Diploma In Strength & Conditioning

APEC’s Strength and Conditioning Diploma involves an in-depth exploration of exercise programming and the human body to maximise sporting performance. 

The course entails an elite education of underpinning theories and tools that translates science into practice. We aim to produce graduates who will apply knowledge to the sport and exercise environment and harness the human body’s physiological mechanisms to enrich individual development.

Uncover the biomechanics of movement, player screening and assessment, advanced programming for strength, power, speed, agility, and energy system development. Be nothing but the best through APEC’s superior Diploma in Strength and Conditioning.

Course Length: The course is designed for you to study at your own time and pace. The typical completion time ranges from 2 to 6 months. Learners who devote full-time effort to the course can complete it in as little as 4-6 weeks.

Entry Requirements: Learners must have a Level 3 & 4 Personal Training qualification and should be competent in literacy and numeracy for efficient communication.

Accreditations: The Level 5 Strength & Conditioning course is accredited by Focus Awards & CIMSPA.

Cost: €1199. No extra fees for certification or exams.

Offer & Payment Options: APEC offers flexible payment terms- €51 per month to make payments manageable.

What You’ll Qualify With: On successful completion of the S&C Diploma, you will qualify with:

• 20 CIMSPA points and entry onto the CIMSPA register with Level 5 status
• 17 CPD points
• Level 5 Diploma in Strength & Conditioning
• Level 3 Certificate in Athletic Movement Screen
• Level 3 Certificate in Strength & Power Development
• Level 3 Certificate in Speed Development
• CPD in Plyometrics
• CPD in Energy System Development
• CPD Long Term Periodisation Planning
• Free online programming software

Progression Routes

Learners wishing to undertake this qualification can progress and pursue the following qualifications:

• Level 5 Diploma in Performance Nutrition
• Level 5 Diploma in Health Coaching

Completion of your Strength & Conditioning qualification will require you to complete both theory and practical assessments.

Level 5 S&C Assessments

• Multiple choice paper on anatomy and physiology – 70% pass mark required
• Multiple choice paper on the principles of training science – 70% pass mark required
• Multiple choice paper on the principles of coaching science – 70% pass mark required
• Online interactive assignments and quizzes after each module – 100% complete
• Practical Assessment on delivering strength/power based gym session
• Practical assessment on delivering a customised track/field speed session
• Coursework on health and safety, programme and periodisation design – Pass Required

The Level 5 Diploma in Strength and Conditioning is designed for learners who have completed levels 3 and 4 of Personal Training, aspiring to advance to the specialised field of strength and conditioning. The APEC Level 5 Diploma in Strength and Conditioning instructs learners how to increase athletic performance by using a systematic approach to enhancing athletic traits such as speed, strength, and power, as well as avoiding sporting injuries.

Athletic Movement Screening

Movement Screening is the process of analysing movement tasks to understand individual utilisation and application of the human body. The movement strategies an individual adopts contribute to their physical performance or mechanisms of injury.

Strength Development

Any athletic development programme must be underpinned by strength training as it is key to unlocking any other strength qualities. Strength training helps athletes to strengthen supporting muscles, balance muscular imbalances, improve mobility, correct posture, stabilise joints, acquire new movement patterns, improve coordination, peripheral abilities, improve power output and much more.

Power Development

Power Training focuses on overcoming resistance but also concentrates on the ability to overcome the resistance in the shortest period. Power training can be improved by increasing force or velocity or by using a mixed-methods approach. A combination of unloaded and loaded exercises can be used to maximise power development to enhance program variety. This enables athletes to operate throughout the entire power continuum to maximize power output.

Speed Development

Attaining a high sprint velocity over a short distance is vital for successful performance in team and field sports. Accelerating from a stationary position or a moving start requires high force generation capacity to overcome the body’s inertia. Thus, training techniques involving a high external resistance are useful for developing acceleration. While training for field sports, any gains resulting from strength and power training must be translated into performance-specific movements, such as sprinting.

Energy System Development

Energy System Development (ESD) is a training method that aims to increase the efficiency of energy metabolism to improve athletic performance. To accurately prescribe ESD, it is important to know the energy demands of your sport as well as your baseline levels of energy metabolism. After a base level of conditioning is present, the majority of ESD should be geared towards improving athletic performance. After identifying each athlete’s peak VO₂ and anaerobic threshold, strength and performance coaches can accurately prescribe training programs.

Programming & Periodisation

Periodization is a generally accepted approach to manage athletic performance by the sub-division of training programs into sequential, specifically focused training periods. Periodization implements structured variability into the training process to maximise performance in the most critical phases of the competitive season and/or improve the long-term athletic development of athletes.

APEC offers a blended learning approach to education allowing you to complete your qualifications at your own time and pace depending on your personal circumstances and lifestyle. With our award-winning online e-learning platform, you can now complete 80% of your Strength & Conditioning Diploma online.

Contact us once you’ve finished your online theory study to schedule your practical examination in one of our many performance centres across the country.

Online Learning

As APEC provides 80% of the theory-based learning associated with the course online, you may begin studying on the day you enrol and proceed through the course modules at your own pace. APEC has a staff of dedicated tutors who are available via phone or email 7 days a week, making learning even easier.

Our award-winning e-learning platform is completely custom built and is tailored to your learning needs. Learning is provided through the platform in the form of digitised and animated video-led content. To aid your learning, online training materials such as online programming software, spreadsheet files, and athlete evaluation packs are available. Furthermore, APEC has one of the most comprehensive digital exercise libraries to assist you in improving your movement skill knowledge.

You are not obligated to finish your course within a specific time limit, so you can take as much or as little time as you need to achieve the qualification.

Upon completion of your Strength & Conditioning Diploma, you will be eligible to register as a qualified Strength & Conditioning coach and start advertising your services straight away.

APEC also provides post-course support to help direct you towards employment with a large gym chain or with one of our many successful students who now run and operate bespoke gyms after finishing their education with APEC.

Career Support

At APEC, we go the further mile in helping our students. We are not just focused on providing you with great service during the course, but we also want to help you give your S&C career the best start possible.

Once you have finished the course you can arrange a consultation with our post-course career support team who will guide you through different career options.

The career support team will assist you with CV analysis, and will also help you get your CV into the hands of corporate and bespoke gym owners. Guaranteed interviews and upcoming health, fitness and wellness jobs will be posted on our internal message forum available to all students who enrol for APEC diplomas.

Progression Route

We at APEC take pride in our further education approach. After the completion of your Strength & Conditioning Diploma, further education diplomas in Performance Nutrition and Health Coaching at level 5 will be available to you.