Youth strength and conditioning · Ages 12 to 18 · New Plymouth
Strength training for athletes aged 12 to 18 in New Plymouth. Two coached sessions a week, never more than six on the floor, led in person by Aaron Zimmerman, sixteen years in NRL and rugby strength and conditioning. $80 a week including GST.
Grouped by age and stage
Never more. Coached, not supervised
$80 a week including GST
Plus a summer block
The format
Groups of no more than six. Two coached sessions a week at set times each term. Blocks follow the school term, with a summer block over the holidays. Every session is coached in person by Aaron on the private floor at 451 Smart Road.
Places are limited by design. When a group is full we run a waitlist and fill spots as they open, usually at the start of a block.
What a session looks like
Every session opens with movement and mechanics, then builds into strength, speed, agility and conditioning that matches the sport and the time of year. Athletes are grouped by age and training age, so a fourteen year old who has never lifted is not in the same block as a seventeen year old with three years behind them.
Assess, programme, coach, retest
Before the first session each athlete is screened and tested, then programmed inside the group for where they are at. At the end of the block we retest under the same conditions, so parents and athletes see the change as numbers, not just a feeling.
What parents ask
Every professional academy in the world trains teenagers under a coach, and that is the whole point here: technique first, load second, always supervised. What hurts young athletes is poor movement under load, growth spurts nobody adjusts for, and doing the same thing every week. A2Z programmes around where each athlete sits in their growth, not just their age.
Supervision
Aaron is on the floor for the whole session. No unsupervised sets, no distracted coaching, no crowd.
Sport load
Training is planned with the season in mind. Big game week, lighter session. It is coordinated, not stacked on top.
Who it suits
Rugby, league, netball, football, hockey, basketball, athletics, cricket, surfing. The common thread is a young person who wants to get better.
The framework
Speed, strength, landing and change of direction, taught as skills before they are loaded.
Confidence built from evidence. Knowing you are better than last term changes how you play.
Learning to settle before a trial, a kick or a big game. A skill for life, not just sport.
Sleep, food, routines and turning up on time. Habits that outlast any programme.
From the parents
You have an impressive facility, and it's clear your business model is shaping young people into stronger and more confident athletes. We're very grateful for the positive impact you have on our son. The experience and professionalism you bring to sport makes a real difference.
Parent of a 16 year old
I'm lost for words regarding the year you have had with J and the impact you have had on our family. J has gone from strength to strength with you in his corner and we are so grateful. How lucky are we to have you in New Plymouth!
Parent of a 17 year old
Thanks so much for what you have done for S this year! We have seen such a change in him and despite his mumbling grunting ways we know he has enormous respect for you. (He will never admit that)
Parent of a 17 year old
Questions
$80 a week including GST for two sessions a week in a group of no more than six. Blocks run to school terms and summer holidays. A one session a week Development option at $60 a week runs when numbers allow, and one to one coaching is $92 a session.
Athletes aged 12 to 18. Groups are capped at six and grouped by age and training age, so every athlete is assessed first and coached closely.
Any sport played in Taranaki: rugby, netball, football, hockey, athletics, league and more. Strength, speed and movement quality carry across all of them, and each athlete's programme is shaped to their sport and their season.
A2Z takes athletes from 12. Below that, sport and play do the job. From 12 the priority is movement skill and technique with light loads, progressed as the athlete grows and their training age builds. Nobody lifts heavy on day one.
Yes. Most gyms in New Zealand set a minimum age of 14 to 16 and leave teenagers to train alone. Here there is no membership and no unsupervised training. Every session is coached in a group of six with Aaron on the floor for every rep.
Yes. Acceleration, top speed, landing and change of direction are taught as skills in every block, then loaded once the mechanics are right. Speed is coached, not just timed.
It runs alongside them, not instead of them. Club and school sessions are for the sport. This is the strength, speed and movement base underneath it, planned around the athlete's fixtures so a big game week gets a lighter session.
Across New Plymouth and Taranaki: Bell Block, Inglewood, Waitara, Oakura and further out. The floor is at 451 Smart Road, ten minutes from the city centre.
Yes, once their physio has cleared them to load. They start with a testing session rather than going straight into a group, and the block is built inside the physio's restrictions. ACL rehab and Return to Performance have their own pages, and both feed back into the youth groups once the athlete is match ready.
Groups are capped at six and fill before term starts. Leave your email and Aaron will call before the term opens to talk sport, age and the right group.
Prefer to send the detail now? Use the enquiry form or call 020 4198 2225.