Rial-Faigenbaum Co-Authors Article for Strength and Conditioning Journal

Tamara Rial-Faigenbaum, Ph.D., specialist professor in the Department of Health and Physical Education, co-authored a new peer-reviewed article in the Strength and Conditioning Journal (Vol. 48, 2026) special issue on Long-term Athletic Development (LTAD).

The article, "Reframing LTAD as LTActD: Long-Term Activity Development," proposes a shift from developmental athletic models to a lifelong developmental model of physical activity for all people beyond athletes. The author team argues that LTAD models are too sport-focused, linear, and competition-oriented for the younger populations. The proposed framework, LTActD, instead focuses on lifelong engagement in movement, recreation, exercise, and sport through five flexible phases: Explore, Develop, Apply, Sustain, and Thrive. The model is framed as a curvy road rather than a straight path, recognizing the changes in health, motivation, and life circumstances people might face when aiming to live active lives.

In the paper, Rial-Faigenbaum highlights how "LTActD moves the conversation from developing athletes for sport to developing all people for a lifetime of physical activity, exercise, and sport participation."

​​​Strength and Conditioning Journal is the professional journal for strength coaches, personal trainers, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and other health professionals working in the strength and conditioning field. The journal's mission is to publish articles that report both the practical applications of research findings and the knowledge gained by experienced professionals.

Published six times per year, each issue includes peer-reviewed articles on a wide variety of timely strength and conditioning topics as well as regular features that provide thought-provoking accounts of programs and issues. Rial-Faigenbaum's article, co-authored by an international team of authors from the College of New Jersey, West Chester, and the University of Granada, Spain, is available open access and is currently one of the most popular articles in the journal.