Strength and Conditioning Training and Applied Kinesiology

The follow-up Master’s degree program Strength and Conditioning Training and Applied Kinesiology (SCTAK) is designed especially for graduates of the Bachelor’s degree program Personal and Fitness Coach, Physical Education and Sports, the specialization Regeneration and Nutrition in Sports (RNS), Training (T), and other related disciplines. The aim of the two-year Master’s program is to prepare qualified experts for management, implementation and counseling positions in the field of fitness training, regeneration after physical activity, recondition, and nutrition. In particular, these are:

* planning, management, and periodization of sports training;

* planning and realization of physical activities of the general population, taking into account ontogenesis and possible physical weakness;

* planning and implementation of the training for security forces (army, police, fire-fighters, etc.);

* adequate nutritional recommendations for various sports, general population, and specific population groups;

* preventing injuries in sports and in the work environment;

* prevention of pathological phenomena due to inappropriate lifestyle (physical inactivity, excessive physical activity, stress, etc.);

* diagnosis of fitness and level of physical abilities and skills;

* identification and selection of talents.

The above-mentioned activities will be carried out by qualified professionals throughout the whole age range of the population.

The study program is divided into two specializations: Strength and Conditioning Training (SCT) and Applied Kinesiology (AK). The specificity of the named specializations lies mainly in the selection of different segments of the population that each of the specializations focuses on. Specialization SCT targets, primarily, the physically active population and security forces, while AK aims at the physically weakened population, the elderly, the inactive population, and the work environment. The common intersection forms a focus at a general, healthy population. The aim of the two-year Master’s program is to prepare graduates, on the theoretical and practical level, to be able to find employment in the fields where they focus on creation and implementation of an adequate training, physical activity programs and nutritional recommendations aiming at physically active population, general population and selected groups (physically weakened population). The SCTAK study program provides students with a way to understand the different forms of the biological effect of strength and conditioning training, physical activity, and regeneration on the human body while taking into account possible specificities such as ontogenetic traits, stages of sports training or various types of weaknesses. Study leads to an understanding of physiological and pathological phenomena in connection with physical and mental load or weakening of the organism. The two-year Master’s degree program is also a prerequisite for inclusion in the area of kinanthropological research.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• Apply in practice and within the labour market methodologies and trends in planning, management and implementation of fitness training for athletes and the general population;
• diagnose and analyse the fitness and physical activity programs of athletes and general population;
• apply the expertise and skills in the field of training and prevention of civilization diseases;
• create an appropriate nutritional plan based on analysis of the nutritional status and nutritional habit;
• AK: create, manage and implement interventional conditioning and nutritional programs within the scope of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention;
• AK: manage and implement conditioning and regeneration programs for the physically active population taking into account ontogenesis;
• AK: create and implement physical activity and regeneration programs for individuals and groups of people with special needs;
• SCT: create and implement conditioning, reconditioning and regeneration programs for athletes and individuals with risk factors;
• SCT: explain the basic principles of movement of the human body and the mechanical load of the musculoskeletal apparatus during basic locomotor activity.

* in the sphere of planning, management, and application of physical, nutritional and regenerative procedures applicable to healthy lifestyle intervention programs for the general population and athletes with application in the private and public sector (sports clubs, sports centres, talented youth sports centres, sports grammar school, fitness centres, wellness centres, leisure centres, school and out-of-school activities centres, program, education and development centres, etc.);

* as experts in the area of body weight reduction and increasing the fitness of overweight or obese and/or population with a low level of fitness;

* in sports clubs, sports federations, and in national teams;

* on the EU labour market positions under EOSE (2008) regulations;

* in doctoral programs (Kinanthropology, Kinesiology), both available in the Czech Republic and abroad;

* in research institutions as highly educated professionals in the field of research activities focusing on sports training, nutrition and regeneration, and physical activity.

Based on the given specialisations:

Strength and Conditioning Training (SCT)

* in the field of planning, management, and application (individual and team at the professional level) for strength and conditioning training of athletes of various sports, performance levels, and age;

* as specialists in the strength and conditioning training of security forces (army, police, firefighters, etc.);

* in the sphere of recreation and leisure activities with the intention to create and implement complex physical activity programs aimed at the fitness, performance, and medical condition of clients.

Applied Kinesiology (AK)

* in the private and public sector at local, municipal and national level focused on primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of chronic non-infectious diseases and intended for the general population, individuals with civilization diseases and individuals with special needs (workplace with concept of health promotion, health-oriented fitness centres, education and development centres, tourism facilities, spa and wellness facilities, etc.);

* in public health organizations involved in intervention and epidemiological studies that monitor the physical activity, health, and nutritional status of the population;

* in social facilities (homes for the elderly, youth homes, facilities for individuals with special needs, etc.);

* in the field of health and safety with application in the state and private sectors (institutes, agencies, etc.).

Another possibility is the application on the labour market in cooperation with health insurance companies and general practitioners in arranging preventive physical activity and nutrition programs for the general population.

Mandatory parts of the SCTAK program are two professional practices accompanied by supervision in the total range of 52 + 52 hours. Practice begins in the third semester of the study and is preceded by the subject of “Strength and Conditioning Training” 1 and 2, or in the AK specialization it is the subject “Strength and Conditioning Training in Health and Illness.” “Applied Practice” (AK) and “Training-methodological Practice 2” begins in the third semester. The Departments (Department of Athletics, Swimming and Outdoor Sports and the Department of Health Promotion) arrange positions for the students to complete their practice. The departments have a long-term cooperation with these organisations. The practice focuses on individual work with the client as well as on group intervention and training programs.

Instructions for choosing a topic and writing a Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis are modified by FSpS guidelines. Guidelines and instructions for the state exam are for students available on the Faculty’s websites http://www.fsps.muni.cz/studenti/bc-nmgr-studium/statni-zaverecne-zkousky-931.html

After fulfilling the conditions of admission, a graduate of a Master’s degree program may continue in any follow-up doctoral study. The Faculty of Sports Studies at MU offers to study Kinanthropology.