Rhodri is a Reader in Paediatric Strength and Conditioning and Chair of the Youth Physical Development Centre at Cardiff Metropolitan University. He also holds a research associate position with Auckland University of Technology and is a research fellow for Waikato Institute of Technology. His research interests surround the impact of growth and maturation on long-term athletic development and the neuromuscular mechanisms underpinning training adaptations in youth. He is a senior associate editor for the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and as associate editor for the Strength and Conditioning Journal.

In 2016, he received the Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year award for Research and Education from the UKSCA and in 2017 was awarded the Terry J. Housh Outstanding Young Investigator of the Year award from the NSCA. He is the current Chair of the NSCA Long-term Athletic Development Special Interest Group, and between 2011-2015 served as a Board Director for the UKSCA.

In this episode, Rhodri discusses:

• How his original aim of being a medical doctor specialising in paediatrics has evolved into his research in paediatric exercise science.

• The inspiration to write "Strength & Conditioning for Young Athletes".

• The additions to the updated second version of the book.

• The limitations of the widely used LTAD model and the 10,000 hour rule.

• Dispelling the myth of resistance training stunting growth.

• His role in the Youth Physical Development Centre and it's aims and objectives.

• Balancing Energy, Fun and Inspirations with Control in coaching young athletes.

• The value of being able to "judge the room" in coaching.

You can find out more about Rhodri's work via his Twitter account @DrRSLloyd, as well as the YPD account: @YPC_CardiffMet . You can also find his books "Strength and Conditioning for Young Athletes" here, as well as "The Essentials of Youth Fitness" here.

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