How to Program Conditioning for Athletes

Edited by: Danielle Abel

Conditioning is one of the most misunderstood—and underutilized—tools in an athlete’s training arsenal. For many coaches, it's easy to focus heavily on strength, power, and movement mechanics while overlooking the complex yet critical role of energy system development. But conditioning isn’t just about running more—it’s about programming smarter.

In this article, we’ll break down what every coach should know about conditioning: the science, the systems, and most importantly, how to apply it in the field.

Why Conditioning Matters for Athletic Performance

Poor conditioning leads to more than fatigue. It compromises an athlete’s ability to maintain skill execution, reaction time, decision-making, and explosive power, especially under fatigue. In sports where games are won or lost in the final minutes, conditioning often becomes the deciding factor.

As a coach, your job is to understand not only that conditioning matters, but how to develop it in a way that supports the athlete’s specific performance goals. More importantly, your effectiveness as a coach—requires you to understand energy systems and how to train them.

Energy Systems Overview

The human body uses three primary energy systems, each contributing to performance depending on intensity and duration. Keep in mind that these energy systems are not on or off but instead contribute a relatively greater or lesser percentage depending on the duration and intensity of activity.

1. ATP-PC System (Phosphagen System)

• Primary Role: Immediate, high-power output (e.g., max effort sprint, jump, or lift)

• Duration: ~0–10 seconds

• Recovery: 2–5 minutes to replenish phosphocreatine stores

• Training Focus: Short, maximal-effort intervals with long rest

2. Glycolytic System (Anaerobic System)

• Primary Role: Moderate to high-intensity efforts (e.g., 400m sprint, wrestling, MMA exchanges)

• Duration: ~10–90 seconds

• By-product: Lactate accumulation leads to fatigue

• Training Focus: Interval work with structured rest to improve lactate threshold

3. Oxidative System (Aerobic System)

• Primary Role: Sustained, low-intensity efforts and recovery between bouts

• Duration: Beyond 90 seconds to several hours

• Training Focus: Steady-state training, tempo runs, or aerobic intervals to improve recovery and endurance

Understanding the contributions of these systems during sport is critical for sport and real-world program design when it comes to training.

Conditioning Methods: 5 Ways to Apply Scientific Methods

Below are five conditioning methods every coach should know:

1. Cardiac Power Intervals

This method targets aerobic power by using high-intensity efforts lasting 60–120 seconds, followed by 2–5 minutes of rest. It trains the heart to pump more forcefully and increases stroke volume, supporting both recovery and aerobic output.

Example Protocol:

• 60 seconds of incline sprinting

• 2 minutes of passive or low-intensity recovery

• Repeat for 6–10 rounds

When to Use: Off-season or early preparatory period for athletes who need a larger aerobic engine (e.g., combat athletes, soccer, basketball).

2. Zone 2 Cardio (Aerobic Base Development)

Zone 2 training occurs at 60–70% of maximum heart rate and supports mitochondrial density and capillary growth, improving long-term endurance and recovery.

Example Protocol:

• 60-minute steady-state run at ~130 bpm (for someone with a 190 bpm max HR)

• Option: Use multi-modal approach (bike, rower, jump rope, shadow boxing) to maintain heart rate range

When to Use: Foundational training phase, recovery days, or as low-impact conditioning during rehab.

3. Threshold Training

This method targets the lactate threshold—the point at which lactate begins to accumulate rapidly. Training just below or near this point increases the athlete’s ability to perform at higher intensities without fatigue.

Example Protocol:

• 10-minute run at ~80–85% of max HR

• 2-minute rest

• Repeat for 2–4 rounds

When to Use: Mid to late preparatory period or sport-specific conditioning blocks where prolonged high-intensity output is required (e.g., midfielders, 800m runners, wrestlers).

4. Alactic Power Intervals

These target the ATP-PC system through 7–10 second maximal effort bursts, followed by 2–5 minutes of full rest. The goal is to develop the ability to repeatedly produce peak power without fatigue.

Example Protocol:

• 8 seconds of sled pushes or bike sprints

• 3-minute full recovery

• 10–12 total sets

When to Use: Late off-season or peaking phases where athletes must replicate high-speed actions repeatedly (e.g., football players, sprinters, basketball guards).

5. Explosive Repeat Method

Designed for athletes who need to recover quickly between explosive bouts, this method uses 8–20 seconds of work with 30–60 seconds of rest. It challenges both anaerobic and aerobic recovery.

Example Protocol:

• 15 seconds of skierg

• 45 seconds rest

• 6–10 sets per series

• 2–3 series per session

When to Use: Pre-season or in-season for team sport athletes, combat sports, or athletes who rely on frequent bursts with short recovery windows.

Programming Considerations for Coaches

When programming conditioning for athletes, always consider:

• Sport demands: Intermittent sprint sports vs. continuous endurance

• Training phase: General preparation vs. sport-specific vs. peaking

• Work-to-rest ratios: Match energy system targets (e.g., 1:5 for ATP-PC; 1:2 or less for glycolytic)

• Individualization: Use HR monitoring, RPE, and sport-specific movements

Programming conditioning is not about randomly adding sprints or circuits—it’s about applying principles of energy system development in a strategic, sport-specific way. Coaches who understand this can confidently design training that keeps athletes performing at a high level throughout the game—not just at the start.

Support & Courses Available

Ready for even more support? Our Program Design 101 Course teaches you exactly how to organize an annual training plan and provides sport-specific examples, including how to program aerobic, anaerobic, and mixed conditioning and even includes done for you programming templates by phase.

It's also approved for 1.0 Continuing Education Credits by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. 

Click the link here to check it out.