Last week we covered the 10 general physical skills which help us determine effectiveness of a general fitness program to ensure we are getting a balanced approach.
This week we will touch on how the skills of strength and conditioning are equally as important and work together as we believe it is the best way to deliver better fitness and health.
Strength refers to your muscles’ ability to generate force. In strength training, we focus on improving your rate of force development through max and dynamic efforts.
These efforts primarily utilize the phosphagen system, which provides energy for short-duration activities, typically lasting around 10 seconds. For instance, you might see this as a 10-second sprint or a 1-3 rep max lift on the day.
On the other hand, conditioning work aims to increase an athlete’s overall work output by targeting all three energy systems: the phosphagen, glycolytic, and oxidative systems.
– Phosphagen System: Fuels activities lasting less than 10 seconds. For Example an all out sprint Effort
– Glycolytic System: Supports efforts lasting several minutes. Can be seen as high intensity interval training
– Oxidative System: Powers activities that continue for several minutes or longer. Can be seen as longer workouts cycling / swimming/ running/ hiking
Following Greg Glassman’s work on defining fitness, it’s clear that to achieve a broad, general, and inclusive level of fitness, we must train all three energy pathways. Through incorporating both strength and conditioning this approach ensures the most comprehensive fitness possible and keeps things fun and engaging!
