Strength and conditioning is a key aspect in making your body strong, giving you the ability and skills to
create a more effective and efficient workout. Strength and conditioning training is a key component of
fitness, as it helps reduce body fat, while also increasing lean muscle mass and sport specific muscle
groups. It also aids in injury prevention. Among other physiological and psychological benefits, strength
and conditioning helps develop and maintain healthy bones, develops a strong core and has the effect of
helping your brain release endorphins, which make you happier and reduces stress.
Although popular belief is that aerobic exercises are the best way to shed fat, the fact is that an
increased metabolism resulting from a strength and conditioning routine can help you lose weight and
keep it off. A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicinefound that pre-menopausal women who
participated in resistance and conditioning training at least three times weekly for 14 weeks had a
significant reduction in fat and cholesterol. Moreover, the increased resting metabolic rate (RMR) can
help overcome the metabolic decrease associated advanced age in both men and women. A faster RMR
means that the body burns more calories, reducing fat and keeping it off.
Conversely as we age we tend to lose muscle mass so it’s important to incorporate strength and
conditioning as part of a complete routine. Since research has linked muscle development with bone
health, a study in the Journal of Clinical Cases in Mineral and Bone Metabolism noted that strength
training prevents bone fragility. It suggests that in order to increase bone strength and density, muscle
power and force must be enhanced. As such, elite athletes who do strength and conditioning exercises
as part of their exercise regimen had stronger bones as they get older. This is mainly due to their training
in the hypertrophy range, such as lifting maximal loads for shorter periods of time.
Through strength and conditioning, athletes also develop fast and slow-twitch muscle groups, which are
essential for speed and endurance, specifically in sports like tennis and soccer for both men and women.
Elite soccer player and English legend Kelly Smith is one athlete whose performance was defined by her
training and she is described as the first English female player to make an international impact.
Sports website Coral detailed how Smith is England’s record goal-scorer with 46 goals in 117
international appearances across a 19 year career. Using a training regimen that included strength and
conditioning she was able to improve her performance, extend her career and achieve numerous
honors.
What sets professional athletes apart is their training, which allows the body and mind to work
harmoniously together. Strength and conditioning exercises develop a strong core, which helps the lower
and upper body work together more efficiently. This is especially true for swimmers as the entire body
must be properly tuned to achieve maximum performance. When the body is properly tuned so is the
mind, and endorphins are released which elevate one’s mood, decreasing stress and increasing workout
effectiveness.
For women who are weary of starting a strength and conditioning routine for fear it will bulk them up, they
need not fear because strength training offers many metabolic benefits important for women, especially
later in life. Unlike men, women do not possess high testosterone levels, so instead the result is a
sculpted body with a high fat burning metabolic rate. At Precor Home Fitness we provide strengthtraining machines, kettlebells and dumbbells so you can start your strength and conditioning regimen
right at home.
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