Strength and Conditioning for Athletes

Strength Training and Conditioning Benefits

Strength and conditioning training is designed to build both muscle groups and endurance through the use of resistance and a number of other fitness techniques. There are a number of principles that onem ust implement in the realm of strength and conditioning. This area of fitness is especially critical and invaluable in the framework of athletic performance. In fact, all athletes must undergo this form of training in some sense in order to reinforce the muscle groups necessary to perform optimally in their field.

Strength and conditioning exercises can result in stronger batting for baseball players, faster running for sprinters, more powerful tackling in football, and a marked increase in virtually every physical athletic skill.

Strength Training and Conditioning Principles

One of the most critical principles in strength and conditioning is training tailored to specific sports. Essentially, success in a particular sport hinges largely on the repetitious practicing and engagement in that particular sport. It is crucial to design and customize a strength and conditioning program to suit both the athlete and their relative performance needs in a particular sport.

Another key element of strength and conditioning is multiple muscle movements. What this refers to is the notion that multiple muscles are in movement during a particular sports move. Furthermore, a single muscle engages in countless contractions and works consistently during an athletic activity. This realm of strength and conditioning training essentially employs a type of functional training, in which muscles are used and activated in this very fashion. Working the same muscle group repetitively, without engaging in multiple movements, in obsolete in the context of sports. It is important to utilize muscles during training as they would be used in the sport itself. This helps one to maximize performance overall.

Another key principle entails engaging in several plane movements. Athletic movements occur in a trajectory of several types of movements, which is forward and backward, from one side to the next, and rotting movements, as well. During strength and conditioning training, a participant may implement the use of weights and several successive joint movements in order to simulate these activities and increase performance.

Some strength and conditioning movements are performed on the ground. For example, many movements that one performs during an athletic activity does in fact involve the ground. When a person engages in a particular action in a sport, they must exert a tremendous amount of force against the ground in order to maximize their performance. In order to optimize performance, and increase skills, whether this refers to jumping, running, swinging or tackling, you must optimize your ground movements and force as much as possible. Common ground based workouts may include squats, high pulls, split jerks and more. Plyometric movements may also be adopted to suit these demands.

Another consequential principle is periodization. Periodization is not an exercise, but rather, a methodological application of a scientifically based exercise regimen. Using periodization, one can organize a series of repetitions and sets to achieve their intended goal. It helps integrate a number of different movements, and prevents one from reaching plateaus by instituting muscle confusion regimen. Muscle confusion is designed to confuse the muscles and prevent them from adapting to a particular fitness routine. When muscles become acclimated to exercises, the effects are no longer significant and the muscles stop growing and strengthening.

One of the most critical elements of strength and conditioning training is rest and nutrition. Why is rest important? There are a number of reasons for this. The first key reason is that over-training can reduce one’s motivation and their willpower to exercise consistently. Furthermore, resting permits hypertrophy, a process by which muscles increase their strength, size and robustness. During exercise, the muscles incur permanent trauma and damages that repair themselves during the process of hypertrophy. Without sufficient rest, an individual would counteract this process and experience minimal profession.

And of course, nutrition and proper diet is the basis upon which stamina and stronger muscles are predicated. Specific nutrients can amplify muscle growth by giving muscle fibers the fodder they need to increase in size and strength. Furthermore, many nutrients are capable of enhancing one’s overall metabolism and endurance, as well.

www.mhra.gov.uk/