This is a saying that has been related to many sports and recreational activities and at the heart of this saying is Strength & Conditioning. It is stating that you should prepare yourself, strengthen and condition your body ready for the sport or activity and that if you simply jump into the activity without prior preparation you will inevitable become injured.

The sporting and fitness industries have come a long way when it comes to the physical development of top level athletes and normal individuals just looking to become more active. It is something that is continually progressing and it is up to the sporting and fitness professionals to keep up, ensuring their training methods don’t become outdated, whilst staying clear of new training methods which are simply fads or gimmicks, with no real longevity.

Of course the core principles of training are unlikely to change, there’s no arguing that lifting a heavy weight for low Rep’s is a good way to increase strength, but there’s still a lot we don’t know about the physiology of exercise and there’s no doubt new methods of training and sports rehabilitation will surface.

Strength & Conditioning is at the forefront of this progression, yet it has often only been associated with high level sport and the physical development of athletes for this elite sports performance. However as the fitness industry has progressed and new methods of training have been developed, not only have the fitness professionals become more knowledgeable, but so have the individuals taking an interest in their own personal health and fitness.

This is definitely a massive step forward but there are still misconceptions about what strength & conditioning is all about, with people relating it to just 1 rep maxes and Olympic lifting. Strength and conditioning is more than this, it’s all about being specific to an individual’s needs and goals. A good strength and conditioning coach will design a programme which will incorporate specific exercises designed to increase your performance to the greatest efficacy, which of course will differ from sport to sport, person to person. Not everyone needs to be achieving a PB Snatch.

Not only will a good programme increase an individual’s performance but it will also concentrate on maintenance work and preventing any injuries. So in reference to the title “You Don’t Run to Get Fit, You get Fit to Run” this is definitely true and it not only relates to sports and other strenuous activities, but also to day to day life. We should be “Fit for Life” we should take the time to address the issues we may have such as poor posture, muscular imbalance’s or asymmetry and take an active role in strengthening and conditioning our bodies not only for sport, but for the stresses that our lives place on us.

When people think about fitness, running or other Cardio-Respiratory exercise comes to mind and this is often seen as the base of all fitness. This is for good reason and the benefits of these types of exercise are endless, but without the proper maintenance and strength and conditioning these activities can become too much for our body, specifically for our joints to handle and overtime injuries may start to develop. This is why it is vital that specific strength and conditioning becomes a part of all exercise routines regardless of what level they are being taken to. A less intense exercise routine requires a less advanced strength & conditioning aspect but still requires the maintenance work and specific conditioning to carry on the activity with the lowest risk of injury.

Strength & Conditioning is not just for elite athletes… It is for everyone, at all levels!