Strength and Conditioning

Strength is the foundation on which most athletic performance rests. A stronger athlete jumps higher, sprints faster, changes direction more cleanly, resists injury better, and recovers faster from training. Strength also governs aging: loss of muscle mass and power (sarcopenia) is one of the central determinants of late-life function, and habits of resistance training built in school carry forward for decades. This skill lays out the physiology, the programming, and the teaching progressions of strength and conditioning for physical education.

Agent affinity: wooden (practice discipline and progression), kenneth-cooper (integrated conditioning)

Concept IDs: pe-strength-adaptations, pe-periodization, pe-age-appropriate-resistance

The Seven Strength Adaptations

Resistance training produces different adaptations depending on load, volume, tempo, and rest. The programmer chooses which adaptation is the target before choosing the exercise.