If your goals are sport-specific, general health and wellness, or rehabilitation and recovery, Strength and Conditioning training will be a familiar term for you. The phrase “strength and conditioning” may seem simple and straight forward but is more complex in theory and practicality. The primary reason for every strength and conditioning component is stability, balance and ultimately injury prevention while the benefits and focus of strength and conditioning in a sports program is improved sport-specific performance.
Specificity
Specificity is a choice of exercise that correlates directly to a desired movement for improved performance. Where typically applied to sports training, we can also apply this into everyday life as it pertains to the ability for the body to perform a function with improved efficiency. In other words, the ability for an older individual who has a history of needing assistance to get out of the bath tub can train for that specific task. After training, the individual will no longer need assistance as the functional work of their goal has become more efficient and therefore easier to accomplish.
Overload
Overloading a muscle requires taking the muscle group through increasing workloads to maintain adaptation. Without the increased workload the body will adapt to its current work volume, plateau, and potentially even regress. Regardless of the function being performed, increasing resistance, intensity or volume is required to maintain the consistent overload needed to improve performance.
