New kinesiology course at Langara teaches students about strength training

Langara’s popular kinesiology program packed on some muscle this year with the introduction of its first third-year level course, High-Performance Strength and Conditioning.

Created and taught by certified strength and conditioning specialists Carmen Bott and Brent Day, the course focuses primarily on “movement analysis, methods of training, athletic testing and advanced program design,” according to the Langara College calendar.

Department chair Dana Maslovat said having “a new course that uses [Bott and Day’s] strengths is a huge benefit to our students.”

Kinesiology course helps teach students how to coach athletes back onto the field or court after recovering from an injury

“The strength and conditioning specialist would get them ready for the rigors of their competition,” said Bott. “You’re there to bridge a gap between an athlete doing rehabilitation and returning to their sport,” she said. “If we don’t clean up their patterns and get them stronger and more durable, they’ll often get hurt again.”

Day, who teaches the course next semester, said the course is geared toward “people who may want to be personal trainers or physiotherapists” and “athletes interested in developing their bodies for their sports.”

Bott (who owns a strength and conditioning consulting company) said Langara kinesiology students benefit from smaller classes, more contact hours with instructors and more lab experience than UBC. “They get a little more practical here,” she said.

The department has also created a selected topic course that highlights the expertise of its instructor. For example, the course might focus on the Olympic Games during an Olympic year, said Maslovat.

Kinesiology department hopes to expand in the future

With the construction of the new sciences and student services building underway, the department will eventually expand its lab and classrooms to combat the long waitlists that keep many students from enrolling.

“We’re hoping to have a presence in the science building, a testing and research lab,” said Maslovat.

Day said that during this time of growth and development the department is looking at introducing research projects too.

“We’re a relatively young faculty and we’re all very enthusiastic and keen on doing as much as we can with this department.”

Reported by Nick Eagland