What Makes A Good Strength And Conditioning Program?

Caitlyn Davey • April 2, 2025

Different coaches have different styles, and today there’s an abundance of online coaching programs available.


But what truly makes a good program—and how do you ensure you’ll achieve your goals?


Knowing what you want out of your program and how you plan to approach it can be the difference between success and frustration.


What Is Strength and Conditioning?

First, let's define it:
Strength and Conditioning is the use of sports science to enhance movement quality.


It’s highly beneficial because it’s:

  • Evidence-based, drawing from exercise physiology and anatomy
  • Focused on two main components:
  • Strength: Building raw muscle and force
  • Conditioning: Improving your metabolic fitness and endurance


Signing up for a strength and conditioning program can transform your body and deliver incredible results, no matter your current level of experience—as long as you have passion and consistency.


The great thing about these programs is that they focus on improving:

  • Movement quality
  • Health
  • Overall athletic performance


Key Elements to Consider in a Strength and Conditioning Program


Before designing or choosing a program, several factors must be considered:

  • Number of participants training
  • Experience level and age of trainees
  • Available equipment and space for sessions
  • Number of weekly sessions and duration of each
  • Practice and competition schedules (for athletes)


Where to Begin: Start Simple

Starting simple is always the safest and smartest choice.


Training involves repetitive movements, so:

  • Focus on learning and mastering fundamental movement patterns.
  • Start with just a few exercises and simple training structures.
  • Prioritize perfecting technique before introducing complexity.


Taking your time perfects form and reduces injury risk—there’s never a downside to mastering the basics first.


The 5 Phases of a Strength and Conditioning Program


A structured program often follows these five phases:


Phase 1: Hypertrophy (High Volume, Low Intensity)

  • Focus: Reconditioning the body, increasing lean mass, improving muscular endurance
  • Reps/Sets: 8–15 reps for 2–4 sets
  • Duration: 2–6 weeks
  • Goal: Build a strong foundation for upcoming strength phases


This phase may feel repetitive, but it's crucial for long-term gains.


Phase 2: Basic Strength (Moderate Volume, High Intensity)

  • Focus: Increasing raw strength to prepare for high-intensity work
  • Reps/Sets: 5 reps for 3–5 sets


Strength increases significantly during this stage, forming the backbone for power development.


Phase 3: Strength/Power (Low Volume, Very High Intensity)

  • Focus: Developing explosive power
  • Reps/Sets: 2–3 reps for 3–5 sets


Lower volume helps reduce fatigue while maximizing power output.


Phase 4: Peaking and Maintenance

  • Focus: Peaking for competition and maintaining strength
  • Reps/Sets: 1–3 reps for 1–3 sets


Training intensity remains high, but volume drops to ensure full recovery and peak performance during key events.


Phase 5: Active Rest (Very Low Volume, Very Low Intensity)

  • Focus: Recovery and rejuvenation
  • Approach: 1–2 weeks off from heavy training, followed by light activity


Rest is equally important as training—it allows the body to repair, rebuild, and prepare for the next training cycle.


Final Thoughts

Strength and conditioning is a journey, not a quick fix.


Building strength, power, and endurance takes time, consistency, and smart programming.


Start simple, master the basics, follow structured phases, and remember: Recovery is just as important as hard work.



If you have questions about strength and conditioning programming, or want to hear how our programs at Rebuild Health & Fitness work, get in touch—we’d love to help guide your journey.

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A lot of people have completed a marathon but how many people have collapsed at 40km?

Sometimes you do everything right, and shit still doesn’t go to plan.
 Last weekend I ran in the Gold Coast Marathon, my first ever marathon. I trained properly, my body felt relatively good (all things considered when preparing to run 42.2km), I carb-loaded, and my race day nutrition was dialled in.
 I was ready.
 We set off. Jess and the kids met me at different points on the course with signs, the atmosphere was great. I loved seeing the kids with their signs. Pacing felt on point. The first 21km? Easy. I felt great. Maybe I should’ve drunk more water, but I didn’t think too much of it at the time.
 At 25km, I felt slower, but pace wise I was still holding well. I’d kept telling myself throughout the day "The race starts at 30km." And let me tell you, it does.
 By 30km, the sun was out, and I was starting to struggle. My watch started glitching so I had no real idea of my splits. I thought I was slowing down a lot (turns out I wasn’t), but the effort to keep the same pace suddenly felt 10x harder.
 I hadn’t taken on enough water. Usually, I can get away with lower fluids. Not this time. Dehydration crept in. hard.
 At 35km I was in survival mode, one foot in front of the other, flicking between moments of pain and little short lived waves of “let’s go.” But by 39km I was delirious. I could see the finish line, I hit the 40km mark (where I thought enjoyment might return to finish), and I collapsed.
 I was gone. Scary stuff.
 The last few hundred metres were a complete blur. All I remember is the crowd, the medics, and about five paramedics suddenly around me. I was vomiting, shaking, confused, in and out of it. I had this overwhelming, indescribable feeling, and honestly, for a moment, I thought I could die.
 My memory went. I couldn’t recall the day, the year, where I lived, or how to spell. I only knew who Jess and the kids were, and that I didn’t want them to see me with wires in me. 
 My temperature had hit 40°C. Blood pressure crashed. Thankfully, the medics and paramedics were incredible, I had a drip running into me within 10 to 15 minutes.
 As I already knew, I’m stubborn. I wanted to run it all. Not walk. Not stop and breathe and In hindsight, I should have. 
 Seems like my mind was just a bit stronger than my body on the day. I never thought I could push myself there in all honesty. 

Am I gutted? Of course, I was only 2km away but I gave it everything I had on that day. Heat stroke, exhaustion, and dehydration got me. 

I am always reminded here of the quote ‘The man in the arena’ look it up if you need. 
 Will I run 42.2km again? Yes, I feel I need to. 

Would I do things differently, now I’ve run 40km under race conditions? You bet, lessons learnt. Always lessons. Never be scared to not succeed. Be scared to never try in the first place. 
 We go again.
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