What exactly is strength and conditioning? Strength and conditioning is a specific training approach often used by athletes. The goal is to improve athletic performance by balancing strength exercises—focused on muscles, weight-lifting, and resistance training—with conditioning exercises, which focus on cardiovascular exercises, stamina, and high-intensity work. That said, this type of training isn’t just for elite athletes; anyone can benefit from it.
Below, I will go over a few different types of effective strength and conditioning workouts tailored to various goals and individuals.
Strength training for runners is very effective for improving running form, increasing running speed, and preventing injuries.
Some good strength training exercises for runners include various types of squats (Bulgarian split squats, goblet squats, normal barbell squats). These help strengthen the quadriceps, which ultimately improves running speed and makes your running form more stable. Another important muscle group for runners to strengthen is the abdominal muscles. Core stability is crucial for runners; keeping the core engaged while running allows other limbs and muscle groups to work together smoothly and achieve proper running form.
Some good core exercises include regular crunches, bicycle crunches, mountain climbers, Russian twists, planks, and dead bugs. If you want to use machines, try the vertical knee raise station or hanging from a bar and lifting your legs or knees up to your chest.
Another strengthening exercise for runners is practicing different kinds of jumping exercises. One that I have recently discovered and really like is depth drop jumps. These involve standing on a chair or bench, then slowly “falling” off and landing into a deep squat when your feet hit the ground, before exploding upward and jumping as high as you can. These types of jumping exercises help improve running speed because they train explosive power in the legs, improve reaction time, and strengthen fast-twitch muscle fibers.
For runners, many conditioning workouts typically revolve around running. Tempo runs, interval training, and hill sprints are some common conditioning methods runners might use. A tempo run involves running for a sustained period at one’s desired race pace. For instance, this could look like doing a half-mile warm-up, then running for 30 minutes at threshold pace, followed by a half-mile cool-down at a slower pace. Interval training is similar, but the running at threshold pace is broken up into smaller segments. Instead of running fast continuously, you run at a faster pace for shorter intervals (like 10 minutes), with jogging or walking breaks in between. Lastly, hill sprints are pretty self-explanatory: find a decent-sized hill and practice running up and down it.
While running is obviously essential for improving cardiovascular fitness, cross-training is also incredibly useful. Cross cardio training—such as using stationary bikes, stair steppers, or ellipticals—is lower impact and works slightly different muscle groups, allowing your body to recover from the repetitive strain of running. It’s the best of both worlds because these exercises still provide a cardiovascular challenge, helping to improve your endurance and stamina. If you don’t have access to machines, other options include jump rope, jumping jacks, or following a HIIT workout video online.
Having a strong upper body is very important for swimmers. Strength training exercises that are beneficial for swimmers include bench presses, rows, push-ups, and pull-ups. These target the back, arms, and chest muscles—all crucial for powerful swimming strokes and increased speed.
Another important muscle group is the core. Similar to running, the core provides stability when swimming, and a stronger core allows for more fluid and efficient movement. Good core exercises for swimmers include planks, Russian twists, oblique crunches, and using the Vertical Knee Raise (VKR) station.
Practicing endurance swims involves swimming at a fast pace for an extended period to build endurance. Another effective training exercise is doing kick sets. These target leg strength as well as endurance and stamina. For example, this could involve using a kickboard and alternating between kicking for a couple of laps, then swimming for a couple of laps, repeating the cycle while gradually increasing the pace.
Conditioning training for swimmers can also include breath training. This might involve practicing different breathing patterns for various strokes (such as breathing every two or three strokes) or slowly increasing the number of strokes between breaths to get used to working under conditions of limited oxygen.
Strength and conditioning workouts can be for anybody—you don’t have to already be a particular kind of athlete. Some all-around strength exercises that could benefit anyone trying to get stronger or build muscle include sit-ups, pull-ups, bicep curls, squats, push-ups, planks, and many more! Good conditioning workouts could include running, challenging yourself to hold a hard pace for intervals of time, maybe five minutes on and one minute off. You could also try sprinting exercises, for example, sprinting on the straight lengths of a track, then walking or jogging the curved portions, and repeating this for eight full laps.
All in all, strength and conditioning training can be a valuable tool to help you reach your goals and improve your athletic performance. Whether you’re aiming to refine specific skills or just want to get in better overall physical shape, strength training and conditioning could be a great tool.
