Anatomy of Strength and Conditioning. Hollis Lance Liebman

      The aim of strength and conditioning training is to enable you not only to handle a heavier load but also to carry that load in a better way. This is achieved by improving your aerobic capacity through the grouping together of various types of exercise. In plain speak, we are talking about enabling greater performance through increased strength, speed, capacity and accuracy. It is only through the continual application and eventual mastery of these four skill sets that an athlete can achieve his or her best.

      Strength training and conditioning, though different in definition and result, are reliant onone another and complement each other perfectly. A strong athlete may be able to lift an enormous load, but this is of limited use if he or she doesn’t also have the conditioningand requisite lung capacity to go the distance in a chosen discipline. It also follows that anathlete with great stamina but lacking explosive power will not reach his or her full potential.

      Generally speaking, a bigger muscle tends to be a stronger muscle; however, one need not be overly developed to showcase unparalleled strength. This is because the best, most rounded sporting performance depends on the application of four major elements: strength, speed, capacity and accuracy. Combining strength training with conditioning work allows an athlete to master these skill sets; he or she will not only be able to handle a heavier load but will also develop greater aerobic capacity.

      What is Strength Training?

      In its simplest terms, strength training can be definedas the act of movinga weight from point Avia point B to point C. Although straightforward, this pathway requires progressively moreeffort, forcing the muscle to work increasingly hard. Performance in strength training can be compared to that of a coiled spring – first, there is a slow winding or cranking of the muscle; and then a quick, explosive release.A very obvious example of this is the Barbell Power Clean and Jerk (see page 38), in whichthe barbell is lifted first off the floor and tothe chest (the movement from A to B), then from the chest to an overhead position (the movement from B to C).A few repetitions of this type of muscular contraction will result in increased anaerobic output and muscular power.

      Strength training usually calls for the assistance of a group of muscles to complete a multi-jointed movement. The squat, for example – perhaps the ultimate exercise for lower-body strength – is widely considered a thigh exercise; however, it also uses the glutes, hamstrings and core muscles to stabilize the body properly during motion and to “fire” during execution. This synergistic combination of opposing body parts working together to complete a given movement is an important difference between strength training and conventional bodybuilding. In the latter, the tendency is to isolate and focus on one muscle, minimizing help from neighboring ancillary tissue in order to keep tension primarily on the target. A bodybuilder wishing to work the biceps, for example, would perform seated dumbbell curls, because the seated position ensures that assistance from the lower back is kept to a minimum.

      Strength training also differs from bodybuilding because its focus is not on increasing muscle tissue and bulk, refining proportions or creating symmetry; it is not about how big your chest or arms are or the compactness of your