ICST 2025 welcomes high ranking international speakers. Keynote lectures are a programme highlight at the International Conference on Strength Training. We are thrilled to introduce our lineup of leaders in their respective field who bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the congress by sharing their cutting-edge research and insights on the latest developments!
Keynote Speaker
Albert Gollhofer
University of Freiburg, Germany
Keynote topic
“Stretch-shortening cycle and performance
enhancement through strength training”
Short bio
Albert Gollhofer is Professor of Exercise and Movement Science and served as Director of the Department of Sport and Sport Science, University of Freiburg between 2000 and 2022. Previously, he was a Professor of Biomechanics at the University of Stuttgart. He studied physics and sports science, earning his PhD in 1986 and completing his habilitation in 1993 on motor control in human movement.
Following a research stay in Jyväskylä, Finland, he specialized in neuromuscular aspects of movement. He also served as Vice Dean (2012–2014) and Dean (2014–2016) of the Faculty of Economics and Behavioral Sciences.
His research focuses on neuromuscular adaptation to training and immobilization, particularly the interaction of neural, muscular, and tendon structures. He has published over 350 peer-reviewed articles and supervised numerous doctoral and postdoctoral programs. Since 2005, he has investigated the effects of gravity on neuromuscular control in collaboration with the German and European Space Agencies. Additionally, he has been involved in the performance assessment of elite athletes for over 30 years.
Gollhofer has served as President of the German Society of Biomechanics and held leadership roles at the European College of Sport Science, including Presidency between 2007 and 2009.
Keijo Häkkinen
University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Keynote topic
“Acute responses and chronic neuromuscular
adaptations during eccentric and concentric strength
training”
Short bio
Keijo Häkkinen is currently professor emeritus at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. He has been qualified for the scientific competence for the academic chairs of the professorship in Biomechanics in 1989, Exercise Physiology in 1991 and Science of Sport Coaching and Fitness Testing in 2001 at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. He obtained the adjunct professorship in Biology of Exercise Training in 1992 at the University of Oulu, Finland. He has about 450 international peer-reviewed original articles, over 50 peer-reviewed reviews in scientific journals, articles in books and conference proceedings and ~10 co-authored books. He also has about 175 domestic publications and ~10 co-authored books. His research interests are rather broad, but the primary focus is on acute exercise loading induced neuromuscular and hormonal responses and especially training adaptations during prolonged strength and power training in men and women as well as in various athlete groups. He has given numerous presentations in international scientific congresses and contributed to the organizing process of several International Congresses. He is the current chairman of the International Scientific Committee of International Conference Series on Strength Training (ICST).
Moritz Schumann
Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany
Keynote topic
“Concurrent strength and endurance training: acute
effects and chronic adaptations”
Short bio
Prof. Moritz Schumann is chair of the research unit for Sports Medicine and Exercise Therapy at Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany. Dr. Schumann received his PhD in Biology of Physical Activity from the University of Jyväskylä (Finland) in January 2016 and performed post-doctoral studies at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China) where he remained as an honorary research fellow. In late 2016 he joined the Department of Molecular and Cellular Sports Medicine at the German Sport University Cologne, where he completed his habilitation and was conferred the venia legendi in (Clinical) Exercise Physiology in 2022. Dr. Schumann is founding member and co-chair of the European INTERLIVE®-Network, that aims at developing gold standards for the validation of wearable devices and is involved in numerous large-scale EU-funded projects that aim at further enhancing the use of wearable technology in competitive sports and health care. Since 2024, Prof. Schumann is fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. He has authored and co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications, 7 text books and book chapters and over 70 conference abstracts.
Urs Granacher
University of Freiburg, Germany
Keynote topic
“Concurrent training in youth”
Short bio
Urs Granacher is full professor of Exercise and Human Movement Science, Department of Sport and Sport Science, University of Freiburg, Germany. He graduated in Sports Science and received his PhD and habilitation (post-doctoral thesis) in Training and Movement Science. His research priority falls in the field of strength and conditioning with a specific focus on the effects and physiological mechanisms of neuromuscular training modalities in different cohorts (e.g., children, adolescents, youth and elite athletes). Additional key components of his research constitute the development of targeted interventions to improve motor skill performance, and to reduce injuries in different sports (e.g., soccer, judo, handball). Dr. Granacher is member of ten editorial boards including Sports Medicine and the British Journal of Sports Medicine. He is chairman of the PotAS-commission to reform the German elite sports system (https://www.potas.de/startseite/Facts-about-PotAS.html).
Rob Newton
Edith Cowan University, Australia
Keynote topic
“Strength training is a medical treatment”
Short bio
Rob Newton is Professor of Exercise Medicine in the Exercise Medicine Research Institute that he established in 2004 at Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia. He received his PhD in Exercise Physiology from Southern Cross University (Australia) in 1998 and in 2021, The University of Queensland (Australia) awarded Professor Newton a Higher Doctorate (DSc) for his research into exercise oncology. Current major research directions include: exercise medicine as neoadjuvant, adjuvant and rehabilitative cancer therapy to reduce side-effects and enhance effectiveness of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy; the influence of targeted exercise medicine on tumour biology and exercise medicine for reducing decline in quality of life, strength, body composition and functional ability in cancer patients.
Professor Newton is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist with ESSA with over 40 years of clinical experience. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with Distinction with the NSCA, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science, Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, Fellow of Exercise and Sports Science Australia and Fellow of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), Member of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia, American Society of Clinical Oncology and American College of Sports Medicine. In 2004 he was awarded Outstanding Sports Scientist of the Year by the NSCA. In 2018 he received the career achievement award from the Cancer Council WA. In 2019, Professor Newton was named the Western Australian Premier’s Scientist of the Year. Professor Newton has supervised 8 postdoctoral fellows, 52 PhD, 26 Masters by Research and 3 Honours students to successful completion. He is currently supervising 13 PhD students and 3 Masters students.
Professor Newton has published over 1,000 scientific papers including 550 refereed scientific journal articles, 490 conference abstracts and papers, three books, 17 book chapters and has a current Scopus h-Index of 98 with his work being cited over 34,000 times. Topic of greatest publication output is exercise and cancer for a field-weighted citation impact of 3.00 and prominence percentile of 99.31. As of 2024 Professor Newton had attracted 161 competitive research grants valued at $51,596,673 including NIH, NHMRC, PCFA, Cancer Australia and World Cancer Research Fund International.
Tibor Hortobágyi
Hungarian University of Sports Science, Hungary
Keynote topic
“Strength training in older adults: Does it improve the energy cost of walking?”
Short bio
Tibor Hortobágyi is a Research Professor at the Department of Kinesiology, Hungarian University of Sports Science, Budapest, Hungary and a Professor Emeritus of Movement and Healthy Ageing, Department of Human Movement Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands. He received his PhD in biomechanics and motor control at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA in 1990. His research focusses on gait and mobility in older adults and how it can be influenced through training. Additional key components of his research are training induced neuroplasticity and motor learning.
He is currently the editor in chief of ‘Biomechanics’ and serves on the editorial boards of numerous journals, including Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. He has been on study section review panels at the National Institutes of Health, USA for five years and is a reviewer for the European Commission. Professor Hortobágyi is the former chair and the current co-chair of the scientific organizing committee of the 3rd Biomechanics in Sport and Ageing Symposium: Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation, to be held in Budapest, Hungary,13-14 October 2025.
Jana Strahler
University of Freiburg, Germany
Keynote topic
“Strength training in female athletes”
Short bio
Jana Strahler is full professor for Sport Psychology, Department of Sport and Sport Science, University of Freiburg, Germany. She graduated in Psychology and received her PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) at the University of Dresden, Germany. She completed her habilitation (postdoctoral thesis) at the University of Giessen, Germany. Her research focuses on the interactions between lifestyle variables, especially exercise, nutrition and mindfulness, and physiological (stress) responses and their long-term effects on health. She places particular emphasis on the importance of these factors in the context of elite sport. In her research focus ‘Women* in (elite) sport’, Professor Strahler investigates the connection between menstrual cycle-related hormonal fluctuations and complaints with athletic performance. Professor Strahler has been a member of the board of the Health Psychology Section of the German Psychological Society (DGPs) since 2019 and has been a member of the executive committee of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Sportpsychologie (asp) since 2020.
Astrid Zech
University of Jena, Germany
Keynote topic
“Strength training and injury prevention”
Short bio
Prof. Dr. Astrid Zech is head of the Department of Movement Science and Exercise Physiology at the University of Hamburg. She graduated in physical therapy, sports science and psychology, and has more than 20 years research experience in sports and exercise science as well as biomechanics. Her primary research interests are sensorimotor control over the lifespan; habitual running patterns, barefoot running, sport injuries / injury prevention; rehabilitation and exercise therapy and sports in old age.
Workshop presenters
Jan Seiler
Swiss Federal Institute of Sport SFISM in Magglingen, Switzerland
Workshop topic
“Eccentric strength training”
This workshop provides practical guidelines for effectively applying eccentric training principles. Participants will explore strategies to modulate mechanical tension by adjusting movement velocity and external load. The session will demonstrate the benefits of eccentric training in injury prevention, performance enhancement, and rehabilitation, with evidence-based examples and hands-on applications.
Erin und Greg Haff
Edith Cowan University, Australia
Workshop topic
“Teaching weightlifting derivatives and implementing cluster sets”
This workshop offers a hands-on exploration of how to teach weightlifting derivatives and how to utilise cluster sets when programming these exercises.
Christoph Centner
University of Freiburg, Germany
Workshop topic
“Strategies in Blood Flow Restriction Exercise: Bridging Research and Practice”
This workshop offers a comprehensive, hands-on exploration of blood flow restricted (BFR) exercise techniques. Participants will learn evidence-based methods to safely apply BFR for improving muscular adaptations and rehabilitation outcomes. Practical demonstrations will emphasize optimal cuff selection, pressure calibration, and exercise programming.
