Conditioning. Encyclopedia of World Sport

Conditioning is a systematic process of repetitive, progressive exercise or work, involving the learning
process and acclimatization to the workload. In general, it refers to the physical or mental preparation for a
sport or competitive event. The goal is usually increased performance, performance being any mental
or physical effort subjected to psychological or physiological measurement or assessment. Some components
of conditioning are muscular strength and endurance,
flexibility, cardiorespiratory fitness, and body composition. Another important aspect of physical conditioning for sport is injury prevention.
History
At one time, conditioning was a part of everyday life as
physical labor meant physical conditioning. The other
major form of physical conditioning was preparation
for battle or war. Strength conditioning seemed to be
the major component of physical training as warriors
prepared for battle. Ancient myth and folklore include
accounts of strong men such as Samson, Hercules, and
the Greek warrior Milo, who was said to have carried a
calf up to a hayloft each night and then retrieved it each
morning. As the calf gained weight Milo gained
strength, until he was carrying a full-grown cow up
and down a ladder daily.
The early Greeks have had a profound and lasting
effect on conditioning for sport and competitive
events. The Greek Spartans were motivated and conditioned by a strong spirit of militarism. Physical conditioning was preparation for life as a soldier.Young men
spent the greatest part of their youths in training for
the army. The Romans also believed in physical training to prepare young men for the rigors of battle. Military exercises and games took precedence over any other form of exercise. The Greek Athenians, however,
believed in conditioning for sport and for the welfare of
the whole body.
With the appearance of professional athletes in
Greek society, the gymnastes came into existence.
These men helped to condition and prepare athletes for
their sport. They used their knowledge of anatomy,
physiology, and nutrition to keep the athletes in good
competitive shape. Later, the medical gymnastai became important to the development of conditioning.
Their concern was conditioning the athlete and maintaining him at a high peak of physical efficiency. The
greatest of all Greek trainers was Herodicus of Megara.
a doctor as well as an athletic trainer and mentor to
Hippocrates.
Physical conditioning was revived during medieval
times, and included in practice of chivalry. The idea of
chivalric conditioning was to train the young men to be
strong in mind, body, and spirit.
With the rise of modern nationalism came the need
for more organized and directed physical conditioning. Individual nations needed to have strong and
healthy soldiers to defend their national borders. Communist countries were particularly strong in their pursuit of strength and conditioning. The former East
Germany required fitness training for everyone. Mao
Zedong (1893–1976) of China said that “the youth of
China are encouraged to get fit, keep fit, and spur on
the revolution.”
Russia has been a key influence in the development
and promotion of conditioning for the strength of the
nation and preparation for sport. After the Russian
Revolution of 1917 the Communist party recognized
physical exercise as a means of improving the strength
of the country and its people. From this idea of increasing military strength came the birth of Soviet athletics in 1918. By 1921, more than 150 sports clubs had
been formed and 6,000 physical education instructors
had been trained. During World War II, the Soviet
Union credited the physical fitness of its soldiers and
the general public with helping its people withstand
months of hunger and fatigue. In addition, the Soviets
have conducted much scientific research on the training of athletes.
England, France, and the United States have also influenced the development of conditioning in sport. During the last decades of the 19th century and the early
decades of the 20th century the physiological study of
human performance began. The United States has been
at the forefront of much of modern performance research. Biological sciences like anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, kinesiology, and nutrition, as well has chemistry, have provided vast quantities of knowledge that
broadened the scope of conditioning and sport. Technology and technological devices have now become the
ultimate tools in the measurement of performance.
Components of Conditioning
Physical conditioning for sports participation prepares
athletes for high-level performance and protects
against injury. Improper conditioning is a major cause
of injuries. Muscular imbalance, improper timing, inadequate muscle or tendon strength, inadequate cardiovascular function, problems related to flexibility,
and problems related to body composition are some of
the causes of sports injuries and poor performance.
Proper conditioning includes four components. The
first is cardiorespiratory conditioning. Through aerobic conditioning the cardiorespiratory system (heart,
lungs, and circulation) functions more efficiently. With
proper cardiovascular training the heart becomes a
bigger, stronger, more efficient pump capable of doing
more work with less effort. The lungs also benefit by
becoming more efficient at passing air through the
lungs, thus increasing vital capacity. Circulation improves by increasing blood flow, meaning that more
oxygen and fuel are delivered to the muscles.
The second component is muscular strength and
endurance. Increases in muscular strength are associated with increases in muscle mass and productivity.
Increases in muscular endurance are associated with
improved blood flow to the working muscles. Resistance training, which increases the tension on the
muscle, promotes both strength and endurance.
Flexibility, the third component, helps to increase
the range of motion around a joint by lengthening the
muscles, tendons, and ligaments connected to the bone,
thus allowing for increased freedom of movement.
Body composition, or the percentage of body fat, is
the fourth component. It is important for athletes to
maintain a lean body mass for optimal performance as
well as to avoid injuries.
Six principles of conditioning are important to optimal performance.
1. Specificity is training the specific component
primarily used in competition. If an athlete
needs a particularly large amount of muscular
strength, then heavy weight training is essential
to proper preparation for the event.
2. Intensity is the percentage of one’s maximum
capacity being used while training.
3. Duration is the amount of time the exercise or
conditioning bout continues.
4. Frequency is the number of times per week an
athlete trains.
5. Progression is the gradual increase in intensity
and duration of conditioning. As the body
adapts to training modes the exercise load can
be increased.
6. The overload principle is related to progression.
Overload means that to improve any aspect of
physical conditioning the athlete must continually increase the demands placed on the appropriate body systems.
Physical conditioning has evolved from conditioning for military strength to a highly technological aspect of performance in sport. As this ever-changing
field continues to grow, new and exciting concepts will
be investigated to continually test the peaks of human
performance.
—SALLY CRAWFORD

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