When starting a high school strength and conditioning program, be sure to implement rules early on and communicate clearly… and those are only a handful of things to get your program off the ground running.

A bad program can tarnish more than reputation; it could end a young athlete’s future. These kids are in the most important developmental years of their lives, so it’s up to us to give them the tools to be the best they can be, and these key components are a good place to start.

It’s important to note that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all training protocol, and these are just some general suggestions based on a few successes and countless failures over my career that I consider when writing a program.

Dear strength coaches: Stop treating female athletes like they’re fragile little babies. They’re not. From my experience, they’ll be some of the best athletes you’ll ever have the pleasure to work with.