Why Conditioning Should Be a Crucial Part of Your Workout Routine
Implement Conditioning Into Your Routine!
In the realm of fitness, many individuals prioritize strength training or cardiovascular exercises while overlooking the importance of conditioning. However, incorporating conditioning into your workout routine can offer a myriad of benefits that contribute to overall health, fitness, and performance. Whether you're an athlete aiming to enhance your performance or a fitness enthusiast seeking improved endurance and stamina, here's why you should make conditioning a crucial component of your fitness regimen.
1. Enhanced Cardiovascular Health
Conditioning exercises, such as interval training and circuit workouts, elevate your heart rate and improve cardiovascular endurance. Engaging in regular conditioning can strengthen your heart, lower blood pressure, and enhance blood circulation throughout the body. A healthier cardiovascular system not only reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke but also increases your stamina for daily activities and intense workouts.
2. Improved Stamina & Endurance
Conditioning workouts challenge your body to sustain physical effort over an extended period, leading to improved stamina and endurance levels. By gradually increasing the intensity and duration of your conditioning sessions, you can push your limits and train your body to perform better, whether you're training in the gym or simply keeping up with daily tasks without fatigue. A great example is the rep system with your strength training. There will be times in the gym where are consistently having trouble hitting that higher rep range of 10+ reps. This may not be due to your strength capabilities giving out! This can be simply due to being out of shape. Including more conditioning exercises overtime can help build your muscular endurance and ensure you are hitting your higher rep ranges.
3. Effective Fat Loss & Weight Loss Management
High-intensity conditioning exercises, such as HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), have been shown to be highly effective for burning calories and promoting fat loss. Incorporating these workouts into your routine not only torches calories during the session but also boosts your metabolism, leading to continued calorie burn post-workout. Additionally, conditioning workouts help preserve lean muscle mass while shedding excess fat, contributing to a leaner, more defined physique. A great way to utilize this is taking advantage of the metabolic post-workout effect and follow up with some steady state cardio.
4. Enhanced Sports Performance
Athletes across various sports incorporate conditioning drills specific to their sport to improve performance on the field, court, or track. Conditioning exercises can mimic the demands of your sport, improving agility, speed, and power while reducing the risk of injuries. Whether you're a soccer player sprinting down the field or a basketball player requiring explosive jumps, conditioning can give you the edge needed to excel in your sport. There are many great conditioning exercises you can add that are sport specific. For example, a great boxing conditioning exercise would be some rotational medicine ball slams. Maximizing your force output into rotational exercises help a lot with boxing as it can help you produce more force when throwing punches.
5. Versatility & Convenience
Conditioning workouts come in various forms, from bodyweight circuits and plyometrics to cardio machines and outdoor sprints. This versatility allows you to tailor your conditioning routine to your preferences, fitness level, and available equipment. Moreover, many conditioning exercises require minimal space and equipment, making them accessible for home workouts or travel, ensuring you can stay on track with your fitness goals anywhere, anytime.
What To Focus On
In conclusion, conditioning is a vital aspect of fitness that offers numerous benefits beyond traditional strength training or cardio workouts. By incorporating conditioning into your routine, you can improve cardiovascular health, boost endurance, accelerate fat loss, develop mental toughness, enhance sports performance, and enjoy the versatility and convenience of varied workouts. Whether you're a seasoned athlete or a fitness enthusiast, prioritizing conditioning will undoubtedly elevate your fitness journey and help you reach your goals more effectively. So, lace up your sneakers, embrace the challenge, and reap the rewards of a well-rounded conditioning regimen.
An example routine follows with 2 conditioning exercises of choice simply added to your workout at the end. Here are 2 examples of condoning exercise pairings you can use in your workouts.
High Contrast:
Battle Ropes (5 sets x 30s) Superset with Airdyne Bike (5 sets x 30s)
Low Contrast:
Medicine Ball Slams (5 sets x 30s) Superset with Rower (5 sets x 30s)
There are a bunch of conditioning exercises you can follow by checking out our Exercise Library