more effective.

About · BioBand Health Systems

About BioBand

A practice and a platform for youth and collegiate athletes

BioBand is a youth and collegiate athletic development practice and platform that matches training to biological maturity. We are based in Calgary, Alberta.

We coach in person, one-on-one and with teams. Each program is matched to the athlete's biological maturity, their sport, and their goals, and it runs on the same system our athletes, parents, and coaches use every day.

Why we do this

Two athletes of the same age can be years apart in biological maturity. One may be mid growth-spurt while the other hasn't started, so the same session lands very differently on each. Matching training to biological maturity makes it safer and more effective.

Our aim is for every athlete to feel known: their season of growth understood, their training fitted to it, and their progress kept for them. We treat youth athletics with the seriousness usually given to medicine, and we keep the experience warm and personal.

Sport is one of the best tools for lifelong health. The strength, coordination, confidence, and habit of physical activity built in these years support an athlete well beyond their playing days.

Our long-term view

Long-term developmentPrograms are planned across seasons and years, with health and durability as the measure of success.

Biological maturityAn athlete's biological maturity shapes the training that suits them, so every program is built around it.

Evidence and measurementPrograms are grounded in peer-reviewed sports science and measured by the progress of the athletes we train.

The standard we work to

Leading sports-medicine and strength-and-conditioning organisations endorse well-coached, supervised strength and speed training as safe and beneficial for young athletes. What matters is technique, sensible loading, and a coach who adjusts to the athlete's biological maturity. That is how we work.

Faigenbaum AD et al. Youth resistance training: updated position statement paper from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. J Strength Cond Res. 2009;23(5 Suppl):S60–S79. Lloyd RS, Oliver JL. The Youth Physical Development model: a new approach to long-term athletic development. Strength Cond J. 2012;34(3):61–72. Mirwald RL et al. An assessment of maturity from anthropometric measurements. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002;34(4):689–694.

Meet the coaches

Joel Malouf

Founder · Athletic Director

Joel has coached for about 20 years, working with national, professional, semi-professional, and NCAA Division I athletes. A former NCAA athlete and semi-professional soccer player, he specialises in youth athletic development and founded BioBand to match training to each athlete's biological maturity.

Sam Almansa

Junior Coach · Olympic Weightlifting

Sam has trained with Joel since he was eleven, about ten years. A former baseball and badminton player, he now trains in Olympic weightlifting and is studying Health and Physical Education (Sport and Recreation Management) at Mount Royal University.

Community

BioBand grows with the families, schools, and clubs we work with. We share what we learn on Instagram at @bioband.health.

Enquire about training → Follow @bioband.health