Body conditioning exercises.
The benefits of exercise to our body is publicized by many health organizations. Especially, the benefits of body conditioning exercises. Body conditioning can make a big contribution to your health, your training performance and so much more! In this review I will be looking at all the benefits that can be achieved from this type of training and why it’s so important. By the end of this review you’ll know how to safely perform conditioning exercises and reap the benefits each exercise as to offer!
Body conditioning exercises.
Let me start by giving you an introduction into what conditioning really means. Conditioning is a form of exercise that helps to build up your muscle endurance, which in turn will improve fitness and muscle tone. The type of sport you are involved in will govern, what type of conditioning exercise is best for you.
To break it down for you, direct your thought to an 100 metre sprinter. He would be best suited to body conditioning exercises that promote and develop fast twitch muscle fibres. Muscles that are best suited to quick reaction and explosive power. The same muscle fibres and training would also suit a boxer.
Whereas a weight lifter would require big dense muscles, designed to handle explosive power and endurance. The human body is an amazing machine, able to adapt to what is required from it. Providing we push it in the right direction, with the right body conditioning exercises.
What is conditioning?
To properly explain what body conditioning is and how it can be of benefit to you, I’m going to take a look at a particular sport. The chosen sport is the 100 metre sprint. But even though I’ve made sprinting the topic of discussion, implementing the strategies will not be difficult to do!
The average runner will possess lean, responsive muscles, able to deliver speed or endurance. A 100m sprinter needs a large supply of fast twitch muscle fibres, essential for an explosive launch and power. The main muscle groups involved in sprinting is the gluteus-maximus, hamstrings and quadriceps.
To improve performance and endurance, we must perform conditioning exercises on these muscle groups. I would advise 2 – 3 times per week, which should be adequate to deliver results. The type of conditioning exercises you should perform, will push each relevant muscle group, to make it stronger.
The 10 benefits of body conditioning exercises.
Your body is a complex machine and does require complex fuel, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals. This is just the beginning of what is required for successful performance. Your training should consist of:
- Plyometrics.
- Lunges – forward and backwards.
- Jump lunges.
- Squat jumps.
The benefits of performing target specific exercises are very important. Although, careful management is important to assist muscle recovery.
1. Reduce injuries.
2. Improve speed.
3. Improve performance.
4. Muscle development.
5. Improved endurance.
6. Better flexibility.
7. Reduce obesity.
8. Improved metabolism.
9. Stronger bones and ligaments.
10. Overall better posture.
The benefits of a good body conditioning routine is very clear to see. To take your body and sport to new levels, body conditioning exercises is a must!
Conditioning exercises for children.
Everyone can benefit from exercise and being able to perform at your best will require, the correct type of training. In order to perform and make a dent on the international stage, starting earlier, rather than later is very important. So, how should a child tackle body conditioning exercises? Well the answer is simple, slowly and with professional tuition!
Being young will give most children a certain advantage over an adult. But this also means care and professional intervention is required. I see children as being the future and as such, should be nurtured to obtain the best quality of talent possible. So, lets take a look at the best exercises and the correct practice, relating to each exercise routine.
- Running.
- Strength exercises.
- Resistance drill.
- Lifestyle adjustment.
Running for success!
I’ve decided to start the ball rolling with running. This is because most children generally already have a running foundation. We can build on this and then take it to the next level. It doesn’t matter if you’re sprinting or training for long distance. Running is a great exercise for weight loss, improve your cardiovascular system and strengthen joints. Most sports will insist that you have good stamina, which is exactly what a good running program will deliver.
Strength exercises.
Now, tackle these type of exercises with care! One of the best ways to improve your strength is by utilizing weights. For most people, seeing the words body conditioning exercises, makes them think of weights. In most cases this would be right on the money, except it’s not good practice to introduce young children to weights. This is because their body is developing and using weights can affect muscle growth.
Using light weights would be acceptable. I would also like to add utilizing the child s own body weight for certain exercises would have great benefit. Exercises like squats and press-ups!
Resistance drills.
Adding resistance training to an already well-balanced workout regime will improve speed, explosive power and endurance. These type of exercises can be performed in a variety of ways and to be honest, regardless of your choice, the results will be the same! The easiest is to wear a weighted vest or belt and perform your workout regime, as normal.
The added weight will cause you, to have to work harder. This in turn will benefit your major muscle groups, such as your quads and hamstrings. Muscles, which are very important for overall performance.
Lifestyle adjustment.
I have found that regardless of your training routine or your mental attitude to succeed. Your chances are limited, if you’re living a bad lifestyle! So, what is a bad lifestyle you might ask? Well, not getting enough sleep, drinking too much alcohol or living on a bad diet of chips, burgers and sweets, is not a recipe for success.
So, if you’re serious about your sport and believe you have what it takes to achieve. Then living a healthy lifestyle will add to the positive attributes, you already possess.
Training for peak performance.
Adding regular body conditioning exercises to your workouts will improve your performance. In fact it will help you to reach your peak. But it’s not a level you can achieve without a lot of hard work. Pushing your body and mind, almost to the point of breaking will deliver unimaginable rewards. One of which, would be success in your chosen sport.
To reach your peak, I would expect you to have achieved a good level of fitness in all the above areas. Yet, still keeping an open mind on improving further still!
My conclusion to body conditioning exercises.
Taking part in sport should be fun and it should be accessible to everyone. But for those among us who need to achieve another level, some sacrifices must be made. We all know champions are not born, they are trained! To become a true champion, you must incorporate body conditioning exercises and be willing to push these exercises to the limit, to achieve your peak. My final word of advice is to build on the basics, to achieve.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this post and from it you have gained a little more knowledge. If, this is so, please leave a comment and share it. The world is a huge place filled with people looking for direction.
UTG.
