Summary from IG Live with Head Coaches Alonzo and Yusuf.
From the inception of Tone House, Conditioning started out as our sole class offering. There is no doubt that the Conditioning workout holds a challenge to many. However, once completing the workout, athletes are flushed with endorphins that get them itching for their next time on the Turf.
Founder and Director of Training, Alonzo Wilson, came up with our signature Conditioning programming when he moved back to New York City and realized that movement in workouts was missing in the city’s fitness industry. He noticed that the group fitness classes he experienced were stationary, with little movement outside the area an athlete was working out in. Wilson reflected on his experience in team sports, where movement across a field is how an athlete conditions themselves to play the sport. Tone House’s Conditioning training was born.
Why do we Condition?
In order to answer this question, we have to understand the differences between Cardio and Conditioning.
Cardio is training directed towards your overall cardiovascular endurance. This includes steady heart rate, oxygen distribution, and anaerobic capacity. All that settles on how well your lungs and heart are working.
Conditioning incorporates strength based work. In team sports, Conditioning is constantly changing based on what time it is in a sport’s season, and there is no particular endpoint in terms of this type of training. Overall, Conditioning is working on your body’s work capacity.
For the body, Conditioning provides fat loss while building lean muscle from its resistance training. With Conditioning training being ever changing, this avoids any adaptations to the body, which eliminates any performance plateaus. Athletes who remain consistent and disciplined with their training will see results in their overall performance and body composition.
What Tone House provides to everyday people, is a place for them to train like their favorite athlete.
Wilson elaborates the differences between us and our favorite athletes, “A lot of times people have a tendency to put athletes on this big pedestal. Obviously, they’re amazing at their sport, but what people don’t realize is that they have some of the same capabilities within them.”
“A lot of times when we watch our favorite athletes, we look at that person’s body saying ‘wow, this [person] looks amazing.” They don’t realize that you can look great yourself, you have all the tools there for you to do it. Tone House is a great place as it allows you to train like an athlete up until the part where you perform in the sport.”
Should athletes focus on one type of training over the other?
As Head Coach Yusuf Jeffers puts it, “ One isn’t necessarily better than the other. It depends on what it is you are preparing for.”
Jeffers explains his own experience, “Even when I’m training different running athletes, the way they work or the way they prepare for their races is very different. Someone who’s training for a 5K is going to train differently than somebody who’s training for a marathon or an ultra. The two things are different in that sense. Conditioning has this element of strength in it that really is a great type of workout that lots of people don’t really get the opportunity to to experience.”
How does Tone House’s Strength Training play in the mix?
As mentioned, Conditioning incorporates strength and muscular endurance in training. Once the initial strength from Conditioning is built, an athlete may want to improve specific skills, such as their sprints or sled work. This is where Tone House’s Strength comes in.
Jeffers provides an example, “if you are a runner, and you want to run faster, then you need to generate more power. And that doesn’t come, simply from just running. It comes from being stronger.”
“Spending some time to build muscle is the building blocks of your body. Once built, you can reincorporate them into movement. That’s essentially what the Strength program is about; helping your muscles get stronger, and then understanding how to move properly in whatever you are doing for your cardio or Conditioning.”
How to start Conditioning?
For all athletes, from the novice beginning their fitness journey, to the cardio junkie, Tone House offers three class levels to choose from for their Conditioning.
INTRO – currently offered on the weekends. This is a scaled back introduction where you will learn the proper form, technique, and body mechanics necessary to complete this class. Intro is a perfect place to start for athletes who have less experience with high-intensity sports conditioning workouts.
INTERMEDIATE – The intermediate paced version offers more chances to catch your breath, learn the movements, and get a feel for our format and energy from teammates of all fitness levels.. This offering is challenging, yet attainable and sustainable workout, and a great place to start for athletes new to the Turf.
ADVANCED – Our signature Tone House conditioning workout involves continuously moving your body through all planes of motion, training the way athletes train, with active recovery periods to maintain an elevated heart rate throughout the duration of the workout. Sessions are team-oriented, competitive, fun, and supportive, guaranteeing optimal fitness results.
The specific difference between each of the levels is the pace and repetitions of components during the Warm-up. Rookie athletes hitting the Turf can choose from the INTRO and INTERMEDIATE classes to learn the ropes before entering an ADVANCED class.
New athletes can purchase their Rookie Pass to get their first 2 classes for the 1 try, perfect to try a Strength and Conditioning session.