The burgeoning field of strength of conditioning has filtered down to youth sports, particularly in elite club & travel circles. Incorporating weightlifting and speed training into schedules that already include practices, private lessons and games is no longer viewed as a luxury. For youth athletes hoping to compete at the collegiate and professional level, these workouts are invaluable.

Aaron Feld has earned viral fame as Oregon's charged-up strength coach with an epic mustache.

He put @Andy_Staples through a workout to show how he's reshaping the Ducks: https://t.co/U1Ijrlbkca pic.twitter.com/CLb5pJnE6F

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 16, 2019

This begs the question, when is it appropriate for youth athletes to begin proper weightlifting? Is there a hard and fast rule agreed upon by the medical community or does it vary from athlete to athlete? Our podcast series was created to find answers to questions like these so that sports organizers, coaches, and parents could be equipped with the best information possible.

In this episode of Sideline Data, we’ve enlisted the help of Dr. John DiFiori. Dr. DiFiori is Chief of the Primary Care Sports Medicine Service and Attending Physician at Hospital for Special Surgery. Additionally, he serves as the Director of Sports Medicine for the NBA, where he is involved with the League’s research initiatives and the development and implementation of all policies related to player health and safety.

If you’d like to see our podcast series cover a specific youth sports topic, reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.