Strength and Conditioning (S&C) is certainly a popular buzz phrase within the fitness industry these days. However, in my opinion, only a small proportion of fitness professionals have even a basic understanding of what is S&C. So the aim of this article is to demystify it. Simply put, this article is Strength and Conditioning explained.
Strength and Conditioning Explained
Despite what many fitness professionals would have you believe, Strength and Conditioning is not a style of training or a type of gym. It is a specific profession within the fitness industry. The Strength and Conditioning profession is explicitly concerned with high performance sport. The job of a Strength and Conditioning coach is to develop fitness qualities in athletes in a manner that will lead to greater levels of performance within a given sport.
To the personal trainers out there that claim to use a ‘strength and conditioning style of training’. If you are working with guys to build upper body muscle so they look great on the beach, or if you are training ladies to loose fat so they look good in a Bikini; You may well be doing an awesome job. But what you are doing is not Strength and Conditioning. Sorry.
Of course, some (many) personal trainers are also S&C coaches. If a personal trainer has a client who needs to get stronger in order to improve his performance in Rugby. Then, when working with that particular client, the trainer is working as a Strength and Conditioning Coach.
There are many qualifications in this area. However, none of those qualities are a pre-requisite to being a Strength and Conditioning Coach. The determining factor as to whether you are, or are not, this specific coaching is whether or not you work with athletes on their fitness qualities in order to try and improve their sporting performance.
Strength and Conditioning Qualifications
Although we have established that no qualifications are required in order for you to be a S&C Coach; If you have ambitions of being employed by a reputable organisation, then you will probably require certain qualifications.
In the UK to be employed by a National Governing Body or professional sports team, as a Strength and Conditioning Coach, you need the following qualifications:
Undergraduate Degree in Sport and Exercise Science
Masters Degree in Strength and Conditioning
Accreditation from the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA)
If you are looking to be employed as a coach outside of the UK then you will probably require similar qualifications. However, outside of the UK (and particularly in the USA) the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) qualification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is likely to be more important than accreditation from the UKSCA.
It is not always absolutely essential to possess the above qualifications. There are examples of individuals who are employed as coaches at the highest levels of Sport who do not possess all (in some cases, any) of the above. However, these examples are very rare.
Blurring The Lines
Up until now, I have been very clear cut about what exactly Strength and Conditioning is. However, there are instances where it is not quite so clear cut. In order to explain, we must first differentiate between a Sports Coach and a Strength and Conditioning Coach (S&C Coach).
A Sports Coach and a S&C Coach will work together to achieve a common goal. That common goal is to improve the sporting performance of an athlete or a team. However, in working towards that common goal, the Sports Coach and the S&C Coach have separate roles.
The role of the sports coach is to develop the technical aspect of the sport. A Football Coach will develop the players skill in passing, tackling, positioning and strategy. In other words, the Sports Coach is working on the sport itself. The Sports Coach is not working on the fitness qualities needed for the sport. That is the role of the Strength and Conditioning Coach.
Endurance Sports
Where it becomes blurred is in sports such as middle distance running, road cycling and rowing. In these sports, coaching the sport itself involves also coaching the fitness components required for those sports. It is not the job of a S&C Coach to determine how much mileage a middle distance runner should run. Decisions on how many reps to do in a track session and at what pace and with what recoveries. These are also not decisions for the S&C Coach. That is very much the job of the middle distance runners sport specific coach.
In these types of sports there is still a place for a Strength and Conditioning Coach. The role does need to change and it needs to become a much more limited role. In this scenario the role of the S&C Coach would be to develop just the strength qualities needed for the sport. The Strength and Conditioning Coach would therefore primarily be working within the weight room, since the rest of the fitness qualities needed for the sport would be the responsibility of the Sports Coach.
Strength Sports
If we take sports such as Powerlifting, Weightlifting, and CrossFit, there is a strong argument to say that there is not really a role for a S&C Coach in these sports. Powerlifting and Weightlifting are strength sports. Yes, there is a large skill component involved in maximising performance. But it would be completely impractical to separate the skill element of the lifts from the strength aspect of the lifts. The same would apply to CrossFit, since this is a sport based on determining who is the fittest individual in the competition. There would be no way to separate the role of the CrossFit Coach from the S&C coach when it comes to training Crossfit athletes.
Despite these examples of how the lines can become blurred. I hope I have provided clarity on what exactly Strength and Conditioning is. As always, if you want to discuss the topic further, then please do get in touch.
My three main services are Personal Training, Sports Massage, and Online Running Coaching. This represents the core of my business. However, I am willing to mentor aspiring Strength and Conditioning Coaches. So do get in touch if you would benefit from this.
Tim Egerton
The EGG
Egerton’s Garage Gym
Foxwood Personal Training
York