Conditioning Intro

By Joel Jamieson

We've all used the term before, but what exactly is conditioning?

To provide a good working definition, let’s introduce two scenarios:

Scenario 1: Cyclic Sports
A constant power output is required throughout the duration of the event.
Example: marathon running

Scenario 2: Acyclic Sports
A big spike in power output is required, followed by much lower power output, then a big spike again.
Example: football

In both scenarios, conditioning may be defined as the maximum sustainable power output throughout the duration of the event.

When participants in either cyclic sports or acyclic sports exercise beyond their level of conditioning, they start to fatigue because their power output is not sustainable.

There is another component to conditioning/performance in addition to sustainable power output:
Energy management

One athlete may have a higher level of conditioning than another and still fatigue first if they manage their energy in a way that is not sustainable, or beyond their level of conditioning.