Conditioning For...

Conditioning is the act of bringing something to the desired state of use. In terms of strength and conditioning it is bringing our bodies to the ideal state to be able to perform based on an athlete’s desired goals. There is a wide variety of different potential athletic goals therefore there are many types of conditioning. Conditioning and cardio are often used interchangeably but they are not the same. An athlete may be incapable of running for a few minutes but still be highly conditioned towards their desired performance goals. 

Conditioning is essential for an athlete to reach their goal. If they are not in the proper state to be able to perform they will not achieve their goal and may become injured by overreaching. The first affect we’ll see as a result of an athlete’s conditioning will be their work capacity. Work Capacity is the ability to perform work. An athlete with a low work capacity will not be able to perform their entire workout as a result of fatigue. For this reason some form of conditioning work will be performed with every athlete.