The Controversial Truth About Conditioning

This may ruffle some feathers. But, first let me tell you that the context in which I’ll make this statement is specifically for athletic teams in a sport in which a monostructural cardiovascular effort is the sport itself (i.e. rowing, running, cycling, etc.). Of course, the takeaways are still present whether you are playing on a sports team or not.  

I first heard this stance from the Power Athlete HQ team at a seminar. They proposed that the main reason for doing conditioning is simple:

It’s a vehicle for shared suffering. 

They weren’t concerned with increased oxygen uptake, cardiovascular performance, or anything else. In fact, the fitness qualities they are most after like building strong, resilient, mobile, explosive, agile, and functional athletes are all accomplished during the strength and accessory portions of the day. 

That said, shared suffering isn’t just a dumb brutish training concept, either. Shared suffering builds wildly valuable qualities like grit, mental toughness, and team trust. 

All that being said, we aren’t canceling conditioning at DEUCE. This perspective could, however, invite new importance to your strength and accessory work while shifting your mindset about conditioning. Conditioning isn’t so much for your abs as it is for the human experience between the ears. 

It’s a pleasure “suffering” with you.