If you’ve ever spent any time in a gym, you’ve probably heard this debate: which matters more, strength or conditioning? Strong legs, or healthy lungs?
The truth is, your health and fitness depends on both. They are two sides of the same fitness coin. Strength without conditioning breaks down under fatigue. Conditioning without strength hits a ceiling fast. If your goal is real-world, long-lasting fitness, training both isn’t optional, it’s essential.
Why “Strength vs. Conditioning” Is the Wrong Question?
Ask almost any runner or cyclist, and they will assure you that cardiovascular health is the most important aspect of fitness. On the other hand, talk to any weightlifter or gymnast, and they’ll try to convince you that strength is the key physical metric on which everything else is built. (Trust me, I’ve been in both camps before).
The catch is, they’re both right. Cardiovascular fitness is critical to longevity and metabolic function, while strength is necessary for joint health and mobility. It isn’t one or the other, you need them both.
What Strength Training Really Does for Your Body
When people think of strength training, they often envision large athletes throwing around hundreds of pounds… and while that does happen, that isn’t what strength training looks like for the majority of people. For the rest of us, it’s simply learning how to move well, and maybe challenge ourselves with a little more weight as we get better.
As your body (and mind) adapts to that resistance on a consistent basis, your muscles and bones will grow stronger, making those everyday tasks less stressful. Or, as Zig Ziglar famously said, “When you are tough on yourself, life will be infinitely easier on you.” Not only that, more lean muscle tissue has a positive effect on metabolism (a.k.a. more muscle = less fat), so it’s really a no-brainer for long-term health!
How Conditioning Drives Fat Loss and Supports Muscle
CrossFit is known for its high intensity conditioning circuits. “Metabolic Conditioning,” or MetCon for short, is the effect our workouts have on the body, especially those that mix different styles of training together, such as running, gymnastics, and weightlifting. It’s not uncommon to hear a new gym member tell me they are surprised that doing a combination of squats, push-ups, and pull-ups for 10 minutes gets them so out of breath.
The obvious benefit of conditioning is better cardiovascular health, but compared to steady state cardio exercise, high intensity training is more efficient at burning fat while maintaining or even building muscle (which we already mentioned is important). Not only that, but conditioning leads to better recovery both in and out of the gym, so you not only perform better, you feel better too!
The Sweet Spot: Combining Strength & Conditioning
If you haven’t figured it out yet, do the math: pairing strength training with metabolic conditioning is the true solution – not only to the original premise, but also to the problem of health and longevity.
Conditioning sustains your metabolism and recovery, and strength training is the foundation of your muscle and functionality. Or, to use an automobile analogy, conditioning builds the engine, while strength builds the frame. And contrary to what some might have told you in the past, they can complement each other well.
How CrossFit Pairs Strength & Conditioning Perfectly
For most training programs, even the ones who know both strength and conditioning are necessary, they still separate the two. The common thought is that they limit each other’s effectiveness, such that conditioning makes your muscles weaker, and strength training takes away from cardiovascular endurance. As you can probably guess, CrossFit disagrees.
Yes, we do have certain workouts that are dedicated solely to strength training or conditioning, such as a 2,000 meter row or 5×5 back squat, but those are far outweighed by the days when we blend them together. This unique perspective on strength & conditioning benefits both simultaneously. We find the stamina to keep going even when our muscles are fatigued, and we learn how to lift weights even when we are out of breath. In fact, some of the best performances I’ve seen are when people are tired.
Real Fitness Demands Being Strong and Hard to Wear Out
Another criticism that often gets directed toward CrossFit is that we shouldn’t be doing some of these movements when we’re tired. While that logic makes sense at first, it falls apart when you think about real life. How often are we required to perform under physical or emotional pressure? How many jobs require people to do complex tasks when their muscles are tired or they are out of breath? Think about first responders: do they get to take a 5-minute break after running into a burning building or rescuing someone from drowning so they can properly administer CPR? I doubt it.
Human beings are capable of doing hard things, even when we are exhausted. So instead of avoiding these situations, we should train to be prepared for them. Real fitness isn’t just about looking good or even finishing a tough workout. It’s about being able to lift, run, recover, and repeat. That’s why strength and conditioning must be trained together, not in isolation.
What to Focus On in Your First 90 Days of Training
At CrossFit Donelson, I tell all my new athletes to spend their first few months treating their training like they are practicing a new sport or hobby. You wouldn’t expect to learn everything on guitar in your first session, right? So don’t treat functional training any different. Learn how to move well first before worrying about intensity, weight, speed, or complexity. This will set you up for long-term success.
Setting Smarter Goals in the New Year
It’s January, and many people are motivated now more than usual to start a new routine. Rather than make a drastic, unsustainable change, take this opportunity to set attainable goals and implement simple habits to reach them. Looking good might be important to you (and there’s nothing wrong with that), but I would encourage you to use performance assessments at first: strength numbers, conditioning benchmarks, and training frequency are great places to start. Consistency is the glue that holds any training program together –– even the best method is ineffective if you aren’t consistent.
As always, if you need guidance on what to do or how to do it, don’t hesitate to reach out and schedule a Free Consultation.
Spencer Smith
Owner & Head Coach
