Everything you need to know to make the most of your training
Athletes and personal trainers know and understand the importance of Strength and Conditioning Training in not only sports, but everyday life as well. Here at Transcend Health we aim to help you get your body moving the way you want through physiotherapy, exercise physiology, and our popular exercise classes. Strength and conditioning coaches typically work with athletes, however that doesn’t mean you can’t do the training too!
What are the effects of Strength and Conditioning Training?
Whether you’re an athlete or perhaps you had an injury and need to work on healing your body, Strength and Conditioning Training improves your mobility, stability, strength, endurance, power, speed, agility, and performance. If you’ve had an injury to your back or knees for example, your coach or therapist will develop a plan to help strengthen those muscles or joints that were injured.
You don’t have to wait until you’ve been injured, though, to take advantage of the benefits of Strength and Conditioning Training. A bonus part of the training is that the conditioning will strengthen those body parts that are prone to injury and is a good inclusion in your workout regime.
In it’s simplest form, Strength and Conditioning Training is the practical application of sports science to enhance movement quality, and is grounded in evidence-based research and physiology of exercise and anatomy.
Strength and Conditioning Training helps to improve movement, which is great for real-life scenarios such as standing up with ease for elderly clients and people with a disability or injury, but it also helps to prevent injury through improved balance and core strength, which in turn helps to reduce injury incidents.
What are the benefits of Strength and Conditioning Training?
- Injury prevention is a key pillar in Strength and Conditioning Training where we assess your movement patterns to help you correct your techniques to prevent injuries to your muscles or joints.
- Improved performance can be achieved through a programme using scientifically backed training methods which helps with your technical, physical, tactical, and mental health.
- Enhanced general health – through regular exercise such as strength training, HIIT training, plyometrics, and cardio conditioning.
- Strengthen bones – strength training can play a role in slowing bone loss or even build up your bone density.
- Improved posture – through the improvement of your body’s movement mechanics and increasing the strength of your core.
- Improved mood – through the release of serotonin and being proud of yourself for your progress.
- Increased muscle mass and metabolism – through Strength and Conditioning Training, as your lean muscle mass increases it reduces the risk of insulin resistance, risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and other health factors according to a research paper from the National Library of Medicine.
- More enjoyable exercise – as you can move more freely and correctly thanks to your training.
- Quicker injury recovery – through stronger muscles that can adapt quickly to aid in the recovery process.
What is involved in Strength and Conditioning Training?
Depending on your reasons for investing in Strength and Conditioning Training, your programme will include a wide range of exercises which have been developed to build a variety of skills focusing on your agility, endurance, mind, mobility, performance, power, speed, stability, and strength.
Each programme is specially designed for you body’s condition, your goals and your individual characteristics and needs. If done correctly, your programme should include a variety of warm up stretches, exercises, and cooldowns to prevent further injury.
As you progress through your programme it is very likely that your tasks will change along with your body whether it be through intensity, duration, or even the frequency you are training. Strength exercises typically include:
- Targeted weightlifting
- Resistance bands
- Heavy gardening
- Stair climbing
- Hill walking
- Cycling
- Dance
- Push-ups, sit-ups, and squats
- Yoga.
Conditioning training exercises will help strengthen and improve your body and performance; the exercises commonly used include:
- Aerobic exercise
- Strength training
- Stretching
- Flexibility exercises.
All these exercises will help improve your body’s ability to function and improve your cardiovascular and respiratory systems along with reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, strokes, and even depression.
You can do all of these yourself if you have the motivation to figure out what exercises are right for you, however if not it’s best to find a personal trainer who will help you achieve your goals.
What should I look for in a Strength and Conditioning Training programme?
ASCA
Organisations such as the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association (ASCA) provide a wealth of information for those looking to either take part in training or learn how to help others out, including professional development and special interest groups. If you have a trainer and they’ve given you an exercise to do, but have forgotten how to do it (it happens to the best of us) you can access their free resources or even view their exercise highlights for new ideas if you’re going at it alone.
Transcend Health podcasts
It is recommended that you start out with a trainer or coach to help you learn how to do the exercises properly as they can identify any movements you may be doing incorrectly to help reduce the chance of injury. The team here at Transcend Health have put together a collection of podcasts that cover topics from beginning to exercise to specific topics such as episode 23 – My Core Isn’t Firing.
There is a ton of information out there about Strength and Conditioning Training, weeding out the good from the bad can be a challenge, so it is always recommended that you work with a specialist to develop the best plan for your condition and situation. Contact us today on 49613399 or click here to send us an online message to speak with one of our experienced team members. We would love to see you, feel free to drop by and get a tour of our facilities to chat about whatever Transcend Health can do for you now and for your physical future.