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Strength and Conditioning Society 2025: Sports Performance, Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation,...
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Strength and Conditioning Society 2025: Sports Performance, Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Health Improvement

A special issue of Sports (ISSN 2075-4663).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 4118

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Pedro E. Alcaraz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
UCAM Research Center for High Performance Sport, UCAM Universidad Católica de Murcia, 30107 Murcia, Spain
Interests: strength training; power training; sprint training; soccer; football; basketball; training load; injury prevention
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Tomás T. Freitas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
UCAM Research Center for High Performance Sport, UCAM Universidad Católica de Murcia, 30107 Murcia, Spain
Interests: strength and conditioning; performance assessment; training load; team sports; futsal; soccer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Konstantinos Spyrou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
UCAM Research Center for High Performance Sport, UCAM Universidad Católica de Murcia, 30107 Murcia, Spain
Interests: strength and conditioning; performance assessment; training load; team-sports; soccer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Truls Raastad

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Norwegian School of Sport Sciences (NIH), Oslo, Norway
Interests: strength training; performance; football; muscular adaptations; training load

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

On the occasion of the 8th Annual Conference of the Strength and Conditioning Society (SCS), hosted at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences in Norway, we are pleased to present this Special Issue of Sports (Basel), edited by the SCS. This Special Issue seeks to share evidence-based training strategies and publish research focused on applied strength and conditioning practices that impact sports performance, injury prevention, rehabilitation, and overall health enhancement. We particularly encourage authors who presented an abstract at the SCS 8th Annual Conference to submit the full-text version of their work for this Special Issue. However, submissions are open to all researchers studying non-athletic and athletic populations with various health conditions, from different sports, levels of competition, age groups, and training backgrounds.

Sports performance is influenced by a variety of factors, and there is a strong need for studies exploring strength–power–speed training and testing, aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, injury prevention, and health improvements in athletic populations. In addition, exercise plays a crucial role in addressing significant health issues. The growing body of evidence highlights the positive impact of physical activity in contributing to improved quality of life and long-term health outcomes. Thus, studies examining the role of exercise in combating, for example, childhood obesity, enhancing cancer recovery, and other similar topics are especially encouraged for submission. We aim to showcase research that demonstrates how structured physical activity can serve as a powerful tool in promoting overall health and well-being across various populations. Original articles, reviews, case studies, short reports, and opinion pieces are welcomed.

Dr. Pedro E. Alcaraz
Dr. Tomás T. Freitas
Dr. Konstantinos Spyrou
Prof. Dr. Truls Raastad
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sports is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • athletic performance
  • injury
  • testing
  • health
  • strength–power–speed training
  • endurance
  • cancer
  • obesity
  • physical activity
  • exercise

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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12 pages, 1766 KB  
Article
Comparative Effects of Core Versus Forearm Training on Pull-Up Repetition Performance in Physically Inactive Males
by Hamidreza Sepehri Rahnama, Sayyedarmin Ganji, Kitty Vadasz and Judit Prokai
Sports 2025, 13(12), 433; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13120433 - 4 Dec 2025
Viewed by 2788
Abstract
Pull-ups are a widely recognized exercise for training and assessing upper-body strength and muscular endurance, requiring coordinated activation of the latissimus dorsi, biceps brachii, forearm flexors, and core stabilizers. However, many individuals experience difficulty performing pull-ups due to inadequate grip strength or core [...] Read more.
Pull-ups are a widely recognized exercise for training and assessing upper-body strength and muscular endurance, requiring coordinated activation of the latissimus dorsi, biceps brachii, forearm flexors, and core stabilizers. However, many individuals experience difficulty performing pull-ups due to inadequate grip strength or core stability. This study aimed to investigate the comparative effects of forearm-specific and core-specific training, combined with standardized pull-up routines, on upper-body performance indicators in physically inactive male students. Thirty participants (age = 21 ± 1.58 years) were randomly assigned to three groups (n = 10): pull-up plus interval training (PIT), pull-up plus forearm training (PFT), and pull-up plus core training (PCT). All groups performed identical pull-up-based programs for eight weeks, differing only in the supplemental exercises. Before and after the intervention, participants were tested for maximum pull-up repetitions, grip strength (both hands), and dead-hanging time. Significant improvements were found in all variables (p ≤ 0.009), with group differences in pull-up repetitions (p < 0.001) and right-hand grip strength (p = 0.004). The PFT group achieved the greatest gains, with a 222.5% increase in repetitions, 12% and 14.0% increases in right- and left-hand grip strength, and a 55.3% increase in hanging time. The PCT group showed moderate progress, while PIT yielded the smallest improvement. Forearm-specific training proved the most effective strategy for enhancing pull-up performance, grip strength, and endurance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strength and Conditioning Society 2025: Sports Performance, Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Health Improvement)
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79 pages, 639 KB  
Conference Report
Strength and Conditioning Society (SCS) 8th Annual Meeting, Oslo, Norway, 2025
by Pedro E. Alcaraz, Anthony J. Blazevich, Tomás T. Freitas, Elena Marín-Cascales and Truls Raastad
Sports 2026, 14(5), 199; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports14050199 - 12 May 2026
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Abstract
On behalf of the Strength and Conditioning Society (SCS), we are pleased to present the abstracts submitted for the SCS 8th Annual Meeting. The event was held at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences in Oslo, Norway, on 8–10 October 2025, and comprised [...] Read more.
On behalf of the Strength and Conditioning Society (SCS), we are pleased to present the abstracts submitted for the SCS 8th Annual Meeting. The event was held at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences in Oslo, Norway, on 8–10 October 2025, and comprised several invited sessions held by international and national speakers on a variety of topics related to biochemistry and exercise physiology, strength and conditioning practices and their application to health, injury prevention, and sports performance. These included strength training in high-performance sports, sport science and training–competition load management in elite environments, biochemistry and exercise physiology and prescription, nutrition and biomechanics, among others. The conference also included practical workshops held by renowned academics and practitioners on eccentric training, change of direction ability, and strength and power training in professional team sports, combat sports, and ergospirometry and exercise prescription in specific populations. Finally, the event disseminated up-to-date strength and conditioning research by providing practitioners and researchers with the opportunity to present their most recent findings. All abstracts presented at the SCS 8th Annual Meeting can be found in this Conference Report. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strength and Conditioning Society 2025: Sports Performance, Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Health Improvement)
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