Considerations for Extra Work: Conditioning

Psychology can sometimes trump physiology, and it is important that athletes and other personnel involved in their development believe the training intervention and dose are sufficient to achieve desired effects.

Effective strength and conditioning coaches conduct a needs analysis of both the athlete and his/her sport. A thorough examination of the physiological requirements of the sport is a part of this needs analysis. Depending on the demands of the sport, certain training modalities may lead to adaptations that do not benefit sport performance and some might even interfere with positive adaptations. An example would be strength and power athletes performing additional long-distance running.

Many athletes and some position coaches believe that long-distance running has a distinct endurance benefit for strength and power athletes. What endurance means to the coach depends on the athlete, coach and sport in question. Many position coaches often encourage strength and power athletes to perform long-distance running as a form of extra work.