What Is Strength and Conditioning?
FAQ Guide for Amateur & Competitive Athletes
What is strength and conditioning?
Strength and Conditioning (S&C) is practice of using strength, conditioning, and movement tools and techniques to improve the physical qualities that form the foundation to athletic performance and reduce injury risk. It combines strength training, cardiovascular work, movement mechanics, and recovery methods to help athletes perform at their highest level. Strength and conditioning training focuses on improving the general physical qualities, thereby improving the foundation for sport-specific performance. Unlike general fitness, which tends to focus on health, aesthetics, or basic conditioning, S&C is performance-driven and specific to the demands of an athlete's sport or competitive goals.
How is strength and conditioning different from general fitness training?
The difference between strength and conditioning and general fitness training lies in the purpose and intent behind the training and not necessarily in the actual style of training itself. However, to give an idea how the 2 differ, I’ll compare the “classic” forms of both:
Purpose: General fitness aims for improved health, fat loss, or aesthetics. S&C targets sport-specific outcomes like speed, power, agility, and durability. And aims to improve performance on “game-day”. That doesn’t mean that health is neglected or fat-loss is never the target.
Programming: S&C uses periodization—structured phases of training across the year, tailored to competition moments. General fitness tends to be less strategic, often just working to the next goal.
Exercise Selection: It’s important to stress that no exercise is specific to either and all exercises and forms of training could be included in both. However, classically, S&C will have more focus on things like speed, power and agility and will therefore dedicate (parts of) training sessions to those qualities. This is less likely to be seen in general fitness training that often focusses on more general qualities like muscle mass, strength or weight loss. Also more specific energy system training is less likely to show up in more regular fitness training. Where things like HIIT circuits are in turn more often seen in the general setting.
Individualization: Athletes get tailored programming based on their sport, position, and injury history. And while good trainers will always periodize and tailor programming for their general fitness clients too. More often a generic approach is used, or class programs are ran.
For a breakdown of foundational training priorities for athletes, check out my post on Training Hierarchy.
Why is strength and conditioning important for athletes?
S&C is essential because it:
Enhances sport-specific performance potential by improving general physical qualities(speed, strength, jump height, etc.)
Reduces the risk of injury by building resilience and correcting imbalances
Improves conditioning so athletes can maintain intensity throughout a game & recover better between sessions
Supports long-term development by creating a foundation for continued progress
If you want to go deeper into the explosive power side of S&C, read Plyometrics for Athletes.
Does strength and conditioning differ by sport?
Yes and no. Effective S&C is never generic; however, the intent is always to drive sports performance. It adapts to the unique energy systems, movement patterns, and power demands of each sport:
Football & Rugby: Emphasize max strength, power, muscle mass and short-burst anaerobic conditioning. It aims to create powerfull and robust athletes dealing with the high-intensity full force colusion profile of the sports.
Volleybal & Basketball: Require strength, jumping ability, endurance, and agility. To deal with the high jumping requirements of the sports Conditioning often involves high-intensity intervals.
Soccer & field hockey: Agility, top-end speed, and change-of-direction qualities along with a reasonable amount of threshold conditioning.
Endurance Sports (e.g. Running): Focus on muscular endurance, reactivity, strength for movement economy, core stability, and joint resilience. Heavy loads are used strategically to improve running economy. See Strength Training for Runners for a full breakdown.
What role does conditioning play in S&C?
Conditioning is more than just doing cardio. It’s about training the energy systems in a way that supports your sport and enables you to consistently train hard and recover. Good conditioning is about creating a level of fitness that allows the athlete to express their power and sport-specific skills with as few energetic restrictions as possible, both in training and during competition. This means that conditioning both focuses on improving the primary energy systems involved in a particular sport, as well as improving secondary systems that support quick recovery of the primary systems and aid in general recovery.
For example:
A CrossFit athlete might use longer aerobic based training to build a better base, even though the majority of their sport is done at high heart-rates. See CrossFit Conditioning Guide (Part 1).
A team sport player might use repeated sprint intervals to mimic match intensity.
An endurance athlete might do high-intensity interval training to boost their power output to indirectly support bringing their first and second threshold up even though their not likely to be at VO2max during their competitions.
Conditioning is programmed to be specific, measurable, and supportive of your overall athletic output, both directly and indirectly.
Is strength and conditioning just for elite athletes?
No, it’s for anyone who takes performance seriously. It is a great way to support your athletic endeavours, give you a bigger base for more output while playing your sport, and can help make you more resilient to injuries.
S&C benefits:
Amateur athletes in competitive leagues
Weekend warriors training for events
Professionals balancing life with serious training
The principles are scalable. You don’t need to be elite to train smart. You need a structured plan that fits your goals and training age.
How should I start a strength and conditioning program?
Here’s how to begin:
Define your sport and goals (e.g. sprint faster, jump higher, avoid injuries).
Do a gap analysis. What physical qualities do I need, and where do I currently stand?
Add strength and conditioning across your week (maintaining balance with sport-specific training, and initially starting with a minimum effective dose).
Apply progressive overload. Track your progress and increase gradually.
Test & re-asses. See where you stand, and check if the things you’re doing are bringing you closer to your goal.
Recovery is also critical. For strategies to bring down your nervous system post-training, check Down-regulation after Training.
Ready to train with purpose?
If you're serious about improving your performance, reducing injury risk, and getting the most out of your training, I can help. I work with athletes and competitive amateurs to build tailored strength and conditioning programs that deliver results.
Reach out here to start your personalized S&C program.
Want to learn more before diving in? Check out some of my other blogs for deep dives into training methods, movement strategy, and recovery protocols.